Ungod

Mixed feelings. Gotta be strong. This is how I think most people will gather resources now: before, you'd get 3 pickaxes, get to the quarry and swing them, coming back every 10 mins and making sure you don't deplete or go under the land's (determined) number; you needed someone to enforce that, but you could time your gathering with a fair estimation now, you have to get tools for the resources specific for that land; on one hand, it binds you to a land (not gonna mine in GG and go for bark in LR), on the other, it diversifies your gathering (can't mine ore only, also getting tools will require visiting multiple capitols); the timing is also going to be off, although there isn't that much of a difference in cooldown for several tools So, to sum up, gathering is getting more specialized and more diversified at the same time, with efficient ant-like gatherers going MIA. It sounds like a good change for the gameplay, so I'll just bid sayonara to the days I went with three buckets/pickaxes in GG because there was nobody to pick up those tools anyway (my excuse for hoarding).

Hmm...since I still have plushies left, I'd like 2x avatar tokens 2x acoustic remains sps 1x silvertongue sps That's 50+14+10=74 plushies!

rofl

Not wanting to make another topic: I was thinking of another last stage for the LR archer, the Loreroot champion. This choice would be done at Hunter's Lodge, with the sacrifice of personal skills as cost. The Loreroot champion is not a defender of Loreroot the traditional way, nor a hunter of beasts anymore, but a fighter in the arena.

By force of habit (and a few hiccups), I managed to finish reading the book I started 5 months ago. I browsed the list of herbs I made in the process and wanted to write another 'flora of', but I have doubts about the proper place of each plant. I would like to talk about this, here or in-game. For now, we are dealing with 19 herbs, drawn crudely by myself. The gith, for example, would belong to Golemus, but I can also see it in Marind Bell. The anabasis is 90% GG, but I feel I keep pushing very similar plants on the shores of Golemus. Perhaps the slopes of NML, after exiting the underground? I'd like to put the windflower in MB, as it is somewhat delicate, perhaps too delicate for NML, but it would fit the East, too. Alternatively, it could be made one of the flowery plants of the MDA. The things to consider here is both the real-life conditions for each plant and the character of each land, because some plants just seem to 'fit' one place and not the other. I don't really know how that happens. I'm open for talks

i was thinking of an achievement only force of habit is too descriptive while being perfectly true

Even if I'm closing it with no submissions, I have to tell you the subject is fascinating. The 'western' imagery is so influenced by this (actually defined is the right word) that if you manage to read on it, and get at the core, you'll certainly be blown away. So read if you have the opportunity!

Still some days left, but I'm not holding my breath. (the subject itself is quite interesting, but the research is probably a pain )

Posted this in mood panel a couple days ago, thought someone was playing with the scenes. I used the A25 tools to see if something was written wrong, but I couldn't see anything.

Because of the excitement caused by yesterday's find, I am making a quest rewarded with a WP! The find is different from the topic of this thread, but it started there...in ''European'' demonology, there are six types of demons. The uppermost demons inhabit an area known as the ‘fiery’ (diapyron), the second category the ‘airy’ (aerion), the third the ‘earthly’ (chthonion), the fourth the ‘watery’ (fresh and salt: hydraion and enalion), the fifth the ‘sub-earthly’ (hypochthonion) and the sixth the ‘light-hating and insensible’ (misophaes and dysaisthêton). What I want you to do is research the origin of this categorization, which is much more ancient than, say, 500 AD, and write one-two paragraph as to what you think the origin is. This is half the task. The other half is argument in one-two (or more) paragraphs whether the creatures of MagicDuel respect this categorization (of six realms) or not. The paper shall be submitted to me, on whatever channel you prefer, and I shall be the sole judge. The right answer for part 1 and good arguments for part 2, or the closest answer to the truth for part 1 and good arguments for part 2 will get a WP. If I get more submissions, I will add a second and third place. The winner gets a WP with a rating of 5 minimum, which can go up to max depending on the quality of arguments for second task. I reserve the right to publish the winner's answer, although as a winner, you can try to convince me I shouldn't...you might win. Also, the deadline for this quest, which might involve a lot of reading is 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, I close it if I get no signals from anyone or get at last 1, but nobody announces me they want to try it. If I get a message from anyone the reading is not done yet, I will extend the period by n weeks after the 2 weeks have passed. If I forgot to mention something, post here (Also, this quest really deserves a WP, because the research on the subject leads to finds that contradict much of what you know and is 'the establishment' of today; nobody likes change, but for a researcher, going against the established truth is a fun fun activity) (P.S. I attached a pic from HoMM because in my opinion it respects this classification to a letter)

