Antediluvian Secrets (official POC worldbuilding thread)

[The Carlisle]

On the topic of religion/spirituality, I was thinking of something, to explain the acceptance of LGBT people. I'm thinking like, the religion sees transpeople as 'gifted' in some way, and many of the heroes in the old legends were LGB people who were open about themselves and performed great acts of bravery, or something along those lines.

I actually really like this idea (and not just because I'm queer ). It has RL precedence in a number of cultures (see two-spirit, hijra), and adds another interesting dimension to Antediluvian culture. It could also trigger a number of plot points involving the LGBTQ characters, if Ayre so chose.

Well, I'm not sure on making it a religious aspect. It would be cool to have it be societal, as I talked about above. Mainly to keep the dynastic conflict going. And honestly, for our style of government, official tolerance will be a bit iffy. It would make for a more interesting divide between nobles and regulars.

[Nature-Spirits]

Here is Gren's food list with new names for many of the dishes.

-Fristort: Pita bread topped with one or more cheeses (the exact type(s) used varies from region to region), sprinkled with cinnamon and oregano and (already cooked) chunks of beef or pork (also a regional variation, some using beef, some pork, and others both), heated until the cheese melts, and then topped with a cool, creamy sauce (usually, though in recent times, other sauces have become popular to use).

-Sotornis: Durian flavored ice cream. Durian in Soil is called sotorn.

-Kits'n'gres: Biscuits (no, Brits, not cookies) and gravy, with some form of meat on the side. Usually the gravy is made using the grease from cooking the meat, mixed either with black coffee or flour and milk, along with other seasonings. The exact details of the gravy varies from region to region.

-Steak: Your average, every day steak.

-Shepherd's pie: Shepherd's pie.

-Meatballs: Meatballs (given how meatballs seem to be pretty much standard parts of cuisine throughout most of the Old World IRL, its pretty much guaranteed that they'd be standard parts of cuisine on Soil).

-Meat cake: A curious variant of meatballs, developed in Antediluvia, in which pasta and cheese are formed into the balls along with the meat(s), and are then deep-fried. Has a long history of being prepared at home, and then taken with one to eat during a short trip (less than a day or so, or during the first day of a trip of any length) or while at work, due to their portability and edibility at room temperature.

Sauces, spreads, jams/jellies, and condiments:

-Brown sauce: Equivalent to RL BBQ sauce; a sauce often made with some mix of vinegar, black pepper, and sugar, with many, many other ingredients being incorporated into the sauce, often varying from region to region, and sometimes, even family to family. Many of these regions (and families) are intensely proud of their particular variation of the sauce, though nobody knows who invented the original version (though it almost certainly had other ingredients than the 3 listed, said 3 merely being the ingredients all known variations have in common). This sauce is most commonly used to coat meat in cookouts, though it occasionally finds more niche uses.

-Fish sauce: Equivalent to RL Worcestershire sauce; made from fermented fish, as well as various other ingredients, including vinegar, molasses, salt, onions, garlic, and assorted spices. Is used on its own to flavor various foods, but is also often incorporated into the making of other sauces and condiments.

-Oflavo: Equivalent to RL mayonnaise; made from a mixture of vinegar, egg yolks, and oil, and sometimes with other ingredients added. Like the fish sauce above, it serves as a base for many other sauces and condiments.

-Pomodor sauce: Equivalent to RL ketchup; a sauce made of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and various spices. Like fish sauce and oflavo, it is often used in making other sauces, though it is used on its own as well. Tomatoes in Soil are called pomodors.

-Mint sauce: A sauce made from spearmint, vinegar and sugar. It doesn't get much usage in mainstream Antediluvian society, but there are areas where its usage isn't uncommon, and enthusiasts often swear by it.

-Piquant or hot sauce: Any sauce made from any chili pepper. Due to this definition, there are a broad array of hot sauces, of varying intensities.

-Sweet sauce: Any sauce meant to cover a dessert, such as chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, or custard (milk/cream mixed with egg yolk and other flavors).

-Ovet: Any sauce made from one or more fruits. Notable ovets include applesauce, cranberry, and plum.

-White sauce: A sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. Is very often used in making traditional sauces.

-Mustard: Made from one or more varieties of mustard seeds, along with water, salt, and other liquids and spices. Can have a taste that ranges from spicy to sweet to sour. Can be used in the making of other sauces, and has many variants, including one where its mixed with honey.

-Shrimp sauce: Equivalent to RL cocktail sauce; not made of shrimp, but rather for shrimp. Its made of goldapple sauce and horseradish, and usually also has some lemon juice, hot sauce, and fish sauce, although other ingredients also sometimes pop up.

-Thousand Hills sauce: Equivalent to RL Thousand Island; named for its creation in a popular getaway destination known for its many, many hills. It is made using oflavo, along with a wide range of other ingredients, including olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, mustard, fish sauce, vinegar, pomodor sauce, and even some finely chopped ingredients such as olives, onions, garlic, pickles, and bell peppers.

