#Six selection factors

[cemeterything]

Wait wait. Tell us more about the arctic mission you tried to join

okay so it was the antarctic but i applied to work up there for six months on a remote island (like REMOTE remote, you can only shower properly once a week if you're lucky when supply ships pass through the area remote) and i had all of the relevant skills but they did mention your mental health being a factor in selection (for obvious reasons given the degree of isolation from everyone but the team stationed there with you) so even though it was probably just because it was very competitive i like to joke that i was too mentally ill to pass the screening process

[murderbot-fanimation-project]

SPOTLIGHT ON: Murderbot Fanimation Project Backgrounds!

(Part 3 of 3) (Jump to part [1] [2])

They may be the literal background of the finished product, but the backgrounds done for the Murderbot Diaries Fanimation Project deserve their time in the spotlight!

Part of what makes the Fanimation stand out as much as it does is the love, care, and attention to detail that the artists poured into the backgrounds. The team stuck closely to the source texts when designing the spaces, producing some beautiful pieces of art that deserve appreciation on their own.

You can watch the Murderbot Diaries Fanimation Project here.

In this final part, we look at some of the backgrounds that we animated to give them that extra wow factor. Some of the shots in the Murderbot Fanimation have backgrounds completely made in 3D - the opening shot and the post-credits scene, for example. But the shots in this post are mostly 2D imagery, with some 3D components and clever editing that bring them to life.

Deltfall Habitat - Background art and motion editing by @broken-risk-assessment-module , habitat model created by TechnicalToad and rendered by @theash0

"I climbed the ladder up to the roof hatch and popped it. The armor’s boots have magnetized climbing clamps, and I used them to cross over the curving roofs to the third habitat and then around to the second."

Milu Storm - 3D model of the corridor by TechnicalToad, storm effect created by @theash0 using, among many other elements, an effect created by @chimaerakitten

"Swirling, towering clouds, filled with electrical discharges, obscured any view of the surface. [...] It was immense, and wrong, and terrible and beautiful all at the same time. I stood there for what I later clocked as twenty-two seconds, just staring."

Docking Bay Door - Background, foreground, and door textures illustrated by Vanessa. 3D door composited and animated by @theash0

"Gurathin knelt beside an open maintenance floor panel next to the gate, tools scattered around, and Ratthi held a light for him. The panel was painted with an emergency feed marker label that in a selection of different languages read 'Manual Release.'"

Docking Bay Corridor - Illustrated by @nirelaz , motion editing by @theash0

"Our shuttle slot was six locks down, glowing emergency lighting showing me Mensah standing beside it holding a small energy weapon."

Bonus higher-quality stills of those last two to appreciate the detail:

(Docking Bay Door by Vanessa)

(Docking Bay Corridor by @nirelaz - you can find more of the backgrounds Nirelaz did for this project here)

#murderbot #the murderbot diaries #mbfanimationproject #behind the scenes #murderbot fanart #all systems red #rogue protocol #exit strategy #background art

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hi, I wanted to say first that I love your blog, thank you for modding it!!

As for my question, it's this: I have written my fair amount of fanfiction, but it's always been one-shots, and normally quite short (my longest fic right now is 11K, and my mean length is probably 5K). But now I've decided to give a longfic a shot, because I have a plot idea that I really like and that I want to expand on.

But that means that for the first time I'm having to deal with a plot that has to make sense, and delayed gratification (normally it never takes more than a month between starting to write and posting). And I'm having issues with motivation and focus. The fact that it has been a month and I haven't finished the setup is eating away on my will to write.

Any advice??

First of all, congratulations on having such a big idea! That's very exciting indeed :)

When it comes to writing out a big idea, you have more than just one option in front of you. If you want to write it all out as one long story, you can definitely do that. But you also have the option of writing it out as a series of shorter stories. This might be useful if your current way of writing works best with shorter works.

Another thing to consider is not writing all of it. What I mean by that is, how much of the set up is necessary from the reader's perspective and how much of it is you solidifying your own ideas for yourself ahead of digging into the plot? If writing the set up is something that you enjoy, then by all means go right ahead. But if you're just doing it because you think you have to, then skip it. A lot of the heavy lifting can be done with your summary and tags and even an author's note if you want to go that route and a lot can be left unsaid or revealed as you write the out your plot.

If you want to write one big story, then staying motivated will definitely be a factor and something that will depend on where you get your motivation from. If you need support from your community, then I recommend posting snippets (for example, on Six Sentence Sunday or WIP Wednesday).

If you get energy from discussing your story with others, then get a cheer reader or two from amongst your friends - people who can read it when it's still a draft and have those conversations with you.

If you're more motivated by metrics, then give yourself celebrations for completing chapters, hitting specific word count goals, or getting in a solid chunk of writing time during the week.

And no matter what, I really recommend celebrating when you write a line or a scene that gets an emotional reaction out of you. If you manage to make yourself laugh or cry or experience heartache or rage, then enjoy that moment and record it in some way. Possibly with a journal entry (if you're a journalling type) or by selecting a quote and creating a graphic for it. Or even just by writing it out by hand on nice paper or recording it in a voice note. Treasure that moment and it can really help to keep you going.

This is getting long despite me generally being a short writer myself lol, so I'll pass it off to others. How do you stay motivated and keep writing when you're in the midst of a long fic and haven't started posting yet? What tips can you share?

#asks and answers

[allthecanadianpolitics]

I am making this post for no apparent reason, Americans

Resources for immigration to Canada:

Immigrate to Canada

Immigration and citizenship

Canada Points System

Six selection factors – Federal Skilled Worker Program (Express Entry)

Skilled Occupation List Canada 2022 

Articles on moving to Canada from the USA:

Moving to Canada, explained

‘Move to Canada’ threats return – but actually emigrating there is difficult

Dreaming of Moving to Canada? Here’s What to Know If You’re American

Studying in Canada:

Step by step: How to get into a Canadian university as an international student

HOW TO APPLY TO CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES

Moving from the U.S. to Study in Canada

Study in Canada: Step-By-Step Guide for International Students

For knowing basic Canadian politics:

GUIDE TO THE CANADIAN HOUSE OF COMMONS

Canada Guide: Government

Canadian Government: Structure, Type & Facts

--

I know this isn’t viable for all Americans and in general I wouldn’t recommend it (given how difficult it can be) but I know a lot of vulnerable people are desperate and feeling very unsafe in the USA right now. I’m not judging anyone, which is why I am providing this information with no bias what so ever.

Americans should also know that Canada has every single systemic social issue that the USA does, so moving here is not going to necessarily get rid of these issues. They may be less severe in some ways, more severe in others but there are serious issues here, so if you are considering this please don’t uphold Canada as some kind of utopia.

I am also available anytime to answer any questions.

#roe v wade #uspoli #cdnpoli #canada #canadian news #canadian politics #canadian

[cardboard-hyperfix-games]

AFTER SIX YEARS

THE DAY IS HERE

I've now PUBLISHED an early draft of my POWER RANGERS inspired TTRPG:

TEENAGERS WITH ATTITUDE

My plan is to keep working on this through the next year or more. I also plan on working on some Dev Log type posts on here to show the game over the last six years. I have a notebook that is 6 pages short of being complete full.

Here's my summary from the Itch page

Core Mechanics

Rolling Doubles – You will roll six-sided dice in this system to determine success. When you roll two match numbers on the dice, that is a success. If you do not roll doubles, you may still be able to succeed at a cost.

Dice Pools – Instead of just rolling two dice and hoping for a 1/6th chance of doubles, you will roll pools of dice. The more dice you roll, the better your chance of getting a double. You only need a single set of doubles to succeed, but the multiples could mean even greater success.

The way you get more dice can be from what your characters are best at or other bonuses you get from playing.

The team also pools their dice together and then will select dice out of that pool together. You may not have the dice that you rolled. This also helps your chances of success.

Attributes – These are the six factors of your character that indicate what they are best at. They are split into two groups of three, Brain and Brawn. Brain attributes are Confidence, Concentration, and Cleverness. Brawn attributes are Strength, Stamina, and Speed. The attributes can also be further seen in this breakdown:

How Hard – Confidence and Strength

How Long – Concentration and Stamina

How Fast – Cleverness and Speed

Sliding Scale – Characters Attributes are on a scale, with room for the character to perform better in moments and struggle after suffering through a fight. These scales can also be used to show increasing chances of success as you move up them or more dire circumstances as you move down them.

These mechanics combine to create a system where each player has different attributes that can be used for different situations. These attributes sit on a sliding scale that allows the players to understand when they are prepared for danger coming and when they are struggling and in danger themselves. Then, to show the teamwork needed to make it through the situations, the dice pools are used to create group involvement in the success of the team. The number of dice a player contributes to these pools comes from the attribute they want to use for that situation. That’s it, that’s the loop.

Additional flourishes allow for characters to be more unique and have additional ways to improve the attributes or other methods to contribute to or adjust dice in the dice pool. These are the features known as Roles, Gadgets and Gear, and Likes and Dislikes.

#rpg #ttrpg #role playing game #itch.io #power rangers #indie games #indie #indie rpg #indie ttrpg

[peachjagiya]

Subuniting.

I pointlessly crunched some numbers like a total nerd.

I factored: albums, Festa photoshoots, Winter and Summer Package photoshoots.

I defined a subunit photoshoot as a non-candid photoshoot where other subunits are clearly defined, usually in a 4 & 3 or 2, 2 & 3 configuration.

✌ Based on above, there were a total of 79 seperate official company photoshoots featuring a duo.

✌ There were 59 other photoshoots where the groupings are trios or quartets. I could analyse these and might still do that but just for transparency, Taekook were in 9 of these bigger groupings together.

✌ There is one instance of a 5 and 2 arrangement. The quintet was all but Namkook who did their own shoot. That made me giggle.

✌ The most photographed subunit is Vmin with six instances.

✌ Jikook, Taegi, Namkook and Vhope following with five each.

✌ Taejoon, Yoonmin, Taejin, Namgi and Jinkook all had four.

✌ Hopekook, Sope and Namjin had three.

✌ Taekook have two. They were in 2015 and 2016. They are tied with Jin and Yoongi.

✌ The least photographed are 2seok, Yoonkook, Namseok, Minimoni and Jinmin with only one instance each.

✌ The rapline don't have any official subunit photos in this selection. Nor do the Maknae line or the hyung line.

Interesting! I think I expected Taegi to be all my imagination so that's a nice surprise, I love them as a duo.

