#Sirenian update

[mvtj-sirenian]

Introduction: Overview

Sirens, despite having the body of humans from the waist up and fish-like tails downwards, are not to be confused with Mermaids. The difference being that Sirens are semiaquatic and need to breathe air while Mermaids are fully aquatic thus able to breathe underwater. Sirens also possess wing like fins that allow them to glide for short distances above the surface of the large, possibly infinite, ocean that they call home.

Sirenian is the language spoken by these Sirens of Mortus, the realm of the dead. Despite their humanoid looks from the waist up and ability to mimic human calls and singing, the Sirenian language is anything but such. Features of Sirenian include:

A large (possibly the largest) vowel inventory with some distinctions not being found in any other human languages.

Conversely, a complete lack of consonants.

An intricately designed logosyllabic writing system that is either tattooed into flesh or carved on wood or stone.

(if you can read this, this post is a work in progress and will possibly be replaced).

[violethowler]

Red Rising-era Mars map version 2.0!

After looking over my Mars map some more and re-reading parts of Dark Age and Golden Son, I realized that I'd misunderstood a few things about the geography of Mars that necessitated me redoing my map from scratch. And with that new information came the knowledge that I had no way to decisively prove where one continent ended and the next began, beyond having a clear and obvious boundary between Apollonia and Cimmeria.

So without further ado, here's my updated notes on all the Martian locales in the Red Rising saga:

Continents and Seas:

Cimmeria and Sirenum: In the novels, Cimmeria is confirmed to encompass the highland region in the northern hemisphere west of the Valles Marineris. Lryia mentions the Red Hand base is located at 46 degrees, and Ephraim mentions the volunteers who come to help stomp out the Red Hand came from across northern Cimmeria, so that puts it at 46 degrees latitude. But the IRL Terra Cimmeria region that the continent is named for is located in the eastern hemisphere. In my original map, I tried to find a way to connect the two. However, Morning Star indicates that the Thermic Sea, which is along the coast of Cimmeria, is located at least partly on the planet’s equator, and given the fact that this would result in Cimmeria taking up space in the Terra Sirenum region that the Sirenian continent is named for, I thought it would be simpler (and funnier) if the Cimmerian and Sirenian continents more or less switched places with their namesakes.

Arabia Terra is a real region on Mars in the northern hemisphere, which fits with how Darrow described it as a Northern continent in Morning Star, so I just traced the boundaries.

Apollonia: The exact boundaries of Apollonia are unknown, but I figure it probably doesn't go much farther east than the western edge of Arabia Terra. Plus, Ephraim saying that Cimmeria is the richest in Helium makes me think that its larger than Apollonia. I based the boundary between Apollonia and Cimmeria on IRL tectonic maps of Mars in the area surrounding landmarks we know are part of one continent or another.

???: Since I based the borders of Sirenum on the IRL boundaries of Terra Cimmeria and the borders of Arabia Terra on its namesake, that leaves room on Mars for at least one more continent. It also fits with a throwaway line from Red Rising where Darrow mentions one of the kids chosen ahead of him in The Draft came from a family with "a stake on one of Mars's southern continents." Which implies that there's more than one continent on Mars that's predominantly located in the southern hemisphere.

Borealis Basin: The Borealis Basin IRL is a real lowland region on Mars that encompasses most of the planet’s northern hemisphere. The terraforming process just filled it with water to turn it into an ocean.

Amazonian Sea: There's a real region of the Borealis Basin named the Amazonis Planitia, a.k.a the Amazonian for short, which sits to the west of the Olympus Mons. Since Virginia travels over it while approaching Cimmeria when she flies the Iron Circle toward Agea at the end of Dark Age, the Amazonian Sea is obviously located in the same place as its namesake.

