#things to do in bhutan

[kaustubh-wankhede]

Embark on a journey through Bhutan's Adventure Playground, where the majestic Himalayas meet adrenaline-fueled escapades. Discover 15+ thrilling activities that unveil the kingdom's natural wonders and cultural richness. From trekking untouched trails to immersing in traditional festivals, this guide unveils the heart-pounding experiences that await. Dive into Bhutan's mystique, blending adventure and serenity, as you uncover the secrets of this Himalayan gem. Your passport to unparalleled excitement and cultural immersion is here – venture into Bhutan's breathtaking landscapes and vibrant traditions.

[holidaymyplanet]

Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, is known for its rich culture, stunning landscapes, and serene monasteries. This guide details the top things to do in Bhutan, including visiting iconic sites like Tiger’s Nest Monastery and exploring the pristine natural beauty. Whether you’re into trekking, spirituality, or local festivals, Bhutan offers a peaceful retreat for all types of travelers.

[amankumar1018]

Bhutan's Lesser-Known Treks: Hidden Trails for Avid Hikers

When it comes to exploring the pristine beauty of Bhutan, most travelers are familiar with popular destinations like Places to Visit in Thimphu and Things to Do in Punakha. However, for avid hikers seeking a unique adventure off the beaten path, Bhutan offers a treasure trove of lesser-known treks that promise breathtaking landscapes and a truly immersive experience.

Places to Visit in Thimphu

Thimphu, Bhutan's capital, is a city that seamlessly blends tradition with modernity. While the bustling streets and vibrant markets are a testament to the city's liveliness, there are also hidden gems for nature enthusiasts. One such place is the stunning Phajoding Monastery, perched high above Thimphu Valley. The trek to Phajoding Monastery is not only a spiritual journey but also a chance to witness panoramic views of Thimphu.

As you embark on this trek, you'll traverse through rhododendron forests and encounter the occasional prayer flag-adorned bridge. The serenity of Phajoding Monastery provides a stark contrast to the city below, making it a must-visit for those looking to escape the urban hustle.

Things to Do in Punakha

Punakha, known for its majestic dzong and scenic landscapes, is a popular destination for cultural exploration. However, beyond the iconic sites, Punakha offers hidden trails that lead to hidden gems. The Chimi Lhakhang trek, for instance, takes you through picturesque rice fields and quaint villages before reaching the fertility temple dedicated to the Divine Madman.

While in Punakha, don't miss the opportunity to explore the less frequented trails around Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. The trek offers stunning views of the Punakha Valley and takes you through terraced fields and quiet villages, providing a serene escape from the tourist crowds.

Hidden Trails for Avid Hikers

Now that we've explored the popular places to visit in Thimphu and things to do in Punakha, let's delve into the lesser-known treks that cater to avid hikers seeking a more intimate connection with Bhutan's natural beauty.

1. Druk Path Trek:

The Druk Path Trek is a lesser-known gem that connects Paro and Thimphu, offering breathtaking views of the Himalayan range. As you traverse through alpine meadows and dense forests, you'll encounter pristine lakes like Jimilang Tsho. This trek provides a perfect balance of cultural exploration and immersion in Bhutan's untamed wilderness.

2. Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek:

For those seeking a truly off-the-beaten-path experience, the Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek is a hidden gem in the Bhutanese Himalayas. This trek takes you through a landscape dotted with high-altitude lakes, offering a unique opportunity to witness Bhutan's diverse flora and fauna. The serene ambiance and untouched beauty make it a haven for avid hikers looking to escape the crowds.

Conclusion

While Thimphu and Punakha hold undeniable charm, exploring Bhutan's lesser-known treks unveils a side of the country that few get to witness. From the spiritual tranquility of Phajoding Monastery to the hidden trails around Punakha, Bhutan's offbeat treks promise a memorable adventure for avid hikers. Step off the well-trodden path, and you'll discover a Bhutan that goes beyond the conventional tourist experience—a land of hidden trails waiting to be explored.

[thefirelookout]

Dead silence

This post is an attempt to share or let out some of my complex feelings about the situation in Bangladesh.

We went to our city's protest yesterday. It was a silent, peaceful protest. The Bangladeshi student community here in Kingston stood in a human chain with placards. "Save Bangladesh student", yes grammatically wrong, yes, it assumes that young revolutionaries need saving, so on and so forth. The protest started and ended quietly. My non-Bangladeshi friends were a bit confused, since they're used to chanty protests for Palestine, or union picket lines with cars passing by, honking in support. There was more noise even for the Iranian protests, Zan Zendegi Azadi. The silence of a graveyard in this one, though.

Who cares about little old Bangladesh? I sometimes wonder. We're not in the eye of the middle eastern storm like Syria, Lebanon or Palestine are. We're not strategically important, we don't even have many natural resources like Sudan or Congo do. The Prime Minister visited China recently to ask for an aid or a loan, and came back pretty much empty handed. China isn't very interested in us. India has gotten what it needed to get, and can milk more out of us, but they can do the same with Nepal or Bhutan too. We're never in the headlines, the US or the West in general isn't interested in us at all. And Pakistan denies that the 1971 genocide ever happened.

Which is why, the world isn't missing our voices due to the internet blackout.

The voices were all over my Facebook newsfeed. Aunties and apus on Facebook live selling sarees, jewelry, crafts, elderly boomers sharing gardening tips, quick fixes or herbal remedies that they swear by, people sharing posts about cricket or which cricketer's wife wore what, food bloggers calling every possible dish juicy (be it a burger or the meat in biriyani), celebrity drama, political drama to the extent of what was allowed back home. That sort of thing.

Now, again, there's the silence of a graveyard over here. And I feel like screaming till I snap my vocal cords. Can you all please come back? Please? The silence is unbearable! Please! I won't judge you if you sell your wares! Please! I won't judge if you think turmeric water can act as a miracle detox! Please, please I won't say a word if your post about your stupid cricket match! Just something, please say something! I haven't seen a single one of you online. Please don't die, please stay safe. When the internet comes back, please, post about your vacations and your pets. Not the dead, please, don't post about the bodies. I can take a bit of silence but not more bodies please!

Speaking of bodies. There was an armoured vehicle, painted navy blue in the colours of the police (fuck them). And there was a body on top of it. Dead, obviously, very dead, because it flopped down with the slightest nudge, and was left on the streets. Before that happened, the vehicle drove about as if parading its spoils of war, with the body on top. Sending a message. This will happen to you if you raise your voice.

That image has been haunting me for two nights now. So yeah, I'm not man enough to get some incisive political analysis out. I have no either or predictions for what happens if the regime falls or doesn't fall. My body feels numb, I've been binge eating because I still have food in the house and I won't be gunned down if I go out to get groceries now. My non-Bangladeshi friends, bless their first world hearts, have never had to live under fascism. Bless their hearts, have never had to stifle their voices to the extent that we've had to. Bless their beautiful hearts, could hardly pronounce Bangladesh. But they still showed up to that docile little protest because they care about my spouse and I. I can't even begin to thank them.

