#daily lichen post

[lichenaday]

Cladonia zopfii

Many herbivores in northern and alpine habitats are reliant on lichens as a food source in this cold, desolate time of year. Perhaps the most well-documented example is the reliance of reindeer and caribou on so-called "reindeer lichens" aka Cladonia such as C. zopfi. This fruticose lichen has dichotomously-branching podetia (hollow stalks) that grow up to 6 cm tall on acidic soil in subalpine and alpine heathlands. It has an opaque, yellow-green, cottony surface. C. zopfii is rare throughout the northern hemisphere, but has maybe been largely overlooked due to its similarities to C. uncialis. For all y'all in the northern hemisphere like me, let's celebrate getting over the winter solstice hump and heading toward warmer, brighter days. And for those in the southern hemisphere, I hope you are enjoying your bright summer days while they last. And those near the equator, know that I am filled with jealousy for you always.

images: source | source

info: source | source | source

[theskeletonprior]

Write Time: Day Twenty-One

This month, my goal is a cool 30 000 words written. I’ll be carrying on with more RAVENOT. If you’re curious, you can take a look at my WIP intro right here. And if you’re really keen, you can read the first chapter (sort of a pilot as I toil) right here! Now onto the daily ramble.

I got my vaccinations today and did a bunch of car maintenance. I'm exhausted, but I'm still going to get some words out. Also if you aren't, you should be following my beloved husband @alexanderflowerbird who has already reached his count for the week! Their current WIP, Blood Sun Territory is incredible and follows Malachi, an ex-con trying to make things right with his estranged family. Unfortunately, he first has to find them, and the way is perilous and full of monsters. It's turning out really beautifully, and is about cool things like the healing power of community, what it takes to earn redemption, and boys kissing. Please do check it out. And now, my excerpt for the day.

“I will depart swiftly,” said Ravenot. “If our fortunes are good, the Dead One’s road will bear me from these lands.” “And if they are ill?” “Then my feet shall do’t.” The Summer Lord found it in him to be merry again, even as he rose to his feet, the dead fey nestled in the boughs of his arms. Again the fiery attention of the greater fey alighted upon Ravenot. “Find this hunter,” the Summer Lord commanded, even knowing as he did that Ravenot would do so even without his grandiose demand. “I will take this one to rest, and will not let him stray. Cut out this rot for me.”’ “I will do it, for it is my purpose,” said Ravenot, ever wary of a promise, but knowing the fate of one who had wrought such unjust necromancy. “This is where I leave you, O Lord of Summer. If we meet again, let us hope I need not pause longer than to pay proper respects.” The Summer Lord’s radiance softened, and at last he drifted away, and the trees seemed to part, to shift their leaves to let him go. His light faded, and soon only the distant cries of the cicadas echoed as evidence that he had visited himself upon this place. Already, in the cavern where the catalyst had been found, bright young blossoms began to push through the earth, and deep red lichen grew where once that scarlet ichor had been. There was nothing more to be done here, save to find a crossroads, where the Dead One might be reached. Ravenot hung his thurible upon his belt, and left the cavern behind. 

Until next time! Taglist: @alexanderflowerbird @void-botanist @carmillasboywife @ceph-the-ghost-writer @wintherlywords @cream-and-tea As always, let me know if you’d like to join or leave the taglist, and I’ll act accordingly. You can reply right on this post, if you’d like. Divider by @/strangergraphics, from this set: here. Thank you!

[chemicahs]

the orange lifeform is likely a firedot lichen! or possibly a dacrymyces fungus, but it looks too dry for that

THANK YOUUU was hoping for someone like you to come along like the time someone identified a hornwort in my post. The orange stuff appeared quickly on a recycled paper carton that gets watered daily for weeks, so it is very wet. I haven't looked up much info yet but I know lichen grows extremely slowly so it might be the latter

[redscharms]

Hello, lovelies!

Quick update post:

Two oracle decks arrived, waiting for the Tarot deck.

Halazia is such an awesome song! Ateez are so talented!

Currently busy working and helping some adorable kittens that live outside our workplace. Took one to the vet today ♥️ baby has fleas and lichen 🥺😭 got her treatment and will be applying it daily the next two weeks.

Wish you all a good week 💋

[mycoblogg]

LOL but what if you run out of mushrooms to cover??

luckily, there are more than 14 000 mushroom species currently known to us !! therefore it would take me 14 000 days - or ~38 years to run out.

i also do not only post about mushrooms - i also post other members of the fungi kingdom :-) this add lichens, molds, rusts, smuts, mildew & other fungi to my list, meaning i have about 150 000 species to choose from. therefore, i could continue this blog for ~410 years. that number also excludes the amount of fungi we will discover in the future, since the estimated number of different fungi on our planet is between 2-11 million (~5479 to ~30136 years of covering one fungus daily).

so i probably won't run out !! ^^"

[re-flets]

Tumblr as a Discourse Community

The spaces we actively create belonging and solidarity with one another on common interests might be referred to as discourse communities. These communities have their own unique language practices and genres to communicate with one another within the group. Tumblr is a perfect example of not only individual factions of specific discourse communities happening simultaneously on this one social media platform, but also a discourse community in itself. As users join, they search topics they’re interested in, see other users having dedicated blogs to those interests, and begin to follow and interact with those blogs. These beginning Tumblr users join the analytical conversations, art creation, eternizing of these topics, varying anywhere from daily Lichen posts, to Russian classics, to everyday meme and relatability culture. The multimodal nature of the platform provides written texts, pictures, audio materials, videos, links, quotes, etc. There’s no limit on word count, so it promotes the capability for essays, journal entries, short stories, poems, and other works.

As a microBlogging service, Tumblr combines the benefits of having a high-quality content Blog and online social networking services. A wide variety of possible actions to engage in Tumblr’s discourse community apart from simply scrolling— the platform offers multiple choices of posts and photosets to interact with, the ability to track a specific hashtag, direct messaging between users, the possibility of fan mail and anonymous questions/messages, and the main motive of reblogging. Reblogging allows others’ posts to appear on a user’s own Tumblr, where they can add their own comments and tags. Users engage with one another, learn from each other’s posts, show appreciation for their creative works, and gain new perspectives to improve their own works. Tumblr creates a discourse community by allowing users access to worldwide connection & interaction, where their posts can be seen, loved, commented, and shared by other users. 

Additional source:

Terras, Melissa, and Rose Attu. What People Study When They Study Tumblr: Classifying Tumblr-Related Academic Research, 2017. 

Chang, Yi, et al. “What is Tumblr.” ACM SIGKDD Explorations Newsletter, vol. 16, no. 1, 25 Sept. 2014, pp. 21–29. 

[opens-up-4-nobody]

New fave biocrusts lichen

[aerynwrites]

if requests are open (i see that arcane requests are in your pinned post, but if they arent feel free to ignore this =]) can i request a royal!reader x jayce? maybe hes a scientist trying to harness magic for the reader and the kingdom and the reader falls for him while hes giving a presentation, then theyre basically always scrambling around jayce because oh gods hes a really cute scientist but i am DEFINITELY out of his league

Requests? I do request?? Yes…I do it just apparently takes me forever lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy nonny!

Secret Garden

Jayce Talis x Royal Fem!Reader

Word count: 1.2k

Warnings: none

The gardens are your favorite place within the castle grounds. Lush foliage, vines climbing the bases of century old statues, and colorful flowers in full bloom at this time of year.

It’s a beautiful place. But not just because of the flowers and pebbled pathways, but because of the other who shared a secret grove of the garden with you at this time of day.

A familiar calloused hand wraps around your wrist, tugging you into the long forgotten corner of the garden grounds, the lattice entrance overgrown with vines and lichen, creating a natural curtain hiding you from prying eyes.

Strong arms wrap you in an embrace you’ve come to crave everyday but only get to have once a week when you can both get away from your duties unnoticed. His smell, the one you’ve come to relish in your dreams, envelopes you just the same, making you relax into his arms as you return his gesture.

“I missed you,” you mumble into his shirt, eyes closed in bliss until he pulls away to look down at you.

Hazel eyes glow with unadulterated joy as he takes you in, hands trailing up your arms until they gently cradle your face.

“I missed you too.”

His lips are warm as he kisses you, and you melt into him. His hands, rough from his work make your skin tingle from where they rest and your stomach does some daily’s as his teeth tug at your lower lip.

Jayce Talis has appeared in your life unexpectedly and took it by storm. An inventor - although some called him more unsavory names due to his dabbling in the arcane and magic. Him and his partner came to you, the Queen of the kingdom of Piltover, to offer his service to further the kingdom.

Against the advice of your councilors you agreed, a decision that turns out to be for the best as their work came to fruition.

What had started as a professional relationship turned into more as the years wore on and yet stalled at the same time, never going beyond hidden trysts in the gardens or meetings late at night in his or your chambers, sneaking past the guards.

It felt foolish. Sneaking around in your own castle - and today you want to address it, the words weighing heavily on your mind as you lay beneath a large sycamore tree in Jayce’s arms.

