#shark shaman

[muslimintp-1999-girl]

Yesssss. That's what I thought about. There's no ethical consumption under capitalism. That's what Sanyeong and Haesang realised.

so revenant is really about the inherent evil and danger of capitalist greed 😲 also about the way the differences perpetuated by the economic system drives regular people to do terrible things to each other

[unboundprompts]

do you have any tips for writing mermaids? i love your work ^-^

How to Write Mermaids

-> Things to Think About and Consider When Writing Merpeople and Mer Fiction

-> How to Write a Mermaid (anc writing resources)

These are just some suggestions! Feel free to pick and choose based on what best fits your story.

Physical Appearance

Tail Variations: Instead of a uniform tail type, consider different adaptations: sleek, dolphin-like tails for fast swimmers; large, strong tails with iridescent scales for deep-sea mermaids; or frilled, flowing fins like a lionfish for camouflage. Some might have tails resembling eels or sharks, giving them a menacing or streamlined look.

Scales and Coloration: In deep-sea areas, mermaids might have dark, bioluminescent scales with patterns that mimic the stars or the sea floor. Shallow-water mermaids might have brighter, coral-like colors to blend in.

Scars and Symbols: Scars from battles with sea creatures, markings from coral, or even bioluminescent tattoos could add depth.

Eyes Adapted to the Ocean: Mermaids’ eyes might be unusually large, with reflective layers to enhance night vision. They could have vertical pupils like a cat’s or even multiple layers of eyelids, including a transparent one to protect them from salt and silt.

Webbed Hands and Clawed Fingers: Webbed hands would enhance their swimming ability, and clawed fingers might be used for self-defense or hunting. Some might have retractable claws or spines to protect themselves from predators.

Culture

Language and Communication: Consider how sound works underwater; it travels faster and farther but differently. Maybe they use gestures, a sign language, or even musical calls to communicate. Their language might be melodic or full of trills and hums that are difficult for land creatures to understand.

Beliefs and Myths: Mermaids would likely have their own stories, rituals, and superstitions. Maybe they worship ocean gods, the moon, or view shipwrecks as holy places. They might believe in omens from ocean currents, the arrival of rare sea creatures, or changes in the tides.

Social Structure: Decide if they live in schools, pods, or solitary. A royal family, councils of elders, or a group of shamans could govern them. Do they form alliances or rivalries with other sea creatures or even human sailors?

Hierarchy and Elders: Older mermaids or those with powerful magical abilities may hold significant respect and authority. These elders could be responsible for rituals, storytelling, and maintaining the balance of magic within their community.

Seasonal Gatherings and Ceremonies: The ocean has its own rhythms—tides, moon phases, migrations—and mermaids might gather for ceremonies tied to these events. For instance, they could honor the arrival of certain fish schools or perform rituals under a full moon for strength and unity.

Jewelry and Artifacts: Mermaids might decorate themselves with jewelry made of shells, coral, pearls, and items retrieved from shipwrecks. Certain pieces may symbolize rank, magical prowess, or family lineage, with specific stones or materials believed to channel energy.

Tattooing and Body Art: Many mermaids may tattoo themselves with ink made from squid or octopus, using markings that indicate status, clan, or achievements. Bioluminescent tattoos or body paint could glow at night or during important rituals.

Magical Abilities

Special Senses: Consider heightened senses, like echolocation, the ability to detect changes in water temperature, or a heightened sense of smell for tracking prey or sensing danger. These would add to their unique oceanic identity and give them a slight advantage over surface dwellers.

Control over Water and Weather: Some mermaids can call storms, manipulate tides, or create currents. This might be a rare gift, often feared for its destructive potential. Using such magic could leave them physically or mentally drained.

Healing and Transformation: Certain mermaids could have powers to heal wounds or diseases with seawater, or transform sea creatures into protective spirits. However, each healing might weaken them temporarily or require offerings to the ocean in return.

Song and Illusion: Siren song is a classic power; mermaids could enchant, hypnotize, or create illusions through melody. Overuse might leave them voiceless or mentally scarred, with some even risking losing themselves to the song forever.

Shape-Shifting: For those able to take human form, transformation might come at a great personal cost. Perhaps they can only transform for a limited time, or their time on land drains their magic, forcing them to return to the water to recover.

Physical Depletion: Magic use might be physically taxing, aging a mermaid slightly or sapping their strength. Frequent magic use could make them appear older or leave permanent marks on their body, like scars or discolored scales.

Price of Blood or Offering: Magic might demand a price—whether in the form of a personal sacrifice or a blood offering to the ocean. For powerful spells, mermaids may even need to leave behind something they value, such as memories, emotions, or treasured artifacts.

Risk of Transformation: High-level magic could alter a mermaid’s physical form temporarily or permanently. They might grow extra fins, become partially transparent, or even lose their voice after certain spells.

Mental Toll and "Ocean Madness": Overuse of magic could lead to a condition known as "Ocean Madness," a state in which mermaids lose touch with reality, becoming isolated or forgetting their own identity. This is particularly feared among mermaids, as it might mean permanent exile or being lost to the ocean.

Forbidden or Dark Magic: Some magic forms might be considered taboo or forbidden due to their dangerous nature. Practicing dark magic, like curses or soul-binding, could bring severe consequences, both in physical tolls and social exile.

Character Motivation and Conflict

Relationship with Humans: Decide whether mermaids are fascinated by or wary of humans. Some might be drawn to them out of curiosity or romantic allure, while others might distrust them due to pollution, fishing, or old tales of betrayal. Their interactions with humans can reveal a lot about their personality and worldview.