As I begin to write this, I had a glimpse of Akasha's topic about spam...well, whatever. For me, this year was better than last year. I bounced back with new goals, resolve, peace of mind. Last year it was kind of a new low. I hear it's been really bad for others, and my mind is slightly conflicted. A part of me wants to help - the moronic part. The more intelligent one (the one always at the edge of despair) is rationally pointing out how you can't actually help someone, take their burden, straighten out their path. I'm beginning to be more of a 'not my problem' kind of guy. But, you know, seeing the propaganda level at this intensity makes me pissed off, too. Not my problem, ok, but in an indirect way...Can I do something about it, though? No, not much, particularly since you can only give advice, and only when it's asked for. I see lots of people who are ridiculously weakened, and unfortunately, it's gonna bite me as well, somehow. So what I'm trying to do in a very discrete manner is tell people they can take it easy. And I just point out how political the whole year has been. Everything is because of a political goal, a political vendetta, or because of a reset brought about by the newest technologies, employed by the newest challenger when everyone wanted to take it slowly (and leave the hard work for the next 10 years, prolly). Just look at UK. Nice backstabbing there, with Brexit, but things didn't end there. A no-deal Brexit made everything worse, and now 'things are out of control' and 'flights must be suspended' etc. Read between the lines, because you can afford to. They say 'it's worse than you can imagine' - that means it's fine. They say 'all is well' - uhh...is it? You know they couldn't have done it if there was no internet - without a means to keep in touch with people you know, you either go mad or go out with a pitchfork. Things must be kept under control, and I have learned to trust the politicians. They do their best to manage things, mostly because if they don't, someone else will take away their power. I'm not panicked, I'm not cursing at politicians, I know they do what must be done. Yet the propellers of the propaganda are too damn fast, ok? But maybe it's just me. For me, as I've said, things are going fine. Nothing ever changes, and I just don't give a damn anymore about potential. I'm in this imaginary hut, watching the change of seasons. People are coming and going, as busy as ants on the forest floor. Me, I'm just watching. I'm just saying, if the load gets too heavy, stop and look around. It'll help.

Maybe a mini-story for the island? meeting the ferryman or someone, who then leaves you to the guardians and whatnot

In our lives there are plenty creations of the mind that make us suffer or heal us just as much as physical contact with the physical world. Now, in MD they are called creatures and are supposed to be mastered and used in 'duels' with other minds, and mastering them starts with the fundamental issue of obtaining/knowing the name of the creature. However, in this topic I want to bring into focus the possibility of change. One creation that has divergent paths around MagicDuel is the angien, a dual creature which seems to represent different things. Now, I like giving this example found in Greek mythology, since it's quite easy to understand and works for many points to illustrate. The example follows two stories on love - that of a man losing his lover (she dies) and of a man losing the bee colony he was taking care of. The first man dies in bed, feverishly uttering the name of his beloved, the second receives advice from the gods and manages to 'revive' his bee hive the next spring. It is an example of love, but there are different circumstances to this love, that make the two cases unique. We can further ask - what if the first man had had a child from his relationship? Wouldn't the love for the child give him the strength to press on and live, despite the suffering? Such circumstances bring about change in the feeling, the creature we nurture throughout life, and even if we're talking about the same creation, it's not quite the same. In the case of the angiens, something taints the 'pure' angien, and we can talk about what that taint is, but we can also consider it a 'circumstance'. This means for every creation we know the name of, there can be various circumstances that would make each creature different, depending on the patron. Of course, the differences might be negligible and not warrant different visible expressions of the creature, but they can also be striking. The angiens should have expressed their nature according to the user, but it's quite difficult to come up with a nice algorithm for it. However, of importance here is, I think, the fact that one creature can change unless fully 'evolved', at which point it can only be used as is or sealed into oblivion. Creations of the mind are subject to change, and not forgetting that can give you the power to change, if you are determined and curious. There might be unacceptable situations in life, there might be tunnels seemingly with no end, but there's always a light at the end. That's because a feeling can grow, be changed, discarded, abused, enhanced, it's because we're not bound to it without any choice at all (the definition of 'choice' here is in conjecture with there being multiple possibilities or uses). The screen I'm looking right now may stay a screen forever, unless I decide to smash it, or sell it, the anger someone feels towards me might be unchangeable at the moment, but my anger, my creation of the mind, is moreso within my power. And certainly, the hills and meadows, the forest and mountains, the rivers and deserts of the immaterial world of the mind is filled with such creations, born without my consent and with my absent participation, but! the landscape is not definitive - not for one moment. It keeps changing, and you keep walking - a traveler on a muddy road.