He’s warm. Always so warm that it chases any possibility of chills away - yet today you can’t stop the way you curl in on yourself as you scoot closer to him.

He’s caught on to your behavior as the afternoon passes, your words falling short and silences growing long as you fall deeper into your thoughts.

Your name falls softly from his lips as he presses a gentle kiss to your temple, arm wrapping more snugly around you.

“What’s bothering you? You seem…distant today.” His voice is soft as he speaks, wake breath fanning over your cheek as you look up at him.

His eyes are beautiful, always shining with curiosity and wonder. They are just another thing you love about him. Another thing you are terrified of losing.

“I love you,” you say, the words familiar on your tongue yet feeling heavier than ever as they slip past your lips.

His brows furrowed at your words. “You say that as if it’s a goodbye…” he pauses for a moment before continuing. “What’s wrong?”

You shake your head, trying to assure him. “Nothing is wrong I just…” the strings of his shirt are soft beneath your fingers as you fiddle with them, unsure of his reaction to your next words.

“I want to marry you,” you whisper, fearing the words will make him flee from you.

You’ve never doubted Jayce’s love for you, but this has also never been permanent. A fleeting love that could never actually be, as you were destined to marry some great lord several kingdoms away.

But you don’t want that. You want Jayce Talis, the inventor that showed you what true happiness is and has loved you unconditionally no matter what.

His eyes widen at your words and he pulls away from you to sit up, leaving you cold as the space between you increases. But he doesn’t run, just looks at you pensively.

You wait for his response, sitting up as well and moving so you are closer to him, reaching up to steady the crown on your head as it threatens to slide off.

That movement catches his attention, hazel eyes flicking up to trail over the ornamented gold band that sits atop your head.

He frowns, sadness flooding his gaze. “You’re the Queen. I couldn’t possibly accept-“

“Do you want to?” You interrupt him, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm, not ready to lose him yet.

He looks away from you then, eyes down cast to the soft grass beneath him. “Of course…I love you more than anything but I - the council would never allow it.”

“Fuck the council!” you say, causing Jayce’s focus to snap back to you, eyes wide and lips parted in shock as you continue. “The council didn’t want me to bring you into the kingdom's employ, yet here you are. The council doesn’t want me to do plenty of things but I’m…I’m the Queen and I’ll do whatever I damn well please and if they-“ You cut yourself off, taking a deep breath and loosening the grip you have on Jayce’s arm slightly. “If they won’t accept it then…I’ll step down. I have other family that would be more than happy to-“

Your rambling is cut short, this time Jayce being the one to cut you off, his lips silencing your words as the mold against your own.

His body is solid against yours as you move closer to him, straddling his legs as he wraps his arms around you again, just as afraid of losing you as you are of him.

He only pulls away when you both need air, and even then he doesn’t go far, resting his forehead against yours as you both catch your breath.

“You can’t abandon the kingdom for me,” he murmurs, hands roaming over your sides.

“Then marry me.” You implore, reaching up to pluck the crown from your head and place it atop his own, smiling fondly as you pull away and take it in. “You would wear a crown well.”

He returns the gesture, although his smile is tight, uncertainty wavering in his gaze.

“I’m not worthy of you. Of ruling a kingdom.”

You shake your head. “Do you love me?”

“Of course!” The answer is immediate, his hands squeezing your hips. “More than anything.”

You smile again, nose nudging his cheek as you lean in to wrap your arms around him. “Then you’re worthy. I love you Jayce - and I’m tired of hiding.”

He is silent for a moment, and you can practically hear the thoughts roaring in his head until his hands slide up your back and over your shoulders, pulling you tighter against him.

“I love you too. I accept.”

and as you sit in his arms in your little secret grove…no words have ever sounded sweeter.

[tribbetherium]

The Early Temperocene: 125 million years post-establishment

Mountain and Dismountain: The Cragspringer of the Mesoterran Alps

In the Early Glaciocene, the continent of Mesoterra was formed from the collision of two continents: North Ecatoria and East Nodera, which merged into one another, pushing up a tall mountain range where the two continents met. As the two tectonic plates continued to press into each other, the mountains rose up ever higher: and now, in the Early Temperocene, this geological pressure has culminated in the Mesoterran Alps: a mountainous region dividing Mesoterra down the middle, with peaks rising as high as 7,000 meters above sea level.

Here, few creatures can survive: bumbaas, grimhogs and hamtelopes forage at lower elevations where food is more abundant, and far higher up only small, mouse-sized furbils and duskmice can thrive, on the scant sources of food available on the mountaintops, mostly small invertebrates, hard seeds, fungi or alpine grasses, adapted for the cold by periods of dormancy and with roots that bore deep down into the mountainside to anchor themselves in place.

But this harsh, uninviting terrain, rising above the clouds almost like a palace in the heavens, is the kingdom of a small but surprisingly hardy little creature: a podothere, distantly related to the loupgaroos, known as the cragspringer (Alpinopodotherium spp.). About the size of a hen, this unusual animal is an extremophile: an animal that thrives in the most inhospitable of conditions where few other species can.

Cragspringers, living at altitudes of 5,000 to even 6,000 meters above sea level, have one of the most extreme sets of adaptations of any species on this planet, to cope with the harsh radiation, fluctuating temperatures, treacherous landscape and thin mountain air. Their lungs, most notably, are extremely large in proportion and very efficient, giving the cragspringer a distinct barrel-chested appearance in contrast to its otherwise slender build. Its lungs contain a number of internal partitions connected by air passageways that allow air to keep circulating within the lungs for longer instead of being expelled with each new breath, wasting oxygen in the process: instead, in the thin, low-oxygen air, the cragspringer makes the most of its breaths, with the added benefit of a higher concentration of red blood cells that allow it to retain and transport oxygen more efficiently.

Another problem in high altitudes are the increased bombardment of harmful ultraviolet rays that permeate the upper atmosphere. The cragspringer, however, counters this with the structure of its fur, which contain reflective structures that reflect the excess rays, as well as giving it an iridescent, shimmering quality with an almost metallic-looking sheen that plays a part in social communication. The fur, conversely, also serves as insulation against the chilly mountain winds, containing dense bundles of up to a dozen hairs per follicle and each individual hair being hollow and possessing down-like branching filaments modified from the overlapping microscopic scales of mammalian hair, that trap body heat in cold temperatures: in essence, its reflective properties help keep the cragspringer both warm and cool in the fickle climate of the Mesoterran Alps.

The cragspringer is an omnivore: part of the package of living in such a difficult landscape is being able to feed on whatever food sources are available. As such, seeds, fruit, lichens, grasses, invertebrates and small animals such as furbils and duskmice form the daily menu of the cragspringer. An agile hunter, it is skilled at running about and leaping from ledge to ledge in the hostile mountain terrain, aided by its thick, flexible tail, which it uses for balance, its feet, which have a rotated, opposable first toe that allows it to cling and grab onto uneven, steep cliffsides, and specialized tendons in its legs that act as both shock absorbers and additional support, giving the cragspringer's hind limbs surprising proportional strength while still remaining lightweight and flexible enough to manage its agile acrobatics. Indeed, one of the cragspringer's most unusual adaptations are the patagia that connect its forearm to its hip, which, along with its proportionally long arms for a podothere allows the cragspringer to make very long downwards leaps of over thirty to forty feet in length, the sails helping slow its descent and parachute down safely, useful both in reducing risk of injury in case of a fall, or actively when ambushing small prey by dropping down on them from above.

Four species of cragspringers are found in the Mesoterran Alps, with the largest species, the white cragspringer (Alpinopodotherium leucoargentum), measuring up to four feet from snout to tail and weighing just roughly two kilograms. Cragspringers have a unique social structure due to their unusual lifestyle: they are solitary foragers and hunters, but multiple cragspringers may nest together in the same rocky outcrop or small plateau, where they often huddle together for warmth. It is here in these communal rookeries that much of their social interaction takes place, such as courtship, mating and dominance display, and with each female producing just one or two offspring at a time, several females may communally rear their young together to raise their chances of surviving in an inhospitable-- but not entirely indomitable-- territory.

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

[antisocial-transfag]

I posted 30,078 times in 2022

That's 11,791 more posts than 2021!

689 posts created (2%)

29,389 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@footnotesnake

@earhartsease

@bill-gates-hate-blog

@itshomobirb

@antiqueanimals

I tagged 8,452 of my posts in 2022

#reblog - 7,199 posts

#it's always queue - 691 posts

#bugs cw - 412 posts

#my cats - 45 posts

#actuallyautistic - 39 posts

#ftm - 34 posts

#special interest - 27 posts

#actuallyadhd - 24 posts

#actually adhd - 21 posts

#dracula daily - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#almost time to decide btwn leaving the house wishing you had brought a warmer coat and resenting the coat you have to carry on the way back

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

So there I was scrolling through nexus mods for a stardew valley horse replacent and I find this

518 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

#4

girl help someone's over-simplifying my special interest and I can't even talk their ear off about it

587 notes - Posted July 31, 2022

#3

Any other autistic calls it when they do t-rex arms "hamster hands"?