My insides are tearing up. I'm sitting with a poker face typing all this word vomit, but my insides are nothing but a scream. No clever realpolitik comes out of a heart that's screaming, because our mouths are sewn shut.

[fuckblast]

In honor of David Lynch I want to encourage you all to check out your local art museum.

This is a long post so I'll cut it. I've bolded my main points but I've been a member to the art museum on the nearby campus for about a year now and I've fucking loved it.

I know the quality will vary by place but I became a regular level member at mine and it's been the best investment I've made this year. Even if you don't have the means, see if/when they have "community days" that let people in free like mine does.

If somehow you're on Tumblr and following me and have kids, or hate kids (more likely), there's usually a section specifically for kids. I haven't spent a lot of time there as a single childless adult, but I went there on "family day" by accident and found there were not a ton of loud and unruly kids as their energy was previously redirected in engaging activities. I'd still avoid field trip hours.

I regularly get to see movies on a big screen at a reduced price that aren't showing in theaters anywhere else. They played Werner Herzog's Nosferatu (1979) a few months before the new one came out. They were on a Herzog kick for a bit and I lived for it. My family went to a documentary on the "happiness auditors" of Bhutan who perform censuses to determine the national gross national happiness and it's influences (Agent of Happiness, 2024). I took a friend to a short film about an American-Palestinian grandmother and granddaughter having a meal together, which included a Q&A with the writer and director, who said the photo used of their old family home in the film was a real one from his own grandmother (Maqluba, 2024)

I get free access to monthly events which include guided tours, live music, and access to special exhibits. Also those have additional vendors present that do neat things for additional money, like the tintype portrait I got done. Definitely worth it.

I mean this this is on a metal sheet done old school. The guy explained the chemistry to me as it soaked and really loved that I was interested. (Didn't get the print til a few weeks after bc it had to cure)

Reduced additional ticket prices are also awesome because while I'm there all the time now, I've observed and done sketches of a good bit of what they've got. But I love bringing other people there. I've gone on several curator tours now so I've got fun inside info on several pieces, and I love to share trivia. And everyone sees art differently so you always get new takes and appreciation. Plus while they take in awesome or notable pieces I've already digested, studied and sketched I get to spend a bit of time looking at works I previously overlooked, which is also nice.

Not even beginning to mention rotations and new acquisitions, which keep it fresh. We just got in two Barbara Kruger's!! If you're familiar with the brand "Supreme" they hijacked her whole shit. She's my #2 text artist only because I'm a Holzerhead. I didn't even know they'd be there. There's some Bosch's scheduled for October that I'm dying for. Plus they also got in this piece by a local artist and I'm so in love I can't stand it.

And tomorrow I'm going on a free tour about queer artists (Sundays are the free days, not a member thing, and the tours are always free if you're physically there) and since this is a new and local piece to the museum I know they'll cover it and I'm so excited to know more about it.

Anyways support your local art museum. At least give it a visit and see if you like it enough to support it. I was there a good few visits before I was like "oh fuck this place rules and I'm here often enough that it's more logical to just to get a membership."

[watertightvines]

Movie Resolution Wrap-Up!

My resolution for 2024 was to see one movie in theaters per week, and I stuck to it! I absolutely wouldn't have been able to do this if I didn't live right by an arthouse theater with an always-changing lineup including foreign and older films, because the normie offerings after Oscar season were bleak.

I saw 55 films total, 50 of which were new to me! Here's the breakdown by country as best I can.

ALGERIA: The Last Queen

BHUTAN: The Monk and the Gun

COLOMBIA: I Saw Three Black Lights

FRANCE: Anatomy of a Fall

GERMANY: Zwei Zu Eins; Metropolis; Run Lola Run; Nosferatu the Vampyre

GUATEMALA: Rita

JAPAN: Godzilla; Seven Samurai; Mother; The Boy and the Heron; Sansho the Bailiff; Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

MISC: 2024 Oscar Animated Shorts

PERU: Raiz (Through Rocks and Clouds)

SPAIN: Robot Dreams; The Party's Over

SOUTH AFRICA: Mapantsula

SOUTH KOREA: Parasite; The Novelist's Film; Born Pink World Tour

TUNISIA: Les Filles D’Orfa

UK: The Zone of Interest; The Third Man; Paddington

USA: Poor Things; American Fiction; Scotland, PA; Rear Window; Crazy to Marry; The Holdovers; The Phantom of the Paradise; Sweet Smell of Success; Monkey Man; Lawrence of Arabia; The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly; Macbeth (STC filmed production); The Empire Strikes Back; Challengers; Shanghai Express; LOTR: The Two Towers; Fly Me to the Moon; North by Northwest; Dìdi; 2001: A Space Odyssey; Scream; Jennifer's Body; The Fall; Anora; Conclave; The Matrix; A Real Pain; Wicked; Nosferatu 2024

(Lawrence of Arabia, Metropolis, Two Towers, The Fall, and Scotland, PA were the ones I'd seen before. The others were all new!)

[radical-revolution]

Dear Friends,

Mr. Kris Kringle has never really had an impact on me. If anything, the rosy cheeks, snow-white beard and deer might be the perfect remedy for a nightmare. In fact, I do useless shopping anyway, with or without the excuse of a Kris Kringle.

Still, I have always been fascinated by the amazing karma of the son of Joseph, the co-father, to help create such power to love, care, forgive, inspire, redeem, disorient, unsettle, and mould entire cultures and billions of people, and to be used as a tool by the great bullies of history.

And then there’s this thing called a new year – not only a western one but a Tibetan one, a Chinese one, and of course how can I forget the new year of my beloved country, Bhutan. It’s puzzled me that all these new years fall around so-called winter time. Maybe there are new years in the sub-Sahara or Caribbean that fall in the spring or summer?

Anyway, I have some trepidation in saying Happy New Year this year, because that’s what I said with millions of others at the end of 2023 and look what happened in 2024! If anything, it only showed what an angel George Bush was. You might wonder why I am singling out an American president here. That’s only because they have singled themselves out as guardians of the world.

So this year I have no inclination to go through all the rigmarole of designing new year cards, deciding who for, and then sending them by hand. It feels a bit like those childhood obstacle games where kids have to race wearing a sack. Those kinds of things just don’t amuse me any more. New year cards feel a bit like that and I wonder why we even do it. Nor do I claim any wholesome motivation like saving the planet by wasting less paper, though if even one less envelope contributes to that, I’ll see that as a bonus.

So when you don’t get a new year card, friends and those connected to me should not take that as neglect or rejection. Just remember that we’re so deeply intertwined and bound and the power of karma is so strong that such rejection is not even possible. Whether you’ve been annoyed, irritated, envious, or disgusted by my appearance, actions or mere presence, or whether you’ve loved, cared, followed, been devoted to or inspired by me – all of that is the result of causes and conditions through so many lifetimes from what both you and I have done.