Then, what about that Chinese saying? was it ancient trolling?! hope you're well as well and may we play in a more populated MD sometime soon.

now that i think about it, the story with the cube and the little girl was a hell of an intro. it was building a lot of suspense, while the island is quite peaceful by comparison what if we add the elements of a crisis there? like, aramors being assembled by unknown entities, boarding ships to who knows where; or, the island being enshrouded in a 'cloud of viscosity' with each passing day, threatening to become occult from the mainland or something

I wanted to come out with part 2 of MB's flora, but plans are for the conceited. Glasswort would suggest a plant that looks like glass - translucent and bright. In fact, glasswort takes its name from the use people had for it for centuries or maybe even millennia - as a source of soda ash for glassmaking. Since it tolerates salt water well, you can often find glasswort near the sea - or in it. Edible and having plenty of salt already, glasswort is also called pickleweed. Because its leaves are atrophied to fleshy scales and because the two opposite leaves form a sheath around the stem, this herb looks like strange bulky hands coming out of the earth, made of fat lumps joined together. Usually green, it changes color in autumn, when red mats of glasswort can be seen stretching over kilometres of beach land. In Golemus, they can be found at Wraith's Wreck or the Ivory Lighthouse. The blue flowers of chicory bloom on tall stems under the full stare of the sun. Although the young plant's leaves may resemble the dandelion or sow's thisle, the buds and flowers make it instantly recognizable. Used in salads after leaching or boiling, in teas, or even as a drink that is made from its root, chicory is less useful as a food. Contrary to plants that store the carbohydrates as starch, chicory stores them in the form of inulin, hardly digestible by humans. Some folks believe chicory can open locked doors. This may be because the ancient name of chicory could signify 'light in the dark'. In Golemus, it can be found behind harmonious pillars, at Cannon's Crossing, Mt. Kelle'tha and other conspicuous or less conspicuous scenes. One of the more dangerous - but also useful - plants to have around, Ephedra was used as a stimulant since many millennia ago. Raising blood pressure to high levels, it can cause headaches, insomnia, hyperthermia, arrhythmias and tachycardia - certainly a dangerous plant when the dose is mismanaged. Epehdra is good at defending itself, and is used to fighting harsh conditions. It can thrive as high as 4000 m above sea level. In temperate climates, Ephedra usually grows on shores or in sandy soils with plenty of sun. Its appearance betrays its marine origin, with the photosynthetic stems looking like pointy tentacles rushing out of the earth. Here and there, scale-like leaves form a red sheath around the green stem, and at those 'joints' small inflorescences bloom. The red strobili are fleshy and resemble a berry, making the plant stand out among the scorched grass. In Golemus, it can be found at the summit of Mt. Kelle'tha, Power's ascent, Drachorn's Cave or nearby Fenth's Beach.