To illustrate

596 notes - Posted June 30, 2022

#2

I love thinking about how little we know about lichens. Sometimes a fungus and an algae meet and are like "let's become a creature"

723 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I have a cup of coffee and my body spins a fortune wheel with the sections labeled "DOES FUCK ALL" "KINDA SLEEPY" "SOMEHOW EVEN MORE TIRED" and "HYPERACTIVE MODE ACTIVATE"

3,143 notes - Posted March 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[lichenaday]

Miriquidica nigroleprosa

images: source | source

[lazyevaluationranch]

Why is it called lazy evacuation ranch? Are you a computer scientist?

Er, it's not that scientific.

But yes, both the Blue Haired Girlfriend and I sometimes convert our skills in Swearing at Computers and Typing Excessive Punctuation into money to buy fencing wire with.

We both grew up on farms - her family raised sheep, mine ducks - and moved to big cities and took up Computer Cussing For Money.  We met when I was attending a conference in Silicon Valley, thousands of miles away from the farms we’d grown up on. But there are strange things written on the mossy foundations of all our souls. I didn't understand the way to get home until I met the person with the other half of the map.

The blog name references:

 "lazy evaluation" - a feature of some computer programming languages where they do all calculations at the last possible moment, and skip anything you tell them to do if it turns out to be irrelevant later

"lazy [whatever letter] ranch," - a ranch whose cattle brand is [whatever letter] sideways, as if it were laying down 

Since that you've reminded me I am sometimes a Computer Swear Artist, I thought it would be fitting to convince an artificial intelligence to write some posts for this blog. I fed all this blog's text to the GPT-2 language model and asked it to generate some new posts that were similar to the existing ones.

Behold the Glorious Shining Future of chore blogging! 

7/7/2020 Here are the Goats Man Was Not Meant To Know:

The goat-pond is completely covered in goat poop

When we cut the goat poop in half, it was a pile of goat poop.

When we cut open the goat poop out of a goat-smelting furnace, it was a pile of goat poop.

The chickens love goat poop. The sheep love goat poop.

In case you were wondering, the peacocks are completely unrelated.

Tagged: no tags suggested

9/2 Today the bees tried to devour my skirt. Bees tried to devour my skirt. The peacocks tried to devour a goat butt.

Tagged: daily, goat, hen

2/28 Today the sheep decided to get angry and started attacking the fence and tree branches. I admit I have gotten quite used to it, actually." 

Tagged: daily, rainforest, sheep, poor sheep

NARRATIVE: A pair of small but mighty goat horns. And a bunch of mighty sheep horns, and a pair of giant sheep horns, and a duck butt butt butt butt butt. I dunno, that will be terrifying.

Tagged: daily, goat horn, cat, pigs, northern sky

7/20 The peacocks are getting smarter. They are eating all the lichen at random.

Tagged: daily, peacocks, lichen

2/31 Tesseract the Goat has been arrested for transporting more than two dozen kilograms of "delicious" mustard seed to the UN. This is a very serious crime.

Tagged: daily, blueberries, goat, blueberries

4/18 Goat drool is everywhere. And very clearly marked on every single thing in between posts: goat poop!

Tagged: daily, rain, duck

4/3 We are all doomed.

We will not be spared from your wrath.

Tagged: daily, soup nose, tesseract must have licked herself

And also, this line of immortal poetry from an AI-generated post that was too long to post in its entirety: 

We just can't find a nice, dry place to be a hundred per cent homestuck-free this year.

I think the AI did an excellent job learning the essentials of this blog: animal poop, fence repair, goats getting into trouble in deeply implausible ways, general feelings of doom, and the inscrutable irruptions of Homestuck fans on any post about how peacocks go HONK. 

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

[skekheck]

All About the Seven Clans: The Drenchen

THIS POST CONTAINS EVERYTHING I COULD FIND ABOUT THE DRENCHEN. SOME INFORMATION WRITTEN HERE ARE FROM OLDER MATERIAL AND MAY EITHER CONTRADICT STATEMENTS OR IS NO LONGER RELEVANT. I WILL DO MY BEST TO STRING IT ALL TOGETHER AS COHERENTLY AS POSSIBLE. IF THERE IS INFORMATION THAT I AM MISSING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I’LL ADD IT!

Clan Index: Dousan Drenchen Grottan Sifa Spriton Stonewood Vapra

OVERVIEW

A clan of amphibious gelfling who lived deep within the Swamp of Sog, also called the Great Sog or simply Sog. Accustomed to both their canopies and bog, the Drenchen were skilled bola throwers, rope workers, and hunters. They were strong, proud, and above all else, known for their blunt honesty. Because they lived in a remote environment, they were isolated from the rest of Thra. Hardly any other gelfling, and not even the skeksis, dared to traverse the swamp’s treacherous grounds.

The Drenchen totem animal was the Muski and their core elements were water, the care and medicine of healing, and the blue flames of life. Their clan’s color was light blue, their sigil color was brown/blue, and their pennant colors were blue and green. 

Characteristics 

The Drenchen were the strongest, being sturdier and stouter than any other gelfling. They had a variety of skin tones which included green, tan, brown, and gray with undertones ranging from greens to turquoises to deep blues. Their faces had spots and speckles with very pronounced brows. Their skins were damp and sensitive to arid or dry climates. When it lost moisture, it became considerably pale. Because they spent most of their days in water, they were the most hygienic of all seven clans.  

They were also the hairiest, often seen with long hair and beards. Hair color were mostly browns or green-golds with whites being an uncommon exception. Parts or most of their hair were dyed green thanks to their diet and moss and algae build up from being submerged in swamp water. They, along with beards, were almost always dreadlocked and adorned with colorful beads, ribbons, strings and other hair accessories. Light yellow and brown eyes were common with green and blue being rarer colors. 

As they were amphibious, they had gills on their necks and some webbing or webbing-styled parts on their body like the ears. Drenchen only thrived in fresh water as swimming in salt water eventually stung their skin. Their wings were the smallest and heaviest of all gelfling and weren’t good for flying. Instead, they were best suited for the water which helped the Drenchen swim faster. Outside of that, their wings helped glide and buffeted them while they landed. In some iterations, their wings came in a variety of colors. As examples, Maudra Laesid’s were indigo and turquoise, Naia’s were black with iridescence, and Pemma’s were a rich green color. 

Drenchen clothing were mostly green with hints of copper and gold. Blue was also adorned, although it was moreso seen on the Maudra, menders, and those with spiritual influence. Hunters, rangers, and soldiers wore armor made of tanned nebrie hide and sun-hardened pieces of apeknot bark. Unlike the other clans, all Drenchen soldiers wore the same type of armor regardless of gender. They rarely wore footwear as it wasn’t necessarily needed in an swampy environment. 

Lifestyle

The Swamp of Sog had a reputation of being difficult to travel through and had a smell most outsiders found difficult to tolerate. Seasons didn’t seem to change as the temperature remained constantly humid and warm and it rained nearly every day. But Sog was rich in resources of animals and vegetation which were found all throughout. Because of the swamp’s vastness, the Drenchen were mostly hunter-gatherers with a small amount of fish farmers and gardeners. Since they had little seasonal variation, they hunted quarry based on the animal’s migration. 

Most Drenchen lived within their patron tree, the Great Smerth. They carved burrows into the tree with respect and care. The burrows were large chambers that could snugly fit a family in. Of all the chambers, the greatest was the Maudra’s which was located in the center of the Great Smerth. The others lived in the canopies made of apeknot trees which were connected by interlocking branches and walking rope. They also had tunnel systems made of bark. At night the tunnels would get so dark that blue-green cave moss needed to be placed on the walls for Drenchen to see. The Stone’s Way was a noteworthy, long twisting tunnel that lead right to the Great Tree.

Within Smerth-Staba’s great halls held dream-etchings written by ancient Drenchen dream-etchers, a profession long extinct among this clan. Although they couldn’t read them, they remembered their meanings. Songtellers were also non-existent. While songs of historical and cultural importance were preserved, the Drenchen didn’t believe in wasting their time with fanciful stories around the hearth. They saw it as mere distractions, much preferring hard-talk and action. 

Apeknot Trees

The apeknot trees were an important part of the swamp the Drenchen relied on. Their leafy canopies, which were known as the High Road (sometimes called the High Way), helped the Drenchen travel through the swamp. The Low Road (or Low Way) were the swampy floors of the Sog, which were less traversed thanks to its unforgiving obstacles of raised tree roots, peaty mounds, quicksand, gas vents, and changing water channels. In spite of that, the Low Road were the Drenchen’s hunting grounds. 

At a young age, they were taught how to scale the trees as well as read the stability of the branches and the distances between them. They also used walking ropes if the branches were strong enough to support their weight. Gelfling who had wings used the branches to leap and glide farther distances or slow their descent to the swamp floor. 