Desire for Land or Home: Consider what might tempt a mermaid to leave their watery home. Do they long to experience human life, seek revenge for an oceanic wrong, or retrieve a lost artifact from a shipwreck? This longing could add depth to their character.

Struggles with Transformation: If your mermaids can shift between human and mermaid forms, consider how this affects their identity and relationships. Transformation could be painful, rare, or come at a high price, adding dramatic tension and giving their character arc extra weight.

Quest for Authority: In a hierarchical society, some mermaids might crave power or authority, seeking to rise through the ranks or challenge an elder. Such ambition could lead them to take risks, learn forbidden magic, or ally with powerful sea creatures.

Personal Pride or Legacy: Some mermaids might want to establish themselves as legends, known for feats of bravery or wisdom. This could involve dangerous quests to recover lost artifacts, hunt rare sea creatures, or explore dangerous parts of the ocean. Their pursuit of legacy might set them at odds with their peers, especially if it leads to recklessness.

Torn Between Worlds: A mermaid who can transform and walk on land might struggle with a dual identity. If spending time on land slowly diminishes their powers, they could grapple with the desire to stay connected to both worlds, fearing losing either part of themselves.

Conflict Between Duty and Desire: Many mermaids might feel a sense of duty to their family, tribe, or ocean gods, conflicting with their personal desires. They could be pressured to fulfill a prophecy, protect a magical artifact, or avoid contact with humans, even if it clashes with their true passions.

Past Mistakes or Betrayals: A mermaid who has broken societal rules—whether by consorting with humans, using dark magic, or violating clan boundaries—might feel guilt or face exile. Redemption could become a strong motivator, pushing them to right their wrongs, often at great risk or personal cost.

Haunted by Family Legacy: If a mermaid comes from a family of notorious outcasts, warriors, or traitors, they might struggle with the burden of redeeming their family’s name or rising above that legacy. This could lead them into difficult choices about loyalty and personal integrity.

Hunters and Captors: Humans might hunt mermaids for their scales, powers, or knowledge, forcing mermaids into hiding or guerrilla-like resistance. A character driven by a desire for vengeance against humans could lead to morally complex actions and choices.

[vandrawsing]

Silna's Greenland shark as per @theyonagoda's ask :) They're huge cold water sharks with the longest recorded longevity (up to 500 years) of a vertebrate. They're rather lonely sharks, which also fits Silna, and they're actually, thank you Wikipedia, known in some Inuit legends as shamanic animals. They also have a very high crotchety old beaste energy, from the pictures I've seen.

Silna's shark has bad eyesight and might either be a big gurl or a tiny gurl who naps in Silna's fur, depending on what is more fun :)

[babylon-crashing]

Q: what do you think/ feel about the elemental realm?

[sisters Maria and Estela, Côte d'Ivoire shark shamanesses, yanyan Aje.]

Ocean, n. A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man — who has no gills. Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the sea, which is itself the most elemental realm those mortals, with no training or interest in the esoteric, will ever experience. We can only survive under its surface for minutes, sometimes seconds, without artificial assistance. It is the source of all life and utterly indifferent to humanity and our narcissistic need to always be the Chosen Ones.

It’s no mistake that the Inuit placed Sedna, their creator, and her home where the dead go, Adlivun, not up in the sky or deep under the earth but at the bottom of the ocean. Shamans, if they wished to petition Sedna, had to travel to the ocean’s floor and comb out Sedna’s long hair in order to be granted her favor.

Of all the spirits that swim, none is so dear to me as Carcharodon carcharias, that which we call the great white shark. My first spirit guide came in the form of Big Blue (a pregnant great white). I wrote this poem earlier today, thinking about the sea as an elemental realm. What I appreciate about poetry is that it allows me to speak my own truth in ways that fall flat in my prose. To give oneself up to the briny deep, as they say, is also a shamanic experience.

But the language of sharks is difficult enough to master. Few try. Few can boast, without pheromones, or La Mer's occult craft, that they grok a gill flap's flutter; most basic sound in their ten-million year old tongue. Their poems unfold in waves, music few of us No-gills can fathom. I told that joke once to a Queen Mum, a mystic Itchy Mouth, who chortled. Get a Queen Mum to laugh, love, and the Seven Seas are yours until, for a bowl of soup, ten-million years are snuffed out. Just like that: going numb in the surf, calling and ... Stand on the shores of all the seas. Call. None will answer. None.

[wyked-ao3]

Mixed fried writing share

tagged by @gioiaalbanoart here and her superb banana fish fanfiction can be found here on ao3

Gently Tagging my tag list to share a snippet of what they are writing if they feel up to it + @kind-lion, @tragedycoded, @adhdprincess and @ruvastuon

@thatuselesshuman @gioiaalbanoart @lychhiker-writes @thecomfywriter @evilwriter37

@saebasanart @the-golden-comet @mauannacreates @kind-lion @alinacapellabooks

@kuebiko-writing @kaeru483 @theink-stainedfolk @unstableunicornsofasgard @mysticstarlightduck

@demon-sneeze @fromthenortheast @smellyrottentrees @honeybewrites @the-letterbox-archives

@illarian-rambling @paeliae-occasionally

Y'all were tagged high as the spoiler line doesn't seem to work if your below it...or I had a few people tell me it didn't?