After browsing various forums, I decided this is the best one to hold my topic, mostly because it seems Rumi tried to bring some botanical knowledge into MD just as I would (I don't know Rumi, though). This text is not focused on the community garden. However, it's directed at the same kind of people that would get involved in the creation of a garden, hence the choice of place. Botanical knowledge, I think, is just another layer that can be added to MD, even if the core refers to introspection and exploration of the mind. I think the creation of self has a lot to do with what surrounds us, in ways we cannot even imagine. I had a little fun trying to illustrate very short descriptions of three plant families that I see present in Marind Bell. I kinda did my best, taking into account I don't illustrate, but if it looks nothing like the subject...try to do better than me Tjuf was the ancient Egyptian name for the reed's relative, the papyrus. The name still lives in the Balkans of today, though it refers to the common reed - also named rush. A lover of wetlands, the rush colonizes large areas with...haste. The reed's flowering spikes are iconic and impossible to forget, as well as the rustling leaves of reeds. They are hairless, tall and straight, and were found useful for many, many things. Thatched roofs, rafts or boats, sandals, mats, garments and even rope or paper - the reed can be turned into any of these. It can also be harvested for its starchy rhizomes and tender shoots, or its copious pollen. The rhizomes can be made into floor, cooked or even eaten raw, just like the shoots. Many a swamp has been cleaned by them - so make sure where you get them from. In Marind Bell, the reed can be found surrounding the Angien Lake like a ring. The mallows trace their name back to the Egyptian glory of more than ten thousands years ago, when they were called, just as today, Moloch. Moloch, malva, or the mallow has an axillary inflorescence breaching out of a large flower that comes in shades of blue and violet, red and pink, yellow and white. Many species of mallow exist, but there's something they have in common - individuals can change their gender. Although starting as males, they can turn into females when the need arises. Many mallows are eaten as leaf vegetables, either cooked or raw - buds and flowers, too. Even the unripe fruitlets can be eaten. After thousands of years, the Molokheyia dish of Egypt is still cooked the same simple way: with mallow leaves, garlic, spices and, if possible, meat. The leaves are demulcent and can be chewed to sooth coughs or sore throats. As a soothing agent, it relieves minor pain and membrane inflammation; some prepare the leaves for internal use. The syrup made is used to treat inflammation of the digestive and urinary systems. In Marind Bell, there are molochs everywhere - behind marble stairs, in shaded alleys or the nearby doors of the Shop or the Keep. The star plant - is the latin name given to the genus this herb belongs to, whose flower resembles a star. What distinguishes Stellaria's flower from others is the way its petals and sepals alternate so you don't know which is which. Both number 5 and look the same. Stellaria prefers places with lots of water and shade, but it tolerates sun as well. It germinates in autumn or late winter, to form large mats of foliage in spring. Stellaria is a hardy plant. The tender leaves, buds and flowers can be eaten raw - with moderation. Like other edible plants such as nettle, it has a high content of minerals, particularly iron and potassium, but also toxins like oxalates and saponins. You're likely to miss it when passing in a hurry. When resting, the small white flowers on long stems, with contrasting yellow and red stamens, catch your eye inadvertently. In Marind Bell, it is found in places like Sage's Keep or Wind's Sanctuary.

Got an interesting one, so I'll share it, but I'm closing this anyway.

Well, it was too short a time, but I don't think it would've made much of a difference. Star gazing is particular, so...I'm closing this. If you do try it out, though, leave a message here.

I kept asking myself what I had to do in MD yesterday and today and now I know. But since I forgot, all I did was collecting water...

