Not Oversimplified Elvaria Lore- Part 2, Classical History(The Age Of Shadows)

Oh yeah forgot to mention that I'm only posting on weekends for the sake of my sanity lmao

Universal Lore- Part 4, The Elemental Planes

All life has the drive to evolve, whether they know it or not. Some are fated to lose the race of genetic and intellectual superiority, some never achieve the creation of civilization, and it is debatable whether or not some will ever even achieve sentience.

Some beings are beyond evolution in the High Realms they isolate themselves in, beings that perceive themselves as the closest to the ideal of perfection and thus are stagnant so long as they believe so.

Some beings are the purest form of evolution, elemental beings that can alter the shape and thought of life through assimilation but could be mistaken as mindless to those that fail to understand a simple truth: the purest defiance of fate is evolution.

If the High Realms represent the driving hand of fate, the Elemental Planes represent the breathing will of life.

These elementals, of course, have their own realm, or rather level of existence, that they are born in- physically it is beneath the Lower Realms, but is as deeply intertwined to the other's existence as are the High Realms and Lower Planes, and is (if anything) closer to mortals than High Realms beings are.

The purest of elements are Stellar, Flame, Air, Earth- the first elements that drive evolution before water and nature come forth, and thus these elements are the ones that make up each sector of the planes where the first elementals came.

The planes form as a vast cave system would, the four largest chambers each holding an elemental core, and from these cores do the energies coalesce and birth new elementals into the current Existence.

The elementals, though beings of pure energy, are unstable lifeforms in their first century of existence, and there is a high chance for their forms to separate into core and body.

The body is capable of developing its own core through the energy created by the division, and so it becomes a physical elemental. The core does not develop its own body, but in exchange gains greater intelligence, and so it becomes an ethereal elemental. On occasion, one half may not become an elemental at all and collapses back to a basic energy state that lacks consciousness. Some elements are more prone to splitting compared to others, and some may only form as a specific type by default.

Air is closest to the ideal of formless freedom, and thus they may only become ethereal elementals.

Stars are second closest to the ideal of steadfast perpetuity, and thus they may become both physical and ethereal but have a greater tendency to form as the latter.

Flame is closest to the ideal of mastery through trial, and thus they may equally become physical or ethereal.

Earth is the closest to the ideal of corporeal self, and thus they may only become physical elementals.

The few elementals that remain whole in both physical form and ethereal mind become Potentates that anchor the Planes, voluntarily falling into eternal stasis until their cores burn out to maintain the existence of the realm.

But what of the impure elements that too drive evolution, and what of hybrids of the four?

They do not exist on the Elemental Planes, instead being born upon individual worlds in the Lower Planes and the in-betweens of space.

Some are "natural" in a sense, water and nature elementals while not being true elementals are at least considered half-elementals and naturally come into existence upon worlds with Potential, although they are a sort of byproduct of evolution. Due to this, they can freely choose between a physical or ethereal form.

Some are created unnaturally, being hybrid elementals born from the collision of pure elementals and/or half-elementals. Whether they are physical or ethereal is dependent on the property of the material they resemble, with storm elementals being ethereal and crystal elementals being physical.

All, however, are capable of assimilation and all share the drive to evolve and become greater beings. They seek Potential and to spread their influence, either being born from said Potential or drawn to it from the Elemental Planes.

When a world meets the threshold of Potential either through an event or natural evolution, Elementals will cross into it and fuse with certain mortals to their whim, merging their ideals and thought and spirit and form in order to create an "evolved being".

These evolved beings become almost a separate race from the race they came from, with some being genetically different(or may not even have genes left) and some still having genetic similarity to their original race but difference in ability and appearance, though all will now have a core akin to an elemental's, and so their lives become intertwined with the power of the core and the ability to pass onto the Realms of Death is forfeited.

When the core's energy fades or the core shatters, so will their consciousness, and they too will meet the same fate as an elemental that fails to return to their birthplace should they have one- reversion to their element's base material.

Such was the fate of the Sky Lords of Avianaen that became no more than the passing breeze, and so did the silent Åskorhaia sentries that became stone and Mountainheart.