I try not to take advantage of our connection by over-using your precious time, energy and resources. But, no matter what kind of connection you have with me, I want to say that I genuinely aspire that, new year or not, our own connection will keep you connected to Gautama, the Prince of Shakya, and that you will never stray from the great Muni.

In this so-called holiday season, I also pray that while you are alive, you always remain under the gentle, protective palms of Arya Tara, and that the subjugator of all phenomena, Padmasambhava, remains in your heart whether you remember him or not. And when this act of so-called living ends, may we all be awakened with the act of the copper-coloured mountain or Suhkaviti.

I also aspire that everyone, and especially those who claim to be practitioners, will truly and deeply realize that life will never be perfect, but that the true nature of our mind is primordially stainless. That is something of which we can be proud, which is worth maintaining and cultivating, and developing the genuine wish that others will also be interested in this.

Yours in the wondering and therefore wandering,

DJK

[golmorehotgirl]

please please please share some of your viera headcanons I BEG OF YOU

First off I want to say sorry for how long this has taken to respond to! Secondly I am so sorry for the massive lore dump I am about to give your poor unwitting self. Also I'm pretty nervous about sharing as I've only ever talked about these with like one or two other people before fdafdasf

So to start off with some things to know! 

I like to follow lore as closely as possible and use it as a good framework to go off of but also I’m not afraid to throw things out or modify them if I feel they make no sense (looking at you f viera starter gear for a jungle and mountain fairing people they tried to legitimize rather than just say you wanted to honor Fran and have them serve cunt and go.) 

Eastern viera are south asian inspired to me, specifically Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan for Veena and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Myanmar for Rava and that the Skatay range is pretty much just the Himalayas. I can talk more about why I think this if you want! 

I can’t promise there isn’t some blending of Bosmer lore from the Elder Scrolls in my headcanons! As a longtime ES fan and specifically Bosmer lover I can definitely see where someone was looking at another’s homework when it comes to the two. 

Majority of my headcanons are for Rava as that’s what my one character I’ve made is so where my brain decided to fixate and what I’ve spent the most time thinking about!

I’ve been thinking about this for so long I don’t really remember what’s my own headcanons and what’s canon lore so if I reiterate canon lore just help grandma get back to her room.

So let’s get started!

History and Physiology

Were originally shapeshifters that through a mass exodus (not sure on reason yet!) were removed from their ancestral lands before taking refuge in Golmore by the Wood and entered into the Green Pact with it. That is when they were given their forms we see today and thus consider their forms sacred and it blasphemous to change them. (Do you know how insane I felt playing Endwalker on release and getting the Ancient’s transformation lore??? Literally the Leo Dicaprio pointing at the TV meme LMAO.) Their leporine ears were also part of their new forms to better hear the Wood with. (Still deliberating on if I want to include the superstitious in-game lore on them being able to hear the spiritual realm with them or not!) 

At some point the viera we know as Veena broke off and migrated North to the Skatay range. 

This is also why they can transform but I believe it’s an Eastern Viera trait only for now until we get more lore on Shetona and how they got over to Xak Tural! Although transformation is a last resort to be initiated only when their jungle homes are truly on the brink of destruction and thus the Wood will release “mist” that will cause the nearby viera to transform at various levels depending on how close they are to it. (I’m of two minds on if aether and mist are two different things as if they aren’t how could Viera players like…..do anything lmao so for now I’m choosing to believe they are two different things!) The lowest form of transformation is what we’ve seen in FF12 where Fran enter’s a “frenzy” state. The entirety of transformation is, understandably,  quite frightening for Viera as once they go past a certain threshold there is no returning to their previous state and they will stay in this frenzied anomalous state completely losing their consciousness and only knowing peace with death. Thus this is rarely talked about outside of hushed whispers and believed by most to be a sort of old wive’s tale. 

I believe they live longer than the 300 year estimate given to us by the game as this is outside scholar’s conjecture and never stated by a Viera themselves (how in the goddamn hell is Fran still around LMAO.) With those that live closest to the heart of the Wood living the longest. 

Living beyond their natural lifespan is possible by a process of binding yourself to the wood and as the process continues the viera will lose more and more of their own consciousness but this is all still lore WIP! (I think the endgame of this would be like the spriggans from Skyrim but this is NOT a common practice and is considered to be a very extremist thing that most wouldn’t ever conceive of doing.)

Many would believe hearing to be their strongest sense but I believe it is their sense of smell.

Like in the official viera dancer promo image that included very finely rendered hair that looks like a down soft fuzz on their body I shared on tumblr, (link) I believe they do have a body hair like that! As well as baby hairs around their scalp that can descend into facial esque hair which I’ve also talked on tumblr about before! (Link)

A large part of their communicative style is nonverbal and expressed through subtle ear movements, nose twitches and head bobbing. Non viera aren’t able to pick up on these thus giving them the “strong and stoic” impression we’ve gotten of them so far and explanation for their more laidback emotes. (Tavi after leaving Golmore and after being able to get entry to Kugane had no trouble fitting into the more subdued style of their culture due to this but when coming to Eorzea was hit with the “you’re so strong/silent/have such an air about you” and it’s like….no!!! She’s so expressive and fun but they were able to pick up on a lot of it between that and her not knowing the language. Thus she had to pick up, what felt like to her, Disney channel theater kid level theatrics to get Eorzeans to finally understand and pick up on her emotions. This is why when she finally met another source viera through Fran and then Erenville they were both like “…….sis you good….what in the hell is wrong with her.”)

Culture

“As it was, so shall it be” A common platitude in their society that embodies their archival like society. By nature their existence is one to uphold their way of living and their environment as it is.

They view themselves as separate from “man”, different beings and on the same playing field, but children created by the wood. So in the few instances Tavi is referred to as “child of man” she’s like “first off I’m no child of man so go ahead jot that one down.”

By extension they view the majority of the outside world’s conflicts frivolous and “the folly of man.” 

There is no currency as they are a communal society.

There are as many different and varied tribes amongst them as there are on the Azim Steppe but they are all united and live relatively harmoniously with one another through their shared upholding of the Green Word and their higher purpose of preserving the wood. 

Extensive massive underground caves with entire jungles within them exist (think Son Doong cave) there are rumors of viera that live down in them that have completely black eyes and will steal children who misbehave (the last part is conjecture on the part of exhausted viera trying to make their children behave and most likely started as a way to keep any over adventurous kids to stay out of them.) (This is also probably the source of Tavi’s deep unease of caves.)

They do not believe in themselves as having dominion over the land and wildlife as the rest of the world does and view animals as on the same level as them to be respected for their place in the environment.

They are a nontheistic people who believe the Wood that they commune with to be a guardian spirit.

They practice what would be closest to our irl religion known as Jainism (modern day Tavi is Jain!) 

They are an ascetic people and eschew possession and materialism and despise egotism.