If you can think of another source of company content photos that I haven't included, I'd be really interested to know so I can add it. Or if you want to know something specific, I can do my best to pull it out of my spreadsheet. YEAH I DID A SPREADSHEET!

Edit: Thank you @stupendousfoxthing for pointing out BTS World in 2019. I missed this but I can't seem to find a full list of photos to be able to pull numbers from it unless I search by pairing. But I know from a quick google that you can add one to Taekook, Jikook and Vmin at least.

#nerd #dumb stuff

[rpgsandbox]

Cryptid Creeks is a tabletop roleplaying game using the popular Powered by the Apocalypse engine and is 'Carved from Brindlewood', a term for content based on Jason Cordova’s award-winning Brindlewood Bay. In this supernatural mystery, you'll play river scouts, a crew of young adults setting out to stop a rapidly spreading curse with the help of ancient cryptids of your own invention.

Creeks has many inspirations including Gravity Falls, Hilda, The Goonies, Lumberjanes and Night in the Woods, representing a genre we feel is surprisingly lacking in RPGs. Through this game, we hope to see themes such as friendship, discovery and community explored by gaming groups and summer campers of all ages and backgrounds.

Cryptid Creeks will feature 150+ pages filled with the beautiful full-colour art you have come to expect from Hatchlings Games. Content will include robust safety tools, character creation, intuitive dice mechanics, a guide to running the game as Navigator, a collection of sample curses, and an appendix of rolling tables and handouts.

The standard edition hardcover can be carried easily and will feature smyth-sewn bindings, a matte laminated cover for durability and recycled paper throughout. The special edition will feature an alternate cover with foil-stamping to make it shimmer, a ribbon bookmark in a spooky shade and an additional chapter with designer notes and concept art.

The game begins with the town you call home becoming cursed. This malediction has occurred many times throughout history, most recently in the Autumn of 1962. The nature of the curse is completely down to you, however it always springs from an object sold by the Peddler, an enigmatic demon with hidden motivations. The curse is of particular concern to the Watcher, a benevolent cryptid who has existed in harmony with the townsfolk for centuries. Your crew of scouts must stop the curse before it overwhelms the community and spreads to the neighbouring city.

Your scouts must investigate for Clues to the accursed object while trying to prevent the darkness from spreading! These dual tasks will form the basis of your roleplaying sessions (episodes). The game is best played over several episodes (series), but we have provided rules for one-shot play (pilots).

Once the Watcher visits your clubhouse to inform you of the curse, you'll begin to discover Eeries around your hometown. These minor cryptids act as the eyes and ears of the Watcher and will observe your crew as they travel Clawfoot Creek attempting to find the object. The Eeries are a neutral - sometimes chaotic - presence in the game, but will intervene under special circumstances.

As episodes play out, the curse will spread and grow in strength, its potency measured on a Curse Clock ticking slowly through four phases towards calamity. Your actions during episodes will earn you Clues, and when you believe you've collected enough, you can attempt to destroy the cursed object forever!

Before episodes conclude, you'll be shown a list of milestones that, if met, will reward the crew with Cryptid Keys. These mythical items can be spent to upgrade your clubhouse and boat, factors essential to your progress in the game.

In Creeks, you'll create scouts using playbooks. These templates are provided to ensure character diversity and are ideal for those new to RPGs. Playbooks are named after boating roles, with Skipper, Shipwright, Lookout, Stowaway, Journaller, Negotiator, Medic and Conduit to choose from. The final game will include rules for you to create your own playbooks and select from a pool of special moves we've called Badges.

In most Powered by the Apocalypse RPGs, moves are used to determine your actions. In Creeks we have basic moves, which can be used at will, such as The Crew Move (used to clear misfortunes) and The Eerie Move (used to gain support from cryptids). Each playbook also has Badges, which can influence a wide range of mechanics.

The game uses two six-sided dice (2d6) where every roll progresses your story regardless of the outcome. Only players roll dice during sessions, so it never feels like a competition with the Navigator. Instead, they'll be your biggest fan, willing you to succeed as they represent the characters you'll meet and the challenges you'll face.

If your rolls fail (6 or below), the Navigator has an opportunity to react. They might drop misfortunes on your scouts to slow your actions, split the party so you can't rely on one another, or even progress the Curse Clock!

To stop the curse, you'll travel Clawfoot Creek visiting landmarks and inspiring locals to fight alongside you. To achieve this, you'll need a boat. Name your trusty vessel, then upgrade it to reach new locations on the map or welcome Eeries aboard, like the treasure-hunting Goldtooth. We're encouraging Navigators to incorporate creeks, coves and beaches into their adventures to ensure players use their boat often.

Having worked for a Deaf charity for twelve years and raising a disabled child, making Cryptid Creeks accessible to everyone is really important to us. To honour this commitment, we have hired Chris Hopper, one of the most experienced consultants in the industry with credits including Tal'Dorei Reborn from Critical Role and most recently Tales of the Valiant from Kobold Press.

The digital PDFs will accommodate screen-readers and feature alt text and chapter hyperlinks as well as plain text versions. Both hardcovers will have colour-coded page edges for intuitive navigation. Our website will also host form-fillable handouts for both players and Navigators.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Thu, October 5 2023 2:59 PM BST

Website: [Hatchlings Games] [facebook] [twitter] [instagram]

#rpg #kickstarter #Cryptid Creeks #Powered by the Apocalypse #Hatchlings Games

[somethingclevermahogony]

Hello! I am very intrigued by your WIP and I'd love to request an infodump about the characters or anything else you'd like to talk about! (Literally feel free to give me an essay to read if you want)

You asked for it.

I'm sure I missed a typo or two, please forgive me haha

A Beginners Guide to the Monsters (Sort of) of the Green Sea and a quick introduction to the beings and entities of Kobani

Pictured above: A map of Kobani, The Green Sea is located to the east of the Kronatic Ocean, near the center of the map

What is a monster?

(For the purposes of this text we will be using the terms and classifications used by the Kishite culture.)

The term monster is a rather problematic one. The initial confusion arises from the fact that within the Kishite language there is no singular word which acts as an equivalent to the English word “monster” and which can thus encompass all species and beings which might be considered monstrous by those with an english-speaking vernacular. 

A more useful alternative may be “magifauna”, this being any animal or non-sapient humanoid species which is magical in nature or in origin, a catalog consisting of thousands of species and individuals. The Kishite term for this is Babazubalat (pl. -un) (Bab- Magic, Zubala (t) - Animal). This is further divided into  Bikazubalat (pl. -un) (Bikab- Wild/Ambient Magic, Zubala (t) - Animal) and Nabikazubalat (Nah - Not/No/Negative), dependant on the origination of that species. Within the broad umbrella term of Bikazubalat there are further classifications which are dependent on a number of factors, however before addressing the question of these more specific classifications it is necessary to address what does not fall under the classification of magifauna. (Going forward the term monster will be used interchangeably with the term magifauna.)

Continues below the cut, drawings and such!

What isn’t a “monster”?

Broadly a species or individual can be determined to be not magifauna or a “monster” if it is

Not magical in nature or origin

A Sapient Humanoid

Mundane Species

When determining what is and isn’t a monster, the easiest place to start is with non-magical animal species. This includes species familiar to Non-Kobanian audiences such as cattle, cats, lions, eagles, fish, etc, as well as non-magical species unique to Kobani including the widely-domesticated Horned-Rabbit (Actually more closely related to the hare rather than any rabbit species) and the Giant Mink (more ecologically and physiologically similar to pine martens rather than the semi-aquatic mink). 

These species are not innately magic and are not the direct result of magic influenced mutation and/or selection. Sometimes these species when exposed to magic may either change into or produce offspring which can then be classified as magifauna, this will be addressed further below.

Pictured above: The Giant Mink

Pictured above: The Domesticated Horned Rabbit

The Awakened People’s

The Awakened People is a term used to refer to the five (possibly six) sapient races which stem from a singular primitive species which developed and evolved naturally in the world of Kobani. These primitive beings were exposed to powerful magic by the gods and, in addition, were given mortal souls that could not only continue the process of reincarnation through the mortal worlds as all living things do, but could now permit for the soul to ascend out of the mortal worlds, with soul or 'het', being reincarnated a number of times before coming to inhabit the world of the gods. It is not entirely clear why the gods created the awakened races, though it is believed that mortals in time come to serve the gods with the collective experience of several lifetimes. 

Pictured above: A man of the Usmir forestfolk culture (left), a hillfolk woman of the Uteshite culture (center), the spiritblood Mikrab (right)

(Any of the groups below which are exposed to and drastically changed by magic while retaining sapience are referred to as forestfolk.)

Humans (Fieldfolk): The most populous of the awakened, incapable of using magic themselves but capable of communication with spirits, and thus practicing sagecraft. Humans are also unique in their ability to produce offspring with spirits which are known as Spiritbloods, or more inaccurately Demigods (explained further below). Those humans which can communicate with spirits naturally and use/channel spirit magic are known as sages and seers.

Giants: Massive humanoid beings, like humans, they are incapable of using magic themselves; however, much like a Spiritblood, their physical form is supported by magic, allowing for their bodies to reach massive sizes without the biological or physical limits and drawbacks which should affect them. Giants typically move in a quadrupedal fashion, similar to gorilla species, though they are capable of walking on just their legs and have fully dexterous fingers (despite misunderstandings and rumors spread by human explorers confused by the giant’s custom of wearing seal-hide mittens.) Their bodies are covered in a thin, seal-like, layer of water resistant fur as well as a layer of insulating fat, which when combined with vast lung capacities and the ability to shut their nostrils, allows for giants to be submerged in the polar waters of their homeland for up to 30 minutes at a time. Giants can dive as deep as 900 ft before feeling adverse effects, and are highly reliant on sea-life as the main facet of their diet. After the Calamity, giants are rare, limited to six tribes in the northern polar region, and much reduced in size compared to their massive ancestors, though they are still far larger than the typical human. Giants are never born as sages, and are typically unable to commune with spirits except via the use of magical potions and herbs. Giants write in their own secretive language, carving it into the bones of whales, seals, and reindeer. These bones tell the stories of Giant Bloodlines, some extending back thousands of years. 