Not only were the canopies used as a roadway, but also for houses and hanged gardens. The flowers bloomed all trine round but still required constant care if gardeners wanted them to bear fruit at the right time. 

During the autumn seasons when the apeknots drooped, the Drenchen played a game called pole-vaulting dashes. They’d swing on the branches to see who can get to the goal the fastest. It was normally played by older Drenchen though childlings would join in. 

The apeknot trees extended all the way out from the heart of the swamp. But the farther it went, the smaller the trees gradually became. The edges of the apeknot trees were called the Tall Pass and beyond it fell into the marshland.

Daily Routine

A morning in the Swamp of Sog started with the sound of a drum. The first drummer would use the arms of the Great Smerth to signal a new day. After the first beat the rhythm increased until it sounded like a Gelfling’s heartbeat which will then be followed by more drummers. The drums were not just for the gelfling but for all life in the swamp as the birds began to sing, nebrie rose from the surface, and diurnal flowers bloomed. The drums would remain a backdrop throughout the Sog for the entire day until night time and drummers were cycled in shifts.

 It represented community and helped the Drenchen with their tasks. Carpenters and metalworkers moderated their strikes to the beat, fish farmers and waterbed gardeners felt the trembling beneath the water, and hunters followed the sound of the drums so they were never lost. There were also signal drums that communicated simple terms and phrases to rangers from afar. The drums within the Great Smerth were fastened into clusters and some were so big drummers had to use their spears to beat them. The drumheads themselves were sturdy enough that they never scarred. 

The Drenchen population was particularly large, even said to rival that of the Spriton and Stonewood. Most spent their days hunting, fishing, or gathering vegetation and were often had to go far from their homes. To keep track of everyone, a highly organized system was put into place. When tasks were performed, small groups were sent out which reported to leaders in larger groups. The Drenchen Maudra held a council with elders dedicated to certain responsibilities. The elder responsible for managing hunting parties, for example, had their own small council of up to six gelfling, who each had several hunting parties and led by a captain. This helped morale as smaller groups were inspired to work towards a greater purpose. 

Muskis

Muskis were flying eels that inhabited the swamp.  They never stopped growing and could get big enough for gelfling to ride on it. Their specialty was helping hunters catch quarry when the environment proved too difficult for them. Muskis bonded for life with their owners so they took part in Drenchen life and culture, including travel, sleeping, and dining. There was a deep level of trust between a Drenchen and their muski. They relied on each other for signals of danger or safety. 

Muskis were very particular with which gelfling they chose. Although there was some predictability with their choices, it was never precise. The timbre of a gelfling’s voice was the biggest deciding factor. They had very sensitive hearing and were able to pick up nuances in sound. Certain markings and spots on the muski indicated what type of voice appealed the most to the eel. Muskis also preferred family bloodlines. They would have offsprings several times during their lifetime and those offspring would favor the children of the muski owner. Muski bonding was considered a profession among the Drenchen and were performed mostly, but not always, by elders. 

Diet

The Drenchen had a varied diet of fish, game, insects, lichens, tadpoles, fruits, and vegetables. Fish were a very popular choice and often seen in meals, especially during the spring. Notable fish were the ymir-fish and blindfish, the latter of which were considered a delicacy. Fish were kept within underwater fisheries below the Great Smerth, which provided them safe habitats and helped fish farmers keep track and moderate their populations.

Vegetation was also plentiful as plants bloomed all trine long. The most noteworthy of Sog’s vegetation was the similarly named Sogflower. The flowers only opened when certain fluctuation of water levels were met. They bloomed for a short time as it was too heavy for the stems to support it. Drenchen gathering parties would fill big pouches of soglfower stamens to bring home. Then the pollen was fermented and turned into the popular beverage sogflower wine. The sogflower also had medical purposes which helped prevent infections. Sogflower wine itself was used generously to cure illnesses, as it calmed the body and mind while simultaneously promoted hydration.

Other Drenchen foods included alfen fruits, mushroom wing-frond, and nebrie milk dumplings. The Drenchen often seasoned their foods with a variety of things like furry algae. 

Dining Customs

Drenchen were very community-oriented and dining was seen as an important social event. They had dotraba or “big tables” which small groups (usually families but also anyone who was invited) would sit together. Dishes were prepared in bountiful quantities on large platters where everyone at the table used and fed one another. On special occasions, all the Drenchen would gather in the Great Smerth’s dining hall for dodotraba or “very big tables”. Dishes were brought one at a time by the kitchen chefs and would continuously be replaced once they were finished. When sated with their meals, gelfling relieved the kitchen crew by taking their place so they could eat. This tradition had a deeper meaning as it represented the cycle of life and death. The Drenchen ate only using skewers and their hands, as they believed feeling their food was part of the experience with the other senses smell, taste, and sight. 

After dining (if applicable) gelfling would thank and give a prayer to the kitchen staff, servers, and musicians. This was performed by slapping their hands over their heads and bowing. They would then help with cleaning. When the nightly rain came, they would take the dishes and stick them out in wicker cradles upon balconies to wash. Any food particles that fell off were eaten up by the critters waiting below. 

Hard-Talking

Hard-talking was the Drenchen term of speaking without metaphor or hesitation and with an emphasis on honesty. It evolved around speaking one’s mind on a topic, to be heard and/or listened to with the promise that judgment would be held. Although the Drenchen prided themselves on being blunt and straightforward, they didn’t always used hard-talk and were as polite as any other gelfling. Hard-talk was mostly seen as a communication strategy during serious debates and allowed them to say something others were reluctant to say.

It was a very valued skill, especially among the elders within the elder’s council. When hearings became challenging, an elder initiated hard-talk. It had a great impact on decision-making. While outsiders might have seen it as something that caused conflict and strife, it had the opposite effect. Hard-talk strengthened trust in leadership and kept power dynamics in check. 

Spring Festival

The Drenchen used traditional gelfling festivals to mark the seasons. There were non-seasonal festivals as well, such as the rain and hunting festivals (the latter in which a Drenchen would compete using either a spear or bola) None were more celebrated than the spring festival. Spring was particularly important as it not only marked the new trine but also saw a large abundance of flora and fish, especially the beloved sogflower and blindfish. Drenchen spring festivals were remarked as the most beautiful as the Great Smerth and canopies were decorated with thousands of flowers in every color. It took all the younglings to secure their heavy weight with rope on the traditional flower garlands.

In place of their mother, the Maudra’s successor was the one that greeted and addressed the clan during festivals.This was a way to ease them into the role of maudra when their time came. After addressing the gelfling, the successor would descend from the maudra’s balcony to light hearth at the foot of the Greath Smerth. When the fire was lit, the festivities began. 

Younglings played competitive games like feather-dart throwing and rope swinging while adults enjoyed sogflower wine. Even Great Smerth itself was said to be alive during the spring festival as its heartwood echoed the sound of music and birds. Dancing, dining, and music would go on throughout the day and night until dawn. The next day after would be a day of rest granted to the entire clan. It was in observance of spring and the joyous activities the night before. 

The Color Blue

Blue was a very sacred color to the Drenchen. It may have originated from the tale of the Six Sisters. The sister that founded the Drenchen clan was given the elements of water and the blue flames of life to preserve. Or it could have started from the tradition passed down by Maudra Ipsy the Blue Stone Healer. She created the blue stone hammer made from the similarly named common and extremely dense rock found in the swamp. It had multiple uses in construction and ritual purposes as well as a popular gift. Maudra Ipsy also commemorated the tradition of passing the title of Blue Stone Healer and the maudra cape from once successor to the next. 

The color was commonly used in weaving, paintings, and other Drenchen art. Artisans had roughly 90 dyes they used which was referred as a rainbow of blues. Blue was used to illustrate important elements and other things of mystical or spiritual nature. Fire, which represented the spirit and third eye, was considered one of the most important elements and was frequently seen in Drenchen work. Colorists created special paint for it, made out of a mineral called vliyaka (named after gelfling magic), so that its depictions shimmered in a dark rich blue. Blue paints were otherwise made from fruits, vegetables, pollens, and other minerals. Other notable depictions were the Crystal, water, the sky, stones, celestial bodies, and gelfling. Drenchen gelfling were always colored in blue but so could gelfing of other clans depending on what role they played in the narrative. 

Blue had many other meanings and usages. The maudra’s chambers were filed with hundreds of wood medallions of protection, each with a sigil inscribed with blue ink. When the sky above Sog was clear and blue, it was called mystic smiles and was seen as a blessing in a climate that constantly rained. Those with blue eyes were regarded as having mystical influence. 

Waterfasting

Waterfasting was a form of meditation observed mostly by elders but other Drenchen joined when invited. The ritual was performed in the morning and evening and they stood waist deep in water. They imitated dreamfasting with their hands flattened across the surface of the water, eyes closed, and hummed to themselves . Waterfasting was a symbolic communion with the water and to try and hear the song of Thra. It was also an attempt to understand the hearts and minds of other creatures as dreamfasting could only be performed between gelfling. 