Snippet from book two chapter two

Jade meeting Morana for the first time

He blinked a few times as he spotted someone dressed in a skull headdress with eyes darker than the starless night walking towards him. The mark of the ocean moon that was possibly connected to Nimue on her forehead symbolized that she was a shaman and he relaxed a little as most were peaceful—then again, most also had a bone to pick with his family. The thought caused him to tense back up again.

“You have a strange aura around you,” she said while circling him like a shark.

Jade shrugged and backed away, uncomfortable with the way she looked at the air around him. Given his life, he couldn't even hypothesize what she was seeing, as there were a few too many possibilities for him to narrow it down. The energy that surrounded her seemed to be wild and there was a string bigger than the rest—he assumed it was her tether to the gods.

She said, “ohh, my name's Morana, I'm always forgetting the customs.”

Walking off before he could reply, not that he had planned to. He tilted his head at the peculiar interaction.

[indigenous-character-tournament]

Indigenous Character Tournament

Round 1

The bracket was randomly generated with minor tweaking to balance it out since there are so many characters. Ties are allowed only when there is an exact 50/50 and in that case, the characters will move on as a team. Propaganda is allowed and encouraged! The polls of each bracket will last one week! Below are the match-ups in case it is hard to read the bracket! :)

Voting will start Monday, May 8th at 6:00 P.M. EST! The polls will be released in waves.

Bracket A

Eliza Maza (Gargoyles) vs Willie Jack (Reservation Dogs)

Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs Kamakiri (One Piece)

Joseph (Blood Quantum) vs Fuzzy Mac (Grace Beside Me)

John Redcorn (King of the Hill) vs Clinton Skye (FBI: Most Wanted)

Travis Manawa (Fear the Walking Dead) vs Jessica Keynes (Miraculous Ladybug)

Artemy Burakh (Pathologic) vs Nakamura Kotan (Yuusha Dan)

Delsin Rowe (Infamous: Second Son) vs Moana (Moana)

Pike Dexter (Big Eden) vs Naru (Predator)

Victor Joseph (Smoke Signals) vs Volo (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)

Prince Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke) vs Kurapika Kurta (Hunter x Hunter)

Naranpa (Black Sun) vs Kirikou (Kirikou and the Sorceress)

Fredzilla (Big Hero 6) vs Margaret Kohere (Apex Legends)

Wyper (One Piece) vs Jenna Begay (Echo Project)

Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove) vs Rock (Nanbaka)

Ka'kwet (Anne with an E) vs Akita (Ninjago)

Tanis (Letterkenny) vs Caitlin (Mohawk Girls)

Bracket B

Asirpa (Golden Kamuy) vs Asterix (Asterix the Gaul)

Little Strongheart (My Little Pony) vs Atticus O'Sullivan (The Iron Druid)

Makoa Gibraltar (Apex Legends) vs Joss (Blood Quantum)

Kenai (Brother Bear) vs Ratonhnhaké:ton (Assassin’s Creed III)

Miyax/Julie (Julie of the Wolves) vs Massai (Fortnite)

Anna (Mohawk Girls) vs Princess Maya (Maya and the Three)

Izel (Onyx Equinox) vs Mercy Thompson (Mercy Thompson)

Charles Smith (Red Dead Redemption 2) vs Dr. Joshua "Strongbear" Sweet (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

Lady Silence/Silna (The Terror) vs Dedue (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Koen West (Cleverman) vs Hau (Pokémon Sun and Moon)

Elora Danan Postoak (Reservation Dogs) vs Iduna (Frozen)

Zia (Mysterious Cities of Gold) vs Knuckles Thrash/Harley (Sleepless Domain)

Carlos Oliveira (Resident Evil series) vs Nainoa Flores (Sharks in the Time of Saviors)

Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs Little Creek (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)

Asta Twelvetrees (Resident Alien) vs Hototo (Appare-Ranman!)

Bracket C

Nate Kinski (Neighbours) vs Usui Horokeu/Horohoro (Shaman King)

Reki Kyan (SK8 the Infinity) vs Waruu West (Cleverman)

Mugen (Samurai Champloo) vs Sitka (Brother Bear)

Samantha Black Crow (American Gods) vs Sasappis (Ghosts CBS)

Nina Aroyo (A Snake Falls to Earth) vs Malakai Mitchell (Heartbreak High)

Echo Reverie (Friends at the Table) vs Nuna (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa)

Margu (Klaus) vs Raúl Cocolotl (Wendell & Wild)

Huā Chéng (Heaven Official's Blessing) vs Leilani (Indivisible)

Elatsoe Bride (Elatsoe) vs Tao (Mysterious Cities of Gold)

Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Jesse Cosay (Infinity Train)

Kalgara (One Piece) vs Molly Mabray (Molly of Denali)

Miko Kalani (Barbie) vs Tom Evans (Captain Canuck)

Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch) vs Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Smoke Signals) vs Fiza (Daevabad Trilogy)

Tikal the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Greiger (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Maya Lopez/Echo (Marvel comics) vs Bear Smallhill (Reservation Dogs)

Bracket D

Chakotay (Star Trek: Voyager) vs Piper McLean (Heroes of Olympus)

Emperor Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove) vs Denahi (Brother Bear)

Ricky Baker (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) vs Kristoff (Frozen)

Serapio (Black Sun) vs Boy (Boy - 2010 film)

Inkarmat (Golden Kamuy) vs Geronimo Jr. (Cyborg 009)