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Taglist for writing-

@aneci

If anyone else would like to join the taglist, feel free to DM me or send in an ask! I will also have a separate taglist for art posts.

Okay so I find this important to say in the context of the High Realms lore posts(and upcoming one for Boriasonde)

So A- This knowledge is limited only to the High Realms beings from each realm, and whatever they know is only as much that their creator lets them know. This is pretty irrelevant to Elvaria itself but there are some Tilemgians there, just very reduced in power and they hide out.

And B- You may draw your own conclusions as to who is in the wrong since it's all over the place canonically, but basically it boils down to:

Avaas thought Nix would be fine on his own, Tilisnet and Seclir agreed since they've all been existing for a long, long time and nothing really changes in each Cycle besides civilizations and regular things that don't matter too much in their eyes Nix took this the wrong way because he wasn't involved in the discussion so he thought he got abandoned and that the other three were trying to replace his nothingness with their somethingness to make him permanently disappear He basically made himself disappear and created Civalthax that would fuck shit up Inadvertently made Boriasonde collapse and that caused Tilisnet to disappear to who knows where His people, the Voiskanans, basically have a very skewed view of existence. Nix thinks destruction is how he can restore the old ways. The Voiskanans think destruction is how they'll continue to survive. Basically "everyone forgot about me so I'll make them remember" and "everyone is out to get me and I have to hit them first"

Seclir thinks Nix is just gone like Tilisnet Avaas doesn't want to admit that this was his fault Spaelculans think the same as Seclir because that's all they know too Altersaeans think the abyss is just a natural force because they were lied to by Avaas

Tilemgians though, they know what happened- or at least they remember the feeling of it. Even if their memories are slowly disappearing, their being remembers how it felt. They saw this coming but their memories are fading without their realm, so they cannot properly warn the others.

"The Darkness was once our brother, no longer is it right. This has spelt the end of Time, and the others will soon follow." This is the only message that has come out of the Tilemgians that were able to reach Seclir. He has spread these words to the Spaelculans to ensure this message would not be forgotten in case he were to suddenly disappear as well, but it is cryptic, and no one knows anymore what this was supposed to mean.

By the way this is an incredibly irrelevant note but if someone were to ever talk about the High Realms besides my echo chamber you can really use any pronoun for Tilisnet, Avaas, Seclir, and Nix, like he, she, they, it, xe, etc. The bunch of them are older than the concept of gender by a long shot and don't even look humanoid, I just use he for each of them so there's no struggle to differentiate they(singular, pronoun) and they(plural) when reading.

Oh yeah Pre-Fall Elvaria was roughly like 1990's advancement, post-Fall they were set back to medieval levels of advancement since a lot of knowledge was lost through the older peopled dying off and not being able to pass it on, while also being unable train someone younger because of resource scarcity since the continents just got rearranged

Organizations on Elvaria

With the end of the Warring Era, there have been many opportunities for organization to arise than span many kingdoms from safer conditions and better kingdom relations. Many organizations are scattered around the lands of Elvaria, with some allied with certain kingdoms, and some that are strictly neutral. They vary in purpose and skills, as well as in ideals, traditions, and people. This list only includes the most notable of the elven(or mixed) organizations and is very general. Specifications will be provided on a different post, and organizations outside of Elvaria will be excluded. Additional groups may be added in the future and will be added accordingly along with a notifying post.

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Neutral Organizations These are unaligned to any kingdom.

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The Seekers

A group of battle-priests that was formed during the Ember War by the half-Flaernan-half-Dalirnan Kalathiv and Lustarisean Iniko after deserting their respective kingdoms out of dissatisfaction of the warring conditions(War of Shattered Ruby and the Ember War) and politics. They still exist in the modern day but don't get involved in politics unless they are directly threatened. Currently they have an ongoing dispute with the Hidden.

The Hidden

A group you could either call mercenaries, hitmen, thieves, or all of the above, it is comprised of exiles, deserters, and outlaws that make it almost their entire purpose to cause problems for the kingdoms and exact revenge on particular people(if they're still alive). This group formed near the start of the Ember War where some people were being incriminated for even mere suspicions of being involved in the assassinations of rulers and criminals for petty crime were being conscripted for the armies. The founder, Xie Sha'nie, was recently killed during a battle between the Seekers and the Hidden over their current dispute, and the organization has since been handed to the Avianaen deserter Phalikiron and Yukiosan exile Ostoril.