Do not have beauty standards like we do. (Tavi would tell you that “pretty” and “ugly” are concepts she never even considered or thought to apply to herself or another prior to living in the outside world. She just …was.) And to comment solely on another’s appearance rather than a specialty or skill that they are proficient in is seen as a rather large insult. (As in commenting on someone’s height only as if that is all they can contribute to the society.) 

Personality stereotypes based on ear shape and position on the head similar to how we do with hair colors!

Due to white/silver hair being the most common viera born with different hair colors (black specifically) most would consider lucky.

They are all trained in basic combat in order to 1) protect themselves against the elements 2) protect the jungle in case of invasion. Some go on to be much more martially inclined though.

Their basic combat they are taught is closely tied to the rest of their culture as it’s heavily inspired by in real life Kalaripayattu which is a martial art that not only encompasses fighting but yoga, dancing and performing arts. 

That said, music and dancing are important parts of their culture! One of the things I really loved in Shadowbringers and thought they did well was that they really dispelled this stern and stoic idea we’d been given of viera with how silly they let some of the Viis be. Idk I just think they’re a very lively and jovial, colorful society. 

Once a viera reaches adulthood they’re given the option to continue to take the pact of the Green Word and continue life within Golmore. If they choose not to, they are allowed to leave on good terms and most will allow you to return if you choose. It’s only if after taking the pact that you leave that you are considered an oathbreaker and are stripped of even being a viera and not allowed to return. 

I still think they are very rare in the outside world excluding little enclaves (Old Sharlayan for example and certain parts of Dalmasca.) Most people in the outside world will go their entire life not seeing one (and imagine them to be fables if i’m being honest.) Old Sharlayan is the most popular place for them to immigrate to, outside of Dalmasca of course, and they are welcomed there for their specialized knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. For those that are academically inclined archivist and preservationist roles are especially popular due to their long lived nature. (see the in-game lore of the vieran sommelier who saved the cellar of Dalmascan Red from being lost in the Garlean invasion.)

Gender and Sexuality

They are by default a genderless society and only recognize sex. My dream if we ever do get to explore Golmore is that their clothing/animations and emotes will be freely shared between the sexes! 

The most common pronoun in their language and the one used by most is a gender neutral one. 

Names are inherently gender neutral although if a child decided to change their name upon developing their sex they may.

I’m still doing a lot of research on intersex people in various cultures to decide where they would fit in their society but I firmly stand by the fact they would not be ostracized or shunned and more than likely given the choice to decide how they want to live. As I said, still a work in progress!

Sexuality is not strictly defined as it is for us, it’s really a culture of do what makes you happy and it’s your own business.

That said, queer experiences are very much the norm just by default of the way their society operates even if just on a strictly platonic level. (And they were roomates!!!) 

Lifestyle

No aetherytes are allowed in the entirety of the Golmore jungle as they disturb the natural aether. (Tavi herself only uses them if absolutely necessary as it’s an uneasiness she still has yet to shake.)

The first thing Viera do upon waking in their tribe is to start their morning off with communing with the Wood through guided meditation where they receive any major tasks that is required of them by the Wood (ridding of pestilence, fauna that needs cleared or felled, etc.) After this the tasks are dispensed out to those most suited to them and the rest of the day is spent however each individual viera sees fit outside of any pressing matters needing to be attended to within the tribe.

Meditation is a very important activity practiced by all!

Relationships and Reproduction 

Romance is decentered and viewed more as an optional side quest as opposed to a main goal of life. 

The most venerated relationship in their society is that of mother and child as it symbolizes the relationship betwixt viera nd the spirit of the Wood itself.

A maternal relationship doesn’t even necessarily have to be with that of a biological mother either, it is quite common to see a viera be closely bonded and/or mentored by a an older viera who didn’t give birth to them. (Tavi and her biological mother were very close and considered to be oddly close even by their standards if that tell you anything! Tavi herself would tell you the most important person in her life is her mother and the person she loves most (and vice versa really.)) 

The closest thing they have to what we consider to be marriage would be devotional tattoos (as tattooing and piercing are big in Eastern Viera society) and it is a very serious practice taken by two people regardless of sex that is not to be taken lightly and isn’t even undertaken by most. It is a process using a very personal form of tattooing and is thought to bind your souls together so you may find one another in the next life as they believe in reincarnation and it is an important part of their beliefs and society. (If Tavi were to explain this to you she’d say at this part “this is why it’s so serious and not common!! Imagine binding your soul to another and finding out you can’t stand them in a couple years!!! You’d be stuck finding them over and over again!!!” She is a silly and fun girl to listen to.) 

Pregnancy isn’t considered appropriate until well after reaching adulthood so well into their 40s.

A natural contraceptive exists there in the form of a herb consumed as a tea.

Being as long lived as they are and prioritizing living harmoniously with their environment and not to take more than needed and overtax resources children are brought into their world at a much slower rate compared to the outside world. As they have to decide if their community can handle the additional resources needed and more importantly, that it won’t place too much of a toll on the environment. Living completely harmoniously with the environment and never taking more than you can give to it is of tantamount importance. (I will also use the in-game source here of there being such a small population even within Golmore to reaffirm this.)

I disregard the “male viera visit villages every 3-5 years” as it doesn’t make much sense to me as I don’t believe viera are suffering casualties frequently enough to have to replenish villagers at such a rate and with their extended lifespansI don’t believe they’d be having children every 3-5 years. Especially in a matriarchal society that eschews romantic love and our ideas of a nuclear family, I do not believe a large portion of women would willingly choose to have children every 3-5 years especially as there is no societal pressure to do so. 

It’s not uncommon for a female viera to go their entire life not seing a male viera especially if none were born within her village and she had no interest in child-bearing. (Tavi herself had only one twice due to her childhood friend developing as male and being picked up by one.)

Childhood 

Vieran children are fed sap from the Wood upon birth as this is a form of colostrum for them and this practice is a major part of what makes a viera a Rava. It is also a natural source of immunity to most diseases as well as offering a few other buffs. Sap also acts as a sort of camouflage for them as it gives them a distinct scent of the Wood thus most animals will not attack unless provoked and is a way for Rava viera to immediately recognize one another. (This is how Tavi knew upon meeting Erenville he wasn’t from the East but our charitable queen kept that to herself.) Many viera believe sap to be their Lifesource and is included in a lot of their culinary dishes. 

Viera are not considered to have reached adulthood in their society until their 30s.

Children are looked after by the community and considered to be a blessing as they are seen as a sign the village is very prosperous.

Children are seen as very sacred as they are literally the future of the tribe and a fundamental part of the community going forward. Because of this and the fact that they aren’t born as often as elsewhere they’re fiercely protected. (Tavi’s mom was a very proficient healer and as such doubled as a midwife and was quite envied as she got to be the first to touch and golf the newborn! I believe everyone wants to see their newest community member and is eager to hold and love on them. Keep in mind everyone has a hand in raising them so it’s in a way everyone’s newest child!)