Thermic Sea: One of the few solid details on the Thermic Sea's location is that Darrow says in Morning Star that it's located in the western hemisphere of Mars along the planet's equator. In Golden Son, Darrow indicates that it’s west of Apollonia, as he passes Thessalonica on the Thermic coast while traveling north toward Agea during the Iron Rain. However, in Dark Age, Ephraim indicates that the Red Hand’s base was on the northern coast of the Thermic, and a comment from Victra indicates that the fishing village where she gave birth to Ulysses was on the east coast of Cimmeria. Darrow was heading toward The Institute in Golden Son, which he established was in the northernmost arm of the Valles Marineris, so from a tactical standpoint it makes more sense if Pierce just got the directions mixed up and Darrow was actually traveling south, especially given that Golden Son makes no mention of Darrow having to cross the main canyon in order to reach The Institute. (Plus, there were direction goofs in Red Rising where Darrow talked about the sun rising in the west at The Institute instead of east)

Gorgon Sea: Dancer mentions this sea in Golden Son as the site of a Gold vacation cruise that led to Harmony’s defection from the Sons of Ares. Location unknown, but given the presence of the Amazonian and Thermic on either side of Cimmeria, I figured it was probably located in the eastern hemisphere.

Golan Basin: Mentioned by Aja in Morning Star. Since the Borealis Basin surrounds the north pole, my assumption is that the Golan Basin is its southern equivalent, formed during the terraforming process to create the ocean that keeps the Obsidians at the south pole cut off from the rest of the planet.

Cities and Mines:

The Institute: Maps and Golden Son consistently place the Institute in the northern arm of the Valles Marineris (known IRL as Candor Chasma).

Agea: Consistently stated in multiple books to to be located inside the Valles Marineris, and Golden Son mentions that the outer walls are located 80 kilometers west of The Institute.

Nagasos Mine: First appeared in SoA Volume 3, where it was established as being located 600 kilometers south of Agea.

Corinth: Mentioned in Morning Star to be located in the middle of the Thermic Sea. Corinth is said to be directly below the orbital path of Phobos, which is almost exactly on the equator since the orbital path of the innermost moon is titled at a 1-degree angle from the equator.

Xantha Dorsa: Mention in Iron Gold as the source of Dr. Liago’s favorite green tea. Its name comes from the Xanthe Terra region located north of the Valles Marineris and west of Arabia Terra, as well as the plural form of Dorsum, the Latin word for backbone or ridge. According to Wikipedia, a ridge in geography is “a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or both, separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope a way from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, with the terrain dropping down on either side.” Xanthe Terra has two major outflow channels that could be considered home to ridges: Nanendi Valles and Shalbatana Valles. Thus, I feel that either one of those is a likely candidate for the location of Xantha Dorsa.

Thessalonica: Repeatedly mentioned as being on the coast of the Thermic Sea. Comments from Darrow during the Iron Rain in Golden Son place Thessalonica a little over 50 kilometers from a series of subtropical highlands. Since Dark Age and the details we know about the Thermic Sea imply that the sea is actually east of Agea rather than west, this would put Thessalonica to the northeast of the capital rather than the southwest as Golden Son implies. Which would be consistent with their namesakes, as in Greece IRL, Thessaloniki is located north of the Agean Isles.

Tinos: Stated to be 500 kilometers south of the Thermic in Morning Star. No indication of which continent it's actually on, so i'm just putting it on the unnamed one just to have some things there.

Varos: Dancer mentions in Morning Star it’s half a thousand clicks away from Tinos (1000 clicks=1000 kilometers, so 1000/2= 500 km).

Attica: Initially desribed as a southern mountain city in Golden Son, later retconned to being in northern Cimmeria in Dark Age.

Caragmore: The estate where Mustang's mom died and Darrow woke up after the Lion's Rain. Golden Son establishes that Caragmore's time zone is 7 hours behind Attica's, which puts it somewhere on the coast of Sirenum.

Zephyria: Mentioned in Dark Age as the ancestral home of House Telemanus. There's a region called Zephyria Planum on Mars IRL, so I assume that that RR-era city of Zephyria is located in the same area as its namesake.

Elysium: Seat of House Arcos. Most likely located near the Elysium Mons volcano in the eastern hemisphere of Mars IRL.

Olympia: Seat of House Bellona. Dark Age places it on the northwest edge of Olympus Mons.

Phoenicia: Mentioned in Dark Age as one of the three central cities of Cimmeria. Since Virginia is able to se all 3 cities while looking out the same viewport from her shuttle during the Iron it has to be located in the northern half of the continent.