-Pink sauce: Pink sauce, or as its sometimes known, Poor Man's Thousand Hills, is really just oflavo mixed with pomodor sauce (or sometimes even brown sauce), and maybe a few other ingredients.

-Pickle sauce: Equivalent to RL Tartar sauce; oflavo with chopped pickles, onions, and parsley.

-Ranch sauce: A combination of buttermilk, garlic, salt, onions, and various herbs, though egg sauce has been used as a substitute for buttermilk. Has recently had a few potato chip brands (or whatever we're calling chips now) make it into a flavor, which are fairly popular.

-Cheese sauce: Cheese sauce is, well, a sauce made with cheese. Did I really have to spell that out?

-Deper sauce: Equivalent to RL guacamole; basically mashed up avocado mixed up with lemon juice and various spices and herbs. Avocados in Soil are called depers.

-Fruit butters: Spreads that are created from the process of blending or forcing some sort of fruit preserve through a sieve. The resulting product generally has the consistency of dairy butter.

-Fruit jams: Spreads which have both the juice and flesh of a fruit.

-Fruit jellies: Clear or translucent spreads made of sweetened fruit juice.

-Marmalade: A spread, not unlike a jam, but made from a citrus fruit, and contains the peel of said fruit.

-Yeast paste: Equivalent to RL Vegemite; a spread made up of leftover yeast products from the beer brewing process, along with spices and some vegetable extracts. Its not well liked outside of certain parts of Antediluvia.

-Olive oil: Obviously, the oil obtained from olives. It has varied culinary uses, depending on quality, from cooking to salad dressing to just dipping bread in, and also has several non-culinary uses (like lubrication, fuel for oil lamps, etc.).

-Cece or Sezey: Equivalent to RL hummus; a spread made of mashed chickpeas, mixed with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. Tahini in Soil is called grunelwa. Sesame seeds are called elwa.

-Nut Butters: (stop giggling, dammit!) Made of crushed up nuts (what did I just say?), resulting in a spread with a consistency much like dairy or fruit butters, although unrelated to either otherwise.

-Cheese: A dairy product caused by the breakdown of milk by either bacteria or mould. Its flavour depends on many factors, including which animal the milk comes from, the process used to create it, how it is aged, and what herbs and spices, if any, are added.

There's also one specialty chip brand, known as Brannigan's (a cookie to whoever gets the dual references), which produces flavors often considered odd by people from outside its local area (and the existence of said flavors in chips is odd to locals, though only because its the only brand that makes said flavors, or anything like them, and that fact is appreciated). It cooks its chips in peanut oil, as opposed to vegetable oil. One of its more notable flavors include "Spicy Craw-Gator", which incorporates a local hot sauce for flavor, as well as crawfish and alligator, which sees distribution not only through much of Antediluvia, but also Erathemon.

[Transoxthraxia]

Soz bout my absence, I've been busy as hell. And pretty sick. I had such a bad headache last night I passed out for a bit.

[New Zepuha]

Some detail on your lovely rations. Only field rations, since first is super vague.

-2nd class rations are basically a step down from 1st class, but still ok. Doesn't require refrigeration, and is therefore able to be taken out into the field. However, its designed to feed large groups, and needs a large field kitchen to prepare, cook, and serve, so isn't suitable for small groups. You're also not going to get these things during a long battle. The variety, however, is utterly unmatched compared to anything else you'd get in the field, unless you capture an enemy town with a stocked and powered grocery store. Which probably won't happen.

Meaty Meat Surprise - I am not even sure what in God's name this is made out of, but it will fill your gut and looks kinda like meat... maybe..

Chowda' Soup - Made of a bunch of diced potatoes boiled in an insta-soup broth with bullion blocks dropped in for vitamin and nutrient source. It sometimes has vegetables in it, but it mainly has chopped up meat stuff. If you are lucky, it has seafood in it!

Fishy surprise - Another surprise meal, it usual consists of Lunder Fish, the most abundant and tasteless fish in the ocean. But if you dump enough sauce on it, it will taste just fine.

Vegetable Medley - just your basic assorted vegtables, usually needs some salt and pepper to be any good.

Mash and Hash - Potatoes actually made palatable, they are either mashed up and cooked or chopped up and fried. Fried hash generally tastes pretty good, and is made out of an instant box usually. If you are any good at haggling, you can probably snag some from a cook to store in your pack or vehicle.

Biscuits- simple ready made biscuits

Loaf of bread - Well... it says itself...

Drinks often vary, but expect coffee and water everywhere you go. The two most abundant military supplies. Specialty food is hard to find and may only happen on special occasions.

-3rd class rations are a further step down from 2nd class, with the quality being edible, but not pleasant, though not so unpleasant that you can't eat it, which is good, because in small groups, or in a multi-day firefight, this is the best you're going to get, and its certainly better than nothing. There is variety, but not much. So don't complain. Didn't your mother tell you to eat what's on your plate or else she'd ship it off to the starving children in Reioni?