I think to write a really dark story, you need those very dark wrong feelings that depression gives you (coupled with the dark wrong ideas that you can't refute because of, perhaps, lack on information). Without those, can you write a dark story? I think a horror one is possible, but not a dark one. I'll try my hand at it now, to validate that. All improv, with some 10 minutes thinking beforehand. Peace moved like the breeze on the dusty plains, with sorrowful excitement on her face. A kind melancholy travelled thought her veins at the thought of decorating Necrovion with yet another addition. She opened the hatch and brought /it/ out. The former Lorerootian guard was unrecognizable. A lump of flesh surrounded by dark plasma, with no eyes, no face, barely erect. Peace put her hand on the guard's head and entered his mind. There were tall green trees hiding birds and insects and knators, there was singing and murder and light showers of rain, all mixed in a dazzling swirling dance in the forest of Loreroot. Archers trained aiming at falling leaves, rushing though the trees in races, bringing hides and tree bark to their homes. The Lorerootian groaned and the sealed mouth opened. 'ome..water...mothe'r.. Perhaps I awakened too much of your memories, guard? asked Peace. These memories, they never fade, do they? But, who would ever want to live there? she dismissed the thought. That dazzling light, that mixture of mindless happiness and hope and murderous songs ; are you kidding me? Behold, my dear guard, behold all that is left. You never wanted to see this side of the world, but now you Have to look at it. You've used shadow to conceal your presence when hunting, now see how IT hunted you. You've run from darkness, now it caught up. You've taken pride in your skill, now look what you became. Broken, powerless, lost... ...Fear not, you are useful. Peace rode the winds towards the Well of Tears, her prey in hand. Reaching the Dead Forest, she put the former guard onto an empty spot and opened a small box. Inside, a fungi overgrowth was glowing. She took a small bit and placed it on the Lorerootian, watching the fermentation work its way into the heart of the guard with an absent look. As the fungi devoured the flesh, it grew harder and harder, shedding immaterial lumps of darkness that fell on the ground. Small ants were carrying those lumps inside the crooked trunk of a tree, a tree that was once human, feeding a trembling ant queen. Feed well, smiled Peace, the spiders like plump larvas. Necrovion had now a new voice, and the wind had another surface to bounce off of. Peace lay on the ground, silent. If...if there was light here, would it pierce the dark clouds above? If birds were to live here, would their shrieking voice shred the light melancholy of darkness that seeped into her heart? Do those fiends understand, do they understand how beautiful Necrovion is? Peace would have fallen asleep, if...

This is between me and you, but...the Aramory and other various places in MagicDuel are NOT ''places'' or ''structures''. They live!...Like, we're those unevolved species to them, and they consider themselves superior beings. They probably feed off our energy (heat) or something, and they probably use some drugs to alter our behavior and make us docile - or at the very least, oblivious to their true nature, you know...I don't know what can be done about it as long as we're here playing, but it's a war of the worlds and you'd better believe it!

Can't edit, so...shmsh for the first two places and 2 g for the third.

(the post will be updated with rewards tomorrow, as I have to check a few things and I can't concentrate on doing it now) (This is a two-step contest, step two will begin after all submissions are made.) First and foremost, you'll have to take a picture of the night sky in your area, so that all those twinkling stars are visible. Next, you either print it or work on it on your computer, but what you'll do is draw your own 12 constellations, creating whatever bizarre formations you want. After all, what are constellations if not asterisms with a story? Once those 12 are finished, you'll assign a month to each and assign to each month something representative for it, from your point of view, for 2020 - January could be the month of love, or the month of a disease, June could be the month of mango or whatever (associate for Oct, Nov and Dec what you think will happen for you). This is a personal work, it has to do more with your monthly activities or how you perceive them rather than what is happening everywhere. In essence, you will be creating your own zodiac, and don't worry - this is how people did it waaay back. ''Oh, this group of stars shine most brightly this month, when calves are born. OK, let's call it TAURUS''. Bam, you had a constellation that you would watch for 30 years and still say 'I don't see it. It's nothing like a bull. I must be blind, but I just don't see it.' Please post the picture and the associations here. Contest starts tomorrow at 10 p.m. ST and lasts 72 hours, as per rules of the AAA. Try not to be intimidated by the night sky - I sometimes thought of it beautiful, but most of the times I felt those stars will come crashing down aaanytime now. Watching the moon is soothing, though - looks cold, but still feels like the earth's friend...or something.

This is a writing quest, with 3 winners who'll get 1 g each (plus a 14th anniv creature for first). Not all submissions will get a place, even if there are three only. Judging will be affected by creativity and persuasiveness. The theme is about something I've always wondered: what is outside MD? or what is outside the former cube? If we build an observatory somewhere and placed a powerful telescope there, what would we see? The void? Other cubes? Would there be a magic field that would make us see ourselves instead of ''what's really out there''? Each submission should be at least 300 words and sent to me; contest starts tomorrow at midday ST and lasts for 72 hours, as per rule. Be creative and persuasive