The Accord of Oracles

A small group of, well, oracles that has existed since the Age of the Empires and have been granted diplomatic immunity by all kingdoms(except Jivankova out of circumstances and they have their own oracles). The gift(or curse depending on how you view it) of foresight came from the Tilemgians during the brief time the Eternaveilan races had a hidden presence on Elvaria's surface and was given to 7 bloodlines, one from each kingom(including the minor kingdoms). The Lunarisian Velscira would found the Accord and her bloodline has survived to the modern times, with the current leader being the Zodianan Bas'nurilos.

The Academy of Blades

An academy located on an island between Haliskor, Elorinar, and Yinorael, the school staff are very secretive and highly selective with potential students. Graduates must swear a binding oath of secrecy or join the school as a teacher, and the school itself is neutral unless directly threatened. The staff teach a very peculiar type of magical combat which is reliant on blades(usually swords or daggers) that seems more reliant on willpower and spirit rather than Asurei. The founder is unknown to everyone other than the "headmaster" Walekrian Wei'Mo Tan-Shi, but is alive as far as anyone knows.

The Circle of Speakers

A small group of druids and beast callers, the group was founded after the founding of Floernia. Most of the members are Floernians and a few are Dysheraln, with other kingdoms' people being few and far between. All of the members have an unusual attunement with nature, whether it be being able to commune with fauna or with flora(this also includes understanding the hums of the Dysheraln which is how the group picks out fakers). They do not have a proper leader as it used to be Cirania and they felt no one could act as a replacement(suggesting so is practically heresy), so they have ambassadors instead to deal with politics.

The Vermillion Hand

A small group of blood mages(not quite into necromancer territory) that were the result of the experiments of Ilskorith Mavkoril, a deranged Yūregian scientist who was expelled from the Society of Harvesters for using live subjects in his experiments(further elaboration in the future) during the Ember War. Think Frankenstein but the people are still alive. The group is generally avoided by all the kingdoms and they tend to keep to themselves as well, only appearing if they are directly threatened. The founders and leaders of the group are Zorthex Kax'sarthi, Dal'zythal Akzonil(pseudonym), and Zikir'thal(pseudonym).

Calamity

A city of elves from around the Yiagilian and Elemortian kingdoms that live on an island. All of them have been expelled from their respective kingdoms due to being born with the Harbinger condition that causes their natural attunement with Asurei and the elements to be distorted and lead to incredibly destructive and unpredictable spellcasting, leading to the alternative names for the condition being Nature's Wrath and Wrathblood(note that sometimes it's a case to case basis on whether or not a Harbinger should or shouldn't remain in their kingdom). Regular cities were not built to handle such abilities, so Calamity was specially built to not collapse from all kinds of disasters and special training is given to young and new members so they do not create something unfixable. The founders and leaders all go under pseudonyms and their given names have been stricken from records across the kingdoms they came from. The group of leaders consists of the Zodianan Hollower(creates black holes), the Föllen Alatsan Earthshaker(creates earthquakes), and the Yukiosan Frostbite(freezes blood).

The Cult of the Doomsayers

An apocalypse-prophesying group with an obsession for death well beyond what even a Yūregian considers reasonable. Their main practices include inducing insanity as they believe it "opens eyes to the truth", sacrifices, and "trials of dedication" performed in accordance to a scripture that is nonsensical to anyone outside of the group. It is uncertain if members of the group can read it themselves. The leader is Yl'thirak Shattersoul who has never actually been seen and doesn't have a name that matches any currently existing elven race in the world, so it's generally believed that this is a pseudonym.

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Kingdom-Based Organizations This list excludes royal or noble councils. Organizations that came from a kingdom but expanded to span the continent or the world count under kingdom-based.