Taught from a young age to be able to completely survive in the wild and elements as life in Golmore is relatively peaceful but just as in real life, if you do not respect nature and your place in it, it will not respect you. 

These are just the ones I came up with off the top of my head but I will keep sharing as I go forward!

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

Discord server is going great maggots we already have, so far:

Discussions of necromancy

A very angry geography quiz

A heated discussion about the early lives of the Bronte sisters

Murder

An agreement that we are all disappointments

A fuck the American healthcare system rant

MY VERY FIRST GOOD OMENS HEADCANON. SO you know how some people hc Crowley as having adhd? And caffeine calms down people with adhd at times? Aziraphale probably knows how caffeine would work on humans right it's pretty common knowledge. I wonder if he asked Crowley Does it calm you down? because of the adhd thing. ANYWAY IM PROUD OF MYSELF FOR MAKING A HEADCANON.

Music recs

There was also a very satisfying moment for me. @good-usernames-were-taken was mocking me for not knowing where Denmark and Norway were on a map. I pulled out a map of south-east asian countries and asked her to point out Thailand and Bhutan. She could not.

I asked her why she had mocked me for not knowing where European countries were when she couldn't identify Asian ones. She apologised profusely.

I then revealed that I do not know where Thailand and Bhutan are either >:)

(wahoos in shit general knowledge muehuehue)

[cosmicnovaflare]

I like your drawings of Cinder in nice dresses. What inspo do you use for designing her clothes?

Thank you! Basically, when I was younger I had the delusion of “memorise every country in the world or else you’re a bad person,” followed by, “learn a brief history of every country in the world within 8 years or else you’re a bad person.” I learned in the order of history-mythology/religion-clothing, and I ended up loving the traditional clothing around and in Iran, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, etc. It’s fairly difficult to find information about clothing in English, so I mostly pull from Hanfu for Cinder. Currently, I pretty much design how people would wear one today, ignoring old colour rules, pairing it with hair/accessories from separate dynasties, keeping bangs in hairstyles that otherwise would not have them, and sometimes adding in things that are more fantastical than historical. I would love to one day make futuristic designs, but I want to do that tastefully and respectfully, so, for now, I’m sticking closer to current-day interpretations.

[kedreeva]

For part two of the near year ask game, the kindness I’ve seen other people show

My little brother has been growing into an amazing person

One thing he has done is volunteer with his school to help the younger kids out and he is really great with them and has expressed that he enjoys being able to be a role model for them

He is really advanced in several academic areas and when he tells me stories about his school days one thing I’ve noticed is it’s a recurring theme that he understands things more than his classmates, and every single time he is in the position to do so he helps them out without ever judging them for not being at his level

He also is always willing to help make someone new at school feel welcome

I think the most astounding part is how naturally this all comes to him, when he talks about this he talks as if he would never consider not helping, its just his first and most natural instinct to help when he is able to

I’m very proud of him 🩷

That's very awesome!!

This is the last ask! Your good news from 2023 is this:

After 14 years of population reduction work, Bhutan became the first nation to sterilize and vaccinate its entire stray dog population! They also microchipped 32,000 pet dogs, presumably to keep them from becoming strays.

[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

Before I get any questions about it...

I had to take some creative liberties when writing the wedding headcanons with Bosch with a gender-neutral reader.

Queer relationships in Tibet aren't documented enough on the internet. So most of my sources did come from heterosexual marriages.

The act of a woman and a man marrying each other fell into the gender norms of a traditional woman and a traditional man in a relationship.

Same thing with marrying foreigners. There were even fewer articles and websites for Tibetan people marrying outside their race.

I had to alter some aspects of Tibetan customs to fit into the world-building of Nayshall.

Remember Nayshall is an accumulation of Nomadic tribes living in harmony, that's why I used wordings like people and group in my fic. They are all Nayshalli, but there are groups in Nayshall that are from different cultural backgrounds: Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and India.

That being said, even the tradition of Pulling on the Groom's ear (mag pa gi rna mchog 'then), is not widely practiced in Tibet. But here are some sources that I pulled this custom from here, here, and a video here (start at 2:30).

This custom was from rural farming areas of Tibet. And the act is started by the bride's family, pitting the woman against the men of the groom's family. They would tease the groom to get more gifts out of him and to an extent would "pull on the groom's ear."

"Some women wait in the doorway so that the groom cannot run away. They do not care how loudly the groom shouts in pain. They are not supposed to scratch the groom’s face or grasp his hair intentionally. The groom is usually allowed to ‘beat’ the girls with the sleeve of his traditional Tibetan robe, in order to try to get rid of them, but he can never get angry."

When I wrote this scene I had to keep in mind that the reader is gender-neutral, so the party that was supposed to represent the reader had a mix of men and women. And Bosch's side of the family representing him were all men.

You the reader, wouldn't have known any of this, that's why I wrote Bosch's family initiating the conflict.

Plus it's a street fighter game, so someone's gotta be fighting somewhere.

As for Traditional Tibetan clothing, Woman do have their hair braided and wear headdresses for the occasion. But I personally don't like adding attributes to my readers so I had to take out this section entirely.

The same thing can be said with jewelry. Although both men and women wear jewelry, the bride wears an abundance of it all over her body.

So that is why I didn't go into much detail about the outfits.

So I opted for You and Bosch to be wearing the same thing to keep the themes gender-neutral.

The reason why I split up traditional in the morning and western at night is because most Tibetan weddings that I've seen on YouTube are structured this way.

A proposal is the first step in Tibetan marriage. Traditionally, if a man is interested in a lady, he will inquire about her age, date of birth, and her zodiac attributes (i.e., mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, or pig).

In Tibetan Buddhism, a Lama is a spiritual leader or teacher of the Dharma. The word "Lama" is derived from the Sanskrit word guru, which means "venerable one". It can also be used as a term of respect for any respected monk or priest. The word "Lama" is similar to the Tibetan word "bla-ma", which means "boss"

Lamas also participate in Buddhist marriage ceremonies, which include a prayer and the distribution of a religious drink called madyan. The groom and his family visit the bride's home to ask for her hand in marriage, and an astrologer helps determine the wedding date.

Since were on the topic, there was an initial prayer service that was supposed to be done at the Bride's house that I didn't include because you, don't live in Nayshall, so it would've been awkward for me to include it.

The horse that Bosch picked you up with is a tradition for older Tibet folk. People in Tibet today just use cars that they would decorate with scarves to pick up their brides. But when writing it, I figured Bosch isn't the type to go into modern traditions, that's why I kept it to be a horse.

A well-decorated car with colors suitable to the bride's zodiac attributes is also brought to pick up the bride.

I didn't go over this, but most Tibetan marriages are monogamous with familiar 'nuclear' families. However, polyandry families in Tibet were common in ancient times. Even today, there are polyandry families in some rural areas of Tibet. Polyandry is a form of polygamy whereby a woman has several husbands. In Tibet those husbands are often brothers, which is why it is most commonly called "Fraternal Polyandry".