Nike: located in the northern part of Cimmeria according to Dark Age and is somewhere on the coast. Ephraim mentions it being northwest of a large shield mountain, which lines up with the Alba Mons volcano being located northeast of Olmpys Mons near the boundary between the highlands and lowlands of Mars IRL.

Acaron: Mentioned in Dark Age as being in northern Cimmeria. Named after and most likely located in the Acheron Fossae, which sits between Olmpus Mons and Alba Mons.

Lykos: Golden Son refers to Lykos as being "in the middle of the southern Martian taiga." Taiga are defined by a subarctic climate due to being in close proximity to the north pole. Light Bringer establishes that Lykos is also surrounded by highlands. Based on the IRL elevation maps of Mars, Lykos has to be in Cimmeria in the northern hemisphere.

Yorkton: Established to be "on the edge of the taiga" near Lykos. No indication of whether it's east or west of Lykos, so I just guessed.

Ishtar: "A city by the sea, not far from Yorkton" according to Red Rising. Again, no indication of whether it's east or west of Lykos, so I guessed.

Corinth: Morning Star mentions that Corinth is right in the middle of the Thermic Sea, directly beneath the orbital path of Phobos. Phobos' orbital path is at a 1 degree angle to the equator, and runs almost parallel to the Valles Marineris according to footage and gifs I've been able to find online, so I've placed Corinth accordingly.

Cyprion: a city mentioned in Morning Star as being on the Aventine Peninsula. Based on the fact that Phobos is directly over Corinth, the timing of Phobos' orbit, IRL elevation maps of Mars and how much time is indicated to pass between The Jackal testing his stolen nukes on Cyprion and Darrow's speech on Phobos, this would put the peninsula and Cyprion in southern Cimmeria along the coast of the Amazonian Sea.

New Thebes: Seat of House Fabii. Mentioned in Morning Star as being south of Cyprion.

Caseda: When talking to Cormack in Dark Age, Lyria gives Casseda as a Cimmerian mine, and says "you're southern too" implying that Casseda is in southern Cimmeria.

Lagalos: Since Cormack pegs Lyria as a Red from the mines by her accent, my assumption is that Lagalos and Casseda are both in southern Cimmeria, giving a plausible cover for her accent without revealing she's from Lagalos.

Assimilation Camp 121: located in the Boetian Plains according to Iron Gold. Named for the region of Boetia in Central Greece, which led me to assume that the plains were near the central region of Cimmeria.

Unnamed Fishing Village: Located in the north of Cimmeria along the coast. The Red Hand base is to the north, which puts it on the eastern coast since Ephraim mentions that the Obsidians pushed the Red Hand across the highlands from Olympia.

Red Hand Base: Located north of the fishing village according to Brea's mother, and Lyria's distress call puts it at 46 degrees latitude.

Hyppolite: Seat of House Julii, said to be on the shores of a sea, but not which one. Victra's dialogue in Dark Age implies that it's not in Cimmeria, and the fact that she swims toward the sun after Ulysses's funeral indicates it's on the eastern edge of whichever sea it', since Victra would be swimmer west. Lyria's mention of the city "splashing out into the emerald archipelagoes" brings to mind the green islands in the Thermic mentioned in Morning Star, i've placed it on the west coast of Arabia Terra.

Ismenia: Mentioned in Morning Star as a port city in Arabia Terra. I picked a random spot along the coast to put it.

Kato: A city that the Aja and Cassius mention at the beginning of Morning Star where Mickey was assumed to have ben killed in a missle strike. Referred to as part of the Alcidalia province, whose name is likely derrived from the Maria Acidalium Quadrangle region that encompases the easternmost part of Cimmeria and the northwest corner of Arabia Terra. The reference to the missile strike "up in Kato," implies that it's north of Attica.

Other Known Landmarks:

Pyrrian Fjords: A series of fjords in northern Cimmeria that flow east and north toward the coast.

Daedalus Mountains: Mentioned by Lyria in Dark Age. Presumably located in the southern hemisphere in or around the IRL Daedalia Planum, located south of Olympus Mons and southwest of the Valles Marineris.