Tanigaki Genjirō (Golden Kamuy) vs Betty (Infamous: Second Son)

Pacha (The Emperor's New Groove) vs JJ Jacobs (DImension 20)

Kaya'aton'my (American Girl) vs Danielle Moonstar/Mirage (Marvel comics)

Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Sacagawea (Night at the Museum)

Débora (Cidade Invisível) vs Matthew Carver (Kagagi)

Papa-Capim (Turma da Mônica) vs Professor Kukui (Pokémon Sun and Moon)

Tainá (Tainá uma aventura na Amazônia) vs Nuna (Indivisible)

Ken Hotate (Parks and Recreation) vs Nizhoni (Race to the Sun)

Revali (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) vs Daunis Fontaine (Firekeeper's Daughter)

Korra (The Legend of Korra) vs Ch'ah Toh Almehen/Namor the Submariner (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Tye Longshadow (Young Justice) vs Lilo Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch)

[sluggybunny]

hm. shark shaman.

[amadenchart]

What are the Varanar religious beliefs like?

Depends on the region, culture, tribe etc. ^^

The twins are part of an ethnicity of Varanar called Turvao, they have spiritualistic beliefs. They don't believe in gods, but rather in spirits. All living beings have a spirit, and all spirits are connected to the Yondehinn, the Spirit World. They have a Saṃsāra-like approach to reincarnation, believing a spirit can have many lives. But when it comes back in the form of a Varanar, it's their final incarnation, and after their death, they will remain in the Yondehinn. The exception for this are children who died before they learned to walk, in this case, their spirit will reincarnate as a horse, because horses are considered sibling species to the Turvao (in their mythos, horses and Varanar have the same father and mother), and learn to walk and gallop the same day they are born.

Another ethnicity is the Dunvir, shore dwellers with a politheistic religion. Their main deity is Dunva, the God-Shark. Dunva's nemesis is his own father, Kalemanvala, the Primal Ocean. Dunva died fighting against Kalemanvala, but he had a son with his sister, Hali, the Tide Goddess. Hali disappeared with their son, but it's prophesized one day she will will return with her son all grown up. The son will have a harpoon made of Kalemanvala's stinger that killed Dunva. With this weapon, he will kill Kalemanvala once and for all. It's said the son has the form of Varanar with head of a shark. When a Dunvir dies, they are cremated atop a sacred ocean rock, and their ashes are left there to be washed by waves. The deceased will rest at the bottom of the ocean and wait for the day Dunva's son will come to avenge his father and bring them back to the surface.

There are also the Kaibut, Varanar from the desert. They are monotheistic and believe that Oomadagur, the seasonal sandstorm that engulfs the desert every number of moons, is actually a deity. She is a cruel and harsh goddess. Their entire life revolves around the sandstorm, and their migration patterns are determined by shamans who study the sandstorm and pick up the best days.

The Saigans are Varanar from the mountainous valleys, and they believe Varanar and all other creatures came from the stars. They believe the secrets of everything are hidden behind the veil of the sky, but unfortunately are out of reach for Varanar. They also believe the stars themselves are a form of language, a language they try to understand. While they make good use of star positions and clusters in their lifestyle, using them as guides for different situations, they also believe it's a foolish thing to try to see world shapes in them and even worse, to try to create superstitions about it. The other Varanar tend to think the Saigans are a bit mad. "As mad as a Saigan" is often used to say someone is crazy.

And there are others I'm still developing...

[saederkrupps]

I have a new character named kareem ibn aadil and i have to draw him which means he's not real yet and nobody cares. but he is a shark shaman who runs a gang of pirates... meaning he gets cool magic powers for following the mentor of Shark. he is pretty friendly and nice but he tends to go berserk when pissed off (a side effect of following Shark). i'd put him as a sub top and hes a "i'm a bad person" but actually good person...

i had a really funny idea that he and Saturn dated. But he actually was like in love and really sappy and Saturn peaced out really hard. He's always hitting her up like please....can make it work... like he thinks he can fix her. its funny bc he is still a like a 6'6 menacing criminal following Shark. but he can fix her...

[pilesofpillows]

Attoye HC - Following Proper Procedure

I’ve got this idea bouncing around in my head of Attuma getting permission from Namor to bring a matchmaker to Wakanda so they can talk marriage with Okoye’s father cuz that’s Mayan tradition.

Her father is caught off guard, yet amused and totally ships it. Especially because all his babygirl does is rant about this stupid, blue shark man that she trains with almost everyday, and occasionally cooks for 👀 He’s even more pleased because Attuma brought goats! (other stuff too, but goats).

Matchmaker is sold. They’re like yup! It’s an good match, just need to consult with a shaman of yours so we can find an auspicious day!