Pictured above: a male giant

The Hillfolk: Fur-covered beings often naturally capable of very minor magic (true magic, not sagecraft, a competent sage is typically capable of far greater magical feats, though with the drawback of physiological and psychological wear and tear).They are genetically and phenotypically most similar to the now extinct Stonefolk, and this can be seen in their typically short and broad physique. They are differentiated by their covering of fur which can vary in color and texture in a similar nature to human head hair and by their sixth digit found on each hand. It is not unusual for Hillfolk living in human settlements to shave their bodies in an attempt to fit in. Across Hillfolk cultures a love of perfume and of combs is almost universal. The largest Hillfolk culture inhabiting the land now called Kishetal, are the Uteshites.

The Stonefolk: About human-sized but broader with larger eyes and powerful arms, well suited to their preferred underground environment. The stonefolk were the only group that regularly interbred with humans, and indeed they were eventually bred out of existence before the Calamity. All modern humans of Kobani have some stonefolk ancestry, as a result the humans of the post-calamity era are typically shorter and broader than their ancient counterparts.

The Forest Tenders: Slender and tall green-skinned beings, reaching an average of 8 feet in height. Long arms and cat-like eyes are additional ways to identify Forest tenders. The Forest Tenders, as their name suggests, prefer the forest and often dedicate themselves to its care. Like Hillfolk, Forest Tenders are capable of true magic, though to a much greater extent. With the exception of Spiritbloods, Forest Tenders are the longest lived of any mortal race, regularly reaching ages of 500. Despite their magical nature and longevity the Forest Tenders are far and away the least numerous of the four surviving Awakened Races, with less than 40 living at the time of Narul. This comes down to 3 primary factors. 1. Forest Tender gestation typically lasts 34 months and each pregnancy will only produce a singular offspring, never multiples. 2. Forest Tenders feel no innate sexual drive, rather reproduction typically only occurs as the result of ritualistic practices. 3. Prior to the Calamity Forest Tenders fell victim to widespread persecution and extermination by the human majority. Most humans assume that Forest Tender’s are extinct. In legends they are often depicted as child-like typically as a result of their lack of interest in both sexual matters and material wealth.

Pictured above: A female forest tender

Kiriki: See Section Below

Other Sapient Humanoids

Forestfolk: These are mortal and physical individuals or groups of the Awakened Races that have been reshaped and changed by wild magic, while still maintaining a notable level of sapience. Most forestfolk populations descend from humans, though all Awakened Races save for the Forest Tenders, have descendant groups. Forestfolk may exhibit supernatural or magical aspects but this is relatively rare, and typically mutations and inherited traits are purely physical. In essence, the soul is unchanged, despite what may be claimed by certain people. Though their bodies and at times their behaviors are different, the forestfolk are privy to the Awakened Cycle of Reincarnation. There are hundreds of distinct cultures and peoples who fall under the category of forestfolk spread across the globe. The forestfolk should not be thought of in any way as a monolithic entity. Non-Sapient and non-humanoid species which have gained sapience and a humanoid form via exposure to wild magic are not included under the categorization of forestfolk.

Spiritbloods: A spiritblood, sometimes called a demigod (though they are not related to the actual deities)  is the progeny of a human or human-descended forestfolk and a spirit. Only certain spirits are capable of producing a child with a human. They are almost always born from a human mother, as most spirits detest the physical limits which come from carrying a physically static being. Spiritbloods are innately magical, their stature and strength at least partially possible because of physiologically contained magical energy. It is thus technically possible for Spiritbloods to shed some amount of wild magic. They are typically not able to wield magic and change their form in the same sense as a spirit, as their physical body forbids it, nor are they capable of using sagecraft. Magic rather manifests in the body itself, shaping and warping it beyond the confines of normal humans. Spiritbloods are prone to having an unusually large stature and display incredible physical strength and resilience. 

The Kosheki: The classification of Kosheki is a problematic one, as this particular group of twisted former humans show no evidence of abstract thought, though this may ultimately come down to their hive-mind-like relationship with their creator, the Deep Sun. Originally descending from a group of pre-Calamity humans, the Kosheki are the result of thousands of years worth of twisting and manipulation within their subterranean environment. The Deep Sun is mentally linked and present in the minds of every Kosheki, and as such is capable of limiting or suppressing entirely certain emotions and intellectual functions. It is not clear how sapient the Kosheki would be without the influence of the Deep Sun. Though their mutation is similar in nature to that of forestfolk, Kosheki are not classified as such, their change being the result of intentional manipulation by the demon rather than exposure to wild magic.

The Clay Woman of Kulayu: The Clay Woman of the small island nation of Kulayu are even harder to classify, though they are certainly not monsters. Rather it is the subject of debate whether or not they should be considered mortal beings at all. The Clay Women are in actuality a spiritual superorganism, a collection of micro-spirits inhabiting the various clay facets of the Clay Woman body, similar in some ways to the Man-O-War. In this interconnected state these spirits are capable of producing a singular sapient consciousness. These spirits are seemingly incapable of producing this effect without the structure of the clay. For unknown reasons this only works with the clay of that particular island. While the superorganism does not eat, the body will gradually fall victim to wear and tear, and my crack and break. As such regular repairs are necessary. Sometimes the destruction or wear is too severe, and the body is destroyed, the clay pounded down into a powder and mixed back into other clay. This allows for the re-integration of clay into new women. As micro-spirits are re-introduced into new clay bodies, they bring with them bits of past emotions and memories. This reliance on the island clay has served to both limit the spread and population of the Clay women, and to create a culture that is deeply protective of their homeland. 

The Clay women originate from Arkodic travelers shortly before the end of the Arkodian Empire. These travelers were likely priestesses from the western isles, and they brought with them Arkodic arts, particularly those surrounding the containment of magic and spirits. Using these arts, these women created a servant class of clay women, made in their images and dressed in their clothing. In time, the Arkodic women died away, leaving their creations behind, to carry on in their place. It is for this reason that the clay women still speak to each other (though their clay mouths do not move) in a dialect of Arkodian now extinct in the rest of the world.

Pictured above: A male kosheki (left), A clay woman (right)

Spirits and other Spectral Entities

Spirits are innately magical beings of a dynamic nature. Their forms are changing, typically in reaction to their mood or their environment. All spirits can use magic to some degree, in essence, using their own magical essence, or fistara, to shape and interact with the world around them. The magic a spirit is able to produce and use in one sitting is largely dependent on the power of the spirit, and thus, like physical strength, it must be rested and replenished. Magic cannot go against the laws of physics and of nature, and there are some magical actions only available to the most powerful of spirits. 

Great Spirits/Mountain lords are those spirits considered to be exceptionally powerful by humans. In some cases, they may be worshiped as minor deities. Aside from power and intelligence and their ability to produce viable offspring with humans via sexual reproduction, Great Spirits/Mountain lords are identical to other spirits, vulnerable to the same weaknesses and conditions. It was several of these Great Spirits, which sheltered and cared for humanity in their mountain domain’s for the centuries after the Calamity. 

 A demon is a great spirit that acts in a way that can be seen as particularly hostile to humans or else other spirits. Demons hide in their lairs, still fearful of what few magical weapons remain, and from there they manipulate and play with humans. Demon is not a species or race, but a title. Demons are particularly cruel, hostile, and powerful spirits. There are many hostile and territorial spirits but a demon is different, a demon wants mortals to enter their territory, like a spider waiting to catch a fly.

Pictured above: Varied Spirits

Monster: Yes or No?

Previously mentioned above, the Kiriki are the subject of great debate. Kiriki are a sapient race of beings, capable not only of advanced abstract thought, speech, and artistic expression, but are also capable of producing sages, with one in six of their race being capable of practicing some level of sagecraft. Their lifespans can be similar to Forest Tenders and their gestation periods are only slightly shorter (23 months) though they do express sexual interest. Additionally they have humanoid features. For some this would be enough to immediately classify Kiriki as not magifauna. However Kiriki are not solely humanoid in their bodily form, only their heads and hands are. Roughly equivalent in size to a large rhinoceros, the average Kiriki is defined by a human-like head; adults grow two keratinous horns which grow throughout the life of the individual, requiring shaving. Their bodies are feline-like, powerful and strong. The wings at their sides are not capable of sustained flight, rather they are used for gliding, similar to some species of flying squirrel, or else for body language and communication.

 Those in favor of a monstrous designation point to the less than human traits of the Kiriki as proof of their choice to classify Kiriki as a kind of magifauna. Some have even tried to use the lack of clothing in most Kiriki culture’s as further justification for this.

There is no definitive origin to the Kiriki, they seem to predate the Calamity and are thus not the product of Calamity-based wild-magic. Some have hypothesized that Kiriki may in fact be a sixth member of the Awakened, though this is a fringe opinion. It is not entirely clear whether or not Kiriki reincarnate in a similar manner to humans and other sapient mortals. Others have suggested that Kiriki were the result of some sort of  wild-magic mutation before the Calamity, though this has yet to be proven.

Kiriki in the Eastern Green Sea live either in small communities or else roam their own vast territories with only a partners and/or their children. On very rare occasions they may be found in human settlements. Their preferred habitat is mountainous, often inhabiting cliff-sides where their gliding ability proves most valuable. They are primarily carnivorous, feeding on mountain goats, sheep, and other wild fauna, including certain magifauna. They have mastered some level of agriculture, with certain communities growing fruit orchards, with fruits acting as luxury goods within Kiriki culture, eaten at special occasions. Most Kiriki are either monogamous or form groups of three or four, the construction of such unions varies.  For those who choose the more solitary option, they will meet with their neighboring kin, typically twice a year, in time with the solstices. Kiriki are capable of learning and speaking in most human and hillfolk languages, though they prefer to speak in their own deep and growling languages. 

Picuted above: a kiriki

Bikazubalat : Creatures born from Calamity

These creatures/species are the direct result of wild-magic originating from the Calamity or else from some other source of wild-magic. Not all Bikazubalat represent species, as at times individuals may be affected by wild magic. Although not covered in detail here one of the most common forms of wild-magic mutation is magical gigantism/dwarfism, in which when exposed to magic in utero certain species may grow to unusually large or unusually small sizes.

Jalistekiru (Great Gull)

Pictured above: a Jalistekiru

The Jalistekiru sometimes called Potion-birds, native to the cliffs and rocky isles of northern Green Sea, is a strange beast. Originating from an unknown gull species, exposed to magic in the post-Calamity period, these four-legged horse-sized seabirds are the terror of merchants sailing the seas near western Makora. Flocks of up to sixty nest together and will act in a hostile manner towards anything, including ships that draw too near. Pairs mate for life, producing approximately 4 eggs over the course of a typical 25 year lifespan. Korithian experts estimate that approximately 8 such flocks currently exist in the Green Sea. Aside from territorial attacks, jalistekiru have been known to attack sea-side villages and cities. Aside from their size and their unpleasant tendency of swallowing their prey whole, prey which can at times include livestock and small people including children, they have a strange magical adaptation. 