Also to stick out one's tongue is known as a traditional greeting, stemming from a 9th-century myth about an unpopular king with a black tongue. When the king died, Tibetans began revealing their tongues to show they hadn't become his incarnate. Tongue-sucking does not appear to be part of the tradition.

Butter tea holds significant cultural importance beyond its culinary appeal. It is integrated into various ceremonies and rituals, from Tibetan Buddhist practices to traditional celebrations like weddings and Losar, the Tibetan New Year.

Butter tea is made from brick tea, yak butter, yak milk, and salt. It's a vital source of sustenance, especially in high-altitude regions, and provides necessary calories from fat. Tibetans often drink butter tea with tsampa, a staple food, and can consume up to 60 small cups per day. 

 It symbolizes hospitality, is a sacred offering, and can be a meal in itself. When offering tea to another person, both the giver and receiver use both hands to avoid spilling and as a sign of respect.

In tradition, guests are served constant refills of butter tea to symbolize the host's generosity.

[dreamingbrownie]

Shards Masterpost

Prompt list by ao3commentoftheday, these are all unrelated Grindeldore oneshots.

Works:

Off to save the world again?

“You do not want to do this.”

“I thought we were past stating the obvious. Besides, you could have knocked.”

“Yeah, not gonna risk you apparating to Timbuktu or somethin’ just to avoid talking to me,” Aberforth huffed rounding the table. Sometimes Albus saw their father in the way he crossed his arms, the steel in his eyes, the set of his jaw that made ardently clear that he didn’t need magic to take zero bullshit from anyone. Even from his brother. Especially from his brother.

//

The night before everything comes to a head in Bhutan, Aberforth decides that he's had enough of Albus' secrets.

Prompt: A conversation you wish had happened in canon.

Canon for Fantastic Beasts 2, the Dumbledore brothers talking about their shared trauma.

Under a lilac canopy

Summary: To say that Gellert had not expected to wake up on another day at the western front to the Statute of Secrecy finally blasted to smithereens was a bit of an understatement. It fell as silently as a night-time truce: nobody knew who had fired the first shot that brought down the entire thing. To the stench of antiseptics and laudanum was added the cloyingly sweet scent of pain relief potions; the highest dose available in France was handed out like Penicillin: worth its weight in gold. After the initial shock of that surreal day had faded, he’d been ecstatic, of course, eager to write a woefully short, passionate letter to Albus about the possibilities this unlocked in the late war-effort – and not a single letter returned to him from Britain. In spite of the Royal Mail Service, those utter madlads, in spite of every owl and pigeon he could find in bumfuck nowhere, France – silence. He would have to find Albus himself, once he finally got to go home, but amidst London that was torn to shreds and filled with the hungering, grieving masses, nobody wanted to talk about the day Albus Dumbledore disappeared. The day the Statute fell.

Prompt: an expression of love.

Edwardian WW1 AU, hurt/comfort heavy on the comfort side. Hospital reunion fic.

The earth of me

Summary:

Maybe it had been foolish, then, of Albus to think himself safe from surprises. The kind which rocked the very ground underneath his feet, that was, a sort of shock that travelled up and down his spine and shot adrenaline through his entire system. Safe from war, if not from politics, he had considered himself hidden from Death’s crows upon his doorstep. He wasn’t.

He had long known the five stages of grief to be thestral dung. On that particular afternoon in late January of 1931, he appeared to have shot right past denial into depression, or directly into acceptance, perhaps, if one took into account that he had always known that this had had to happen eventually.

Prompt: Character meta

Albus ruminates on the death of his father in Azkaban and what this means for himself. Canon missing moment I guess.

Remnants

Summary:

“You could have mentioned that this dragon hoards eggs.”

In the darkness, Gellert was a mere shade. The ragged rocks cut the howling wind apart into ribbons that slashed the air: high, haunting sounds dancing over the wet grass. No human lived up here, not anymore. The next village was miles and miles away. Albus felt the ground vibrate with the dragon’s steps inside the castle ruins that spanned an entire hilltop. The bare bones of a grand church stuck up into the grey sky that had lifted away the roof from its ribs long ago; of the keep, only the northern and the eastern wall still stood. Everything else was naked stone filed down by the weather littering the grasslands like teeth. Here the remains of a hall as big as a lord’s manor, there circles in the mud: watchtowers, or what was left of them. Bones were scattered in between those trampled histories. The earth only yielded bushes with berries on them that should not be touched by anything that wished to live, no fields survived here. It was so cold Albus could feel his jaws jittering.

“Theseus said nothing of it. I presume that he did not know, else he would have. He only stressed how very unwise it is to go near a nesting dragon.”

Prompt instead of the origina prompt that didn't work for me was three lines of conversation, link lost, unfortunately.

Canon divergence, could be seen as a cousin to my Constellations series in as much as Albus and Gellert live togther throughout their life as professors on Hogwarts.

The red grief

Summary: In 1625, King James I of England and Scotland died, leaving his lover George de Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, behind. Historically, the Duke decided to sack Cadíz on the Spanish coast soon after. In another world, a pair of immortal husbands are none too pleased about being asked for magical help on what others would call a thinly veiled act of piracy intended to escalate political tensions into outright war. How to cope?

Prompt: an emotional moment that you can't find a plot for.

Smut and fluff, immortal wizards AU, the most established of relationships

Golden mornings come again

Summary:

“I know for a fact that you have never asked me to go to the coast with you, but I dream of it, sometimes, finding you at the sea, and when I wake up, I am overcome with such a visceral urge to do exactly that; as if you were waiting for me with your hands in your coat pockets and your back turned to me, facing the sea – in fact, all of these… strange, inexplicable… Merlin, I don’t even know what to call them – these glimpses, these pictures I have of you in my mind that seem so impossibly real – you are waiting for me in all of them. Looking over your shoulder whenever I come close enough to touch, and there it always ends. As though I have been chasing and losing you for a very long time.”

//

It always takes a while for the memories to come back to them.

Prompt: a scene fully without context.

Reincarnation AU, established relationship, a lot of fluff with a side of emotional smut served gently

Historically proud

Summary: The man at the counter had hair so light it was almost white, looking natural, not dyed, but who really knew; his t-shirt had three lines of ancient Greek on it that Albus only realized had to be the first line of the Iliad after staring at it for way too long, toned muscles – arms, hello, damn – and he was oozing confidence. Well, that was all of Albus’ boxes ticked, ta very much. Fuck.

“I’m sorry, I kind of couldn’t not listen – you’re Professor Albus Dumbledore, yes?”

Puzzled, he gave a brief nod.

“Indeed I am. I like your t-shirt.”

The man looked down at it like he’d forgotten he was wearing it, grinning a bit.