The Sound: There's an unnamed body of water mentioned in Dark Age only as "The Sound" that is implied to serve as the boundary between Apollonia and Cimmeria. According to wikipedia, a sound "is a smaller body of water usually connected to a sea or an ocean. A sound may be an inlet that is deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea channel or an ocean channel between two land masses, such as a strait;" For the time being, I'm personally choosing to go with the sea/ocean channel interpretation of the term.

[encyclopika]

Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #139

Brought to you by a marine biologist back at it again...

CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

At this point, I imagine a lot of people have moved on from ACNH - you’ve caught every bug, fish, and fossil, or at least you tried to; your island is as perfect as your vision; you’ve done everything! And then the update hit and we were sucked back into this amazing little game that got many of us through the pandemic. With that update came a few more aquatic friends I’d like to cover, as well as “Fish Past” from other games that didn’t make the cut on this game. So, without further adieu, let me talk about my favorite addition - Wardell:

BABY BOY BABY

The minute I saw him in the trailer, I knew I’d be back on my shit making these ACNH posts. How could I ignore him? Many of you can probably recognize which animal he represents - the manatee! Or, at least he is of the Order Sirenia, which is a very small Order, just the manatees and dugong. I would say he is most definitely the West Indian Manatee, Trichechus manatus, the species everyone probably thinks of when they think manatee:

I know they had to give him feet, but really, manatees and dugongs look like a weird cross between a seal and porpoise. Like other marine mammals, they have the fusiform body shape, flippers, and a back paddle. Manatees and dugongs also have blubber, but despite their round, friend shape, the blubber layer is actually quite thin, making most Sirenians coastal and tropical, at least talking extant species. But, that’s where the similarities end.

Sirenians aren’t very closely related to seals, otters, whales, or any other marine mammal. Their closest relatives, believe it or not, are elephants!

By Fritz Geller-Grimm - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1510265 Basically a flattened flipper made from as elephant foot, haha.

Sirenians are pretty unique, in that they are the only vegetarian marine mammal (all other marine mammals are predators). Manatees and the dugong spend a lot of time using their specialized mouths to rip up and eat sea grass and other aquatic vegetation. Unfortunately, as weird and wonderful as sirenians are, they are all vulnerable to extinction. Being exclusively coastal, sometimes living in estuaries and up rivers, puts them very close to human habitation. Pollution and habitat destruction of coastal areas are some of the main driving forces putting Sirenians at risk. 

Still, they’re mammals, so people do their darnedest to protect them. In the United States, the West Indian Manatee is protected by a number of laws, including the Endangered Species Act, despite the population being down-listed to “vulnerable” in recent years. 

And there you have it! Fascinating stuff, no?

[freeminimaps]

3 Belgium Museums Everyone Should Visit

Have you ever considered museum-hunting in Belgium? Well, if you have, then we have just the thing for you for we are going to talk about some of the most exquisite cultural establishments that the nucleus of the European Union has to offer. Oh, and before you go there, you might want to brush up on your French (wink)!

1. Museum of Natural Sciences: Established in 1846, Brussels’ Museum of Natural Sciences is one of the most visited cultural establishments of Belgium. Boasting with a collection of over 37 million items pertaining to the history of the Earth, the museum also has a research department and division. Pertaining to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, it prides itself with harbouring 30 fossilised Iguanodon skeletons, all discovered in Bernissart (1878). Another world-famous artefact that the institution houses is the Ishango bone excavated by Jean de Heinzelin de Braucourt in 1960 – an absolute must-see for people interested in anthropology. If you happen to be interested in dinosaurs, know that the Museum of Natural Sciences has one of the largest halls dedicated to them in the world (and for this particular reason, the establishment is an ideal one for children). Accessible via the Brussels-Luxembourg railway station, the museum is divided into the following sections: The Dinosaur Hall (this is where you can bask in the brilliance of the aforementioned Iguanodon skeletons); The Mammal Gallery (Do you know what a thylacine is? That is just one of the fine things that you can look at there); Of Men and Mammoths (this is a section that explores the ice age and the relationship of men and woolly mammoths); The North and South Pole (if you like duality, this plexi-glass tunnel peering into two opposing worlds is sure to please you); The Shell Gallery (this is a section that has more than 9 million specimens pertaining to the sea); The Whale Hall (dedicated to dolphin, whale, seal and sirenian skeletons); The Insect Gallery (if you like insects, this is where you can browse through 15 million of them); and, last but not least, the The Mineral Gallery (crystals, moon rock shards and all sorts of cut gems). Yet do not fret, for the aforementioned exhibitions are but the permanent ones. Besides these, you will find countless temporary ones that are just as exquisite as the previous ones. Definitely a must-experience!