Okoye finds out and is like WTF! I’m not marrying you. I don’t even like you… (which is sooooo false) Then she’s like how we gonna get married when you didn’t even ask me on a date? And then it hits her… he’s been courting her for like the past year.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Kelumapusaura vs Gobihadros

Factfiles:

Artwork by Leonardo HerSan, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Reptile Shaman of the Red Earth 

Time: 73 to 69 million years ago (Campanian to Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous)

Location: Allen Formation, Patagonia, Argentina 

Kelumapusaura is another addition to the growing number of South American hadrosaurs, a radiation of this group that was previously considered unlikely but appears to have happened towards the very end of the Cretaceous period - thus showing that hadrosaurs reached almost every continent, except perhaps Australia! It was an average sized hadrosaur, reaching about 9 meters long, and as a member of the Kritosaurs it probably had enlarged nasal passages for sound production and communication. It would have lived in social groups, like other hadrosaurs. In the Allen Formation, Kelumapusaura lived in a coastal environment of fluvial plains, ephemeral lakes, tidal flats, and estuaries with extreme semiarid seasonality. Evaporites would accumulate in the arid seasons, only to be washed away as the wet season returned. Many dinosaurs are known from this formation: Aeolosaurus, Austroraptor, Bonapartesaurus, Bonapartenykus, Bonatitan, Lamarqueavis, Lapampasaurus, Limenavis, Menucocelsior, Niebla, Panamericansaurus, Patagopelta, Pellegrinisaurus, Quilmesaurus, Rocasaurus, and Willinakaqe. In addition, Kelumapusaura shared its home with pterosaurs such as Aerotitan, tuatarans, plesiosaurs, frogs, and a variety of mammals. 

Gobihadros mongoliensis

Artwork by KookaburraSurvivor, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Hadrosaur from the Gobi of Mongolia 

Time: 90 to 86 million years ago (Turonian to Coniacian stages of the Late Cretaceous)

Location: Upper Beds, Bayan Shireh Formation, Bayshin Tsav, Baynshire, Char Teeg, Khongil Tsav, Khoorai Tsav, Mongolia  Gobihadros is an early almost-hadrosaur from the Bayan Shireh Formation, one of the rare environments preserving the evolution of dinosaurs during the start of the Late Cretaceous epoch - essentially, when the charismatic dinosaurs of the Latest Cretaceous, such as hadrosaurs, first evolved. Multiple specimens are known from throughout the formation, making Gobihadros the best known early hadrosauroid from Asia. Adults reached sizes of about 7.5 meters long, and it had as many as three teeth per position within the lower jaw (this is high even for early hadrosaurs, more similar to those of later taxa, indicating convergent/parallel evolution). It also still retained the conical thumb claw of earlier ornithopods like Iguanodon. An older individual of the species showed signs of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease, a condition of age causing restriction in the joints and pain during movement. Gobihadros lived in a semi-arid plain environment littered with lakes and rivers, with meandering bodies of water draining into the sea on the coast of China. Flowering plants were present in this environment, as well as a wide variety of animal life - sharks, Azhdarchids, turtles, and other dinosaurs like Alectrosaurus (probably), a troodontid, Erlikosaurus, Caenagnathoids, Garudimimus, Graciliceratops, a possible Carcharodontosaur (which would be a late surviving species), Talarurus, and potentially many more species waiting to be formally named.

DMM Round One Masterpost

[inspofromancientworld]

Resurrection figures at El Perú-Waka’

By No machine-readable author provided. Authenticmaya~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1611602

El Perú-Waka’ is a Maya city in what is now Guatemala that was inhabited from about 500 BCE through 800 BCE. It is about 60 km from Tikal (which might have been called Yax Mutal) and was a center of the Maya civilization. It was rediscovered in the 1960s by oil prospectors and in the 1970s, the site was documented by Ian Graham, a Harvard researcher. In 2003, excavation was started by David Freidel and Héctor Escobedo.

The name El Perú, as it's called on maps, was what the site was named until it was discovered that the Maya called it Waka' so now it's more often referred to as El Perú-Waka' in research. There are records of the city in Teotihuacan, first in 378, indicating the arrival of ambassadors in Waka' for an alliance with Tikal. Later, there's records of a betrayal and alliance with Calakmul in the late 7th century, solidified by a political marriage between K'inich Balam (Sun Faced Jaguar) to Lady T'abi, during a time when Tikal was less powerful. Not long after, Tikal reemerged, leading to a war with Calakmul and their allies. In about 743, Waka' was defeated and became a vassal state and then had their celestial serpent (possibly the patron god of the city) moved to Tikal.

Maya ritual resurrection scene composed of 23 figurines representing royal court and supernatural characters, El Perú-Waka’, Petén, Guatemala, Maya, 600-650 CE, Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala, Guatemala City, photo © Ricky Lopez

In 2006, a set of 23 figurines were found in a burial, called by the number 39. These figurines represent the "Resurrecting the Maize King" and the royal court. The king figure is knelt next to a seated deer with a figure T carved into its chest, which is the glyph for "ik'", which symbolizes 'breath, wind, and life'. Because of this glyph, the deer is the king's guide to the afterlife. There are also other members of the court, including the new king, the queen with a shield, a shaman with her mouth open wide, and dwarves that have removable helmets. The figures are easily identified because of their decorations, which are still fairly vivid, and how they're made of pottery. These figurines were also laid out into a circular configuration, allowing us to intuit the story that they were meant to convey by those who left them.

Standing only 11 centimeters tall, the Waka’ Olmec figurine nonetheless has a commanding presence. El Perú-Waka' Burial 39, Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala, Guatemala City. Photograph: Kenneth Garrett

Another interesting artifact in this burial is an Olmec-like figurine of a dancer that was found inside two vessels that were joined lip-to-lip that were lined with pigment from cinnabar, the red color associated with the maize god. This figurine seems to have a shark's fin coming from its head, and the shape of its eyes are like the Olmec death god's crescent-shaped eyes, as well as its hands in the positions that indicate kingship.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Chemosit

CR 4

Neutral Large Magical Beast

Adventure Path: Serpent's Skull: Racing to Ruin, pg. 86-87

No no, not Chemnosit, Chemosit! No extra N! Completely different animals. A Google search tells me that 'chemosit' means 'devil' in the language of the Kalenjin people (take this information with a grain of salt, as its source is cryptozoologists, not linguists), whose legends give us this horrid beast in the first place (also known as the Nandi Bear on Earth). 'Devil' isn't an entirely accurate descriptor of these carnivorous beasts, which operate out of hunger rather than evil, but for the unfortunates who live near their territory, there is no other word that could describe them.