“Thanks. I read your last article that you published – what was it, a few months ago? – Anyway, the way you dissected the outdated communist pirate theory with such poise and elegance, that was beautiful.” Then he cleared his throat and straightened from his casual slouch against the counter which looked entirely like a nervous act. “Sorry, where are my manners? Name’s Gellert Grindelwald, I’m the new Ancient Greek History Doctorate researcher and teacher at King’s College.”

“Oh!” Well, Albus was fucked. That beautiful, clever man was going to be his new colleague.

Prompt: The meeting part of a meet-cute AU

Modern AU, historians, getting together, uni colleagues AU with a side-dash of ToG characters mentioned

Candle Stains

Summary:

The different paths that their lives had taken so far had not merged upon accident: they’d worked to make it work. Once Aurelius was fully grown, theoretically, there was no reason why Gellert should still live with him then. The thought seized Albus' heart and held it captive.

“You must know that your continued support has been vital to me. I value you far, far beyond your excellent job as the tutor of my nephew.”

To his puzzlement, Gellert gave a breath of amusement that fast turned fond.

“I do believe that is British for ‘I love you.’”

“And if it is,” Albus responded, half question, half declaration.

Prompt: a shocking announcement (or the reaction to it)

Regency AU, Albus is a Lord living in London with his nephew Aurelius, Aberforth and Aurelius' tutor Gellert. Getting together fic.

All aflame (The fire has found a home in me)

Summary:

“When we are going on our tour together, I am going to make you scream above the Seine and you’re going to have me under the Venice moonlight.”

“Gellert,” he breathed out the pearling laughter in his chest, light as air, “I can’t wait.” Then he turned around, and awkward as the angle was, they made it work for a lingering kiss. Gellert nudged his big nose into Albus’ cheekbone smirking like the cat that got the cream.

“Better?”

“Much. Thank you. I’d say sorry for having woken you up, but in truth…”

“Don’t be,” he grinned, “I’m not."

Prompt: A missing moment from canon

Canon summer of 1899, smut, idiots in love, fluff and intimacy, no bad things in this one.

Heaven

Summary: “I am not used to how you look at me anymore.”

“And how do I look at you?”

“Like you would burn the world to have me again. I am not sure if I would call it love.”

I do, Gellert wanted to scream, I do, I do, I do, throbbing in his chest in a double-stutter. //

Prompt: an alternate ending to a scene from canon.

The restaurant scene from Fantastic Beasts 3 do-over, canon divergence, what if these two had actually talked and gotten their shit together?

Stay a thousand years

Summary:

“Gellert is blessed with foresight, wisdom, a cunning mind for strategy, and charms enough to have the whole court fall for him; he is a just and intelligent man and… I love him dearly. Anyone else but him would make no sense for me to marry.”

Percival gazed at him with something like trepidation in his watery eyes.

“He is powerful enough to match you, Albus. Having him so near you could be a dangerous decision… or the only wise thing to do.”

“He would never hurt me. Never,” Albus vowed with all the conviction of late-night conversations about spells that did not exist yet and the long-lost relics that haunted them both from the side-lines of their childhood fairy tales. The court might not know it yet, but Gellert was his, and he belonged to Gellert as firmly as any priest could profess; more so, they were made from the same stardust. It was the one thing that did not made him tremble these days, that knowledge.

“Very well,” sighed the dying king, and let go of his hands. “Get him for me, please.”

Prompt: Someone just having the worst luck.

Medieval Fantasy AU, proposal under rather difficult circumstances fic, royalty AU.

By your leave

Summary:

Captured. The thrice damned teenagers had gotten themselves captured. Bowed over Albus’ tombstone as he was every morning and every for longer than he cared to actively recount, Gellert took the news from one of his many birds scouting the grand, wide world out there for him without moving from his spot. Though he wanted nothing more than to rest his forehead on the white marble painted golden by the sunset until he faded into the stone itself, slowly, painfully slowly, his folded hands detangled to settle on the cool surface instead.

“My heart, I must do something,” he rasped over the polished stone. His knees creaked and hurt as he forced them to move like rusted hinges. “To the snake pit I go, is that not the funniest thing you ever heard – this might finally be my last sunset, my love.”

//

Albus Dumbledore was dead, Harry Potter captured at Malfoy Manor, but the last King had not yet been let off the chess board.

Prompt: An exchange of gifts or mementos.

Canon divergence, hurt with very little comfort, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows alternate ending.

in from the cold

Summary: Gellert comes back home to Camelot in the weeping rain to a row between Master Merlin and King Arthur. Nothing new there, though this time, a dragon is dead, the King is injured, and Gellert would simply like to squirrel away Albus from under Merlin's watchful eyes, thank you very much.

Prompt: That awesome line you simply can't find a plot for.

Camelot medieval fantasy AU. Reunion fic with a side of Merlin/Arthur.

Stained-glass window laments

Summary:

“I cannot bear the thought of life here without you. My head weighs heavy with the crown upon it, and that weight is not made to be carried alone. You must pull through now, my love, and be not afraid of my temper. I see how unusually quiet you are.”

Gellert’s eyes briefly flickered heavenward.

“I got stabbed.”

“After pushing an army of three thousand; twelve clans united despite that they’re squabbling in front of my doorstep now; through the murderous mountains, yes.” He kissed Gellert’s fingers, feeling the cool metal push smoothly into his lips, feeling the shape and weight of them in comparison to Gellert’s roughened skin. Eye contact kept him quiet. “You are thin, my heart. Have they who followed you into battle not treated you to every comfort?”

Prompt: The aftermath of a scene you’ll never actually write

Medieval Fantasy AU, King Albus and loyal knight Gellert, hurt/comfort.

Asja

Summary:

It had been Europe, they agreed on that much. Gellert remembered birches, and Albus still sometimes blinked at sunspots falling through oak leaves dappled with dew in dreams lost before he was fully awake. Sensual memory, that was what stuck the longest. Visuals, feelings, sounds.

Once, they had been like gods.

Prompt: the scene that would bring you personally the most joy.

Pre-historic Smut, rated E.

[margraviate-of-headcanonburg]

Hi, I’m Margrave, and if canon is usually a ball of yarn and the fics are the cardigans, then the Countryhumans fanon + Hetalia canon are sheep whom I have sheared and spun their outer layers into my own combined, entirely handmade yarn.