The Art of Healing

Healing magic or vliyaya was mostly seen among the Drenchen. Gelfling who carried this gift were called menders or simply healers. It, like other gelfling magic, took the form of blue light or flames. Not all Drenchen had this ability, but it was also fairly common. The gift could come at a young age, and more remarkably, younglings were able to become masters of it. Healing was always taught by an elder where students learned to control and focus their abilities. With the right mentor and great care taken, menders were capable of healing the worst injuries. The origin of their healing power was unknown, but a popular Drenchen myth believed it was a gift bestowed upon by the Great Smerth Tree when they made Sog their home. 

Spear Breaking

The spear was a Drenchen’s weapon of choice right next to the bola. It was both used for hunting and ceremony. The spearhead represented spirituality (being made from blue stone) while the wooden shaft represented mortality. They were crafted by their bearers under the supervision of an elder who would then inscribed sigils onto the shaft. The sigils were for bodily protection against injury, illness, and other physical harm. Spearheads were left unscribed as any scratches left were temporary. Instead, marks received during hunts and rituals were immortalized with blue dye. 

When the wooden shaft eventually cracked or bent, the tradition of spear breaking occurred. The ritual was short and observed by the bearer’s closest friends. The Drenchen would snap the spear and removed the spearhead, discarding the broken shaft into the lake so it rejoined with Thra. It was ritualized by the following incantation:

Bend to my hand and break Thra, my body take Renew me now my mind Leaving the old behind.

When a Drenchen died, their spear was ceremonially broken by the Maudra. It was then hung in the canopy of the Great Smerth as proof of their spiritual influence within the community. It was said that when the wind blew one could hear the spreadheads’ low, gentle song. 

Smerth-Staba, the Drenchen Hometown

Other known names were the Great Smerth, Sogwood Tree, and Glenfoot Tree. It was characterized by its air-filled vasculatures which the Drenchen made their homes in. Several songs told it was actually a giant apeknot tree, whether as an individual or made up of multiple. The more common belief was that it was the parent of all the other apeknots. 

One other particular song was Ipsy and the Great Seed. It cited that Maudra Ipsy planted Smerth-Staba although other versions claimed Mother Aughra did. In the song, Ipsy and her clan arrived in Sog but the hazardous rising water level endangered their lives. Ipsy braved the swamp, promising she would come back in three days, and find a way to save her clan. When she returned, she came back with a seed and planted it just before her entire clan drowned. The tree grew rapidly and repelled all the gelfling into the water. As a gift for planting it, the Great Tree gave them gills so they could survive in the swamp. The Drenchen promised to take care of their tree as it, in return, promised to protect them. 

Thrice a trine the Drenchen Maudra sung a hymn in honor of the Great Smerth which was performed on the balcony and witnessed by the entire clan. It was to pay homage to it for the protection it provided to them.

In the J.M. Lee book series, when Naia returned to her hometown she found that the tree had been severely sickened by the darkening. Later, skekSa the Mariner burned the Great Smerth to lure her and Gurjin out as a last ditch effort to capture them. Maudra Laesid, using her entire life force, created a new tree from the remnants of the Great Smerth to trap the skeksis inside. 

Relationships With the Other Clans and the Skeksis

Before the Alliance of the Crystal formed, the Drenchen worked together with other gelfling clans and served on the Gelfling Council. Once they settled in the Swamp of Sog, they became isolationists who grew to keep to themselves. They had no reason to go out and trade for supplies as they had all the resources they needed (even if material like metal were hard to come by). However, on rare occasions, Drenchen were allowed to travel outside of Sog. 

Because of the swamp’s reputation, the Drenchen barely saw outsiders. Even the skeksis never bothered entering the swamp, even at the loss of  tithes and census ceremonies. So much like the Grottan and Dousan, the skeksis had little influence on their lives. That being said, they weren’t completely off the hook. The Drenchen were still recruited as guards at the Castle of the Crystal. Despite their overall strength, recruitment was rare because either letters were hard to deliver or it was hard for the skeksis to keep track of their population. They also likely had prayers and rituals based around the skeksis. 

The only known relationship the Drenchen had, and that wasn’t saying much, was with their neighbors the Spriton. On a surface level, the two maintained the idea of being good border allies. But hidden underneath was a growing tension, most likely cultivated by the skeksis to keep them apart. This escalated in the book series as the two clans were about to go to war with each other. Thanks to Naia and her friends, these tensions were quelled. 

Drenchen were often misunderstood for their desire for honesty and meaning surrounding hard-talk and seen as rude and self-centered. With the swamps stinky reputation, other gelfling tacked that onto the Drenchen believing they were unhygienic and uncultured. The Drenchen in turn held certain stereotypes about other clans and acted coldly towards them, like the Vaprans. Outsiders tended to nickname the Drenchen “soglings”. 

Notable Drenchen Members

Naia: Eldest daughter of Maudra Laesid who was gifted with healing magic. When word arrived that her twin brother Gurjin went missing and it centered around the “traitor” Rian, Naia went on a quest to find him. She was next in line to become the Drenchen maudra. Along with her family, she joined the resistance and appeared at the second battle of Stone-in-the-Wood to fight the skeksis.

Gurjin: Twin brother of Naia. Once a castle guard at the Castle of the Crystal, he was the first to learn about the truth behind the skeksis from Rian and helped him escape. He later took part in the resistance and, along with his family, stood against the skeksis at the second battle of Stone-in-the-Wood.

Maudra Laesid the Blue Stone Healer: The Drenchen maudra during the late Age of Division and known for her incredible healing powers. She had a calm but no-nonsense attitude and cared deeply for her children. It was learning what the skeksis did to them did she, along with Maudra Fara, disapproved All Maudra Seladon’s ascension to the throne and waged war against the lords.

Bellanji: Husband of Maudra Laesid and father of Naia, Gurjin, Pemma, and Eliona. He temporary accompanied Naia on her quest until he became injured by a darkened Nebire and had to stay behind at Great Smerth.

Eliona: Middlest daughter of Maudra Laesid and Bellanji. Like her mother and older sister, she was gifted with healing powers.

Pemma: Youngest daughter of Maudra Laesid and Bellanji.

Elder Kartak: A Drenchen who lived late Age of Harmony and early Age of Division. He served on Maudra Carn’s council as her advisor. He was initially skeptical of the skeksis when their ambassador offered protection in exchange for gelfling weapons. 

Ipsim Vlisabi-Nara: Also known as Ipsy the Blue Stone Healer and, in some iterations, Maudra Mesabi-Nara of the Deep. She was believed to be the first Drenchen to inhabit the swamp, the one to have planted the seed that would eventually become Smerth-Staba, and creatied the blue stone hammers.

Maudra Elaia: A Drenchen Maudra who lived during an unknown time within the Age of Division. 

[Sources: Song of the Seven Gelfling Clans, the official Dark Crystal website, Shadows of the Dark Crystal, Song of the Dark Crystal, Tides of the Dark Crystal, Flames of the Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance: An Epic Return To Thra, Creation Myths, Author Quest: The Gelfling Gathering, Heroes of the Resistance, the Dark Crystal Bestiary]

[queen-ofnewyork]

Review of Haruharu's WONDER Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner

Haruharu is a Korean brand that means “every day”, it’s a lifestyle skincare brand that pursues honest beauty with a priority in providing fundamental skincare. Their WONDER Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner is designed to provide a boost of antioxidant-rich nourishment to your skin daily for amplified protection. Key ingredients include 2,000ppm of rice extract (anti-aging, brightening, improves skin circulation, evens out skin tone, increases natural regeneration), 2,000ppm of moso bamboo shoot bark extract (antioxidant, antibiotic, antibacterial, promotes healthy skin, anti-aging), 600ppm of hyaluronic acid (retains moisture, aids collagen synthesis, anti-aging), aspergillus ferment (lightening, aids in removing hyperpigmentation, brightening), beta-glucan (soothing, calming, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, helps with wound healing, helps maintain water-oil balance) and lavender oil (anti-acne, detoxifying, healing, skin toning, helps boost circulation). This product retails for between $20-40 USD, you can get it here for $19.99 + shipping.

Ingredients

Water, Betaine, Glycerin, Propanediol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract (2,000ppm), Phyllostachys Pubescens (Moso Bamboo) Shoot Bark Extract (2,000ppm), Aspergillus Ferment, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Cyclodextrin, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Hyaluronic Acid (600ppm), Beta-Glucan, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum (Japanese Pepper) Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Sodium Phytate, Tamarindus Indica (Tamarind) Seed Gum, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Glucose, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alcohol, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Linalool

I received this free from Jolse for my honest review, this post is not sponsored.

The product contains 300 ml (10.1 oz) and has a very astringent scent.

The toner comes out easily but is nicely controlled.

The toner itself is a little heavier than water.

It blends out very nicely and really smooths the skin.

Once patted into the skin, it really leaves the skin hydrated and plumper.