The boogeymen of the Mwangi Expanse, endless tales of these creatures' evil are used to scare misbehaving children into shape and prevent them from running too far from the safety of civilization. They're demonized as spirits of wrath, the malevolent night incarnate, or even literal demons in the shape of animals, and violent shamans and druids will sometimes bind the beasts to their wills to commit terrible acts upon the caster's enemies. If a clan of Chemosit is found, the creatures are often pushed back as far as the local warriors can manage, if they're not slain outright out of sheer fear... But don't let any of this make you think that they're gentle, misunderstood beasts I'm trying to make you sympathize with. They're animalistic predators, like sharks or crocodiles or lions, and hold no true malice or sinister fiendish power, but they're incredibly violent, territorial, and ferocious animals that should never be approached. Their territory should be completely avoided if at all possible, and in any encounter with one lethal force should be used to deter them (if not slay them outright if they're too close to a civilization), because like many carnivores on Golarion, they have a dangerous appetite for human flesh... Or, rather, human brains. But we'll get to THAT in a minute!

It is, unfortunately for everyone, difficult to know when you've entered Chemosit territory. These predators have only 2 Int, but possess uncannily sharp instincts which grant them a dangerous cunning; they scrub away their own tracks with their thick tails, bury their dung, and hide the remains of their former meals in caves or other natural pits. They're nocturnal ambush hunters, their myriad senses (mainly darkvision and scent) allowing them to easily move through the darkness with a +15 to Stealth; come daylight, no one but the most canny observer may realize anything is wrong as the beasts erase the most obvious traces of their presence. The only really reliable way to know they're around is when you hear their Terrifying Roar, a low, groaning noise that carries for miles that the creatures use to communicate to the rest of their clan... but because it's so damn loud and carries so damn far, it's not a reliable means of tracking them, just a means knowing that they're out there.

Chemosit rest and socialize with one another among the branches of any massive trees capable of handling their weight, their ponderous size belying a shocking speed of 40ft and a 40ft climb speed, so anyone hoping to clamber to safety from what they may believe is an exotic bear won't live to reconsider their mistake. Their penchant for living among high branches also gives them the potential to launch a vertical assault, literally dropping down on top of unwary prey and laying into them with their Full-Attack if the belly-flop from a 700+ pound animal doesn't kill them instantly. As expected, Chemosit have Claw-Claw-Bite, the former 1d6+7 and the latter 1d8+7. Given that they're all high-accuracy natural attacks, the beasts can freely add Power Attack without losing too much; a +9 to their attack rolls still lets them hit targets in medium armor a good portion of the time, and that extra +4 damage to each attack makes being hit by all three blows instant death for most creatures Chemosit typically hunt.

When able, Chemosit prefer to take prey in its sleep, adding to their frightening presence as boogeymen that steal children from beds. That Stealth lets them get awfully close before most creatures realize they're around, and once in position, the ape-bears coup de grace their slumbering quarry. They're also prone to coup de gracing creatures who've been made helpless one way or another, typically after being beaten unconscious, stopping their attack on other creatures and even tanking the resulting AoOs to do so in melee. This is because if they manage to kill a creature with a coup de grace, they immediately crack open the skull and consume the brain (or brain-equivalent). Chemosit LOVE the taste of brains above any other flesh, so much so that these Brain Eaters gain supernatural nutrition and vigor from doing so, regaining HP in chunks depending on the Hit Dice of their victim, and there's multiple different effects for different creature types! A regular old Humanoid brain restores 1d4 HP x the victim's HD, but a Monstrous Humanoid does the same AND grants the ape-bear the benefits of Rage for at least 5 minutes. Any creature capable of casting Arcane spells heals the beasts AND grants them SR 15, while any creature using Divine spells raises the healing from 1d4/HD to 1d8/HD! Amusingly, eating the brain of an Outsider (even a Native one) restores the beast's HP but also confuses it for 1d4 rounds... and eating the rotten brain of an Undead restores no HP, instead dealing 1d4 points of damage to the creature and sickening it for 1d4 rounds. Losing a party member is bad enough, but having the creature that killed them then immediately benefit from their death is just an extra kick in the teeth!

To round off this article, we'll finish with that damn blood-chilling howling. When a sneak attack isn't an option and their stealth fails, Chemosit disable bands of their foes with their Terrifying Roar, which causes 1d4 rounds of the shaken condition in all creatures within 300ft that fail a DC 15 Will save (unless the creature has recently eaten an animal's brain, which raises it to DC 17)... and worse still, signals to other Chemosit in the area that there's food. Best to finish the fight quick and evacuate before the rest show up, unless that's exactly what you want! Note: That's never what you want.

You can read more about them here.

[alln64games]

Banjo-Kazooie

NA release: 29th June 1998

PAL release: 17th July 1998

JP release: 6th December 1998

Developer: Rare

Publisher: Nintendo

N64 Magazine Score: 90%

Banjo-Kazooie is possibly my favourite game, something I utterly love. I play it around Christmas every year and never get tired of it. But why is this? What makes Banjo-Kazooie such a lovable game to play?