Jalistekiru have a specialized organ in the throat which produces a thick oil which can then be violently expelled from the mouth at distances of up to 40 ft. The beast consumes magical plants and animals, thus transferring the effects of their magical diet into this oil. Depending on the diet of the jalistekiru in question, the exact effect of this ‘potion’ can differ. Jalistekiru in certain locations have been reported to be able to spit fire, others cause potent hallucinations. In rare cases jalistekiru may inadvertently create beneficial compounds, including ones capable of healing certain diseases, or even imparting temporary sage-like abilities.

For this reason brave (or perhaps foolish) plantbrews and scholars travel to nesting sights, dressed in expensive protective suits in hopes of collecting the oil for use in potions. It is a highly dangerous endeavor, and one which only the most skilled survive.

Jalistekiru are preyed upon by aquatic magifauna including tiamawa, gabrisu, and bisku, as well as by certain human populations. Though the flesh supposedly tastes fishy and unpleasant, it can at times provide certain benefits, including a temporary resistance to the effects of wild-magic. For this reason the meat of jalistekiru is often sold to those traveling to dangerous regions, or as a temporary cure to the effects of certain magic-based inflictions.

Hashudiku (Bone Man)

Pictured above: a male hashudiku

These strange hairless and unsettling creatures are the descendants of an unknown group of humanoids twisted by wild-magic, either humans or some have suggested giants. For this reason it is initially tempting to classify this species as forestfolk, however the species is non-sapient, the intellectual capabilities no greater than that of a common jackal. 

These nocturnal wanderers are named for their favorite food, corpses. Though despite what their name suggests these creatures prefer the freshly dead, leaving the bones rather than eating them. 

Upon finding a corpse, these creatures will emit a vile smelling fluid from glands located near the anus. This fluid serves to scare off all other scavengers. 

This particular feeding system is particularly problematic for the Kishite people. Kishite burials are open, exposing the dead to nature, encouraging its eventual degradation at the hands of scavengers, as this is believed to replenish the health of the natural world and to appease spirits. However, by disrupting the natural cycle of scavenging and decomposition, the hashudiku threatens this concept of giving the body back. As a result it is typical for Kishites to hold vigils around the bodies of the dead, watching for hashudiku until the first scavengers, usually birds, arrive.

Hashudiku only attack living humans on occasion and given the chance to prefer corpses, however predation on living populations is not entirely unheard of. At approximately 6ft at the shoulder and armed with powerful hands and hyena-like teeth, bone men have little problem subduing lone humans. In places where carrion is scarce they may make off with livestock or travelers. They have been known to stalk armies, dragging away the dead and wounded in the aftermath of battles. A small population stalks the dark sewage tunnels beneath Labisa, where they live off the waste, and occasionally on unfortunate workers who happen to wander into their path. Efforts to exterminate this species from the lands around major cities has largely proven ineffective. The haunting and screaming cries of the creatures can be heard echoing through the forests of much of the Green Sea when the sky is clear and the moon is high. It is estimated that approximately 5,000 live in Kishetal alone.

Hashudiku mating is a violent affair, females are approximately 20% larger than their male counterparts, and in 68% of cases will kill and subsequently cannibalize their male counterpart after copulation is complete. The hashudiku gives birth to up to four young, though they only have two teats, as a result it is typical for the weakest two young to be abandoned.

One Kishite scholar once attempted to educate an abandoned pup, hoping to rekindle the light of sapience in the species. Well successful in teaching the creature some commands, the scholar was ultimately killed and consumed after missing a feeding session. 

While magical in origin, the species has no innate magic qualities.

Hashudiku serve as prey to lions, bears, hyenas, flesh-eating deer, certain draconic species, and kiriki on rare occasions. 

Rarakalu (Yap Dog)

Pictured above: a rarakalu

These strange arboreal creatures grow little bigger than the size of a housecat. Despite the translation of their name, Yap Dog, this funny creature actually descends from the striped hyena. This species is capable of perfectly replicating any sound that it hears, regardless of volume or origin, this includes being able to recreate multiple sounds at once. Yap dogs have been known to mimic the sounds of marching armies, roaring dragons, avalanches, and even bards (both vocals and instruments). While this particular ability is magical in nature the exact nature of this magic has not yet been fully identified. 

They most often use these sounds to scare off predators. It is not unusual for travelers through Kishetal, particularly in regions where conflict is common, to stumble on trees that seem to scream like dying men when approached, though these are in actuality Yap Dogs. 

Yap Dogs live in small family groups, no bigger than 5 individuals. They feed on birds, small mammals, insects, and some fruits. Yap Dogs are accomplished climbers and jumpers, their prehensile tails allowing them to jump and swing from tree to tree, and they rarely if ever descend from their arboreal homes. 

Some have tried to keep the species as pets, though without proper enrichment the species does poorly in captivity. Some have successfully used the species for covert purposes, using the creatures as a sort of living tape recorder. 

According to legend the Tamelian King, Haman, while wandering in the forest was led to his death after hearing the voice of his dead son deeper in the forest, in actuality a Yap Dog that had heard the young prince during a hunting trip. The king, blinded by grief and excitement, unwittingly ran into the Aratshin river and was carried away by the current to his death.

The species serves as prey to many creatures. It is estimated that 9,000 currently reside in Kishetal.

Olisakarala (Flesh-eating deer)

 Pictured above: a female flesh-eating deer

The Flesh-Eating Deer are a monstrous species originally native to Kishetal that have since spread to surrounding regions. Sometimes called the Deer of Lat, this name stems from the semi-historical folk-hero, Lat, who it is said first encountered the creatures near the future site of the Kishite city of Bur. They descend from roe deer exposed to the magical blood of the deer-like monster called Jalluka, killed by Lat.

The deer are quite easy to separate from their plant-eating cousins. They have comparatively bulky bodies and are far larger on average then most other deer. Their eyes are front facing. 

The teeth of this species are specifically adapted for the consumption of both meat and bone. The dental structure is best compared to that of a spotted hyena. The largest individuals rival moose in size and may reach weights of half a ton.

 Males typically present with long bushy tails. Does and Bucks alike possess antlers, used in some courtship rituals. Unlike other species, antlers are not used in mating rituals. Rather male deer compete by creating caches of food (these meat stores may be composed of hundreds of prey items in some instances). As a result male deer are particularly aggressive during the breeding season and will often actively hunt down humans. 

Deer typically in small packs of between 3 and 8 individuals typically led by a dominant pair. Anywhere between 500-1000 currently inhabit the forests and hills of Kishetal. Their behavior is somewhat similar to that of gray wolves.

Unlike other deer, Deer of Lat do not shed their antlers, and antlers will continuously grow over the course of their life unless broken or worn, in similar fashion to the teeth of a rodent. It is not unusual to see deer with small prey items skewered upon the antlers, with the antlers used as a sort of transportation method.

 Deer are highly aggressive and will almost certainly prey on humans if given the chance. The Deer are immune to all diseases. Additionally it would seem the deer possess supernatural quietness, as despite their massive size, deer are capable of sneaking up on prey practically silently. The deer’s hide is supernaturally resistant against extreme cold. Despite the dangerous nature of the deer, the antlers are prized for use in weapons and jewelry. The hide with its magical properties is often used in the creation of cold-weather and mountain clothing.

Deer are only preyed upon by draconic species and the occasional kiriki. Humans have eaten the species before, but only for ceremonial purposes.

Aratku (Crocodile Men)

Pictured above: a young aratku

This amphibious species is originally native to Pyritia, particularly the Putla River of Nashawey. It is not entirely clear how the species found its way to Kishetal. Small populations can be found in parts of southern Kishetal alongside limited crocodile populations. At first glance the species appears to be reptilian, with large scale-like plates running down the back and paddle-like tail. However this species actually descended from magically mutated baboons. The scaly structures on the aratku’s body in actuality are keratinous, made of the same material as fingernails though far thicker. Their jaws are powerful, allowing for a varied diet of shellfish, nuts, tubers, and the bones and scraps leftover from crocodile kills. Despite its somewhat alarming appearance the species is relatively small, only about four feet on average from the nose to the tip of the tail. Behaviorally and ecologically the species is similar to otters, though they prefer to live in small communities of 6 to 20 individuals, dependent on local crocodile populations. Intellectually they typically seem to be on the level of a five-year old human.

Sometimes called crocodile herders, these strange creatures have evolved to live alongside crocodiles forming a symbiotic relationship in which the aratku through trickery and their powerful psychic manipulations lure prey towards the water for the crocodiles to feed on, while in turn the crocodiles guard aratku infants and the crude mud dens in which the aratku live.

Aratku are one of the only mortal beings able to initiate telepathy in the style seen by spirits communicating with seers. This allows for the aratku to enter the minds of potential predators or potential prey, including some humans. From there the aratku can, if not detected by the victim, produce visual and auditory hallucinations based on the memories of the individual, and can thus use these to either scare away or draw their target towards them. 

Aratku are well-defended by their hard plates and by their crocodile companions, however they do occasionally fall victim to a number of large carnivores, including humans. In Apuna, aratku are viewed as a rare delicacy, their meat served during certain festivals. Around 43,000 live in the Putla River, approximately 52 live on the southern coast of Kishetal.

Nabikazubalat: Ancient Beings

Creatures which fall into the category of Nabikazubalat are those which are naturally magic, or else whose mutation pre-dates the Calamity. These are considerably rarer than their Bikazubalat cousins, at a ratio of about 1:8 for all magifauna species and individuals. 

Inyara (Dragon) 

Among the most prominent “families' ' within this group are dragons or"Inyara ". Inyara is a loose term used to refer to any large land or air-based reptilian creature of a magical nature that is not the result of wild-magic. Sapience varies among species. Among the inyara are also the Jalinyara, the Great Dragons. These represent specific individuals, unique specimens rather than species. The exact origins of these Great Dragons may differ, some may pre-date the Calamity, thus being some of the longest lived mortal beings on the planet, others may be the result of spirits breeding with magifauna, the resultant creature being the animalistic equivalent of the spiritblood. Below we will explore some of the specific examples of Inyara, starting with two species and then two Jalinyara.