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The Lady's Bulwark

Half of the military and guard force of Åskorhal, the Bulwark consists of two sections: the Mountainguard and Heartkeepers. The Mountainguard manage the city and village guard along with being the majority of the footsoldiers should a war ever break out with another kingdom. The Heartkeepers regulate and guard the Mountainheart crystal ore veins and central crystal to prevent outsiders from gaining access to it and prevent overharvesting, as all Åskorhaia Elthir consider them to be the blood and heart of the Lady of the Mountains.

The Watcher's Spear

The other half of the military and guard force of Åskorhal, the Spear consists of two sections as well: the Dragonbreakers and Stormtamers. The Dragonbreakers tame and train the storm dragons native to the Gyvorkal mountains to use in aerial combat and scouting. The Stormtamers are split between those who ride dragons and those that don't, but they are the more proactive group when it comes to preventing outsiders from scaling the mountain. A more accurate description of them would be storm throwers as they harness the might of storms to hurl electrified spears at people that come too close to the mountains.

The Speakers of the Echo

A temple of priests from Avianaen that ritualistically blind themselves so they only need to focus on hearing, as they are the only people that can still hear the "echoes" that come from the sky. Sometimes these echoes are understandable, sometimes they aren't. The general populace assumes that the echo is the remaining voice of the Sky Lords, but a few believe the echo is something more, and some others believe it to be a trick of the mind trying to hear the wind. The Triumvirate of the Skyborne are part of the first group and leave the temple as an official establishment in the hopes that the Sky Lords(excluding Thiroaven) may come back one day.

The Elscorin

The descendants of the Avianaens that followed Thiroaven during the War of the Skylords and refused to renounce their loyalty even after his defeat. They were cursed by the blood of the Dragon Lord Enthivar and his people(dragons) when it touched their skin. Half of the loyalists became Gorasbora, those who cannot fly lest the wind tear their spirit and flesh apart. The other half became Haraspira, those who cannot land lest their hearts cease to beat and their bones crumble to dust. They together would form the Elscorin, which was less a group that wanted vengeance and more needed to rely on each other to survive.

The Board of Scholarship and Enlightenment(BSE)

Originating from Dalirna, the Board is meant to establish and regulate universities throughout Dalirna and any others they founded in conjunction with other kingdoms. They maintain a high quality of education with appropriate academic material and funding in order to ensure that graduates will be at the top of the job market for their major.

The Archivists’ Society

Originating in Dalirna, this society is basically a guild for writers around the world. They have their own weekly newspaper(more like a pamphlet or booklet) called The Inkwell where writers both in and out in the guild(but they have to pay a publishing fee) can submit writing to be published in the booklets.

Guild of the Elemortian Scribes(GES)

The more academic counterpart of the Archivists' Society, they generally deal with publishing and field writing for academic pursuits as well as copying of old texts to be preserved. Many professors are in this guild as it allows an easier passage from post-graduate to a job in the teaching profession.

The Eyes of the Augurer

The mages' society of Dalirna, they encompass all the types of magic professions in the kingdom and their duties may range from managing the barriers around each city and town to actively monitoring and trying to divert major sandstorms into the sea, along with other things.

The Artisans’ Guild of Elemortia

Also originating in Dalirna but quickly became a powerhouse guild of all the Elemortian kingdoms, they deal with all crafted goods and have become an economic power and regulator to ensure fair trade between merchants, buyers, and sellers. Some say they can bypass kingdom regulations if need be, even though the Artisans' Guild didn't stem from the Dalirnan nobility or ruler.

The Pyres of Condemnation

The group that deals with prisoners and crime crackdowns in Flaerna. Public opinion of them isn't the highest, but they do their jobs well and provide large amounts of employment for Toliskvya Flaernans deemed too dangerous(more to themselves than others) for common trade jobs.

The Economic Sect of Flaerna

The sect is filled with rich nobles and businesses that flourished during the Ember War, with the majority being blacksmiths and ration producers(don't ask how a wasteland can make rations I don't have an answer tbh). It has recently made a shift towards more common trades but controls much of the flow of money coming in and out of Flaerna. They are in a sort of competition with the Artisans' Guild when it comes to controlling Flaernan markets.