My personal universe of hcs is more like a mash-up of CH and Hetalia traits, though I’d never watched or read hetalia canon up until just recently (and only clip compilations). When I was 12-15 I was hyperfixated on CH, but my interaction with it was limited to wattpad and youtube. Out of the inevitable following history and geography hyperfixations I created my own universe, which was then heavily influenced by some Hetalia blogs over here. 3 years later some songs just pulled me back down into the thick of my CH world and now I’m here to make it everyone else’s problem. If this stuff actually garners interest then perhaps someday I’ll make a masterlist of my great city of Headcanonburg. If you wanna know more than don’t be afraid to ask :D

‘FC’ = First Citizen, the title that al of the nations hold in their countries (equiv. to calling leaders ‘president’ or ‘PM’)

Some TAGS

[note: the ‘Aldwin Family’ refers to Arthur/Britain, Jack/Aussie, Mora/Kiwi, Matthew/Canada, Alfred/America, Haishen/Hong Kong, Mira/Marianne/France (married to arthur), William/England, Malcolm/Scotland, and Gwyneth/Wales]

Headcanonburg - HCs

Nations of Twitter - My series of FC shenanigans on social media

lmfao - funny things

pretty art - RB’d artwork

Alfred Fitzgerald - everything to do with America

the snarky immortals table - things for the FCs as a whole or the UN as a group

security council of idiots - things for the western allies/NATO as a group

Current SHIPS

FrUK (m/f), NedPan (m/m, one deceased), EstiFin (m/m), AusHun (m/f, amicably divorced), PruFritz (m/m, one deceased, shoutout dani) InTan (m/m, india/bhutan) SovAme* (m/m, one deceased) (*clandestine-open-relationship-lovers-friends to clandestine-open-relationship-lovers-enemies)

[UNDER THE CUT IS THE FAMILY TREES I DESIGNED MYSELF AND BASE ALL OF MY OWN CHARACTERS OFF OF. These are ones I’ve currently made and which are continuously in development as I research and brainstorm headcanons; they’ve already been updated/edited many times. Once there are more than 10 I will make separate posts and a masterlist for them. There are multiple layers—grey lines mean adoption—but I’ll leave those to the separate posts]

[xanaxhotpocket]

fav animals #1

been thinking about doing this for a while now so we here we go :3

Snow Leopards!1!1!!

Did you know snow leopards are more closely related to tigers than they are to leopards? How misleading!

Taxonomic Info

Uncia uncia (also sometimes referred to as Panthera uncia.)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum : Chordata (animals that possess a notochord.)

Subphylum: Vertebrates (animals that possess a backbone or vertebrae.)

Class: Mammalia (mammals like us!)

Order: Carnivora (organisms that consume primarily meat.)

Family: Felidae (cats.)

Genus: Uncia (snow leopard.)

Geographic Range

Snow leopards are distributed throughout high mountain ranges in Central Asia, particularly the Himalayan mountain system. They have been found in Bhutan, Nepal, and the Siberian region of Russia. About 60% of their range occurs in China!

Habitat

Snow leopards live in temperate regions, and prefer to sleep in steep, rocky and broken terrain. Cliffs and ridgelines are also fair game. They live in elevations of 900 to 5500 meters or higher. (2952.76 ft - 18044.62). In winter, snow leopards migrate to lower elevations to follow their prey. They tend to generally avoid dense forest cover and cultivated fields.

Did you know snow leopards are referred to as "ghosts of the mountains" due to their reclusivity? Spooky!

Physical Description

One curious thing about snow leopards is how long their tails are! Their tails equal to roughly 75% to 90% of their total body length! These long tails are used for balance in their rocky and steep homes, and can also be used to cover their extremities in harsh winters. Their average weight is around 35 to 45 kg (77 lbs - 99 lbs). They have no pronounced sexual dimorphism, though males may be slightly larger in general. Snow leopards have characteristically large paws compared to other cats. These adorable large paws are an adaptation for walking on snow. They also have relatively long hind legs that are adapted for agility and jumping ability. Snow leopards have long and thick coats that shed twice per year, and yield a thicker coat during the winter. Their small rounded ears are an adaptation to minimize heat loss in their cold environments. In comparison to other cats, snow leopards have much larger nasal cavities, and smaller heads relative to body size.

Snow leopards can't actually roar, so they often chuff and make other calls instead!

Reproduction

Snow leopards are solitary, and do not associate with mates unless its mating season. Since it takes a long time to rear cubs, female snow leopards mate every 2 years. They are polygynous (males mate with more than one female.) in the wild, but some captive snow leopards are known to have become monogamous. After a pregnancy of about 90-105 days, a litter consisting of 2-3 cubs is born. (1 to 5 cubs can also occur.) They are born blind and in a warm nest made from their mothers underbelly fur. As most mammals, they feed on milk from their mother until they are about 5 months old. For roughly their first year of life, snow leopard cubs are dependent on their mother.

Did you know snow leopards cubs are undeniably adorable?

Lifespan

Since snow leopards are so hard to find and record, its difficult to determine their average lifespan in the wild. It's thought to be 10 to 12 years. Captive snow leopards have lived for up to 25 years, though the average is 18 years.

Behavior

Snow leopards are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. They are highly mobile and move from one location to another on a daily basis. Due to their elongated legs and large paws, they have excellent jumping abilities, and can climb pretty well. Their preferred method of hunting is to stalk and then ambush their prey from above, using rocky terrain and shrubby vegetation to conceal themselves. Snow leopards generally avoid one another, and mark travel lanes by using scent and scratches on trees.

Did you know snow leopards can jump as high as 50 feet? How acrobatic!

Food Habits

Snow leopards are active hunters, and are opportunistic predators. They are capable of killing animals more than three to four times their own weight, but will also settle for much smaller prey in harsher times. The primary prey species of snow leopards are blue sheep. Other prey species include ibexes, markhors, argali sheep, urials, Himalayan tahrs, serows, gorals, musk deer, wild boar, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelles, goitered gazelles, wild donkeys, and wild yaks. Smaller prey include marmots, hares, pikas, voles, mice and birds. Snow leopards have few natural predators other than humans, though interspecific killing between leopards and snow leopards can occur.

Conservation Status

Snow leopards are endangered, and in the past 2 decades, populations of snow leopards are suspected to have declined by 20% due to habitat loss, prey loss, poaching, and persecution. They are commonly poached for their beautiful pelts and their bones. You can learn and help snow leopards here!: https://snowleopard.org

Personal Opinion

-Very pretty kitties -Love their coats -Adorable -10/10

[psychologeek]

Random questions Google can't help me with:

(even if you don't know, reblog could help a LOT in getting to "the person who knows". So thank you 😊)

1. Islam - How likely it is that Jason use the Hijra (hijaric?) Calander during his time with the LoA🤔

2. Geo-history: spoken languages in Western Asia around 1,300-1,500? Doesn't have to be spesific by years, just sort of. I try to get the possible location, language, religious and calander for some things.

3. what language do the All-caste speak?

Current thoughts:

LoA!

Probably somewhere in the Zagros Mountains? Maybe in the Iranian part. They do speak Arabic, but also Urdo, parasian and pashto. The main Dialect is Arabic, bc it's Ras Al-Ghul og language and that's how he taught his students.

(Also - mybe related to religious? Muslim probably (DoB ~1,300). And iirc being able to read the Qur'an properly has important meaning? I AM NOT MUSLIM PLZ CORRECT ME).

It has a lot of hiding places, wondering tribes, and places to grow food. Going to missions can hide as wonderers.

All-caste!

In the Himalayas, but "Himalayas" is f* HUGE.

WHERE??? Bhutan? China? India? Nepal? Pakistan?