Recommended use is after washing your face, wet a cotton pad with the toner and apply it evenly across the face and pat it in to help full absorption. After using, first, to note, this toner has a very noticeable astringent scent, however, I didn't find it irritating or too overwhelming. My skin is sensitive and dry and this toner was hydrating and smoothing and it didn't cause any irritation to my skin personally. It tones down the redness and helps the skin to look fresher and less dull. The ingredients are all nourishing and great for the skin and this big bottle with 300 ml will last quite a while. The toner is also very good at removing dirt without stripping the skin of moisture and works well before makeup application and after removing makeup. I'd recommend this to anyone, but be cautious if you have very sensitive skin.

What I like: this toner isn't stripping, it's hydrating and plumps the skin, and doesn't cause any irritation. The ingredients are nice and there's a lot of product so it'll last a long time. It's easy to dispense the toner as well. It's great for removing extra dirt and makeup and leaves skin nice and smooth. What I don't like: this has a very astringent scent so it may be an issue, otherwise, it's a great toner.

Pros:

Smoothing

Hydrating

Plumping

Nice ingredients

Non-stripping

Makes skin look healthier

Nice big bottle

Easy to dispense

High quality

Suits many skin types

Cons:

Strong scent

Wouldn’t work well with sensitive skin

Would I buy this?

Yes

Rating: 9.5/10

[maxismatchccworld]

Patch Notes

UPDATE: 11/12/2019 - PC 1.58.63.1010/ Mac 1.58.63.1210 Happy Fall! We have a few new Holiday items available for you in Create A Sim to celebrate the holidays. Along with that a new Multi Story Column feature to help you build tall columns for a grand entrance or interior. UI Scaling is also available in the options panel to give you more options with our UI configurations. Want to know what Sims 4 content is out there? New Main Menu Message is now avail on load to easily help you find the latest and greatest content from The Sims 4. In addition, we’ve fixed bugs and community concerns to improve your Sims daily lives. -SimGuruSteph NEW & IMPROVED FEATURES Multi Story Columns I’m not sure calling them multi-story columns is accurate. They are more like multi-height columns. Just go into the build catalog, place a column, grab the handle at the top, and drag it up and down to re-size. Some have a maximum size, others however... I think I topped out around 100 feet. UI Scaling Now available in the Options menu - UI Scaling! Are you a 4k player with tiny user interface issues? Do you prefer your interface to be readable at distances greater than fifty feet away? Have you a desire to customize the scale to your personal preferences? Now you can! From the Options panel, open up Game Options, and choose Accessibility. Stay away from the red parts of the slider to keep things in the safe range for your display. But, if you are feeling adventurous, give it a try, go crazy! If for some reason you find yourself in a bad state, you can always reset - either from the options panel, or by using Ctrl+U to reset the scaling back to default! Main Menu Messaging We know you want to know EVERYTHING about what’s going on, so we’ve added the ability to show you the latest and greatest Sims content on the Main Menu. You’ll be able to learn about free content, check out the latest updates on upcoming releases, pore over the newest blog posts, and more! New Clothing We have updated the Holiday Celebration Pack with some new children and toddler clothing! If you haven’t already added the Holiday Celebration Pack to your game, click on the icon at the Main Menu, and download the free pack! From there, head on in to Create a Sim and select the Holiday filter to find the new assets! Children have a new male top, female top, and winter boots! Toddlers have a new outfit for males, a new outfit for females, and some shoes! Or open up the Styled Looks, where SimGuruMorgan created some great new looks with the content! Music We have made the Hip Hop Radio Station available for everyone! This means that it is no longer exclusive to Get Famous. However, Get Famous specific music will still need Get Famous to be played. We added the following songs as part of this update: “BMO” Performed by Ari Lennox Written by Courtney Salter, Damon Coleman, Ron Gilmore, Jr., Anthony Parrino and Galt MacDermot Published by Ari Lennox Publishing Designee (BMI), Damon Coleman Publishing Designee, Ron Gilmore Music (BMI), Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Elite That’s Me Publishing and Third Side America o/b/o MacDermot Music Contains a sample of “Space” by Galt MacDermot Recording courtesy of Dreamville/Interscope Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises and Third Side Music o/b/o Kilmarnock Records “Big Moe” Performed by Beau Young Prince Written by Jaimy Lageweg and Beau Young Published by Jailo Music and Rough Trade Songs Recording courtesy of Def Jam Recordings under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Dumbstruck” Performed by Ceraadi Written by Emaza Gibson, Saiyr Gibson and Troy Johnson Published by Emaza Gibson Publishing Designee, Saiyr Gibson Publishing Designee and Sony/ATV Tunes o/b/o Margetts Road Music/Noni Zuri Music Recording courtesy of Roc Nation under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Good Life” Performed by RDGLDGRN & Daniela Written by David Lichens, Pierre Desrosiers, Andrei Busuioceanu and Marcus Parham Published by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing o/b/o Fungai Music (BMI) and Warner Chappell Recording courtesy of RDGLDGRN “Block List” Performed by Rico Nasty Written by Maria Kelly and Mark Nilan Published by Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Artist Publishing Group West (ASCAP)/Artist 101 Publishing Group (BMI) Recording courtesy of APG/Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Music Group Video Game Licensing “Litest” Written and Performed by DJDTP Enjoy! FIXES & UPDATES The Sims 4

Sims that dislike Fruitcake no longer react negatively to all other food. On the other hand, Sims that like Fruitcake no longer will react positively to Poor Quality foods.

Grab Meal or Give Food for all ages will now fulfill the hunger needs completely. Hopefully it will help with the 100 baby challenge :)

Spoiled visual effect now will go away on servings from coffee and tea pots.

Sims will now place grilled food on the table appropriately instead of their inventory.

Terrain Manipulation brush and eraser cursor is now visible for all terrain tools in 32 and 64 bit mode on PC.

Fresh drinks are now available on the drink tray (for those who own Spa Day and/or Backyard Stuff). “Grab drink” from drink tray functions and will no longer give you an incorrect message.

Households populated in the “Other Households” tab in Manage Worlds can no longer be composed of just a Child.

Idle Sims will no longer drink water excessively.

Skin details no longer go away when randomizing Sim features other than the "Face" or "All" categories.

NPC Sims that are not Gardeners will no longer remove Wild Plants from lots autonomously.

Rare and uncommon harvestables will now be produced at higher rates when splicing.

Fixed an issue in which typing in the search field in Build Mode made the phrase “Text Field” appear erroneously.

Sims will no longer leave the dining table after they’ve started having their meal when using the “Call to Meal” interaction.

Fixed an issue in which Sims were not able to wash dishes or use the dishwasher if there were shelving units above the sink or the dishwasher.

Child Sims will not longer have their eyebrow color changed to Brown when they are set to Blonde.

Fixed an issue that made Adult Sims constantly change outfits while Taking a Shower, and then giving a Bath to Toddlers.

Fixed an issue where capturing screenshots with the Capture UI option enabled didn’t actually capture the UI.

Fixed an issue which made the option “Put here” not available when holding Pets and Toddlers.

Fixed an issue which made Paying Bills via Phone not be fulfilled if Simmers queued any other action before it would complete.

Simmers playing in Laptop Mode will now see improvements on the in game lighting.

Moving a wall will no longer delete objects on a separate shelf when bb.moveobjects cheat is used.

Fixed an issue in which Toddlers that had maxed out their skills were not receiving the Top Notch Trait when aging up.

Toddler Traits are no longer visible after aging.

Success Lineage Aspiration can now be completed once appropriate conditions are met.

Terrain Paints now persist when placing a lot from the gallery.

Assets yfBody_EP06DressFur_GoldGreen, yfBody_GP07DressWestern_FlowerOrange & yfBody_EP03TankStrappy_ElephantAquaCream were updated to look better with various shoe styles.

Vendors will no longer use your Sims’ fireplace as an imaginary portal to mysterious places.

Emotional sculpture thumbnail in sims inventory and world appearance are now visually the same.

“Get Married to..” whim now complete when you actually get married. Achievement Unlocked!

Sims now are more diligent in putting back their books in the bookshelf and/or bookcase.

Focused Sims can now go back to hacking work process when they reach level 6.

Sims that randomly decided to cosplay and have pointy ears have now revert back to their normal selves.

Nature’s Welcome Arch gate will no longer have metal gate audio.

Catching fish with excellent quality will now count toward the “Make 6 Great Catches” task of the Angling Ace Aspiration.

Creating stairs to the second floor of a raised block will no longer need a drop wall to support it for Sims to be able to route on it.

Sims are now able to route into their home after using terrain manipulation tools in their home lot.

Sims are no longer collecting items in their inventories without your permission.

Alien Disguises and Vampire Dark Forms uploaded to gallery are now properly flagged for packs and custom content used.

Sims will now autonomously interact with each other if one is sitting down and the other is standing.

Move lot will no longer inadvertently unhide stairs, specifically stairs above the first floor.

Updated Muslim inspired assets so clipping is not apparent below the Sims’ chin.

Updated Apron tops to look smoother.

Sims are now less considerate and do not congratulate their romantic partners when they find a new romantic partner.