The Global Trader’s Association For Bejeweled Goods(GTABG)

Coming from Föllen Alatsa, the organization controls the flow of jewelry and quality metals and gems to prevent imitations and ensure that the materials came from legal sources. Jewelers from other kingdoms with land that can produce precious minerals quickly joined the association when it was created, and the association would become close partners with the Artisans' Guild.

Mineral Harvester Coalition/Miner's Union(MHC)

This organization goes under two names for the two sides of it: the side that deals with exporting both common and precious minerals, and the side that deals with internal issues in Föllen Alatsa, namely the disconnect between the nobility and miners in terms of what actually goes on in the tunnels. The Miner's Union can be thought of as the side that deals with the ethics rather than business.

The Jewelrycrafts and Metallurgy Society(JMS)

Originally, they were part of the GTABG until they split off to focus less on the sales part of the trade and more on training and employment side of things, though they're still global. They also encompass smithing and the newly emerging engineering fields rather than only jewelry. For people seeking apprenticeships in any jewelling or metallurgy fields, the usual process is to join the Society stating your desired specialization and region, and then you'd be assigned to a master craftsmen from your kingdom with boarding and pay covered by the trade apprenticeship programs of the kingdom.

Wardens of the Bloodied Grotto

This group exists solely to keep regular civilians away from the Cave of Bloodied Quartz in order to protect them from the almost corruptive abilities of the quartz within. The group occupies the two guard towers at each of the two entrances and consists of trained guards ordered to immediately execute anyone that approaches within a certain distance of the blocked off entrances, as well as mages personally trained by Lustariseans to maintain the barrier that protects the stone around the cave to prevent someone mining into it by accident.

The Cave Watchers

The guard force of Föllen Alatsa's sprawling cave system, they have to deal with crime as well as monitoring the caves at all times to predict a collapse and minimize the potential deaths. Their methods aren't perfect, so it's very common for them to be skilled in healing and earthen magic whenever they fail to reach a collapse point in time to evacuate the miners. They also employ mages known as Earthspeakers whose specialty is to artificially stabilize major ore vein tunnels in order to further minimize risk of collapse points, and though they are more sensitive to tremors, when a tunnel is about to collapse there is little they can do but evacuate the people in it.

The Sentinels of The Archer

The Archer of Light was one of the first of the survivors to begin using light magic after the debris leftover from The Fall started to, well, fall. The accounts from that era of early Hikarinan history say that they would strike the debris in the sky with their arrows in order to expose more of the sky and sunlight, along with protecting those that hadn't adapted yet from the beasts that evolved during the darkness post-Fall. They left no descendants behind, but the Sentinels of The Archer would come around after their death to continue their duties. Nowadays, they're pretty much just the elite guard force of Hikarina. Many members swear an oath of celibacy but it isn't mandatory.

The Selectors

I wouldn't count this as a royal council because they aren't actually involved in political decisions so that's why they're here.

The group consists of 9 members of unknown race(suspected to be elementals by regular citizens) that determine who will be the next Matriarch of Jivankova when the current one is close to her death. The process entails the General Selection of powerful Jivankira Elthir from the general populace, then the Proper Selection where the group of powerful individuals are further filtered through an examination, and then all of the final group are to undergo the ritual to become a Matriarch. The ritual almost always filters the final group to one person that survives, but if another person lives, the two are to duel to the death as there can only be one Matriarch alive at a time. The group that failed the Proper is executed to prevent a potential overthrow of the new Matriarch. The Selectors do not have any say in anything until the Matriarch is nearing death and the cycle continues.

The Assembly of Asuremancy

The Assembly consists of only Lustarisean and Geintori Asuremancers and is led by the Shin'nyo Apolis Asuremant, Suigimano Shinoto. They very rarely have a presence outside of Lustarise's caves, but are incredibly accomplished in the usage of Asurei well beyond what other elven races usually can achieve. There is a special screening done every 10 years from the birth of a Lustarisean up until their 200th birthday(for late bloomers this is usually the latest their talent will express itself) to determine whether or not they have the potential to join the Assembly. They are given the choice to accept or decline(but can join later) if they pass the screenings. Every Lustarisean and Geintori can use Asurei, but not every mage of their kind is a proper Asuremancer.