2. Royal Museum for Central Africa: If one wishes to explore the grandeur of a country to the fullest, one should not hesitate to step out of the capital city. Thus we hop from Brussels to the city of Tervuren and its Royal Museum for Central Africa. Built to serve as host for King Leopold II’s Congo Free State at the 1897 World Exhibition, the establishment focuses on Congo even nowadays (note that Congo used to be a Belgian colony). Though it had originally been thought out as a colonial museum, its core idea shifted in 1960, when it became more entrenched in ethnography and anthropology. Closed for renovation between 2013 and 2017, the establishment boasts with a collection of over 8,000 musical instruments, 20,000 maps, 56,000 wood samples, 350 archives (and a few Henry Morton Stanley journals), 10 million animals, 250,000 rock samples, and, finally, 120,000 ethnographic objects. Oh, and know that only about 25% of the collections are publicly accessible, the rest of them are being examined by the four research divisions of the museum: the Department of Cultural Anthropology (dealing with ethnography, linguistics, anthropology and archaeology); the Department of History and General Scientific Services (dedicated to the history of the colonial period, contemporary history and agriculture), the Department of Geology and Mineralogy (dedicated to general geology, cartography, physical and mineral chemistry, and mineralogy), the Department of Zoology (dealing with entomology, and the beauty of vertebrate and invertebrate life forms). If you truly have a knack for science and the wonders of Africa, then you absolutely cannot leave this one out!

3. Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp: But we would not be fair to the right hemisphere of the brain if we did not explore a little art as well. And thus we arrive at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp founded in the year of 1810. Harbouring a massive collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings pertaining to the interval of time between the 14th and the 20th centuries, it has become one of the most notable landmarks of its parent country. Situated between the Schildersstraat, the Leopold de Waalplaats, the Beeldhouwersstraat, and the Plaatsnijdersstraat, the establishment had to be closed temporarily (until the end of 2017) so that it may undergo renovation – this, however, does not mean that one should not keep an eye on it for it is simply fabulous. Artists whose works are being showcased include: Joachim Patinir, Frans Floris de Vriendt, Quinten Metsijs, Joachim Patinir, Marten de Vos, Gillis Coignet, Erasmus de Bie, Gillis Coignet, Rik Wouters, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Quinten Metsijs, Frans Hals, Jacob Jordaens, Theodoor Rombouts, Peter Paul Rubens, Pierre Alechinsky, René Magritte, Jacob Smits, Gustave Van de Woestijne, Rik Wouters, Fernand Khnopff, Erasmus de Bie, Frans Floris de Vriendt, Quinten Metsijs, Joachim Patinir, Marten de Vos, James Ensor, Auguste Rodin, Henry van de Velde, Fernand Khnopff, and others. A must-see for art buffs!

Did you enjoy our list? Which of the aforementioned establishments have you visited and what impressions have they left you with? Tell us all about it in the comment section and be sure to check back regularly for updates! Blissful culture-hunting!

3 Belgium Museums Everyone Should Visit was originally published on Freeminimaps - discover authentic experiences!

[mvtj-sirenian]

Sirenian Master Post

All posts relating to Sirenian will be linked here whether they are relevant or obsolete. If there is a post that you are looking for, search here first. If you can not find a link, the post does not or has not yet existed.

Introduction

Overview

Phonology

TBD

Morphology

TBD

Derivational Morphology

TBD

Syntax

TBD

Semantic Fields and Pragmatics

TBD

Sample Texts

TBD

Writing System

TBD

Lexicon

TBD