Send Geo Council for collectables will no longer require you to send your computer with it.

Glass roof created on the ground should now be routable (as long as there is an entryway built into it).

Randomize Twin in Create-a-Sim will carry user-manipulated ears and nose over to the twin.

Fixed an issue that would cause interactions to get stuck in the queue.

Selling Normal quality Mystery novels will now give you money in return.

Copy interaction is now available on Cookbooks and Mixology books.

Sims that despise each other and have no romantic relationship will no longer greet each other with a passionate kiss. Seem normal to me?!

Child sit-to-stand transitions for toddler bed and lounge chair exhibit less clipping.

Perk and trait buffs will now persist through travel.

Drop walls from stairs will now fill in when terrain is manipulated below the stairs.

Sims’ Inventory will no longer reset and jump to the top while in use.

Hover Tip for Electrified Artist updated to proper text.

Fixed an issue in which railings were clipping into the walls.

Railings on extended landing do not have missing posts or different looking sections.

Drawn on eyebrow thumbnail will no longer show incorrect swatch.

Music artist names in the Music Game Options are no longer cut off.

Collared jean jacket will clip less with various hair styles.

Fence posts are now updated when terrain manipulation occurs.

Sims are now able to do Check Toddler interaction while swimming.

Steps in enclosed courtyard will no longer auto delete a part of your staircase.

Take a Vacation day and Call in Sick are no longer available options when Sims are already on vacation.

Teen Sims will no longer get adult Woohoo buff.

Park Cub table can now be put in the inventory.

Wall Height icon in the description text in Build Mode will now the appropriate wall height.

Fixed some issues which may cause Error Code 102 or Error Code 139 to appear during gameplay.

You can say the Fruitcake was the culprit, jury is still out on that one.

Objection! Maybe not…

They are now properly supervised.

They will now hydrate appropriately.

It was haunting.

Now both eyebrow and hair color will match as set by Simmers.

Though we would love to hold them forever.

Get to Work

Patient Sims that are referred to the surgery table will no longer leave in the middle of surgery.

Sims can no longer simultaneously have two occult types. Specifically Vampire and Aliens.

Get Together

Steam will no longer accumulate in rooms above indoor swimming pools, or natural pools, built with vents.

Book Covers do not change when you place them on retail display.

Club panel text field size has been increased to accommodate longer text.

City Living

NPC Sims that attend Festivals are not longer seen in not festival appropriate outfits.

Fixed an issue that Simmers with Outdoor Retreat and City Living didn’t have the “Ask to Cloudgaze” interaction available in San Myshuno apartments.

Fixed an issue that didn’t allow the camera to zoom in properly when looking at lots at their basement level.

Updating the pricing of counter and cabinets to be more consistent with the rest of the Build Mode catalog.

Updated rental options to not exist in Sulani..

Promote Cause Daily Tasks will now be fulfilled with the Promote Policies Interaction.

Cats & Dogs

Fixed an issue in which all stray dogs were large dogs. Now they can be all sizes.

Lighthouse Woohoo spot is back in business.

Sims are able to complete crafting pet medicine with Marketable trait.

Quickly Update your Dr. Magi-Heal’s Surger-o-matic 3000 with an instant upgrade.

A jacket blazer now layers better with bottoms

Dogs will no longer try to put the cat wand away when they can’t and stretch into a mystical form.

Clipping issues were improved with a pair of shorts and various tops, specifically the asset yfBottom_EP04Shorts.

Turning on view distance in option panels will no longer make a brick fence in the world completely white.

Seasons

Child and Teen Sims are now spawning to knock on doors during the holiday season with trick or treat.

It's less likely to rain at GeekCon festivals now, which should help keep those computers safe!

Fixed an issue in which Sims were able “Rake Leaves” in their Home Lot while Sims were far from leaves to rake.

Mix breed cat function in Create a Sim now works again. Yay!

Social events put in calendar are now functional and will trigger.

Simmers playing with Low Graphics settings can now see improved textures when Sims are wearing Scout uniforms.

Fixed an issue in which rewards from the Scout after school activity were not being awarded properly.

The reward will now appear in the Sims’ Inventory, instead of being unlocked in Build Mode.

Get Famous

Sims employed in any career will no longer be prompted to miss work, or end their shift early, when work hours coincide with visits from Sims that were given a residence key.

Have Sim Dance at the Same Time goal at the Fan Meet and Greet Event can now be completed when you have your Sims and other Sims dance at the same time.

Talent Showcase events will no longer sometimes occur on an invalid location.

Text was updated to hover tip for Action Vol 3 purchase book picker.

Tooltip text for Quality description of videos created by the video station is now colored purple.

Sims Radio too loud? You can adjust the radio volume now after listening to the music you created on the Mix Master Music Production Station.

Consistency!

Island Living

Uninvited Sims will no longer appear when attending Kava Parties on lots with the “Private Dwelling” Lot Trait.

Beach Venues lots can now be selected for Sims to go on dates.

Fixed an issue in which samples taken from Sulani to fulfill Conservation career tasks were disappearing from the Sim Inventory after analyzing said samples.

Fixed an issue in which the “Dried Scales” buff would not disappear after Mermaids fulfilled their hydration needs.

Fixed an issue with Mermaid Children that did not allow them to Take Baths INSIDE bathtubs.

Traditional Sarong asset will not clip with tops as much.

Fixed an issue that made aged up Mermaid Teen Sims have their Mermaid Tails disappear in Create a Sim and while Swimming.

Career Promotions for Conservationist can still occur after reaching level 10.

Bulldozing waterfront lots in Island Living will now not remove terrain paint.

Goggles no longer create an awkward shadow that does not make sense.

Sims can now store coconuts away in the fridge. Woot woot!

Human Sims no longer will think they are Mermaids by swimming like them when swimming laps.

Promotion task is marked completed when Sims have a diving knife.

Sims can now release the fish back into the ocean.

Sims with Master Chef Trait do not make spoil food anymore.

Sunkiss buff will now have the appropriate icon.

Rounded blocks will no longer have missing stilts

Blueprint placement for lots with floor lights will no longer place them underneath structure and float. Gravity is more realistic.

Stilt foundation shadows now appear properly.

Game will no longer crash when placing particular lots from The Gallery.

A TV stand missing in search bar will now appear. You didn't know what you were missing out on when using search… or you did know and now it’s fixed!

Penthouses from The Gallery will now place all available items properly.

Some furniture items that did not appear on the cursor from Build Mode will now appear.

Claiming a bed is now exclusive to one Sim. Now Sims can sleep in their own bed without disturbance or worry about another Sim using their bed.

Selected tattoos in Create A Sim will no longer automatically reapply clothing.

Hot and Cold outfit categories will no longer filter tattoos upon re-entry.

Jet visual effect will now display properly when streaming from a drone.

Burnt visual effects no longer appear on lot terrain when there is fire on homes with stilt foundations.

Configuring a U shape staircase to another floor will cause the stair cause to lose some steps no more!

Mermaid Sims will do their special swim idle when performing Mermaid interactions.

Mermaid Sims that have been turned into skeletons can now take a bath. Keep those bones clean.

Set favorite watercraft will now set correct one to favorite.

Plants placed on Suspended Modern from gallery will no longer place plants in odd places.

Island Welcome Wagon will now continue to hold Kava bowls to give to your Household instead of placing it on the ground when it rains.

It’s my party, and I don’t invite you if I want to.

Romantic!

Being used to the vastness of the Ocean, Mermaid Children were not happy being limited by a bathtub.

Dine Out

Fixed textures for a few Experimental Dishes.

Restaurant signs no longer have an odd bounding box shadow around it. It’ll be well rounded.

We apologize, our Glazed Heirloom Bamboo Roll, Space Taco with Pearled Egg Core, and Free Range Sixam Pit Beast did not look quite like what you actually ordered.

Vampires

Vampire Sims will no longer get scolded if they drink plasma from Sims even though they had been granted permission to do so.

Options from the Face category in Create A Sim are no longer missing for Vampire Sims when using the Change Sim interaction.

Vampires have adjusted to daylight savings now and are awake when you invite them to hang out.

Vampire Dark form uploaded to gallery are now properly flagging CC content and packed used.

Parenthood

Adult Sims are less likely to autonomously watch Kids Network if Toddlers/Children/Teens aren't nearby.

Realm Of Magic

Spellcasters with the Bloodline trait will no longer have their rank reset if they reach the Virtuoso rank.

Potions can now be sold for Simoleons.

Fixed an issue which allowed the Emotional Stability Potion to remove certain buffs from Sims unintentionally.

Fixed an issue where the Spellbinding Tile wall pattern was displaying duplicate swatch colors in Build Mode.

Cooking and Brewing in cauldron will no longer change sell price in build mode.

Drinking animation is performed by Sims when Sims drink potion of curse cleaning to remove curse.

Animation for the teleport is no longer getting cut off.

Orb Familiars will not pop and jump from their locations while following their Sims out of water.

Two necklaces were updated to improve capability with other Create a Sims assets.