The Walekrian Guild of Fine and Performing Arts(WGFPA)

They contain most(if not all) the artists of both fine and performance arts in Walekria and aid them in gaining a name for themselves in the professional field as well as exhibiting their work. Similarly to JMS, apprenticeships and immediate employment are offered by the guild. As a side note, they do get offended if people call their musicians bards.

Royal Institution of Biological and Geographical Oceanographic Study(RIBGOS)

While it is a university, it also is an organization for graduate students of the university to further research into the field. They're paid well as is, but are able to take an extra job as a professor if they desire an extra income. Due to the nature of the job requiring being able to travel to the underwater parts of the university and cities, most of the members of the institution are Walekrians, but you may see the odd Zodianan from a water sanctuary here and there as well as other elven races in commissioned vehicles.

The Conservationists of Permafrost-Bound and Arctic Sea Artifacts(CPBAS)

As the(very long) name says, the organization's purpose is to conserve and research artifacts from the past that was frozen beneath the permafrost of Halinskor and under ice floes or floating in the sea. Yukiosans are not built to dive, so the organization is very reliant on the Anctora variant of Avianaens that are able to dive into the sea's twilight zone. They have a strict policy that any artifact they find that can be accurately traced to a living relative has to be returned to them unless they give explicit consent for the organization to keep it for history.

L’ombrene Necrose

A society meant to provide for the extra needs of Yūregian undead, such as repairing of injuries and providing materials to make their bodies last longer.

The Cult of the Black Moon

A Yūregian cult that worships the Black Moon. They are not as extremist as the Cult of the Doomsayers, but are still considered at least odd by general Yūregian society. They believe some sort of being lives inside the Black Moon and will lead them to another world when a great calamity befalls Elvaria. They're allowed to openly worship so long as they don't do anything illegal per se.

The Apothecarium

Yūregian society is currently split into 3 groups- the Apothecarium, the Necrivana, and the Oltharan. This split is occurring over the debate on whether or not necromancy is an ethical and proper "cure" for the curse or plague that affects Yūregian society. The Apothecarium is the side that is strictly against the practice of necromancy, believing that investing more research into alchemy would produce a cure that doesn't require dying first as they view the condition as the result of a disease. Besides politics, the Apothecarium is also a guild that produces the vast majority of medicine and potions in Yūregia.

The Necrivana

The Necrivana are the group in Yūregian society that believe necromancy is the only way to solve the condition which they consider to be a curse. This is the group supported by the majority of noble families.

The Oltharan

These are the Yūregians that are either advocates of both necromancy and alchemy as solutions or do not want to support either side in case the kingdom is torn apart in a civil war over this issue. They are actually the minority in views and have very little political backing as the society usually pushes people towards choosing a side.

The Society of Harvesters

A Yūregian group of necromancers that work towards finding a solution for the "curse" that affects Yūregian society. They are led by the Premiède Patrimonte Mähdrecher, Roderikcht Marcheuse Fantoine, and thus holds a fair amount of political influence as well as noble support.

The International Academia of Astronomical Sciences and Observatories(IAASO)

Founded in Zodiana, the academia is both an actual university and an organization. Unlike RIBGOS, members of other kingdoms are able to attend the academia and join the organization as a researcher(side jobs as professors are also offered) so long as they have the sufficient drive to study astronomy and have completed their basic schooling.

The Royal Zodianian Society of Traditions(RZST)

The Society manages festivals and prepares the kingdom's cities and towns for observances of events significant to Zodianan culture. This organization was created when the Ember War ended, as though tradition dictated that affairs of tradition were given to the youngest member of the royal family, there is only one living member of the direct bloodline left so it would be better to relegate the duty to a separate party.

The 13 Sanctuaries

Zodiana has 13 sanctuaries that each specialize in their own craft or production along with allowing Zodianans to study one element besides the stellar energy they are born with. The main 12 sanctuaries have their own leader that is a member of the Starsword Council, and the sanctuaries themselves are split into 6 elements: flame(Ailes and Laeis), water(Cavenor and Saritoris), earth(Tevara and Secrion), nature(Vogira and Cariscron), ice(Peisica and Aquival), and air(Gimera and Larinen). The 13th sanctuary, Ocphis, is limited to Sarkathian Zodianans as it embodies the purest form of Qilanar's power, and those that feel most drawn to it are rejected by other elements. Elven races from the Elemortian kingdoms are able to attend the universities each Sanctuary contains but the populations are still majority Zodianan.

The Global Committee of the Culinary Arts(GCCA)

A recently formed group that is the board of culinary achievements and consists of top chefs from every kingdom(except Åskorhal, Jivankova, and Lustarise for obvious reasons). It used to exist during the Cycelian Empires Era but had been dissolved after The Fall, and has since been remade for the sake of tradition. Their most recent(and first) activity was the Global Elvarian Cooking Competition, a resurrection of one of the old traditions of the original GCCA. The chefs on the committee plan on creating a special restaurant rating system to identify restaurants and taverns with excellent food and dining experiences to award them in order to bring them the popularity they deserve.

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Taglist for writing-

@aneci

If anyone else would like to join the taglist, feel free to DM me or send in an ask! I will also have a separate taglist for art posts.

Images only, link to original Twitter at the bottom of post.

Full🧵 here:

its official: tumblr is selling our data to Midjourney

404 Media

Tumblr and Wordpress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools

Internal documents obtained by 404 Media show that Tumblr staff compiled users' data as part of a deal with Midjourney and OpenAI.

we'd been hearing rumors about this for a bit but now its open and out there. some details from this article

it goes without saying, but if @staff goes through with this its going to be an utter shitshow and im all but certain the website will not survive it.

i think the near-extinction of people making fun, deep and/or unique interactive text-based browser games, projects and stories is catastrophic to the internet. i'm talking pre-itch.io era, nothing against it.

there are a lot of fun ones listed here and here but for the most part, they were made years ago and are now a dying breed. i get why. there's no money in it. factoring in the cost of web hosting and servers, it probably costs money. it's just sad that it's a dying art form.

anyway, here's some of my favorite browser-based interactive projects and games, if you're into that kind of thing. 90% of them are on the lists that i linked above.

A Better World - create an alternate history timeline

Alter Ego - abandonware birth-to-death life simulator game

Seedship - text-based game about colonizing a new planet

Sandboxels or ThisIsSand - free-falling sand physics games

Little Alchemy 2 - combine various elements to make new ones

Infinite Craft - kind of the same as Little Alchemy

ZenGM - simulate sports

Tamajoji - browser-based tamagotchi

IFDB - interactive fiction database (text adventure games)

Written Realms - more text adventure games with a user interface

The Cafe & Diner - mystery game

The New Campaign Trail - US presidential campaign game

Money Simulator - simulate financial decisions

Genesis - text-based adventure/fantasy game

Level 13 - text-based science fiction adventure game

Miniconomy - player driven economy game

Checkbox Olympics - games involving clicking checkboxes

BrantSteele.net - game show and Hunger Games simulators

Murder Games - fight to the death simulator by Orteil

Cookie Clicker - different but felt weird not including it. by Orteil.

if you're ever thinking about making a niche project that only a select number of individuals will be nerdy enough to enjoy, keep in mind i've been playing some of these games off and on for 20~ years (Alter Ego, for example). quite literally a lifetime of replayability.

I finally got my shit done back to elvaria I'm (temporarily) free🙏🙏🙏

I'm bored of elemental giants. Use environmental giants instead.

Environmental Giants all start out the same, but their bodies take up the features of the place they live in. They become a reflection of their domain.

Giant takes up residence in the cliffs of dover? Not a stone giant. No, that's specifically The Giant of Dover. Its body is made of chalk. It can create dust clouds of chalk with its breath, its shoulders are padded with tufts of short grasses and blackberry bushes.

Giant takes up residence in the ruins of a highway during an apocalypse? That's the I-95 Giant. It has rebar spines along its back, skin of pavement and concrete, and wears wrecked cars as armor.

And to make this idea more dynamic, the giant's form changes as the ecosystem changes. A river gets diverted away from a Giant's domain? Then the Giant dries up along with its land. Now the Giant has an incentive to protect its dominion, and a weakness that its enemies can exploit.