For starters, Banjo-Kazooie has a lot of character, from Banjo-Kazooie themselves to the worlds, settings and music. Even characters like Colliwobble (a giant cauliflower with googly eyes) has a magical style and charm to it. I think it’s Rare’s love for googly eyes, so much stuff has it, including boulders, blocks of ice and boxes of TNT. The world of Banjo-Kazooie is just alive in a joyful way.

Then you have the heroes Banjo and Kazooie. Banjo is a fairly straight character. For the most part he’s kind and gentle and wants to do good. If he was completely on his own, he may be a bit bland, but luckily his trust friend Kazooie lives in his backpack. Kazooie is rude, sassy and will mock anything. Together, it makes for great banter between them and other characters. And all dialogue is text with grunts, which helps make their world remain unique. I really hope any (if there are any) future games keep this as I’m not sure how I’d feel about proper voice acting.

Banjo-Kazooie is a 3D collect-a-thon platformer, which doesn’t go overboard on its collectibles. Banjo and Kazooie have a lot of moves crammed onto a controller, but they all work really well. There are some slight niggles, like trying to change the camera while aiming an egg can activate your golden feathers, but the platforming itself feels extremely precise, with any missed jumps never feeling like the game’s fault. The camera also functions fine for the most part, but there’s a couple of areas with some forced angles that don’t work, such as the path to Mad Monster Mansion which is a narrow walkway that can be difficult to see.

There are 9 worlds in Banjo-Kazooie. These each have 10 jiggies to collect, 100 notes, two honeycomb pieces (which increase your health). One jiggy in every level will be finding all five Jinjos hidden in each level. The levels will be considered small by today’s standards, but I think that they are ideal. It’s a size where you can search for everything without tedium or growing tired of it. Each world has its own charm.

Mumbo’s Mountain is a great introductory world. It’s a great introduction to how jiggies are hidden. Some are out in the open, some given to you by characters, some by activating switches and some by smashing things or just trying to shoot eggs into any hole you find. It sets you up for handling the later levels. It also introduces the important Talon Trot move, which allows you to use Kazooie’s legs to traverse steep slopes, and the layout of the level encourages heavy use.

Also here is the first Mumbo Skull. Enter here and you’ll find the crazy shaman Mumbo Jumbo. If you’ve found enough Mumbo tokens, he’ll cast a spell on you and you’ll turn into a termite. These transformations are another wonderful thing about Banjo-Kazooie. They’re not in every level so aren’t overused, but they turn you into different animals (or objects), which is required for certain jiggies. They’re all wonderful to use and are simply a joyous thing to have in the game.

After Mumbo’s Mountain, we get Treasure Trove Cove, a beach level filled with crabs. Mambo’s Mountain also introduces you to a pound attack (using Kazooie’s beak), which is used here for enemies and tasks. Flying is also introduced, as Kazooie can use red feathers to fly around the map. Treasure Trove Cove is quite open, with a jiggy that encourages flying around it. There’s also a very scary shark in the water. It’s a really wonderful level.

Next up is the weakest part of Banjo-Kazooie: Clanker’s Cavern. It’s a murky underwater level, and looks fairly dull. I do like Clanker – a big whale that has been turned into a horrifying trash disposal monster, but is actually a nice but depressed individual, but there’s a lot of swimming in this level, including a very deep dive that terrified me as a kid. That said, I grow more and more fond of the level each time I play the game.

Bubblegloop Swamp swiftly returns to form, especially because of adorable crocodile Banjo. This level is split up into segments, and then croc Banjo can traverse new areas, including a fairly difficult minigame with Mr Vile, sneaky crocodile (although a move from a later level can make this easier if you wish).

Then the wonderful wintery world of Freezeezy Peak, a level revolving around a giant snowman. One slight niggle for me with this is that you can’t finish the level initially, so I’d recommend a quick trip into the next level to grab the speed trainers, but it’s only a minor hassle. In Freezeezy Peak you get to climb the giant snowman’s scarf, have aerial fights with aggressive smaller snowmen, turn into a Walrus and take part in races – WAHEEEY!

From the snow straight to the sand of Gobi’s Valley. This is one of the more challenging levels, with pyramids, temples and sphinxes holding challenges you need to complete. One of these requires a perfect run with the speed boots, and still takes me multiple attempts each playthrough. That said, there is still a load of fun and charm.

Up next is for some halloween fun in Mad Monster Mansion, a haunted house and grounds. Initially, I found this level to be incredibly daunting, but traversal isn’t as difficult as initially seems, and getting around the level is quite fun. There’s lots of rooms to explore and even a toilet to explore. Brilliantly, the toilet itself is also a character called Loggo. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that Banjo-Kazooie loves puns. Some people may pretend to groan at puns, but everyone loves them.

Rusty Bucket Bay is the penultimate level, with some very tough challenges. The water in this level drains your air much faster than previous levels, so even though there’s a lot of water, you only spend small stints in it. There’s lots of hidden rooms to find, with some fun and cute details hidden in them. The transformation in this level is also super adorable.

And last is the seasonal Click Clock Wood. This is split into four “sections” that you open up over time, each is the whole world in a different season, and some jiggies require doing parts in each season, although if you fully explore each season before moving on, you don’t have to go back and forth. It’s lovely to see all the changes throughout the seasons.