Zinyara (Serpent dragon)

Pictured above: an adult zinyara

These serpentine creatures skirt the line between sea-dragons and true dragons, preferring a largely aquatic lifestyle. These creatures, while among the most common of the dragon species, are also among the smallest, only reaching a length of about 30 feet on average. These creatures inhabit deep rivers such as the Aratshin in Kishetal. This is a non-sapient species, and its origins are pre-Calamity. 

Zinyarum spend much of their life sleeping, waking up only to eat and breed. Approximately 89% of this species’s 600 year lifespan will be spent in a deep hibernation like sleep, typically in caves or buried under silt and mud. While in this state these dragons do not need to breathe and may remain asleep for periods of almost 100 years. Upon waking however these dragons are voracious predators, and will gorge themselves, often consuming close to their own bodyweight before returning to their slumber. This species will feed on anything that it can fit in its mouth, a fact which becomes alarming when one considers that this particular species has been known to swallow wild cattle whole. Prey is incapacitated via a venomous bite or else via blows from their powerful paddle-like tail. The scales of these creatures have been compared to bronze, their toughness acting as protection against all but the most determined hunters and warriors. 

This particular species breeds in the ocean, upon reaching maturity around the age of 600, males and females will migrate from the rivers and into the ocean where they will locate underwater vents and volcanoes. There they breed. The female of the species will ultimately die, the body sinking to the bottom, her body acting as a makeshift nest for the 1-4 eggs contained within her. Upon initially hatching the young are born with external gills, similar to certain fully aquatic salamander species. In the later stage of this fully-aquatic stage it is easy to confuse the undulating and gilled creatures for sea-serpents, and as with their older forms, these larvae can be voracious hunters, well known for attacking fishermen.

Over the course of twenty years the larvae will grow and develop, moving up through oceanic levels as it ages, eventually losing its gills and migrating to freshwater. It is not entirely what drives this migration.

Larvae and adults in the open ocean are a favorite food of gabrisa and occasionally tiamawa. The flesh is poisonous to humans, creating flu-like symptoms and ultimately respiratory failure. As with most toxins however, spiritbloods are not affected. The spiritblood Lat reported that the creature tasted similar to duck, though considerably more fishy.

An estimated 270 of these live around the Green Sea, with 7 existing in Kishetal.

 Bushinyara (Bird dragon)

Pictured above: A male bushinyara

These beaked dragons can be found nesting on the highest peaks of the Green Sea including the Red Cedar Mountains. Intellectually they seem to be on the level of some corvids, capable of some tool use and abstract yet, bordering on though not quite achieving true sapience. They are the largest landlocked species in Kishetal. Including the whip-like tails these beasts can reach lengths of up to 80 ft. Despite this these creatures are surprisingly agile and light, this is primarily due to hollow bones and a system of air sac organs around the internal organs filled with a helium like gas. This not only serves to keep the creature light, but cushions the organs in the likely chance that the creature falls while in pursuit of prey. A bushinyara is capable of expelling this gas from the mouth and lighting it using a flint-like organ in the mouth. The resulting blast is often quite destructive, and it is typically not used for hunting. Rather this comes into play during territorial conflicts. During the mating season when dragons travel to strange peaks in search of suitable pairings, conflicts often erupt. The crack of the curling horns, the roars and screeches, and the crashing booms of gas explosions, echo through mountain valleys, often triggering avalanches. 

Bushinyara typically live solitary lives, their territories often encompassing entire mountains. Young are reared by the male of the species which also incubates the eggs. 

Bushinyara have a varied diet including humans, ibex, deer, and other creatures. However their favorite meal is another alpine species, the kiriki. As a result of this particularly dietary preference the two species are locked in an almost constant struggle. Kiriki warriors have been known to successfully kill and eat Bushinyara, though to do so is considered a heroic accomplishment indeed. 

1 in every 28 Bushinyara are born with functional wings. The exact reason for this is unclear.

14 specimens are currently living in the Red Cedar Mountains, with a total of 77 existing around the Green Sea as a whole.

Jalinyarum (Great Dragons)

As explained previously the Jalinyarum (sg. Jalinyarat) do not represent a singular species but rather extraordinary and unique individuals. These two examples, Yud and Djikit, are quite different in origin, physical makeup, and intellect.

Yud is a pre-Calamity being, his origins known only to himself, though it is possible that he is a physical manifestation of magic or a spirit. He is fully sapient and fluent in 17 distinct languages. Yud is technically two beings, its first head going by the name Yu and the second going by the name of Ud. At the time of Narul Yud inhabited the ruins of the pre-Calamity city located in the Namutian Desert. Aside from his massive size and intellect, Yud is capable of producing powerful bursts of electricity from its mouth(s). 

Yud is omnivorous, feeding on a mixture of plant matter and desert fauna. Despite its massive size, due to Yud’s largely sedentary nature, its diet is relatively limited. 

Pictured above: Yud with the hero, Narul

Djikit is a post-Calamity being, born from the union of a mountain spirit and a bushinyara. It is believed that Djikit first appeared approximately 1500 years before the time of Narul, its creation orchestrated by the Shabalan King Naloch, as a weapon against his half-brother, Tamel. While Djikit was ultimately successful in driving Tamel and his followers from Shabala, the dragon then turned her focus on Shabala as a whole, terrorizing the cities and killing hundreds. 

This has resulted in a massive and agile being, unmatched in her ferocity. Unlike Yud, Djikit is not sapient, and in fact seems to be less intelligent than her bushinyara ancestors. Djikit gorges itself indiscriminately, known to consume entire villages. Her fiery breath can exceed temperatures of 2000F, melting armor and weapons. Like the zinyara, Djikit hibernates for exceedingly long periods of time, up to 2000 years. Djikit is currently resting beneath the Jankipar Glacier north of Sinria.

Pictured above: Djikit

Lamalagru (Scorpion Badger)

Pictured above: a lamalgaru

These subterranean creatures are among the most valuable in the Green Sea. Possibly the creation of pre-Calamity researchers, these creatures are comparable in size to the common badger, however they may weigh up to 300lbs. This is because of their famed shells, made from various metals and stones. Scorpion Badgers have a supernatural ability to track down ores and stones, and its supernaturally powerful jaws and teeth allow it to consume these things, alongside its more usual diet of insects and rodents. Scorpion Badger teeth are one of the only materials in their world capable of carving through Arkodian Bronze. These inorganic materials are then integrated into the shell plating, accounting for its incredible weight. 

Due to this the Scorpion Badger is incredibly slow, aside from its shell it makes up for this seeming advantage in two ways. The first way is fairly straight-forward, Scorpion Badgers are almost entirely subterranean, and may never surface. The second way is more devious, at the tip of the tail is a large venomous barb, capable of delivering an incredibly deadly toxin. The tail is covered in small movement sensing organs which act dependently of the central nervous system. As a result if approached from the back, such as in a tunnel, the tail will strike of its own accord, often without the badger realizing that it happens.

There is no cure for the toxin and death typically occurs within 4-10 minutes. Though not fatal, the toxin is one of the few which can produce adverse effects in spiritbloods.

Despite the dangers of the creature, they are still widely sought after, with all parts of the body being incredibly valuable. Shells, teeth, and the venom may each sell for the price of entire villages. As a result this particular creature is highly endangered, though because of its environment it is hard to make exact calculations as to their numbers. Scholars estimate 5 individuals currently exist in Kishetal.

Tiamawa (Sea Serpent) 

Pictured above: a Tiamawa

The most common of the so-called sea dragons, these large marine reptiles hunt in packs of 3-4, feeding on large marine animals as well as unfortunate ships. Tiamawa are similar in shape to earth, plesiosaurs, though with a ridge of spines growing down the back which act as a defense against predation. An adult male Tiamawa will typically reach lengths of 90 feet from the tip of the nose to the tail. Tiamawum give birth to live young and are incredibly protective of their young. Like many bird species, they feed their young via regurgitation. Their favored hunting grounds are the eastern Green Sea, though they have been found as far north as the Polar Region. Individuals may live up to 80 years however a lifespan of 50-60 is more typical.

Much like dolphins Tiamawa move through the water using echolocation. This ability allows them to communicate, locate prey, and navigate the often murky or shadowy depths of their oceanic habitats. Despite being aquatic animals the Tiamawa has a surprisingly low lung capacity, only able to submerge itself for 5 to 10 minutes before needing to resurface. As a result the Tiamawa is primarily the upper layers of the ocean. It is fairly typical for individuals to swim with their heads above the water. This has proven quite useful for ship lookouts searching for signs of danger.

Tiamawum are both feared and revered by sailors and coastal inhabitants. While their presence often indicates a healthy marine ecosystem, their predilection for hunting ships makes them a significant threat to maritime activities, and their voracious appetite may at times threaten whale and porpoise populations. Encounters with Tiamawum are often the subject of harrowing tales among seafarers, and indeed the Tiamawa is amongst the most feared creatures on the open ocean.

Tiamawum are not entirely safe from predation and make up a central part of the diet of larger sea-creatures such as gabrisum. Humans and Bisku have both been known to occasionally kill serpents, typically using a mixture of harpoons and sagecraft.. Their hides are used to make waterproof clothing, or else may be hung as trophies. The meat is oily and unpleasant to taste, best left only for times of emergency. 

Bisku (Water Man)

Pictured above: Two Bisku (Biskum) one is partially shifted.

The bisku is a species of sapient and highly magical pinnipeds. In their unaltered effect they appear similar to the non-magical splotchback seal. This has led some scholars to incorrectly assume that they are the result of post-Calamity mutations on this particular species of seal. However the bisku appear in the records of giants, some of which date to before the Calamity, and indeed the Bisku themselves describe their origin as far far in the past, before the Age of Glass and Metal. The easiest way to distinguish a bisku from a true seal, aside from asking it, is to look at the eyes. Bisku eyes present with pronounced whites, and are more similar to human eyes than of pinnipeds. The spoken Bisku language, of which there are 6 regional variations, is composed of grunts, barks, whistles, and clicks sounding almost unrecognizable as a language to those that do not speak it. However they are capable of learning and speaking in human tongues as well, though they rarely do so.

Bisku live in small matriarchal communities called shribaks, usually composed of 7 to 15 families. The largest of these exist near the isles of Dirsia and Ikenii, though 2 shribaks do exist in the isles north of Kishetal, near the city-state of Kirbal. One record indicates a village was made on the back of a gabrisa (see the following section.) Most have two homes, one built above the water on small islands and rocky shores, the other in the water. Bisku farm a number of aquatic and terrestrial plants which act to supplement their diet of fish, marine mammals, and shellfish.