Trouser texture will no longer appear on the top of a pair of boots.

Bicep bracelet is now shown properly in Create A Sim thumbnail.

Profit!

Cool Kitchen Stuff

Removed “Get Leftovers” option for ice cream since it was never intended, and who leaves ice cream for leftovers? Not me :)

Spooky Stuff

Spooky Party will now count towards the Party Animal Aspiration.

Moschino Stuff

Fixed an issue in which in some cases the game would freeze while in Photo Mode.

Sims that you have not met will no longer appear in the Sims selector when triggering Take photo of.

[dansnaturepictures]

16/04/2021-Orange Tip and more at Lakeside and photos at home: Five pictures in this photoset are different to those I tweeted tonight which are the first three, seventh and tenth in this photoset 

I took the first three pictures in this photoset as I went on my last lunch time Lakeside walk before a week’s annual leave next week, replacing what would have been our Pembrokeshire holiday which due to the pandemic we have now postponed until next year and we are hoping to do some special day trips with restrictions eased enough to allow, I am hoping the week can be as good as recent patches of annual leave/bank holidays, my week off in January and the similar week off instead of a postponed Welsh holiday in June last year when everything had unlocked enough to allow some further afield day trips including to surrounding counties. 

I wanted another look at the snake’s-head fritillaries as I may not necessarily come to Lakeside during the week off and may not be walking here until 26th April, so I think these smashing flowers may have ended or thereabouts by that point. So I did this by scouting out groups of them I had not yet seen in my best ever year of them here this year a flower I am loving so much here over the last few years as I walked to the far east of the southern fenced off nature reserve area and walked in a path that takes you right along the fence from the back of trees and along. Here I stumbled across indeed a group I had not seen yet this year, including the one in the fourth picture in this photoset it was beautiful to take lots of them in but this as a single flower stood out most to me I had a lot of great moments taking in single flowers today including daisy and dandelion. The fritillaries are such succulent looking flowers. I then indulged as the sun was in and out a little again but shining very brightly when out in some landscapes using this as a great vantage point across the nature reserve and taking in some beautiful sweeping views from this area I took the fifth picture in this photoset of a fantastic green looking view a big theme of my week. The green continued as I loved seeing some more lichen in this area this year I enjoyed it in the winter especially one day which I took the sixth picture in this photoset of today. I then took the seventh picture in this photoset of one of the group of snake’s-head fritillaries I discovered towards the end of last week. I took this with my big lens, the closeup one before was with my macro. This was not before I tried a shot I wanted to and perhaps rarely for me I suppose had in my head to try out with the snake’s-head fritillaries with my general lens, a landscape shot with the beautiful flowers in the foreground and I sat on the now quite dry floor you know its spring when that happens as this can be one of the wettest parts of the country park in winter with the mud and bog. I was quite pleased with how this came out and I tweeted on Dans_Pictures the photo I took. 

It was another pre-planned photo as I moved on out the gate and towards beach lake, the eighth picture in this photoset. This is because as I said I’m taking part on a Facebook group I’m in, in a themed Facebook challenge this week where each day its a different letter to post photos on the theme of and over the week it spells out April. Having managed to think of an A, P, R and I some more challenging than others I knew L was the easiest letter for me as my day would involve a walk at Lakeside. I went very literal for that and wanted a picture of one of the lakes today, which I have managed at various points all week too, and I got it with this one. This was a beautiful scene and I loved taking in the water birds as I walked through the lake area and over the bridge again, such as Lesser Black-backed Gulls with one of them having a spat with one of the many Black-headed Gulls as things get a bit territorial which is interesting and two of the Great Crested Grebes. As I tweeted a picture of I got very close to a Greylag Goose as I got over the bridge a brilliant photo opportunity. 

I then decided I wanted to go through a hidden little area in the trees where there is a high seat to take me into the woods and along the woodland path as planned for my route today. As the drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker which was fantastic to hear at Lakeside again after a couple of weeks ago was enticing me into the woodland, I was wondering whether if I finished work early enough I would do an evening walk tonight. One of my key targets for the last couple of weeks at Lakeside has been an Orange Tip butterfly the all important spring species for me so an evening walk would be one last chance before going on leave to try and see this one of my favourite butterflies here. I hadn’t seen any butterflies today by that point as the sun just started to settle on being out for a long period. I was thrilled to see one I fully expected to in the woods a Speckled Wood fly back into the nice little area with a bench where I had seen my first Comma of the year near on my last patch of annual leave. A nice memory of packed minutes on last Friday’s walk where I saw my first Speckled Woods of the year. As I watched it I was over the moon to see a white butterfly and instantly I knew it was a male Orange Tip and then I saw it fly around a bit battling with the Speckled Wood a little which I always love seeing with butterflies. I made out its ice lolly tip to pure white majority wings and was so happy to see this butterfly. I said when I saw my first of 2018 that they make me feel in love with life and I could hardly contain my excitement for this moment in 2021 which is one of my real favourite moments in any spring seeing my first Orange Tip of the year. This butterfly took my year list to eight competing well with how many I had seen on this date in 2019 and 2020 my top two butterfly year list totals I am pleased with this. I spent a fantastic few minutes enjoying this butterfly and didn’t feel the need to come back tonight as I had achieved my latest wildlife goal on lunch time walks. 

The Orange Tip then landed and closed its wings, and I with my big lens on at this point took a safety shot. But then I was stunned as I managed to get my macro lens on and edge gently closer to it and take a picture with it! An Orange Tip is a butterfly that so rarely stops so any kind of picture of one and at any stage in their year is brilliant. But to get one with my macro where you do have to get quite close to it and it has to stay still for a long time at the start of the season where normally not much lands with temperatures moderate so not as many warm sun basking opportunities so they can be flighty. Obviously it could have been newly emerged which would account for more stillness too which is amazing if so. I felt an interesting rush of adrenaline as I limbered up to the nettle it had settled on and took the picture with my macro which showed how I was so intoxicated by wildlife it really made me stupidly happy as so many moments have this year for wildlife. 

What I hadn’t realised until recording the year tick and checking my past lists is today is ten years to the day since I first ever saw an Orange Tip it was along the River Itchen which felt fantastic. What a way to celebrate this day. On Monday I made a big thing about it being ten years since I saw my first Cuckoo and I had overlooked for years the magnitude of seeing both my first Cuckoo and Orange Tip ever in that short space of time over that glorious Easter holidays when I was still at school where so much else happened for me that fortnight as both became one of my favourite species being added to those lists in the years not so long after. Orange Tip is a butterfly I find so immaculate and so beautiful with the males and their stunning bright colour scheme which gives them the name and the female’s intricate and bold markings. This species sybolises the hope and passion of a blooming spring and they just provide you with a moment of splendour every time you are lucky enough to see one. They are one of nature’s finest works of art and one of Britain’s best species and key riverine species. I took these butterflies to my heart very quickly over the last decade where I have been so lucky to be able to see them so much and it is something I look forward to every year the Orange Tips coming out. I walked along to the monks brook halt steam railway platform entrance and along the northern path which I would take home I spotted a Brimstone flying and also more white butterflies I didn’t get to see what they were but they could have been female Orange Tips along the part of the park I learnt last year that they are here and something that can be seen. This was the first time ever that Lakeside was the place I ticked Orange Tip as we snuck a female in the river Itchen and males and females at Stoke Park Wood before the first Lakeside one on lockdown daily exercise walks last year. Of the eight butterflies I’ve seen this year six have been for the first time at Lakeside now and I am so proud once more of how I have used this wonderful local country park to get my butterfly season really well underway with a variety of species. Lakeside did dominate the location field of my butterfly year list last year with working from home and everything there are some species I tend to see at Lakeside first anyway as I really awoke to the fact of knowing there was so much on my doorstep and I’m glad I’ve done it again so far. 

On the way home I took a third planned picture which I tweeted as I photographed a patch of blossom and greenery just outside the park as it goes towards the bridge to the new development and road which is a nicely shaped bush and I noticed it shine in the dark on my Wednesday evening walk. I remember photographing this one last year too on a lunch time walk and its interesting its flaired up nicely again around this time of year. 

At home this afternoon I took as I tweeted a nice range of landscape and sky out the window and wildlife photos, including Rex the Feral Pigeon we have nicknamed who as well as his partner Violet was around a lot today which was great. I was also transfixed just before sunset by a large group of Starlings on the green out the front among the daisies and dandelions which looked really pretty as I processed my photos from today I just loved watching them. I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of these. I hope you all have a nice weekend. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first of one of my favourite butterflies the Orange Tip this year, one of my favourite birds the Great Crested Grebe, Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Mallard, Moorhen, Greylag Goose, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Magpie, Jackdaw, Starlings with a brilliant view of some with food at times too along the northern path at Lakeside at lunch time too likely the same group as on the green, House Sparrow, Great Tit well at Lakeside in the hidden little bit, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Feral Pigeon, Robin and I heard both of the woodpeckers two of my favourite birds the Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker.