#how much of venice is underwater

[entomjinx]

ONE PIECE CHAPTER 1113 SPOILERS!!!

It's tagged, it's in bold, if you didn't see it that's on you, but I'm sorry. (I'm also a little sick so sorry for how this starts to turn a little insane at the end.)

The reveal makes perfect sense. I've seen a few people struggle to figure out where it came from, so I'm gonna explain why it makes perfect sense and then pop off with some silly theory.

The first hint at the fact that the One Piece world is sinking exists all the way back in Long Ring Long Island.

That seems like an odd place to start, but it's the first time we're shown how drastic the tides of the ocean in the One Piece world can change. It's enough to separate entire parts of an island, causing it to appear as separate islands, once every year.

This implies that the tides change drastically over the course of much longer periods than it does in the real world.

After that, we get to Water Seven and discover that it's sinking, and that the Aqua Laguna is getting worse every year. We also know that it's caused by the water receding at Long Ring Long island. We're also outright told that they want to make the city float to stop the sinking problem.

We also, much later, see just how high Wano is in altitude.

Knowing that the Redline is so tall that it cannot be passed by any ship, cannot be broken through, and that Mariejois is sat right on top of it only adds to why it makes sense.

The world isn't "sinking," those some islands technically are(Water Seven, modeled after Venice), the tides are going to rise exponentially, and fast.

The force of the water would instantly drown most people, and those who survived would be those who could get to higher altitude islands, the sky islands, Fishman Island, or the Redline.

And because I know someone will try to point this out: land bound plant life can temporarily survive underwater, so Ohara's 5000 year old library tree would be fine for a a bit while submerged. There's lots of places with high tides who's plant life is just fine. (This also could explain why they'd be so willing to throw the books into the water. Not only was it to save them from the fire, but many of them had likely been submerged for long periods of time before. They knew the books would be find in the end because they had record of it. And well, it's mentioned in the chapter that Vegapunk means to finish what Ohara started.)

This would also explain how thorough the government was able to be with wiping out information from the void century. If only a few places can survive, then few things that tell the truth will survive, and even fewer people.

Do I think I'm 100% correct about any of this? Or course not, it's Oda. It's One Piece. Things are pretty much never predicted with 100% accuracy. But that's my thoughts on why it makes sense. Now we get into theory:

I have several points to make, so I'm going to write out the shortest ones first.

-This would, completely unironically, explain some of the centuries long racism campaign against fishman. They have no reason to fear the high tides. They will survive no matter what happens on the surface, and that scares the humans who cannot.

-I think that the extreme tide is a part of why the bridge is being built in Tequila Wolf. I believe the bridges purposes is to connect all the highest points of the world so there's no need for ships to carry them. This way, the Celestial Dragons will still have access to more slaves, produce, and anything they can't get within Mariejois on their own during the time period when everyone drowns.

-and now we get to the big one:

I think that the reason the 20 kings and their people destroyed the ancient kingdom is because the ancient kingdom had a way to survive the high tide while keeping the maximum number of people safe in the process, and while being able to save many more people. They refused to ask for help, and were instead afraid of the power the ancient kingdom held, so they sought to destroy it.

I think that the ancient "weapons" were instead a means of survival, and the reason they were hidden is because the 20 kings would have used them as weapons instead. We don't know much about the ancient kingdom, so much of this is speculation.

I think Pluton was a large enough ship that it could carry the entire kingdom. We've already seen some massive ships in One Piece, and Iceburg intends to turn the entirety of Water Seven into a ship, so the idea of an island sized ship isn't all that odd.

If you continue to think about it, why did none of the Beast Pirates manage to find Pluton while searching for the poneglyph in Wano? I have two theories for this based on the fact that we're told Wano would have to open it's borders in order to get Pluton. If the walls would need to be torn down, then we can continue to assume that Pluton is massive.

Theory one is that Pluton is is hidden within the mountain itself, and that the mountain was man-made to hide the ship. Not only would the walls need to come down, but the mountain itself would have to be destroyed. They would also need a way to survive the high tide without it, so creating a mountain that is high enough in altitude to keep them safe would have been a necessity. I think this is the more believable of the two theories.

Theory Two is that Pluton is Wano. The entire island is the ship, and many of Wano's people descended from the people of the ancient kingdom or those they rescued. This one is much less likely, but it's still a possibility in my mind.

We know that Poseidon was the former mermaid princess, and that the current one is Shirahoshi. She can control the sea kings. Why would this be important? Because if everywhere floods, then the sea kings, who are already very large creatures, suddenly have an influx of room to move, food to eat, and places to lay eggs. It would cause a population spike. *However,* that would cause an ecological disaster within the food chain. The sudden influx of sea kings would be desperate for any food they can get their hands on, and many would likely die of starvation. This means they need some way to repel them from the large ship.

We don't know anything about Uranus yet, so I've nothing for you.

Another thing we know about the ancient kingdom is that they seemed to be friendly with everyone, or at least it's implied via how many friends Joy Boy made.

Fishman: Along with the bonus of having Poseidon, the fishman also have access to the tree resin from Sabaody. Should the ship(Puton) or the ancient kingdom ever need to submerge in order to keep people safe or to have a temporary air bubble, They'd be safe.

Lunarians: The people who originally lived on top of the redline. Sinee the redline is high enough to not sink, it would have made sense for them to be trade partners.

Skypians and Shandians: Another race with wings. if the tides really got too high, then they could join them in the sky sea for a time. They could also trade with them.

Minks: Zunesha was a friend of Joyboy's. We don't know much else about that situation, but it's likely that Zunesha is plenty tall enough to keep the minks from drowning, and they could have traded often as well. Maybe Zunesha was even able to do something similar to the giants.

The Giants: This feels like the most important one to me, and not just because of recent chapters. Obviously the giants think very highly of Nika/Joyboy, but it's also very likely that Elbaf is tall enough to survive the high tide, and if not, the the giants themselves are. If you look at what's known about current giants, some of them are tall enough to walk along the sea floor, and the ancient giants were so large that it's said they pulled and moved continents.

Why is that bit important? Because a ship the size of an entire island would likely need a lot more than sails buoyancy to move quickly. The ancient kingdom was pulled by the giants. They moved to different areas to rescue people and to trade so that life continued while the tide was at it's highest point.

Another random thing that supports this is the giant's vehement hatred towards Charlotte Linlin. She has Totto Land, which is supposed to be a place where all races live in harmony, but it would be a mockery of what the ancient kingdom was like, and for giants, who live about 300 years, that's only a few generations back. They would still have stories about the ancient kingdom and remember the truth.

Again, I don't think anything I predict will ever be 100% accurate, but I hope you enjoyed my rambling nonetheless.

[teecupangel]

Just saw the Mermaid!Desmond post and it reminded me that i have been playing around with the idea that Desmond gets transported to the past as a mermaid(he prefers the term 'merman' thank you!). With my obsession with EziDes(i'm shameless XD), i imagined 2 scenarios:

1) Ezio meets Desmond in Venice and though at first Desmond is shy and hides away, Ezios persistence and charm wins him over. Desmond has the ability to launch some sticky "vines" from his hands to drag people into the water(based on what the mermaids in Pirates of the Caribbean can do), so he helps Ezio with assassinations from the canal. We could even have some drama where the Templars catch Desmond in a tank on land and when Ezio comes to save him, the tank breaks and at first Desmond is suffocating, then he is in immense pain while his body transforms into a humans. So good news: he can walk on land and even "sleep" with Ezio without risking drowning him(No Ezio, we are not trying it again!). Bad news: it hurts like a motherfucker to transform and it takes a hot minute. At least he can see Monteriggioni now!

2) The classic "Desmond takes Older!Ezio and himself to the past to save Ezio's family" but Desmond is turned into a mermaid(merman!) and is stuck in the disgusting river that runs through Florence. They get transported a day before the execution(Ezio just needs that scar, i love that connection too much XD), so they get a plan to bust out the Auditore family during the night and use a boat to get far enough away from the city before switching to a wagon. Giovanni is confused to what his son is doing("Why didn't you deliver the papers to Uberto, Ezio?"), but decideds to trust his son. During the trip, a guard almost raises the alarm but before he can, something whips out of water and drags the man in. Everyone but Ezio is shocked and when they get to the wagon, they see a small tub with water in the back. Before they can ask about it, they see Ezio lift something from the river before turning around and revealing a mermaid(MERMAN!) in his arms. Ezio is not leaving Desmond behind, no matter how difficult transporting him is(in this version i'd have Desmond need to learn how to shift forms, so for a while he has to be transported in a tiny ass tub if he was to follow Ezio around). The ride back is pretty awkard 'cause it turns out only Ezio can hear Desmonds voice(he speaks mentally, so even underwater he can talk to Ezio and the connection can reach pretty far).

.

We can also use Altaïr and the funny scenario of him being afraid of water, but still has a mermaid(for the LAST TIME: I'M A MERMAN!) boyfriend. XD Though Desmond would be very helpful for the guy that hides on the boat.

Maybe the treasure in Solomons temple started glowing after the entrance collapsed, distracting the templars enough for a hurt Malik and bruised Kadar to grab it and flee? And on the ride back to Masyaf, during an attempt to cross a river to lose the Templars on their trail, the treasure falls into the water, causing an explosion of light. Kadar was blinded by it, but Malik escaped the worst of it and swears he saw a large dark shape swimming away from the orb before he went to grab it. When he returns to Masyaf, with a dead arm and a mostly blind brother, he still blames Altaïr for everything that went wrong, but knows it could have been so much worse.

Altaïr is sent to find the traitor(the same as cannon), but afterwards is sent to the river Malik experienced the light explosion, to search for whatever came from the treasure. Altaïr curses Malik for his clumsiness, to lose the treasure in the river! If it hadn't been glowing it would have been lost. So Altaïr is in a very bad mood when he reaches the river to start his search. He is forced to spend days following it to the ocean, but when he reaches it, he sees something gold, glittering underneath the waves. Before he can try to even figure out how to get closer without having to get near the water, it moves upwards, revealing a strange creature. A half man, half fish spirit that looks like him, just staring at him from the water. They stay there, staring at each other before the spirit swims back under the water, dissapearing before Altaïr can even utter a sound of suprise. No matter how hard he searches the coast, the spirit does not show itself. Altaïr is once again forced to return to his master with another failure.

.

Phew, okay, this took almost an hour to write(i'm a pretty slow typer). XD Words just came pouring out during the Altaïr section. Lol

Additions to the ask from @thedragonqueen1998

Follow up on my Mermaid!Desmond ask:

I completely forgot to add in a description for Desmonds mermaid design. XD I'm a fan of the more spikier designs, so he'd have sharp fins on the side of his tail, a large one on his back, razor sharp claws and webbing on his hands and his ears would be fins. His teeth would be large and sharp and his jaw could almost shoot out like a goblin sharks one. It also opens wise enough that he can bite someones head off. His colouring would be a shiny gold that would dampen the more tired he becomes and the shine would fade if he is sick. So if he spends alot of time in the Venice canals his colours would fade quickly to Ezio's panic. XD He's fine, he just has the mermaid version of the flu.

Additions by teecup:

Desmond being a mermaid during Renaissance Italy would be so fun. Of course, Leonardo would have to paint him, maybe even call him the ‘Siren’ of Greek folklore, going as far as painting what looks like a lot like Templars as the people the supposed Siren drowns.

Centuries later, people would debate if Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Siren’ is androgynous or is actually male. Shaun has been part of that debate far too much.

Desmond probably has the habit of lifting his tail then smacking it down, making water splash all around the tank, an instinctive move that mimics humans saying their feet when they’re dangling.

There was actually an ask about what kind of merfolk design would each Assassin have but I can’t find it (as usual).

One of my suggestion for Desmond though is a tail similar to an angler fish like this:

Not exactly like this but a combination of this and your idea of sharp fins. They seem to glow but it’s more noticeable when using Eagle Vision.

Also… the water underneath Monteriggioni is a good place for Desmond to stay as well (although Ezio would be everything to renovate Monteriggioni to have a pond large enough for Desmond, it will become his priority even if they don’t profit from it XD).

If you want an alternative meeting, Ezio could meet Desmond in the underground waters of Monteriggioni while he was exploring Monteriggioni.

.

For the AltDes version, I’m just kinda imagining Altaïr would be too stubborn to return to Masyaf until he was certain what he just saw. He had already failed, he can’t afford to fail again.

Both because of his pride and because he had lost faith in Al Mualim and the Brotherhood too much that he actually believes that they would execute him if he failed again.

So he’s just camping there, staring at the waters.

Every time he feels like someone is staring back, the feeling would be gone by the time he turns around.

He had read about many mystical beings that live in the waters and Altaïr had started to write about what he can observe, even going as far as drawing what he could remember of what he saw.

If anyone was to see it, it would look like the ramblings of a man imagining something that doesn’t exist.

Or perhaps they would believe it.

Many people do believe in such rot.

Altaïr did not.

Not until he saw the spirit.

And now…

Altaïr was simply too stubborn to retreat.

He would capture the spirit and drag it back to Masyaf if it’s the last thing he does.

[bengiyo]

Marahuyo Project Eps 7 & 8 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Last time, the kids struggled to pick a name for their LGBTQIA+ organization while discussing their strategy before the school board. They eventually decided to focus on connecting their hopes for the island's future with its past, and set about researching. Archie gave Venice some files from the church, Lorie looked through files her dad had, and Ino suggested interviewing people after providing equipment. We learned that Archie is struggling with the path to holy orders (manifested in his neck scratching), Ino said aloud that he was gay and kissed King, and Lili is probably intersex. Each of our our kids is holding confidence about this. Lili read Marco for filth, read him for blood, but unfortunately we left at Marco outing her.

Episode 7: Aswang

You know King isn't the violent type, because some of my people would have curb stomped his ass by now.

Oh, Ino. I understand.

Okay, Lili's story is so sad and lonely. I'm glad she told Lili before this.

Oof, Lorie was not ready for the friends to lovers kiss.

That was difficult, but King is right. He shouldn't ask Ino to come out, but it doesn't stop him from getting hurt.

King's grandmother is great. It's making me sad that Ino has no one else to talk to after that.

Wow, Marco is really doubling down on being an asshole.

I appreciate this show now disguising the kinds of casual homophobia you run into.

It's hard to recognize when you need to give someone you love space when you want to help.

I do like the idea of them reclaiming the balagtasan as a way to present their ideas to the island.

I knew it was Ino who graffitied the mural.

Gay people really will turn their relationship problems into a public spectacle.

This poetry is beautiful.

Oh, Ino, I'm proud of you.

My boy is bleeding!! Marco, it's on sight!!

Man, what a concise breakdown of how it feels to know your truth and have your caregivers try to stifle that in you for the sake of appearances.

Episode 8: Babaylan

Ino and King opening up old wounds.

Yes, King, tell your mom. Shame is learned at home. A kid can face the world if they're safe at home.

I love King so much for not sugarcoating how bad public scorn can get.

Swimming at night is very dangerous, but I'm always happy to receive an underwater kiss BECAUSE IT STILL BELONGS TO THE GAYS.

Oh good. Lorie and Lili are finally talking.

See, this is the thing about doing queer media versus making QL sometimes. Apologizing for loving someone is such a queer experience. Your love isn't something that you should be ashamed of, and you shouldn't have to apologize for caring a lot about someone.

This feels like the right place for these two as friends to possibly more.

Oh shit Lili got me when she held back tears at getting best friends.

It really is exhausting how hard authority works constantly to police and enforce heteronormativity. There are so few of us. Why is it always this constant bullshit?

Oof, I actually like this choice to have Archie vote to impeach Ino, become the new president, and then immediately return to the site where they honored Christina to cry about it. Venice understands that taking care of other queers is a long term project. At least Archie said her name.

Many of my beloved elders have passed. I wish I could talk to them sometimes. Especially Barry.

I love that Venice is eating in almost every scene.

Hey! They finally picked a name!

I love how homophobes talk about history, and then storm out when confronted with uncomfortable truths.

Crying over these outfits. They're so right. Formal acceptance by the status quo doesn't erase our existence, or the bonds between us. We will make space for ourselves and those like us.

Oh, Archie. I understand you, too. I hope you find peace with yourself and others.

I love Sue Prado, but does the mom really deserve to be here? I'll accept them trying to extend grace to struggling parents since Grandma has been with them the whole time.

This march works though. Before it was only three of them. Now look at them.

A post credits scene! Wait, I love the idea of Juvy and Jose going to visit them!

Final Verdict: 9.5, Finally Some Good Fucking Food. I am just so relieved to have another show from JP Habac. It's clear he and his friends have such strong ideas about where queer people fit in our society today, and I love that his work is never about defeating homophobia and is instead about connecting others to queer joy. Despite how this show stirred up all sorts of old hurts in me, I feel so much love for these characters, and I'm so thankful that I can point to a show with a wide spectrum of queer experiences delivered in such a beautiful package. It's so rare to see a show treat the closet seriously, and I will be thinking about this show forever, alongside JP's previous work: Gaya sa Pelikula (aka Like in the Movies).

[five-rivers]

Previous

“Even if they’re places I haven’t been to,” said Danny, “I’ve heard a lot about them! There’s the Heavenly Garden, the Drowned Quarter, the Mountains of the Moon, and, you know, there are always Elysium, the Far Frozen, Mattingly, or Long N–”

“No,” said Mom, “not Long Now.”

That was another thing Danny didn’t understand about his parents. Their dislike of Clockwork. Clockwork never did anything but help him.

“Okay, but you know Elysium and the Far Frozen are safe, and Mattingly is mostly safe.”

“Our equipment still doesn’t work well in Mattingly,” said Mom. “The Far Frozen is, well…”

“Far,” supplied Dad, but he had picked up a pad of paper and a pen. “What were the other ones?”

“The Heavenly Garden, the Drowned Quarter, and the Mountains of the Moon,” recited Danny, a little more hopefully. Maybe they’d let him go, after all.

“Okay, okay. And- And what are they supposed to be?”

“Well, um,” said Danny, “they’re all different places… The Heavenly Garden is, like, this giant peach orchard. A lot of people go there to eat them, or to have picnics and things. It’s supposed to be a big stop for musicians, too.” At least, according to Ember. He’d mostly heard about it from her and the Lunch Lady.

Dad knit his eyebrows together as he wrote. “And ghosts like that? It sounds sort of… peaceful.”

“Mhm.” Danny shrugged. “Everyone’s different. I think some of the peaches are supposed to be magic, too, but there’s no fighting there because of the Guardian of Peaches. Sometimes there are contests, though. Competitions.”

“Ah,” said Mom. “That makes much more sense. And the others?”

“Then there’s the Drowned Quarter, although I probably would stick to the borders.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because it’s drowned. Underwater. It’s an ocean. And the cities there are all places that sank, like Ys, or even places that aren’t remembered anymore.” He shrugged. “Humans like being near coastlines and rivers, so… You know. They get flooded.”

“Oh,” said Mom, “that’s interesting. So there’s correlation between how a place was destroyed and where it shows up in the Ghost Zone?”

“Is Atlantis there?” asked Dad, interrupting before Danny could answer.

“I mean, yes?” said Danny. “At least, that’s what I’ve heard. And- and the Drowned Quarter is supposed to have really good universities.”

“But it’s underwater,” said Mom.

“Mhm,” said Danny.

“Then it won’t work. Something like that would short out our technology.”

“That’s why I’d stay on the borders! The, you know, the surface. The shore. There are a lot of cities there that just haven’t sunk yet. They’re called the Anticipations. Like, um, there’s the Anticipation of New Orleans, which is supposed to have a lot of portals, too, and the City of Masks, which used to just be called the Anticipation of Venice, but sort of branched out, and Wet London, to keep it separate from all the other Londons, and Miami, but no one goes to Miami, and the Anticipation of Guangzhou–”

“There’s more than one London?” asked Dad.

“Oh, yeah, loads. But no one can beat Jerusalem. There are so many Jerusalems. And they’re all always fighting each other. But! I’m not going there. I think the Anticipation of New Orleans or the City of Masks would be really fun for you to research, though.”

“We’ll think about it,” said Mom, a bit repressively. “And the Mountains?”

“Oh, yeah. The Mountains of the Moon are supposed to be really cool. Like, literally. They’ve got glaciers on them, and people like to hike them. There are a lot of ghosts Obsessed with climbing there. And photography. And, um.” He wasn’t sure he should say this next part, because his parents hadn’t really liked Three Twilights. “There’s also a moon there.”

“A… moon,” said Mom, blankly.

Danny nodded. “It’s like… a small copy of the real moon.

“You say that as though there are more than one of these… fake moons,” said Dad, chuckling.

“There are,” said Danny, nodding. “But I think most of them are pretty far away from the portal right now. I think the Mountains of the Moon should be relatively close.”

“So… how much smaller than the real moon is it?” asked Dad.

“I don’t know! That’s kind of the point of going, isn’t it?” He bounced in place. “So? Can I? Can I go? I know you want to know more, too.” Of course they did! It was the whole reason they’d built the portal, after all, right?

Mom and Dad looked at one another, doing that weird parental telepathy thing they sometimes did. Then they shook their heads.

“Later,” said Mom.

“Next month, maybe,” said Dad. “We want to finish with this data before we get new data. It’ll make everything a lot safer.”

Danny’s shoulders fell. “Okay. Fine.”

“Maybe you can read some of those books Jazz got you?” Mom called after him as he trudged up the stairs. Danny let the door shut behind him without answering.

They just didn’t get it. They still saw him as a little kid, which. Fine. He looked more or less the same as he did the summer before high school, and he knew he hadn’t… matured the way Jazz and his friends had. But he wasn’t, and he was tired of being stuck at home, not doing anything.

Maybe he could figure out how to subvert the DNA lock? He chewed on his thumbnail, a recent nervous habit. He might be able to get Tucker to help him, long distance, or he could try himself. He did know quite a bit about Fenton Tech at this point. Or… he could go out.

He looked at the curtained window. If he went out as Phantom, it’d probably be fine, except for dodging the usual ghost hunters. Stargazing alone could be soothing. But he still wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone or do anything but fly around. Going out as Fenton was… risky. There were plenty of people who wouldn’t recognize him, but many would. Dash, for example, still lived in Amity Park, and he’d heard rumors that some of his other former classmates were back.

Or he could wait. He could do that. Staying home for a while wouldn’t kill him. He was just bored. And lonely.

[davrinassan]

im trying to reframe stupid bits of this story as i go along and, thoughts:

- deeply want fen'harel, mythal, ghilan'nain, and elgar'nan to be the only shitty elven gods. i want the rest of them to have been normal and simply horrified by what those 4 were doing (and likely powerless to stop them considering the implication of these 4 being The Most Powerful.) more compelling imo than writing off every god worshipped by your indigenous/jewish allegory minority as being immoral slave-owning murderous pieces of shit 🤙

- what the fuck happened to the agents of fen'harel? elves all over thedas flocking to serve solas thinking he was going to make their lives better? makes me so pissed. bring them back, can vaguely explain the resurgence of eluvians in solas teaching certain agents how to fix them (because most were BROKEN), but in this perhaps some agents grow too close to solas's true goal, and they splinter off

- to form The Fucking Veil Jumpers

- fuck these goddamn power crystals, fuck the goddamn ancient elven automatons, fuck all that stuff, it's stupid, we don't need any of it!

- the ossuary being underwater is STUPID. like what? huh???? why would the ancient elves go closer to the stone/the titans. be serious. also an underwater ancient elven ruin never being spoken about prior to this game is equally stupid

- so the ossuary could be a living catacomb of sorts. somewhere outside of treviso since treviso is thedas-venice, an abandoned manor or keep that has underground tunnels filled with zara and calivan's prisoners. wet, dark, musty, fits the vibe so much fucking better than whatever the fuck is going on underwater

this is as far as i've gotten in eimhin's playthrough but many more thoughts will come as i keep going. because i am in hell until i fix this game in my head

[sealrock]

Character Themes

I was tagged by @dragonsongmakhali for this, tysm for the tag! :>

I'll be tagging @shroudkeeper @ahollowgrave @airis-ray and @thefreelanceangel (feel free to skip if you've already done this!)

I'm doing my main roster so everything's going under the cut since it'll be long, I added small blurbs to each:

What instrumental track would play in the background of your character's story during their most meaningful moments?

paris ; ff11 ost - recollection:

here's a track that doesn't match paris' aesthetic in the slightest, but it's meant to be a tear-jerker. I would go as far to say this would be paris' main theme as it shows a vulnerable part of them that no one gets to see. this is probably the only song that fits the question of this tag game

kirke ; silent hill 4 ost - silent circus:

it was between this track and a track from the cry of fear ost, but my love for silent hill won out. I always imagined kirke as having an industrial/trip-hop-based character theme, so this fits way too well for her. I wouldn't call this track 'meaningful' to kirke, it's a bit odd—then again she's an odd character. I imagine this plays during her more leisurely/playful moments

tauvane ; assassin's creed 2 ost - dreams of venice:

the elegance of this song is perfect for tauvane, it's regal and refined as it reflects her background. but what gets me is 2:07-2:45, the sudden change in tone and atmosphere shows you another side of her, something dangerous and cold. I would say this plays when achille meets her again after so many years spent apart

hector ; silent hill ost - only you:

this one is short, but hector's overall time in the story is short. it's overwhelmingly sad and there's a yearnful tone to this, a yearning for andromache to stay. but the piano is drowned out by a repeating 'droning' noise. it hints at something more sinister, aka halmarut. so this doubles a theme for halmarut as well

yves ; silent hill 3 ost: maternal heart:

something not bloodborne for once. it feels empty and haunting to me, just like yves himself. the name 'maternal heart' also calls back to cessair, yves' mother. like kirke, yves has a more industrial track that plays, but since he doesn't talk much I don't think this will be heard often

andromache ; assassin's creed revelations ost - byzantium:

this one fits andromache to a T. there's a strong sense of melancholy and vulnerability attached to this song that I think works well for her meaningful moments in the story as a character theme. the plucking strings, the haunting vocals, and the twinkling music box all scream 'andromache'

evander ; nier ost - his dream:

the tatlonghari brothers share similar themes, the difference between them is the title. this song, to me, has a quick pace, and a feeling of a childhood lost or something masked. it's ethereal in execution, but it doesn't match evander's personality or actions. this is intentional, as evander deep down is still a good person at heart, and this song reflects that, but he shows a totally different person on the surface

patroclus ; nier ost - this dream:

in contrast to evander, patroclus' is more slow, idyllic, and hopeful. it sounds like a song detailing a happy childhood. evander's theme is centered around him, but patroclus' is centered around those he lost—his parents most importantly. patroclus has a lot of meaningful moments I feel like, so this is very much a patroclus track

achille ; cry of fear ost - brandon:

here's something different, something modern. despite achille's positive and happy disposition, this song showcases his inner self and how much turmoil and pain he goes through daily. its singular guitar in the beginning accompanied by an almost underwater ambiance matches what he feels regarding his mother tauvane. this plays a lot when talking about her I think

azem (helen) ; assassin's creed brotherhood ost - echos of the roman ruins:

yet another AC song, I've had on repeat lately since I'm revisiting the games. this song in particular has a sense of wistful nostalgia to it, that feeling of a time that no longer exists once the vocals kick in. while this is too short for my liking, this is perfect for helen the more I revisit their backstory, flesh them out, and reinvent the wheel

[numerousbees1106]

Hello! I have loved your "I'm waiting on a miracle" story since it was just a snippet. So, I've been thinking about the Room and it's importance to the Jedi . I think the Room is their safe space in the Force, the mysterious force of nature that binds all the Galaxy together, so they naturally need to construct a safe place from which they'll be able to observe and commune with the Force without exposing themselves to it's full might. But, I find the idea of a room simply unimaginative on behalf of the Jedi ( not yours of course). Why a set of rooms? Several Jedi are from species that live underwater, in swamps, can't breathe oxygen. Why not a forest whith a lake in the middle playing the role of the window? Why not underwater reefs? Why not a desert? Why a room that has the same colours and lightning?

The answer to me ( tell me if I'm wrong) is rather simple. Because they are Jedi. Anakin was expected to have constructed his safe space suitable for meditation at age of nine and while that may be the Jedi's ignorance on how to treat a child like him, it implies that Jedi find their Room at a very young age. The only place they have knowledge of at that time is the Jedi Temple. They know of nothing else and they are trained to want to be nowhere else, no dreaming of moving to Venice for baby Jedi. So naturally their safe space will be a place that would fit in the Jedi Temple. No room is ever the same because no two people are ever the same, but it has unmistakable similarities , because all Jedi are taught similar ways of thinking.

Anakin however is different. He doesn't have as of yet any emotional attachment to the Temple itself and is wary of the Jedi. He had a home, even if he experienced terrible abuse there, that he misses. His safe space would not resemble a Jedi Temple Room. But, instead of opening his mind and constructing his safe space on instinct, he is trapped by the Jedi expectations . So, he spends a lot of time trying to open a door, but he can't, because it isn't a door at all. The Room behind it doesn't exist. He needs to tear everything down and try again, but for the Jedi that would be heresy.

What do you think? Am I close?

When I was originally writing this story, I thought of the rooms as a metaphor for the Force itself. The Jedi have a specific way of opening themselves to the Force, hence why the window (a barrier of sorts between their mortal minds and the immortal Force) is always in the same place, and why it is always a room - every Jedi across all species utilize the same method of accessing the Force, and so that connection manifests the same way for every Jedi. The Room isn’t the Force itself, it’s kinda a half-way conduit, a bridge of sorts to balance the mortal and immortal. The reason for the same lighting and color scheme persisting is, once again, tied to the method of meditation, AKA how they open the door to the Room. Same method, same manifestation, same lighting and coloration.

You are correct that the reason for no Room ever being the same is because no two people are ever the same - however, I thought of it more of no two people having the same connection to the Force and no two people having the same mental state. Sith also have a Room, but the Window is stained, and the lighting and color scheme is different - a different method of connection to the Force correlates with different styles, but Sith have the same meditation methods as each other, and so their Rooms have shared characteristics, much like how the Jedi Rooms have shared characteristics.

The reason why the more powerful Jedi/Sith had multiple Rooms was, I figured, because they were able to withstand a deeper connection to the Force, and as such could dedicate more space in their minds to it. I believe, like you said, that the Rooms are crafted in the minds of Jedi/Sith very young, likely as young as when they are able to first start understanding the world around them. The Rooms shift and change as they grow and experience the world in different ways, the foundations moving around in response to changes in one’s mental state and noteworthy experiences, while never truly changing the basic layout of it because, again, they manifest the way they do because Jedi/Sith have a common method of connecting to the Force.

I quite like the idea of the Rooms being safe-spaces that Jedi can fit within the Temple of their minds, though it’s not what I originally had in mind. There’s truth in that Anakin cannot enter the Room due to the expectations placed on him by the Jedi - the Rooms are purely a construct of perception, after all, a shared philosophy that appears the way it does because it is expected to appear that way. But Anakin, being half-Force, does not need a conduit to access it safely. He has no need for a Room, but him being told that he has a Room, and that he needs to access it, has led to him perceiving a door that doesn’t exist. Maybe it opens to a blank wall. Maybe it opens to an endless void. Maybe it doesn’t open at all. Maybe he himself is the Room.

Overall, while there were some details of your theory that I didn’t originally have in mind, I quite like this interpretation and will likely incorporate some aspects into the story. Mostly, you were pretty damn close.

Thank you so much for reading and putting the time into theorizing about my story, it really does mean a lot to me. If you have any further questions or theories, please feel free to discuss them with me - I love talking about my ideas and collaborating with the people who read them to improve them.

[dailycharacteroption]

Hidden Current (Vigilante Archetype)

(art by AntonKurbatov on DeviantArt)

It’s honestly surprising how many vigilante archetypes are dedicated to hiding one’s heritage in one identity and embracing it in another, and such is the case with today’s subject!

In certain watery cities and villages, there exist rumors of mysterious figures that appear from nowhere in a spray of water, perform their deeds, and then vanish once again beneath the waves, shadows from the depths which may be seen as aquatic avengers or benthic bandits, often a little bit of both depending on who is asked. I speak of course of the vigilantes known as “hidden currents”.

By day, these figures put on a persona of being one among the local surface-dwellers, but in the dark of the night they reveal their true selves as one of the many aquatic ancestries that live beneath the waves.

What exactly drives these individuals to live among air-breathers, let alone ply their aquatic nature as hidden sneaks varies by individual, and almost always is quite the story. However, certain aquatic ancestries are more suited to this role than others. Aquatic elves, azarketi (gillmen), and tritons will have little trouble, while merfolk and cecaelia will have some difficulties, while locathah and sahuagin will find the archetype nearly impossible to use without magic, since their civilian identities rely on the assumption that they are ordinary land-dwellers.

Even with these difficulties, it is still possible to utilize this archetype. Merfolk may pose as being wheelchair bound and rely on magic items that replicate the fins to feet spell when their vigilante identity needs to go on land, and alter self/disguise self are always options for less human-like peoples as well.

Also, consider that some of these vigilantes might be air-breathers that bring themselves into the depths, though they in turn must find ways to contend with their limitations as well, namely the breathing underwater.

While it need not truly be their official social identity, these vigilantes have a knack for assuming temporary identities while on land.

Perhaps one of their most impressive abilities, however, is the ability to teleport out of or into a body of water, using the water as a perfect point of ambush or retreat, leaving their foes guessing as to where they came from or went both on land or in the water.

They also have an incredible knack for using the water to conceal their motion, letting them slip into or out of the water unseen.

I’ve said before that the vigilante class is somewhat limited in it’s utility, more or less being at their best in urban environments and pretty much nowhere else. This archetype has a similar problem, being limited to cities on the coast with nearby aquatic civilizations nearby. In a Venice-like city with lots of water, they are King. Elsewhere, not so much. Additionally, your choice of ancestry can present certain challenges as well, especially in the environments you are not built for. Still, if that perfect storm of circumstances presents itself, this archetype is a fun little thing to explore and build as you please.

Being part of two worlds in a way that even most other vigilantes are not, it can be fun to explore what a character thinks of life below or above the waves. Some may resent one over the other, while others may have a fascination with either or both.

Elaborate merfolk murals protesting the segregation of the flooded Lower City and the Upper City of Raiyo have been cropping up in the middle of the night, leading to a crackdown to find the culprit. Merfolk interrogated about the incidents only mention a figure known as the Finwalker, a figure they speak of with some reverence.

Resembling a sahuagin in his bestial form, the seascarred beastkin Bartholomew has been swimming between the coast and their settlements for years, and now he has set his sights on acts of apparent terrorism in a devilfish guise. Has he turned traitor, or is there something afoot?

Recently, the mayor of the fishing village has been acting strange and especially vicious. Most are concerned but do not know what to make of the change in demeanor, but an aquatic elf vigilante called Moonseeker believes that he has come under the possession of an avatarana rakshasa. However, proving it means getting close, and the mayor is sure to keep all visitors well beyond reach.

[denimbex1986]

'New to Netflix on April 4, 2024, Ripley is the third adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's acclaimed 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. The story concerns Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott), a wily forger and con man who steals the identity of the wealthy European playboy Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) and lives a life of luxury. Although it's the first TV translation of the classic crime story, the Netflix original series joins the 1960 French film Purple Noon and the 1999 American movie The Talented Mr. Ripley as fictional adaptations.

However, while each mostly remains faithful to Highsmith's novel, several significant differences regarding the ending can be found. In particular, the final moments of Ripley's grand scheme conclude on a much different note in the 1999 film and the 2024 TV show. For those interested in the chief differences between the two acclaimed adaptations, it's time for a side-by-side comparison between Ripley's criminal endeavors and how faithful they remain to Highsmith's novel.

What is The Talented Mr. Ripley?

Published in November 1955, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a crime novel by Patricia Highsmith. The acclaimed psychological thriller concerns Tom Ripley, a small-time con artist and grifter scraping by in New York City in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Ripley's dead-end life changes for the better when he is hired by shipping tycoon Herbert Greenleaf. Herbert believes Ripley attended school with his son, Dickie Greenleaf, whose whereabouts in Europe are unknown. Herbert hires Ripley to find Dickie, paying for his travel expenses and giving him a salary for his efforts.

Once Ripley locates Dickie and his friend Marge Sherwood in Italy, Ripley slowly ingratiates his way into their lives. Upon witnessing the lap of luxury Dickie lives in, Ripley slowly schemes to steal Dickie's identity and live his lavish lifestyle of wealth and privilege. In Highsmith's novel, the most crucial event occurs off the coast of San Remo, where Ripley murders Dickie in cold blood on a small fishing boat with an oar.

After killing him, Ripley takes Dickie's possessions, throws his anchor-tied body into the water, and deliberately sinks the boat. Ripley continues to live off Dickie's trust fund, enjoys his wealthy lifestyle, and constantly changes his disguise to resemble Dickie. Meanwhile, Ripley communicates with Dickie's friends and family to assure them he's still alive.

In both Anthony Minghella's 1999 film adaptation and Steve Zaillian's 2024 Netflix TV show, Highsmith's story is faithfully told up to this point. The big difference in the TV and film adaptation comes during the final act. While Ripley ultimately gets away with his criminal charade, a few minor story beats have been altered from the text. In addition to Ripley's ambiguous fate, some details regarding Dickie's corpse, the murder weapons, and the boat disposal stand out.

Differences Between Ripley and The Talented Mr. Ripley

Although Ripley faithfully retells Highsmith's novel almost verbatim, notable differences become clear during the fatal boat ride. In the novel and the 1999 movie, Ripley (Matt Damon) sinks a small fishing boat underwater following Dickie's (Jude Law) murder. In the show, Ripley attempts to burn the boat with petroleum but only partially succeeds. After his plan fails, Ripley stacks rocks in the boat until it submerges underwater. In the novel, movie, and TV show, Ripley continues to live as Dickie in an apartment in Rome and Venice as the final act approaches. However, in the movie, Dickie's corpse is found by the police. In the TV show, Dickie's corpse is never found.

Another minor difference between Ripley and The Talented Mr. Ripley relates to the death of Dickie's longtime friend, Freddie Miles. When Freddie becomes suspicious of Ripley's activity and confronts him about Dickie's whereabouts in Rome, Ripley murders him in cold blood inside his apartment. In the novel, Ripley bludgeons Freddie to death in the head with a big glass ashtray.

However, in the movie, Ripley fatally bashes Freddie (Philip Seymour Hoffman) with the head of a marble statue. In the TV show, Ripley bludgeons Freddie (Eliot Somner) to death with a paperweight. Although the murder weapon has been changed, the Roman location and the way Ripley murders Freddie more or less remain the same in all three adaptations.

The Ending of Ripley vs. The Talented Mr. Ripley

The most substantial difference between Ripley and The Talented Mr. Ripley comes during the finale. In the novel, Ripley convinces Dickie's family that Dickie murdered Freddie before committing suicide. Ripley ends up sailing to Greece after forging Dickie's will and inheriting his fortune. Ripley gets away with his crimes and secures enough money to enjoy a wealthy life. However, his life of luxury is marred by the fear and paranoia of being caught as he constantly looks over his shoulder.

In the 1999 movie, Ripley also ends up in Greece, but the story veers from the novel quite dramatically. In the final moments, a friend of Marge named Peter Smith-Kingsley joins Ripley on the ocean liner to Greece. Upon confronting Ripley about posing as Dickie, Ripley apologizes to Peter for lying to him before fatally strangling him on the boat. The movie ends with Ripley returning to his cabin alone to ponder his murderous actions.

The Netflix Miniseries Ends on a Cliffhanger

In Ripley, the story concludes in Venice instead of Greece. Dickie's body is never found, and his family continues to search for the "fugitive playboy." In Venice, Herbert Greenleaf arrives and accepts that his son Dickie killed himself and Freddie as a result of being a failed artist, unaware that Ripley orchestrated the entire ruse. Although Ripley gets away with his crimes happy and wealthy, the TV ending leaves viewers dangling on a cliffhanger. Marge Sherwood sends a copy of her book to Inspector Ravini (changed from Inspector Roverini in the movie), who is mortified when he sees a picture of the real Dickie Greenleaf.

The implication is that if Season 2 of Ripley gets renewed, Inspector Ravini will continue to pursue Ripley across Europe. This slightly differs from the novel and movie, which depicts Ripley continuing his trip to Greece with a tinge of melancholy after getting away with his elaborate crime spree. In any event, Highsmith's source novel is so rich that few story beats need to be changed to retain the dramatic impact of Ripley's criminal endeavors.

The success of The Talented Mr. Ripley led to the "Ripliad," a series of five novels Highsmith had published between 1955 and 1991. Although Oscar-winning screenwriter Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List) changed a few story specifics to accommodate an 8-episode TV format, they remain faithful to the spirit of Highsmith's landmark crime novel.'

[travelbuddysindia]

Top 10 Adventure Sports In Kerala, India - Updated 2023

India is set quite a few extraordinary things. You can see heaps of temples and masses of palaces during the united states. India is likewise about a breathtaking herbal landscape. Immerse yourself within the splendor of nature via visiting Kerala. As soon as you put foot on this kingdom, you may be stunned by using the lush hills, substantial inexperienced landscape and numerous coconut timber, among others. Stop and spot Eravikulam National Park, which is thought for its wild goats that roam round freely within the middle of nature. Have amusing swimming and looking dolphins at Cherai Beach. Do not forget about to stop by Varkala Beach, which has been attracting tourists to its herbal springs. What’s greater, Kerala is likewise a famous region for journey seekers. Keep studying to discover about the top journey sports in Kerala, India. Chennai to KeralaYour dream vacation is made easy with our competitively Kerala tour packages with price from Chennai.

1. Trekking (from INR 916)

The first actual hobby which you should do in Kerala is trekking. The first-class time of the day to embark in your trekking journey is inside the morning, and the fine vicinity to do it is Munnar Valley. While hiking the valley, you should now not cognizance on attending to the top as fast as possible. Instead, take some time to pause from time to time to realize the astounding views of tea plantations and forest grassland that are all around you. Also, take note of the rocks as they have got particular formations.

2. Hiking (from INR 1,082)

Escape from the bustling atmosphere of the metropolis and reconnect with nature via hiking with your loved ones. Go deep into the plush forests and huge tea plantations of Munnar as you discover the path. Be pleased with your accomplishment when you get to the height as you will be offered with sweeping views like no different. Feel the sweat and fatigue disappear right away.

3. Canoeing (from INR four,578)

Moving on from tea plantations and forests, the next adventure recreation that you want to participate in is canoeing. You have to start from Kochi Port with a canoe so one can take you to the Allepey place. As you're cruising slowly, you will be reminded of Venice in Italy. You may also be surrounded through paddy fields and coconut arms, among others. The water breeze will make you secure and fresh in an instantaneous.

4. Parasailing

Feel an adrenaline rush moving via your veins as you are parasailing high within the sky like a loose hen. Kerala functions masses of beaches in which you may do your parasailing, together with Payyambalam, Alappuzha and Varkala. The enthralling water recreation is a number of the maximum popular adventure sports to participate in as you get to revel in the charm of Kerala’s waterfront without having to be in the center of a packed crowd.

5. Scuba diving

Did you realize that Kerala is likewise blessed with rich and distinct marine existence? Experience a real close come across with underwater animals by way of scuba diving in pinnacle-notch locations such as Varkala Beach and Cochin. Experience how exhilarating it's miles to plunge into emerald water and meet turtles, colorful fish, reefs and greater. Inexperienced scuba divers can participate in scuba diving training applications first.

6. Kayaking (from INR 2,497)

If you feel like canoeing isn't always enough, mainly in case you love being on the water so much, then you ought to try kayaking. Explore the backwaters and canals of the Kadamakkudy Islands, one of the maximum stunning suburbs in Kerala. The crystal clear water, the palm bushes and the tremendous green area in the surrounding are something really worth being attentive to. If you have no prior enjoy with kayaking, do not worry as education may be provided.

7. Jeep hiking (from INR 4,245)

You can trek on foot but in Kerala, you may also trek on a jeep. Say sure to jeep hiking for the ultimate journey of exploring the perimeters of mountain and nature forest of Thekkady. You must make a forestall at Periyar Tiger Reserve, domestic to elephants and tigers. Up to eight humans can suit quite simply in a single jeep. This method which you get to spend first-class time along the way as well.8. Bamboo rafting (from INR five,576)

8. Bamboo rafting (from INR 5,576)

Rafting is already amusing to do. But, in case you crave for some thing extra a laugh and precise, you need to try bamboo rafting. Adventure seekers, be organized to your adrenaline to be pumped up as you board a raft made from bamboo on Periyar Lake. Since it may be intricate to move a bamboo raft, it might be pleasant to head at the tour with experienced guides. It can be slower than boarding a usual raft, but this way you will have extra time to enjoy the barren region of Periyar Lake and Periyar Forest. Along the way, you'll be capable of spot some deer, monkeys and bison, in case you are fortunate.

9. Ziplining (from INR 3,163)

Ziplining is a ought to-do in Kerala. Why? Because this pastime is a lot of a laugh.  If you want to simply lie immediately, it's miles absolutely as much as you too. Identical as trekking, you ought to zipline above the suitable scenic landscape of Munnar. Glide over the tea plantations and experience the instant of being within the air wherein you are unfastened from all your burdens or concerns. Embark on a magical journey to Kerala with our Kerala trip from Chennai. 

10. Jeep safari (from INR 5,410)

What do you believe you studied of taking place a wildlife safari in order to take you via the tropical forests of Gavi in which you can treat your eyes to the beautiful vistas of cardamom plantations and crystal-clean waterfalls? What approximately achieving remoted regions inhabited by special species of flora and fauna? Nilgiri ibex and the lion-tailed macaque are a number of the animals you will meet. This jeep safari will take you to admire those locations as well as the area’s natural world.

Make recollections in Kerala

Now that you have read through the item, you can see that Kerala is filled with adventure sports that may be enjoyed amidst a herbal putting. How can you assert no to a vacation spot that let you create hundreds of beautiful recollections? Spend so long as possible in Kerala, so that you can cherish your adventurous revel in for a long time.

Suggest Read:

Traditional Food In Kerala

Beautiful Places In Kerala, India

[forgottengodfrey]

giadesstrinOmg that’s so excitingggg now I’m tryna think up some signature like great hall be a mosaic of shells depicting an underwater scene or smth — like how *malconaire has the twin tree entry or the star-spangled ceilings of stafford? Idk sgjjfdgh

lizzysrps@giadesstrin omg yesss!!! And like how Lorcan has the underground built into the mountain!!!!

phabblebabblesEeeee! I love this!! <3

giadesstrin@lizzysrps @phabblebabbles YASSSSSS oooh and maybe it has like an open room w *steps like directly into the ocean so it’s like ~part of the room~ or smth and you can walk straight in from the water a la Venice and/or it’s got that famous Carthaginian port where it can house an unknown number of ships and ppl can’t see in so they speculate abt how many there are but also it keeps enemy ships out from a certain bit A la https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/curiosities/great-harbour-of-carthage/ Ooooh And/or they live on an island!

lizzysrps@giadesstrin @phabblebabbles why do i love all of these ideas!!!

phabblebabbles@lizzysrps @giadesstrin EEEE!!! I love all this too!!! Now I want to hang out at house caellery!@giadesstrin @lizzysrps I was babbling on in Aria’s comment with Alaric about there being a royal residence near the sea poppa Stafford had built for their mother— maybe that is (was?) also near House Calleary???

giadesstrin@phabblebabbles @lizzysrps omg yasssss vacay buddies 🥹🥹🥹@lizzysrps @phabblebabbles ok so I’ve been thinking abt this way too much and apparently all my brain wants to do is come up w Astairan ghost stories (thst may or may not ~be ghost stories shhhh ;D) but what if when astaira sent its aid to Orinthia, Calleary sent many ships including like a ~flagship or whatever, converting its merchant galleys into battleships filled w Astairan warriors etc. What if they were in a storm/sea battle and the flagship in question was sunk/lost at sea. Flash TBC Forward to the conquest and now imperial ships off the coast of orinthia are being seized/scuttled/attacked by a mysterious ship that always arrives in a fog said to be crewed by vengeful ghosts. Survivors describe the ghost ship and, though roderick insists it is only pirates, some still whisper that on the full moon during great and terrible storms the crew of the flagship walk the planks of their long-sunk vessel and seek varmonts to plunge back into the depths with them when they return…

phabblebabbles@giadesstrin @lizzysrps i LOVE this. Cue aria secretly hoping her sister ended up joining a pirate gang 😂

giadesstrin@phabblebabbles sgjkhfhj *amazing* sgjjgddgh officially picturing the stafford girls singing sea shanties and it’s frankly incredibleeeeee

lizzysrps@giadesstrin @phabblebabbles omg a ship crewed by vengeful ghosts????? inCREDIBLE!!!! Also love the idea that the seaside palace that poppa stafford built for their mom is near house Calleary too!!!

giadesstrin@phabblebabbles @lizzysrps now getting emo picturing the staffords and the callearies playing together in the waves as kids 🥹😩And now Eilia at least like…I doubt I shall ever return there. I doubt I shall ever see them again.@phabblebabbles @lizzysrps my thoughts on this are apparently endless so here’re some more: family sword called smth like Seastorm or Maelstrom or basically smth that evokes an angry ocean sort of thing maybe??? This fam isn’t even introduced yet (except Ciara and Eoin you absolute legends 💕💕💕 and Godfrey…kinda) and I’m like family crests!!!! 😂🤦‍♀️ but I feel like vert/azure/argent could be good potential colors bc they’re v ~oceanic, and the maritime stuff the site has are as follows: TBC

lizzysrps@giadesstrin @phabblebabbles omg seastorm is such a cool name for a sword!!! ⚔️

giadesstrinShell, seadog, seahorse (heraldic), sea lion (heraldic), anchor, pearl, ship, ship’s wheel, merman, trident (Celtic)…possibly one or two others I can’t think to ask it for atm 😂😂😂 Anyway!! Lmk if you guys have any heraldic thoughts 👀🦑 (and no the kraken ~isn’t one they have or else Godfrey would be taking that as his Earl of *hanthom badge lbr 😭😭😭😭)Oh! Also they have fountain which just looks like a pool of wavy water — you can see it in the Lorcan crest I did ;D Also @lizzysrps @phabblebabbles Pelican, dolphin (heraldic), heron, stork And that really ~is it alas

lizzysrps@giadesstrin @phabblebabbles i like the ideas of ship/anchor/trident/or ship wheel ?? (agree that vert/azure/argent are great colors for it!)

phabblebabbles@lizzysrps @giadesstrin oooo I love that too!!!

askdlfjksdjf ok so ive been thinking abt all of this and what godfrey would do w it -- and the answer is: nothing good!! lksjdfklasjdkfjsdf so our main man godfrey always over here thinking and ive got a couple ideas from him!

so, im thinking that ~og varmont nation (OVN for short)~ being so crazy strong in its ~land military~ maybe isn't the greatest naval power (or wasn't at the beginning of its conquest if you feel me hahaha) like don't get me wrong im sure they're decent at it etc, but they must've been really focused on their army to be ~that powerful there and yeah!! but im thinking that maybe house calleary, being in tune w nature and v coastally focused etc, maybe ~was a great sea power tho??? im guessing??? theirs was maybe less navy and ~more merchant/trading~ sort of focused (pre!roderick anyway) bc i feel like astaira while wealthy and powerful pre-conquest wasn't the most militaristic power out there???

anyway, im also thinking that kolchis -- while once having conquered much of the known wolrd in ancient days, was basically a glorified city-state with delusions of grandueur by the time roderick came along. im thinking, in terms of the postage stamp left of its once-might empire, it was basically a peninsula and kept its god-king in style by having a strong merchant fleet -- and a stronger navy to back that up/protect it from pirates, thanks to jutting out into the ocean and therefore having a pr strong oceanic tradition. im thinking that kolchis' sea was far rockier/more turbulent than the doubtlessly idyllic astairan shores of hanthom seem to be, but that part of how roderick was persuaded that godfrey/hanthom were a good fit was bc of this seafaring background of his ppl. it should however be noted that godfrey, himself, grew up in the dirt and the most naval experience he has is probs like being a cabin boy for hire bc he'd work literally any job there for awhile, but he's clever and he can delegate...just don't tell roderick! ;D so!! some thoughts about how this all is going down now that godfrey's in charge:

while calleary doubtless boasted a whole fleet of merchant cogs and such, if we're going forward w the orinthian ghost ship legend, that probs means that at least a portion of their fleet is gone, if they're, well, ghosts (or pirates who knows ;D), and so godfrey had to make due w what's left! while he's def doing his best to maintain the trade relations left over by house calleary, bc its def in his interest to make calleary prosperous and free etc (there are def raven banners everywhere! alksjdfkjsdf) he's also working on converting a large part of the force over into a naval power and he's brought over a large portion of skilled and experienced kolchean shipwrights, admirals, etc, to get it all shipshape. this is smth he's 100% doing under the guise of beefing up roderick's naval presence so that roderick approves, and even helps finance it etc, but is in fact a navy he's 100% intending to employ for edmund's benefit against his siblings when the civil war comes, in order to exploit that weakness of roderick's at that time bc what're brothers-in-law for anyway alsjkdfakljsdf

he's also holding competitions for the best ship designs, available for competition w rich reward, open to anyone in the empire for speed, for carry weight, for maneuverability, and for just abt everything a ship can be so he can build a whole new fleet to replace those lost using the best ideas in the enitre empire while also lowkey right in front of roderick, employing the astairan tradition of equality lakdsjfjkdsf he's also using his imperial connections to help suss out further trade partners both to enrich hanthom -- and, hopefully, to ultimately lure new and wealthy allies to edmund's cause ;DDD also, while many vessels are ostensibly for trade, every single one is secretly built to naval specs so they can easily be converted: break in case of civil war style

now, you may be wondering -- but kate how did roderick feel about all those raven banners without quite as many phoenix ones? (there are one or two around for appearance's sake but this is a team edmund house no question ;D) and the answer is...okay...ish bc godfrey was sure to sell it to him as him showing off how proud he is that his own nephew is ~roderick's son!!!!! ;DDD r oderick still doesn't love it but bc he thinks its just godfrey being greedy abt his relationship ~to ~roderick, he's largely cool w it bc roderick's guiding principle is that everything must be abt roderick always basically alksdjfkljdsfkj

anyway i def had other ideas when i started writing this and i also have notions abt what both eabha and cormac did w their short tenures but anyway that'll all be for other posts bc this one's gotten long enough as it is ;DDDD

I’m loving that the Astaria houses in LFR are all centered in nature — specifically places. It makes so much sense for Astaira honestly. Like House Stafford is the sky, House Malconaire is the forest, House Lorcan is a mountain lake, the snail/frog houses are the wetlands.

And in that theme, I feel like House Calleary will be the sea and that their ancestral seat that Godfrey is now in charge of is right on the coast.

[harrison-abbott]

consciousness uplifted

Henry thought his girlfriend had cheated on him and so he took an overdose. He wasn’t quite sure how to ‘take an overdose’ because he’d only read about it in newspapers or heard that phrase in films. Henry couldn’t exactly look up on the internet how to do it. There were several supermarkets around his area. And he did know that you couldn’t buy more than a couple of packets of painkillers with each trip. So he went around the shops consecutively, buying ibuprofen and paracetamol and whatnot. Henry already had a litre bottle of vodka at home. He’d actually been doing pretty well with the not-drinking the last few months. And in his rediscovered sobriety he’d hoped that this girlfriend was the hopeful way forward. She was beautiful. She had such a light, natural sense of humour and her voice had this tinny underwater quality that seemed to tinkle through the density of the world … And for her to be with another man was too staggering for him to survive. … Swallowing the pills became, after the third packet, like swallowing ash. He dropped the pills in handfuls and then washed ‘em down with the vodka. But them he started gagging. He didn’t wish to throw up because he needed the pills in his system. [This was all in the evening, by the way, with a pretty twilight outside; Henry had turned his phone off and he was on his own in his flat and nobody had any clue what he was up to.] He was tanning the vodka straight. And was only a quarter way through the bottle, and the pills were tiresome. So he took a break and he went and watched cartoons whilst drinking the vodka. And he munched some peanuts as well. Why not? If it was his last night on the planet. … He knew all of the lines to the cartoon and it had a soporific multicoloured glory to it that he realised he would miss, after he was gone. But the funny dialogue was nothing to do with him and he’d never had much of a grasp of humour and that was one of the reasons why he was on his way to his exit. … But aside from that he wasn’t too gloomy. He felt airy and dreamlike and he watched TV screen flashes play on the carpet and it made him remember something in childhood he hadn’t recalled in twenty years. … The episode finished. Had to get back to those pills in the kitchen. And, since he’d taken a break for an hour or so, it was easier to tackle them, now, and he thrust them down his throat with gusto. Until he’d gotten to two paracetamol tablets left to finish. Henry shuddered and winced and there was another giant urge to vomit. But, he held that back. And ripped the final couple of pills in. And then he went through to his bedroom. He turned his laptop on and stuck on this classical music radio station from Venice that he often listened to. And lay on his bed. And the contours of the instruments danced around with their interweaving flowery shapes. Again – Henry wished he were capable of creating something as majestic as that. A symphony or string quartet; how on earth could somebody be capable of that? Such thoughts weren’t relevant anymore, as he drifted into low consciousness. And then his brain played all of these mini hallucinogenic stories and some of them were brilliant and others terrifying and when his consciousness uplifted he couldn’t remember the dreams – and those dreams were lost forever liked unread or burned books with no other copies … Henry slept. Finally. And whilst he was sleeping the organs within his torso suffered a bleeding caused by the mass of toxins inside. He passed away quite painlessly whilst this carnage enveloped internally. He’d succeeded.

[sohannabarberaesque]

So Huckleberry Hound went diving at Seal Rocks with the Catalina Diving Clowder ...

A somewhat brisk, though mild, mid-winter's afternoon off the likes of Santa Catalina Island, sky being somewhat mixed in the clouds and sun department, finds no less than That Oh-So-Merry, Chuckleberry, Huckleberry Hound on the Catalina Diving Clowder's diving pontoon heading out of Avalon towards that particularly interesting part known as the Seal Rocks, itself renowned as a seal and sea lion rookery as much as a dive spot of some renown.

"You know something, Huck," explained Jayne from the Clowder on pointing out some sea lions swimming through the glass-bottom portals of the pontoon, "it just seems rather interesting that the seals can't help but find Catalina irresistable."

"And who wouldn't," Huck exclaimed, "once they've visited such an enchanting place? After all, Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Hollywood, Venice Beach, all have their attraction ..."

Only to have "Bubbles," the Clowder's intrepid dive leader, rejoinder with "...but one ought to spend some time on Catalina as well; it just seems so enchanting, does it not?"

"I'd have to say as much myself," Huck explained in his "awww shucks" stylee.

Jayne was quick to point out a popular Japanese expression translating as "Never say kekko until you see Nikko--and kekko translates as 'wonderful'!"

"So how exactly does Kekko relate to Catalina Island, ma'am?"

"Huck, Catalina, I will have you know, seems to have a charm as is uniquely Southern Californian. A charm visitors can't seem to forget once they leave ... especially when diving, as we like it!"

With Seal Rocks and Lover's Cove approaching, "Bubbles" made ready the anchorage for the diver's pontoon of the Clowder (to protect the marine life in that area, special boat anchorages are installed along the water surface) and went into a briefing explaining what to expect: Kelp groves, rock reefs--and plenty of pinniped action ("That's seals and sea lions," Jayne explained, adding that, out of regard for the calving and mating period extending over March into mid-April, which can get rather rough and protective, they avoid Seal Rocks at that time).

Huck was fitted into a wetsuit of the sort the Clowder provides guests of their diving adventures, mainly lime green so it better stands out against the seals as may be swimming and diving about (and not become too attractive to sharks as are otherwise distracted by bright colours), as well as a mask/snorkel combi, before going into the experience with "Bubbles" and Jayne leading, Jolene on standby.

Before you could say "Jacques Cousteau," reader, the two felines and the canine guest managed to find themselves especially attractive to a pod of sea lions as were swimming around (and don't ask why that could be save for the likelihood of natural attraction among the Clowder's ranks). In Huckleberry's case, the attraction couldn't have been more adorable without smothering him, yet when captured on GoPro headband cameras by Jayne and "Bubbles," it just seemed that the sea lion found Huck rather huggable.

And Huck likewise towards the sea lion.

It just seemed as though a Carolina hound dog and a California sea lion couldn't resist such underwater company in such a magical setting as off Catalina.

"Still," Jayne acknowledged at a post-dive briefing back on the boat, "it seems many animals can't help but find Huck attractive, even in the water!"

"Perhaps it's my nature," Huck was quick to explain ever so casually. "They just seem to find this old hound dog likably irresistable." (Shared over a bottle of Mineragua Jarritos brought aboard for refreshments. I bet you didn't know Mexico's top soft drink brand also marketed mineral water.)

"Well," "Bubbles" remarked, "chalk up another wonderfully weird diving experience with the Catalina Diving Clowder!" as the pontoon made its way back to Avalon under late-afternoon skies which could be seen as cloudy, but with sun sneaking through.

*************

@warnerbrosentertainment @princessgalaxy505 @nighttimehound @catalinachamber @archive-archives @jellystone-enjoyer @catalinablog-blog @thebigdingle @warnerbrosent-blog @thylordshipofbutts @theweekenddigest @warnerbros-blog1

[tryingtimi]

Happy WBW! Tell 👏🏻 me 👏🏻 about 👏🏻 Everocean 👏🏻 . The bit you posted last week really piqued my interest. What sort of monsters are in there? What are the most recent theories about the "Rising"? Tell meeeee!

I'M ALWAYS LATE, BUT THANK YOU AHA <3

I try to leave spoilers out, but we’ll see how I can manage that in practice. Plus, fair warning; I'll link pictures of the monsters below which can be disturbing for some (probably most) of people. Keep that in mind, please.

So, as much as it might makes you think otherwise, the Everocean isn’t still water. The aquorian would confirm this fact, because they experience it everyday. I forgot to mention before, but in the Aquor Sector, the platform is always half-underwater, specially now when there's no higher to transfer. People travel between blocks, buildings on boats or the futuristic equivalent of it, just like in Venice. Most of their streets are flooded. Where they don’t need boat though, the water is still coats the ground. So they cannot go anywhere without safety boots if they still have their own legs and not a mechanic one etc.

Anyway, the water acts there like it would on a beach. It moves, slightly waves, but most of the time, that’s it. That’s the part of the Everocean where people can find/ fish some — mutant — but still eatable animals. Farther away from the platform, however, is where the monsters lurk.

We refer to them as monsters, but not every kind attacks people. Some of them just very strange. Also, there are three major types of them. Further info below.

This type lurks the closest to the surface. They live above the Sunborder, which is the point where sunlight still reaches down and the soldiers doesn't need their Deep Sight to see. Most of these creatures won't attack, they just float around, creepily still. Their appearance is strangely humanoid sometimes, but scientists couldn't confirm if they are very advanced mutated people or not. They also called in a million names by the Deep Corps' members, but the most common is Surfreak (bad wordplay because they're closest to the surface), or Frightlings. This last one refers to the fact that if someone bothers these creatures, they'll rush off inumanly quickly. There are also a lot of variations of them. D-rated Surfreaks can possess some aggressive traits and attempt to bit you for example. But they are still not that harmful and can easily be dealt with by the trained soldiers. People also has not too much knowledge about them, because they usually too quick to catch, so there was very little chance to thoroughly study them. However, Corps' memebers reported that they feel funny around these creatures, a little lightheaded and unsually cheerful.

Dreadspawns – as the Corps' members call them, are more dangerous though. You can find them below the Sunborder only. They're brutally distorted creatures and very rarely not predators. Scientists could study them still, because they can be killed (even if it's difficult) by their better fighters, so they have some interesting knowledge of them. Their body temprature is low, close to 0, but it never reaches it. The surface of their bodies are so durable, they can be only cut by laser. Their scales or skins also has a quiet odd texture, it reminded some of the scientists of some kind of metal. These studies were denied and banned, of course, because it's just ludicrous. Which is why, the official files does not contain this humbug. Either way, Dreadspawn are less humanoid-like, and they also attracted to bright light, the same way as nymars. Deep Corps' members' reports also say that their head feels weird around these creatures, their skin slightly itches and they have a common unease.

These creatures are the biggest predators on Aestherius. People has no exact numbers, because no-one could ever fully measure the size of any of the Grosslings. One report said that a soldier wasn't even as big as this kind of beast's pupil. They also the only kind of monster that has no effect on the Corps' members that could indicate their closeness. Their devices even get perplexed only when they're inside the creature. Which happens rather often, if the members meet a Grosslings. They usually need to escape from there. The beast's body temprature, however is known in a sense, that it's way below the freezing point. That's why the Corps' got the Frost-Vision which can sometimes help members to spot the creature before it swallows them sneakily. Grosslings' cannot be killed by humans, though, because their skin doesn't get cut by laser, neither harmed by any other weapon humanity possesses at the moment. They also has very strange body structure, because the members say that they usually can't decide whether they escaped through it's mouth, backside or any other body part. Grosslings' insanely attracted to light. Personal files say that the members call them Grosslings and joke with them a lot as a cooping mechanism, because they couldn't deal with their existence and experiences anyway.

PHEW! And now the about the Rising.

Most recent scientific theories are veguely about that humanity fucked up the ecosystem and everything melted away, then every toxic stuff mixed with it and made it mutagenetic. But, this one failed when everything that could melt, melted away and the water still rose higher. So, now, the most popular theory is that humanity sinned so badly that God released all Hell and the water comes from there. There are also supporters of a movement that wants to focus on finding out how they can kill Nymars, because they believe those monsters behind the Rising.

This one is still a little wacky, because I need to work on it more, but yeah. Kinda this is how things are right now.

[five-rivers]

What kind of ghost core’s exist

You established that there are “cold” and “hot” types but are there also like temperature neutral cores like water or earth?

In Mortified you mentioned that there were places/realms “underwater” I think the “drowned quarters” was a place you mentioned frequently in the beginning. (Which completely unrelated, sounds downright awesome and psychedelic in the “gravity is a suggestion” Ghost Zone {in a good way})

Are those water realms inhabited by water core ghosts? If not how does having hot and cold ghosts impact areas where temperatures could play a big part of how a temperature neutral realm works?

In my Mortified-verse (if I can call it that), all cores have a general temperature, and underneath that they can have a more specific type. There can be high-temperature cores with water powers, low-temperature cores with water powers, and medium-temperature cores with water powers. Sometimes certain powers are always associated with certain temperatures, like ice powers and very cold cores, but not all powers are like that.

Core types themselves aren't very well codified. It's sort of like how you've got dozens of personality type tests, or how on some LGBTQ websites you've got ultraspecific microidentities. There are ghosts out there who sit around and make ever more specific core types... which isn't all that useful, even though it's important to some people.

The Drowned Quarter is mostly underwater... for certain values of 'under' and 'water.' There are also a few partially-flooded cities and floating cities, like the City of Masks (which I just made up) which is a sort of romanticized version of Venice. The cities there are based on historical or legendary cities that were flooded and lost.

Many of the ghosts there have water powers or aquatic themes, but not all of them. After all, ghosts do not need to breathe.

Ghosts with extreme temperature cores tend to gather together and stay away from ghosts who might be negatively affected by their presence. However, a single ghost with an extreme temperature core generally won't affect their surroundings much... unless they are extremely powerful.