Bisku have been known to domesticate certain species of porpoise as well as sea turtles.

Bisku are capable of metamorphosing, changing certain aspects of their body via the application of magic. This is accomplished by the consumption of magical algaes and bivalves which are farmed in secretive underwater locations. As a rule it seems, a bisku cannot change their parts into something with more mass than it already has, only something of the same mass or less. 

One of the most common changes seen is the alteration of the limbs and the creation of opposable thumbs or even entire arms. Bisku can often be heard using their arms to play harps and drums while resting on the rocky outcroppings of the northern Green Sea. 

The most skilled bisku are capable of full body transformations, including the adoption of human forms. Though visibly striking, these changes are not perfect. A bisku can change into a fish, however they will not produce functional gills and will still need to breathe air or a bisku that changes into a human will retain the rough and scratchy voice of its natural form. The longer a form is kept, the harder it becomes to change or undo. If a transformation is one in which a bisku loses mass, upon reverting back to its bisku form it will typically appear emaciated, and will need to regain that weight. Bisku legends abound with horror stories of bisku turning into something too small, such as a sardine or other small animal, and thus not being able to change back.

Bisku typically avoid interacting with humans and other terrestrial races as many superstitions surround them. Bisku are thought to bring bad luck to sailors and often fall victim to attacks or may become tangled in nets and lines. Additionally bisku skins have long been considered a luxury in certain parts of the Green Sea.

Despite this there have been instances of bisku in human form entering into relationships with humans. These relationships have produced young, these young are typically impossible to differentiate from humans, though it has been found that the rate of these children being born as sages (capable of sagecraft) is approximately 80% higher than in normal human births.

An estimated 12,000 live around the world.

Gabrisa (Whale Friend)

Pictured above: an adult Gabrisa with a pod of fin whales.

The gabrisa is the largest of the Sea-Dragons and the largest overall species on Kobani, in terms of both length and weight, though not the largest organism, as it is beaten out by certain Great Dragons. This massive serpent may reach lengths of approximately 700 ft and weigh upwards of 2,000 tons. Gabrisa are exceedingly rare, with only 207 existing across the globe. Gabrisa gestation is the longest of any organism on Kobani, at nearly 50 years, the lifespan of a gabrisa is approximately 300 years, a female is only capable of producing two young over the course of its life. Like the tiamawa, the gabrisa gives birth to live young, however unlike the tiamawa, the gabrisa does not not raise its young, rather it will leave its young in the care of a pod of whales, most often fin or sperm whales, though occasionally with other species. As the gabrisa grows in the company and cares for the whales it becomes the defender, fending off and eating anything which may threaten the pod.

Often the gabrisa acts as guardian of calves while the others feed. The gabrisa will mourn at the loss of those within its pod, and is deeply protective of them. Gabrisa will stay with a pod and its descendants until its death. Its horns and teeth are used in defense of its pod and in battles by mothers over a pod to raise their young. A gabrisa diet includes sea-plants, krill, fish, sharks, and other sea-serpents. Gabrisa are typically slow moving creatures, expending little energy. They communicate in song, able to mimic and understand the calls of their host species. In addition, bioluminescent patches along its body create colorful light shows, both to warn potential predators and to communicate to other gabrisa when the time to mate comes. Due to their relatively small numbers, many gabrisa will never mate or meet another of their species.

Gabrisum are seen as symbols of good luck, as their presence scares away smaller and more dangerous species of serpent. Often they act as living reefs, attracting thousands of species which take shelter amidst its 10 flippers and under its many scales. This makes gabrisum great boons for fishermen who may purposefully cast their nets in the vicinity of these giants. Gabrisum are non-hostile towards humans, and will show some curiosity towards ships and humans in the water, however they will also attack vessels that they perceive to be a threat to their pod. One legend tells of an entire Arkodian fleet being sunk by a vengeful gabrisa after accidentally killing a whale calf.

Gabrisum are highly intelligent, there is some debate as to whether or not they should be considered as a sapient species, they are comparable intellectually to certain dolphins and toothed-whales.

Conclusion

Pictured above: a map of the Green Sea

This is just a small introduction to some of the magical beings of the Green Sea, there are hundreds more inhabiting every biome, ranging in size from the great Gabrisa to microscopic organisms. I hope that you enjoyed this and I welcome any questions that you have!

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[leaves-lilies-and-esther]

The pay gap/female choices debate

I was watching this Youtube video the other day, and it pissed me off, but the main point of it was that there were these two men discussing how the pay gap isn't real because it all comes down to women's choices, citing really crappy examples as evidence. They clearly thought they were "owning the libs" too. They did this with 0 contextual analysis on why women make the decisions they do.

The first example they used was the Uber driver 7% pay gap, and how it's completely explained by three factors: (a) that women tend to be less experienced, (b) that men tend to drive faster, and (c) men drive in more lucrative locations. (This paper is Cook et al 20 by the way if you want to fact check me).

And yes, when you put it that way and remove all context for women's decisions, it certainly looks like that sort of moment. But think critically for like two seconds here:

Those more lucrative locations? The paper directly states that it's due to men's willingness to "drive in areas with higher crime and more drinking establishments". Of course men are more willing to do this! Your average woman is significantly more scared of being sexually assaulted, murdered, etc than your average man. She's going to avoid high crime areas because she's already in a vulnerable position (letting strangers into her car).

The fact that women have less experience? The attrition rate for female Uber drivers is substantially higher- 76.5% of women leave after six months, as opposed to 65% of male Uber drivers. I did found an article explaining why women self-select out of being in Uber or Lyft in the first place from Forbes. Quote, "...the job still involves driving alone and picking up strangers, often at night- situations that many women feel are dangerous. In interviews with eight female on-demand drivers, FORBES found that they usually feel safe but sometimes have doubts after troubling experiences and holes in safety policies." The article goes on to describe the experience of a female Uber driver in Atlanta, whose male customer tried to assault her. The company didn't handle the incident appropriately, and she never drove for Uber again. I'm willing to bet that this is the case for other female drivers too. The other women they interviewed (even those who are presumably still driving) described multiple similar experiences.

So, if you were a female Uber driver, you would probably leave around the six-month mark too. And as a result of this high attrition rate, the average female Uber driver will have less experience as compared to men.

And you know what? These other "gotcha" responses about the pay gap can probably be explained by outside factors too. Even in totally automated systems like Uber, where it does come down to female choices, those choices aren't being made in a freaking vacuum. It isn't just "haha pink lady brain can't drive as well", it's women don't feel safe and therefore make less money.

There's other scenarios where this is true as well. Women aren't climbing the corporate ladder as quickly as men? What else is going on? The Harvard Business Review found that more than half of men expect their careers to take precedence in a marriage- so if his is being prioritized always, what's happening to hers? When children get sick, women are ten times more likely to stay home from work to care for them (Kaiser Family Foundation). What does she miss in that lost time? When female scientists write papers, they are less likely than men to describe their accomplishments as *outstanding* or *unprecedented*, with the end result that their papers are cited less often. But it's because when women are socialized to be caretakers and to perform without complaint, this is the end result (Professional Development at Harvard). Worse, women who don't do this, and ask for raises/bonuses/etc, are more likely to be penalized than men (same source).

Yes, women sometimes make "decisions" which negatively impact their careers, but take it altogether. What makes men expect precedence of their wives? Misogyny. What makes men expect that their wives, regardless of their careers, will always nurse their sick kid? Misogyny. What makes women and their employers view female accomplishments as less valuable? You know the answer.

PS: two last things. The first is that I'm not trying to reduce the value of traditional "women's work". It isn't bad that women are taking care of their sick children, it's bad that men aren't doing it in equal numbers.

Secondly, if you're curious, there's this amazing professor named Claudia Goldin who I stumbled across while googling for this. She basically believes that the issue isn't direct discrimination from employers, but that the labor market encourages women to work differently. (And she's like 1000% more nuanced and career-specific than anything I just wrote). I put a link to an article about her below:

#feminism #Uber #pay gap #decisions aren't made in a vacuum lol #I had fun writing this #so it's worth it even if nobody reads #Feminist #womens rights

[ro-botany]

idk. budget manakete robin au. do u see my vision

Top left: Prologue/most of arc 1. Assumed to be a manakete. (Actually more similar to an early pre-dragon stage of dragon evolution than a bonafide manakete, due to his family line selectively breeding themselves to be more draconic + pursuing shapeshifting, to be more like Grima.) Dragonstones make him viscerally uneasy so he stays away from them.

Top right: Post-timeskip, pre-Grima-reveal? They found out about the sewn-shut eyes and decided to heal them properly. Also stopped filing down the horns and they grew out. May or may not have used a dragonstone at this point. Increasingly concerned about what these features really mean. (fun shit happens when they figure out who they're a reincarnation of but it's a secret >:])

Bottom two: Grima. >:] He purposely shapeshifts his mouth to be fucked up for the intimidation factor. It might return to normal if he ever decides to be sincere for a second (highly unlikely, he's allergic to sincerity).

The form that comes naturally/is most comfortable to them if/when they use a dragonstone. Some kind of bug with pterosaur arms and a beak?

Purposely a lot smaller and slightly less grotesque than Giant City-Sized Grima, due to this being an alive reincarnation of Grima, and not a zombified corpse packed full of souls and modified into a death blimp.

Validar also has draconic horns in this AU, but his point upwards, like the points on his headpiece in canon. I haven't decided if he has cheek eyes or not but if he does he doesn't have all six of them.

#my art #fe awakening #robin #grima #i'm not really doing anything with this au (yet?) i just gotta get this shit out my brain #don't hold your breath for more drawings though. i have personal reasons for not posting much art here </2

[watchmakermori]

rereading The Bedlam Stacks: my feelings six years on

until recently, I'd only read The Bedlam Stacks the once - back on release, within the span of a few days. I'd enjoyed it at the time, though not nearly as much as my beloved Watchmaker, so I thought it was time to go back to it and see how my feelings on it have changed.

back in 2017, I recall enjoying the first third of the book a lot, finding the middle section a bit slow, and thinking that the ending was a bit sudden. Having reread it again, my thoughts are similar in some respects - I still think that the pacing is strongest at the beginning, and hits a sluggish section once Merrick gets to Bedlam. My feelings on the ending are complicated, because part of me thinks that it's missing something, but part of me thinks it has the best conclusion of any Pulley book so far.