Connecting these together is Grunty’s tower. Grunty is an evil witch who wants to make herself beautiful (by stealing the beauty from Banjo’s sister, Tooty, who became a staple of all future Banjo games…either that or she was relegated to a missing person’s poster and forgotten about). You explore the tower, finding jigsaws to fill in with the jiggy pieces you collect to open the main worlds. There are also 10 jiggies hidden here, which require you to hit a switch in each level to reveal (except for one, which is given to you at the start of the game).

And once you get past all the levels and go to defeat Gunty, it doesn’t go straight into a boss battle (that comes later), instead you have to complete Grunty’s Furnace Fun, a trivia board game where you have to answer questions about the game (or complete some mini games from previous levels). These questions could be about Grunty herself, pictures of places in levels to identify, trivia about characters or identifying sound and music.

Music. That’s a very important part of what makes Banjo-Kazooie work. Composer Grant Kirkhope did an absolutely phenomenal job of creating some tunes that you will be humming for the rest of your lives. They also work with the levels extremely well, adding to the magical experience. The music will also vary slightly based on different locations of each level or going underwater, all with perfectly smooth transitions between them. The music to Banjo-Kazooie is simply heaven for your ears, and will put a smile on your face for the entirety of your playthrough. Even other people in your house will start humming the tunes.

Replaying Banjo-Kazooie takes between 6 and 10 hours, although this will be a lot longer the first time. It’s a great length for annual revisits and is an extremely well-contained piece of media. You can follow it by its sequel, Banjo-Tooie (as I do every few years), but it works extremely well on its own. The entirety of the game is just full of joy, accompanied by very happy tunes and a sense that everyone working on the game was enjoying themselves.

There are two versions of this game, the original on N64 and a remaster version on Xbox. I highly recommend the Xbox version, as the better controller design helps a lot, and the widescreen HD image is much nicer to see. The main other difference between the two is that the Xbox version is easier, as it saves what notes you have collected. In the original, you need to collect all 100 in one go, which I believe was mainly due to memory limits on the N64 and not the original intention.

Banjo-Kazooie is my perfect game.

And stop playing you won’t. You can always tell when you’ve got a great game on your hands: when it starts to warp time. 16 straight hours of Banjo, leaving only for calls of nature – we had food and drink brought in.

- James Ashton, N64 Magazine #18

Remake or remaster?

The Xbox remaster is pretty great, although releasing on more platforms and a few fixes and refinements would be great.

Official ways to get the game.

Banjo-Kazooie is available on Xbox One/Series and is included in Rare Replay. You can also rent it on Switch via Nintendo Switch Online

Re-releases

2008: Xbox Live Arcade

2015: Rare Replay

2023: Nintendo Switch Online (Subscription Only)

[redd956]

Worldbuilding questions to get the creative juices flowing 33

Theme: Medicine & Medical

Is medicine a well known concept? How do the common people feel about it? Is it safe? Is it a safer alternative then getting nothing done?

What is the most common thing people go to when they’re seriously hurt? Is there anything that can be done? Does it differ among classes, races, etc?

Is healing and medicine done through science, experience/skills, magic, plants, a bit of everything? (I personal like a combination of magic and the real world grasp on health)

Is medicine easy to access? (Or is it like the United States?) If not, why? If so, what made that possible?

If doctors are a thing what are they truly called? (Healer, shaman, cleric, fantasy names, a mixture, even more) What role in society do they play? How are they viewed culturally? 

What medicines are available? Are they more commonly essential oils, serums, pills/liquids, a mixture, or more? What are the materials that make these more common medicines? Do these materials have a well known side effect that affects your world?

How does medical attention differ in your worldbuilding? 

(Midwives becoming powerful in a world with thousands of different reproductive systems across species, anthropomorphic doctors helping a buff shark person who is crying about their dental, magic medics in battle healing their comrades from a distance) These are some fun examples I pulled from my worldbuilding.

Is there hospitals or an equivalent? What are these establishments like? Are they government regulated? Is it a place an injured would enjoy being at?

How does this all change when war is involved?

Does religion play a role? How does culture effect medicine, good and bad? Is medicine genuinely helpful?

This one can effect the world a lot, especially if the story is war centered. 

[starburns]

what make human beings different from animals we are the only human beings on earth who recognize shark week even sharks dont recognize shark week but we do for the same reason I could take this pencil tell u its name is steve and go like this (breaks pencil) and a part of you dies a little on the inside because human beings can sympathize with anything. We can sympathize with a pencil forgive a shark and give ben affleck an academy award for screenwriting. Humans can see the good in anything but themselves. look at me. Its clear to all of you that I am awesome. But I can't see that. Because that would make me an ass. What i can see why annie is awesome. She's driven we need driven people ij the world or else the lights go out and the ice cream melts. And pierce he has a lot of wisdom to offer. We should listen to him sometime im sure we will kot regret it. and shirley. She has earned our respect. Not as a mother not as a wife but as a woman dont test her on that because the jukebox thing was too specific to be improvised. And troy. So what if he tink he's all that? do you think astronauts go to space because they hate oxygen?????? NO. they do it to impress their high school prom king. And abed. Abeds a shaman u ask him to pass u salt and he gives u a bowl of soup. And you know what. Soup is betterm ABED. Is better. You are ALL better than you think you are you're just designed to not think so. I want you to look at the person to your left. Sorry. I meant the person sitting next to you. I want you to say "I forgive you" and extend to them the same compassion you would have for sharks pencils and Ben affleck. You've just becomes something unstoppable. Ur not a study group anymore. Ur a community