Bedlam is a difficult book for me to critique. There is so much that I love about it, so many isolated scenes and concepts that stick with me, and the prose is fresher and more beautiful than I remembered. The scene where Raphael turns to stone for 70 years is so beautifully, horrifyingly handled. The markayuq are a haunting, fascinatingly original concept. Merrick and Raphael, while hitting a lot of the classic Pulley duo tropes, stand out in many other ways - the fact that their romance is only implied, and left somewhat ambiguous, is actually a novelty against the context of her other works. They also feel more...mirrored than other Pulley pairings? Most of her romances seem to thrive on difference. Differences in class, in race, in intellectual standing, in physical strength. And obviously Raphael and Merrick have some of that, but they're also markedly similar in a lot of ways. Even though Merrick doesn't have Raphael's strength, he does have the memory of being a much stronger and healthier man. Both characters have a past of physical violence, and they are both shown to be capable of it in the narrative itself, as with when Raphael shoots the passing traveller and Merrick strangles Martel to death.

Their relationship to disability is also similarly mirrored, because both of them are haunted by old versions of themselves. Raphael is watching himself turn into a markayuq, feeling himself lose time and mobility, knowing that his transformation is impending and inevitable. Merrick also knows that he will never again be the man he was before his leg injury; he has to adjust to it, to work around it and accept that it has changed him. The acceptance of inevitability is a really interesting theme in Bedlam, which feeds all the way through Merrick and Raphael's central friendship. They don't really get the best of anything - they meet under bad circumstances, for less than a month, and they will never have enough time together due to Raphael's condition and a thousand other factors. But that doesn't mean that their friendship isn't worth something, that it isn't immensely precious.

So there's a great deal that I love about Bedlam on a thematic level, but I do think that the actual plotting of the book is quite weak overall. There are lots of isolated scenes that I love, but the connecting tissue is somewhat thin. The middle of the book involves a lot of waiting - waiting for the snow to clear, waiting for Clem to return, waiting for Raphael to tell Merrick the truth and take him beyond the salt line. Merrick does not have a great deal of intentional impact on the narrative, so it does often feel like you're sitting around waiting for the plot to come to him.

That's not to say that the plot needed to be bolder or bigger. It didn't need to focus more on the search for quinine. Honestly, I don't think high-stakes drama is one of Pulley's strengths - her forte is small interpersonal conflicts between select units of characters. In Watchmaker, the conflict and stakes don't really come from the lurking bomb threat or the police investigation - it's about Thaniel struggling with his own desires over the impulse to do the 'right' thing. Grace represents a more conventional path for him - a wife, a house, a future with children, and the money to look after his sister and nephews. But Mori is who he actually wants. And those warring desires come into greater and greater conflict as the story moves from beginning to middle to end. Thaniel's goals are not static.

But in Bedlam, there isn't that same sense of escalating tension and raising stakes. Merrick has his reservations about Raphael and whether he is dangerous, but ultimately, those reservations don't really change the decisions he makes. So much of what happens feels like it was always going to happen, which means that a lot of the tension feels somewhat...inorganic. Intangible. There isn't even the threat of discovery for most of the book, because Raphael knows exactly why Merrick is in Bedlam and Merrick makes no attempt to hide the truth. He keeps quiet about the threat of the army, but even if Raphael had discovered it sooner, it doesn't feel like it would've materially impacted how the story played out.

So it's a hard book for me to articulate my feelings on. The themes and concepts and characters and isolated scenes are excellent, but the story feels - just slightly - like it is less than the sum of its parts. At times, it seems more like a series of episodic events than a narrative, even if those episodic events are still deeply enjoyable.

But the ending is immensely powerful. The melancholy and the joy of it. The simple devotion of Merrick being there when Raphael wakes, 20 years later, with a cup of coffee - which was what Merrick had gone to make when Raphael first went into stasis. It is simultaneously an act of mundanity, and also an act of incredible loyalty and dedication - and love often does shine brightest in those small moments of devotion.

A while ago, I was lamenting that Pulley only ever gives us happy, cosy endings rather than something more tragic and bittersweet, but I don't think I was actually accurate on that. The conclusion of Bedlam is desperately sad, for all its loveliness. Because while Raphael and Merrick are reunited, we can't know how long they will have together. The story denies us that knowledge, that closure, by ending just as Raphael laughs.

I'm so glad I reread it. It is a bit of an odd fish next to all of Pulley's other works, and that makes me appreciate it much more with retrospect. This reread also reminded me, on a more general level, of everything I love about Pulley's writing - the sublime weirdness and the quirky characters and the nonchalance with which she handles speculative elements. For all her flaws as a writer, nobody is doing it like her, and I truly cannot wait for The Mars House.

#the bedlam stacks #natasha pulley #i do love her books because they always give me so many THOUGHTS #what's notable about pulley is that her actual broad arching plots do not tend to be what I remember about them #I don't remember a lot of the sprawling political stuff in pepperharrow #but I DO remember the aching internal conflict of thaniel desperately worrying that mori is not what he thinks #the smaller personal drama is where her books REALLY shine #so I think her work is at its best when she leans into that #as with watchmaker. the dramatic climax of grace engineering an explosion has barely half of the weight #of thaniel steepleton leaving his wife on his wedding night and going to kiss keita mori

[pixelvibes-cc]

Physical Mental Health System Overhaul at Mod The Sims 4

Mods / Traits: Physical/Mental Health System Overhaul – Mod The Sims 4.

this mod brings a more realistic health system to the sims 4 game.

Added Developmental Disorders, Impairments, and Genetic Mutations. Give your Sim any of these in the pie menu. Added a Blood Donor and an Organ Donor career. Use your phone and book these careers. Added dieting. Your Sim can now diet. Added a redid attractiveness system. Your Sim can have turn ons and turn offs, and they can be attracted to males, females, or both.

Anyways there are three brand new categories in the actions tab on the currently selected Sim. These options are: The option to give your Sims a menstrual cycle, complete with all four phases of the human menstrual cycle irl. More illnesses of various severity and symptoms, plus some are contagious. These are also illnesses you can get irl. The option to give your Sim a blood type and/or blood disorder.

Anyways let’s start with the menstrual cycle. Firstly, the follicular phase. This phase does nothing really.. Second, the fertile window. In this phase, your Sim will have a x2 chance of getting pregnant. Thirdly, the ovulation phase/luteal phase. This is when your sim’s period is nearing. They will have symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, along with cervical mucus. Last but definitely least, is the period phase. This also has an influx of symptoms such as headaches, cramps, and sweet cravings.

Please note it does not change phases on its own, you have to do that physically. If you don’t want your sim to get their period, then either remove this module or don’t click any of the options. Illnesses:Illnesses are now divided into six categories, with a combination of physical and mental illnesses. The categories/illnesses are: Mild illnesses: Influenza, Stomach Flu, Common Cold Severe illnesses: AIDS, Dementia, Cancer Chronic illnesses: Insomnia, Asthma, Seasonal Allergies Mental illnesses: Depression, OCD, PTSD Eating disorders: Anorexia, Bulimia Parasites: Tick, Intestinal Worms, Head Lice

Blood Types: Your Sims can now have blood types! I redid this mod because I wasn’t happy that the first one took up a trait slot. Blood types are divided into two categories. There is:RH Positive and RH NegativeBoth of them are A, B, O, and AB, the RH factor determines whether positive or negative.I also added some blood disorders, there is currently four of them in the game.

Diabetes Hypoglycemia Blood Clots Anemia

DOWNLOAD NOW

#ts4cc #ts4 maxis match #simblr #ts4 #sims 4 mmcc #ts4 simblr #sims 4 #sims 4 simblr #s4cc #sims 4 build #ts4mm #the sims 4 #the sims community #ts4 cas #ts4 infants #ts4 screenies #sims 4 cc #sims 4 custom content #sims mods

[eserveofficial]

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[typingwithmyhandstied]

a love letter to the Realm Breaker trilogy

I am losing my mind over the Realm Breaker trilogy again, and I can't wait for Fate Breaker next week. To my knowledge, only one of my mutuals has read it (@crowgenius <333), but I will probably not be shutting up about it. Here is my little love letter to Realm Breaker because it may not be my absolute favorite, but it does mean a lot to me. (I did not mean for this to get this long sorry)

I first read Realm Breaker around the time it first came out in paperback. It was one of the last (if not the last) fantasy books that I found in the bookstore by chance and picked up. I had never heard of it before. It wasn't one I'd seen recommended somewhere or something. I did vaguely know who Victoria Aveyard was (I owned Red Queen but had never read it). It was facing out on the bookshelf, and I could see the cover. I think that's what caught my eye first, and then I noticed how the back listed characters (i.e. "a squire forced to choose between home and honor, an immortal. . .). It reminded me of Six of Crows which I had loved, so I bought it.

I looked it up on Goodreads that night (which I had just recently joined). I remember cursing when I saw that it was an incomplete series. I didn't do those. I had never done those except a select few (the Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita which I'd been obsessed with and KOTLC). I am surprised I even read it after that to be honest. I did not want to be left on a cliffhanger, but I did. I read it. I wasn't even thrown off by the length, only excited.

It was more intense and LOTR-esque than anything I'd ever read. It was also probably the first book that I couldn't just memorize the worldbuilding for (I had learned the Grishaverse backwards and forwards as well as everything that came before it). It was the first book that I mostly had to go with the flow and be immersed in it and learn as I went along. There was no info dump at the beginning. I loved it. It is also to this day one of the most descriptive books I have ever read but not suffocating. I also really loved how Corayne was handled as if not the classic chosen one character then something adjacent (I love her with my whole heart).

I feel slightly ashamed saying it, but I was a lot like every other person I knew in the sense that I really liked romance. I remember specifically not reading things because they didn't have a romantic focus. I am not saying that Realm Breaker did not have hints of romantic potential and building (my favorite), but it is in no way portrayed to be a main, driving factor of the story. It is there, but it is not the reason to read it as much as even some less romantic heavy books (Six of Crows, etc). (To give credit where credit is due, ADSOM was also something I read before that and doesn't have romance as the main reason to read it, etc, but I do not think that I realized how it was done before.) I was new to that. It challenged me to return to the mindset of romance not being the most important factor that I had had before with other books like Percy Jackson, etc. It was good for me. It helped push me on my journey to understanding that romance was not the most important thing in books to me, and that really that was just the characters and their dynamics in general. I had just been presented with many books where the majority of the notable characters and relationships were displayed in a romantic sense. (A quick caveat---I still absolutely adore a good romance with my whole heart. I love my romance novels. I also do enjoy many fantasies where romance IS the driving factor.)

Upon finishing Realm Breaker, I instantly wanted more. It was a masterpiece in my mind even if it never had that feeling I got with many other books that meant it would be one that stuck with me forever. (Realm Breaker had been 4/5 stars for me the first time. Upon rereading, I realized that it was even better than I remembered and actually was a favorite and a 5 star read. Was I just too stupid to appreciate it fully the first time? Jury is still out on that one.) It was only a few months until Blade Breaker came out. I was resolute. I could wait, and I would be able to wait until the third book came out as well.

"I cannot wait" had to have been among the first thoughts I thought upon finishing Blade Breaker. I had looked forward to books in the past (the aforementioned prior incomplete series), but those books had been ones I'd patiently waited to have the mail carrier bring them. I could not wait that long for Blade Breaker. I had to have it. So on a hot summer day, Blade Breaker became the first book that I went to the bookstore on the release day to purchase. I went with my mother. I ran into my friend in the parking lot. Life was good, at least until I finished.

I had brought Blade Breaker with me on my family's annual camping trip. I usually spend the whole time sitting in a hammock and reading. I had already finished Geekerella by Ashley Poston on the trip. (I needed light reading for the car.) I read Blade Breaker sitting in a hammock looking out onto the lake. When I looked up, I could see tall pine trees and a bright blue sky. I could have been in some of the forests the Companions traveled through. I read for as long as there was light. I read in the tent with a flashlight. I read as bugs bit me. I finished it days before the trip was done.

I remember that I finished it just as it got dark one night. My parents were making a fire. I walked over, and I sat down on the big rock in the dimming light. I was flabbergasted. I was awestruck. I was heartbroken. I was so close to tears. I remember telling my mother that all of my favorite characters might be dead, and I remember it hitting me that I'd probably have to wait over a year to see if they were alive. Little did I know that it would be even longer than that. So long that I managed to completely block out the ending for my own emotional survival probably.

I waited and waited. I understood why I had to wait of course. I in no way expected instant gratification. I knew it probably wasn't even written. I knew writing and publishing took pressure time, so I persisted. Then, in December of 2023, I decided that I would have to reread. I needed to remember the worldbuilding to be able to appreciate the intricacy and nuance of Fate Breaker, but also because I happened to read a horrible book (which I will not name) that did everything Realm Breaker had done so well so badly. I needed to remind myself that good books existed.

I accidentally opened Blade Breaker to the last page first. It is then that I realized I'd completely blocked out the last few pages and what happened on them. I knew that I thought many of my favorites could be dead, but I did not remember that. I did not remember the specifics. I did not remember the last paragraph. I was crushed, but I kept rereading. I listened to the audiobooks while I did everything when February hit to finish on time. I looked at the map. I got my bearings back in this fantasy world I loved so dearly, and the best part was that I loved it even more the second time.

Then, yesterday exactly a week before Fate Breaker releases, I read the ending of Blade Breaker a second time. This time, I was not just close to tears, but they did fall. This time I was terrified not just for the characters in that moment but for all they were yet to encounter. All of the possible foreshadowing of their imminent deaths. I am still terrified today, but I am mostly excited because I know that Victoria Aveyard will at least write it well no matter how cruel.

Next week, I will be buying Fate Breaker on Tuesday, February 27th 2024 when it comes out in a bookstore just like I did for Blade Breaker. I will most likely scream and cry and be my overdramatic self. One thing is new though. I will be spending every moment up until then scheming up what I think the plot will be to that book. I have developed new habits (thank you secret shanghai fandom).

I am excited. I am terrified. I am ready to have my heart broken. Thank you, @vaveyard, for writing such a beautiful book series. It has been something I never knew I needed until I had it. Please don't kill my favorite characters. Please. If Andry Trelland dies, it will be my villain origin story. 

#realm breaker #fate breaker #blade breaker #victoria aveyard #save

[sourcreammachine]

rougelite-ish game set in the Doctor Who universe with two concurrent roguelite cycles. you play as a time lord starting out on an adventure across time and space, and when you die, you have to crawl off somewhere to regenerate. BUT you only have thirteen lives - and when you die permanently that time lord is uploaded to the matrix and all traits and progression are reset and you begin with a new time lord altogether

you pick from a selection of randomly generated academy graduates, with some innate basic traits, but your actions and levelling choices define who they are, NOT birthright. you can name them, and the several versions are by default referred to retrospectively as ‘The First [blank]’, ‘The Second [blank]’ etc but can be given custom epithets such as ‘The War [blank]’. time lords can permanently die before their thirteenth - when the regeneration process begins they receive a tiny amount of health back and must find a safe place, because if they are killed in this time they are dead dead. individual incarnations age, and eventually will weaken, slow, and die. regeneration is a lottery, it is ostensibly impossible for the player to control BUT is influenced by certain gameplay factors, with personality traits being governed by narrative decisions as well as pure randomness, with gameplay traits being governed by gameplay factors as well as pure randomness, and with time lords sometimes having an overarching gender preference (though with most being ontologically genderless and with the average time lord not having a clear preference and flipping between male-presenting, female-presenting, enby-presenting, or non-presenting). physical appearances are fundamentally completely random, though rarely your character will steal the face of a generated npc they’ve interacted with. you can speak with your dead time lords in the matrix

all player characters begin as obedient little academy graduates from the upper classes of gallifrey, and are given every opportunity to remain in the time lords’ good graces. as an obedient time lord you may only use TARDISes on time lord authority for time lord business, may not breach the no-interference policy, and may be bound to a full crew of six. of course, you have every opportunity to steal a TARDIS, but you will be declared renegade and you will be ostracised, though the game will open up massively to allow you fun and free will across the whole universe. all naked TARDISes are metal pods with small, white console rooms adorned with bright roundels. their chameleon circuit begins switched on, and can break, and can be switched off. you can turn on the blue boringers if you really want to go from A to B, but leaving them off allows for broader adventures. you can customise the interior aesthetic of the TARDIS as you like. when your time lord dies, their TARDIS will remain wherever they left it, and can possibly be retrieved by the next time lord should they have its key, letting them inherit the items and upgrades within. leaving it on gallifrey will allow the new time lord to beeline straight to it and avoid the time lords’ wrath

an incarnation will level up, gain perks become more powerful and experienced over time, but their incarnation-specific levelling will be reset at regeneration, with only the higher tier of ontological time lord levelling being carried forward, which still allows for a strong upwards power curve over the course of the thirteen lives. all of this gets reset at a permanent death. the only form of power curve established over the course of the entire game is based around your character’s actions - worlds can be made better for your later characters, items can be improved and bequeathed, TARDISes can be upgraded and reclaimed

you are not The Doctor and you are not their wannabe. though you (probably) will be a time lord renegade, that is not correlated with any sort of personality implications, or moral railroading. you can be a The Doctor, or a The Rani, or a The Master, or a The General, but you ultimately will be forging a path as The [insert name here]. if you play as a villain, your moral ills will affect the world but will not have a bearing on the nature of your future characters. the universe is your oyster, go live and die and have adventures

#196 #doctor who

[pwecie]

Hello everybody, before I start this, I need to preface everything that I’m about to say with some facts

My maternal grandfather is Palestinian, he has also lived in Israel.

My uncle fought in Afghanistan against terrorists.

Because of these, I feel like it’s important to clear up some misconceptions about the events going on.

Number 1: Israel’s primary target is Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Hamas has taken Israeli hostages who are just innocent citizens and have no connection to the fighting.

Number 2: It is very realistic that Israel is not all that innocent themselves, as my grandfather has told me stories of anti-Palestinian behavior within Israel that resulted in the death of a family member.

Number 3: Any organization that aids to help the people of Palestine is good, unless that funding or the actions of that organization aid Hamas as Hamas is a terrorist organization.

Number 4: The definition of Zionism is “the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.” The definition does not mention Palestine specifically or any hate to other nation as the term was coined in 1897, long before the formation of Israel.

Number 5: Zionism became popularized around the end of World War 2 in 1945, and the nation of Israel was founded 3 years later in 1948, probably because Jewish people wanted to feel safe and a sense of community after the mass genocide of Jews during the Holocaust.

Number 6: People are incorrectly using the term Zionism as the “dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.” Which is actually the definition of Xenophobia.

If you really cared about the war in Gaza, then you wouldn’t be picking either Israel or Palestine specifically. You would be on the side of the people unrelated to this conflict that are suffering from the actions of corrupt Israeli soldiers and the terrorist organization Hamas. Do not support Hamas. do not support Xenophobia. Do not support Islamophobia. Do not support Antisemitism. Practice media literacy. Do your research on organizations that donate and make sure they don’t support terrorism or corruption. Posting an Israeli or Palestinian flag on your social media doesn’t do jack shit, especially when all the information you have on the situation comes from social media blogs that are tailored to give incomplete or false information to specific demographics. This situation is not black and white. We have a responsibility to protect innocent humans. Not nations, not ideals, innocent human beings.

I will be doing research and providing organizations that you can donate to that solely support affected people and not terrorism. I don’t care if you block me, but at last dig deeper and educate yourself, but if you attack me or send people to attack me, saying that I’m a zionist, terrorist, or anything under the sun without reading the entire post, then you are part of the problem.

Edit: I want to reiterate, while Israel has every right to want to fuck up Hamas six ways to Sunday, it is SO EXTREMELY and HIGHLY REALISTIC that war crimes have been committed by select individuals within the Israeli military. I cannot ignore these instances. While the war on terrorism is just, systematic Xenophobia does exist within Israel, which resulted in the death of my grandfather’s sister, or at the very least she received less priority with her medical care within an Israeli hospital. This whole post is neither a defense of Israel or Palestine and I cannot pick sides because of my family background being related to both a Palestinian AND a Nazi from WW2 (I didn’t include that in the beginning because I felt people would just read “Nazi” and shut my whole argument down on just that one factor). I have a moral obligation to make sure the genocide of Jewish people never happens again, but also to support my grandfather and his people overseas. My only purpose is to reiterate that this situation is not good-side bad-side, black or white. My goal here is to inform people of the history surrounding the situation and correct any misinformation. Which there is a lot of holy crap. My heart goes out to all the families within or related to those of the Gaza Strip, as well as Israeli families and individuals who have been affected by terrorism.

#gaza strip #palestine #israel #antisemitism #xenophobia #islamophobia #Zionism #israel hamas war #israel hamas conflict #hamas