There are really only two kinds of rations that come in dumb little boxes. A-Rats and B-Rats they are so affectionately called.

A-Rats - Comes with your standard protein bar, broth bouillon block, instant coffee package or sometimes tea, a tiny little packet of four cigarettes [usually to be traded off to the smokers], an 8oz can of ham, beef, or chicken and a brick like fruitcake. Fruitcakes are absolute shit.

B-Rats - Wow this comes with a protein bar, broth bouillon block, instant coffee or tea packets, no cigarettes to make room for nutrient paste, a small can of beans, ham, or fish; the difference being here is the nutrient paste and a new menu item, the dreaded fiber block. Nutrient paste is this gray colored paste that you squeeze onto your crackers to get much needed nutrients to keep your body going. The fiber block is well.. a tasteless brown block to make you go brown.

[Nature-Spirits]

Soz bout my absence, I've been busy as hell. And pretty sick. I had such a bad headache last night I passed out for a bit.

Oh no! I'm glad that you're back, though.

We now have a separate OOC (this has been designated the official worldbuilding thread) and a brand-new IC.

By the way, just reply to my TGs in your own time. I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you.

[The United Remnants of America]

Sorry I've been absent a lot.

Finals are happening and I'm bracing myself.

How's Baerbarrow coming along so I can edit that post and change my character? JW.

KAy thanks, bye.

[Mincaldenteans]

Hey Ayr, first part done. Parts 2 & 3 in the works, figuring out a layout without too much jumbling. Anyhoo here it is:

Code: Select all

[box][blocktext][align=middle][img]http://s5.postimg.org/5dw3skapj/Antediluvian.png[/img]
The Wordbuilding Thread of the Pretty Okay Company RP
    [i]An Ayreonia Roleplay[/i]
    [img]http://s5.postimg.org/vv07u4i7r/Antedeluvian_1.png[/img]
    [size=115][b]The Pretty Okay Company RP:[/b][/size]
    [url=http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=322140]In-Character Thread[/url] | [url=http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=322129]Out-of-Character Thread[/url]
   [b]*Note[/b]: POC is now semi-closed due to the flood of apps for certain positions that have been filled. If interested, inquire via telegram and I'll check what's open. If we get enough requests for different roles, we'll found a new squad. So don't be shy to ask![/align][hr][/hr]
    Beset by war, the nations of Antediluvia and Precambria had been at each other's throats for as long as anybody could remember. What had started the conflict, nobody knew or really cared. It was almost like an annual sports event. The winters on the continent of Supercentennaria were brutally cold and long, which forced all military operations to halt. It was an unwritten rule that nobody fought in the winter. There were tales of a Precambrian general who had ordered his division to attack after the snows fell, and as a result he was murdered by his own men. True or not, it wasn't far-fetched. But as soon as the snows melted and you could take a piss outside without your dick freezing off, the Antediluvians hopped onto their IFVs and half-tracks, and the Precambrians rode out on theirs to meet them. The frontlines had not changed significantly for thirty years.

    You are a soldier of the Antediluvian Armed Forces, Central Army Group, 2nd Army, 4th "the fucking Fourth" Armored Division, 1st Brigade, Mechanized Battalion, 2nd Mech. Infantry Company, callsign "Werebear". You were conscripted one to four years ago, some of your unit you know from wintertime (during which you have a regular civilian job. Or not. Depends on you), while others are new faces. You might have seen some combat, but the Fucking Fourth aren't yet considered to be a crack unit.

    The 4th Armored in its current state has been deployed for seven months now, which is an unusually long time. Autumn is in full swing, which in the Great Forest means lots of rain, warm and humid days and freezing nights. There has been talk of thedibision spending the winter on the front or even advancing, since they have made an unusually successful push deep into Precambrian territory. This has resulted in mixed feelings from the troops: some are upset that they won't be pulled back and will freeze to death in the woods, while some are hopeful that their success means that Antediluvia is winning the war.[hr][/hr]
[align=middle][img]http://s5.postimg.org/di47xax4n/The_world.png[/img]
[url=http://i.imgur.com/hAQ0HYB.png]Closer Map[/url]
[b][size=125]Supercentennaria

Notable Locations[/size][/b][/align][floatleft][spoiler=City of Rialtum]by Ayreonia

Rialtum, home to the influential House Rialto, is located at the northernmost point of Antediluvia. It is a thriving port city and duchy that sees vessels from all ports of the country, from Erathemon, even Reioni and the mysterious outer islands.

Rialtum is a place of historical significance: it is where conflict first broke out during the Technological Revolution between local whaling facility personnel and the city's Mages' Guild. Unrest continued all through this civil war, only ending when the government officially took the side of the Industrials. As a result, Rialtum has both a large industrial sector and a culture of borderline-heretical mysticism.

The defining feature and main tourist attraction of Rialtum are its massive docks and wharves with their huge cranes, silos and warehouses. Other than that, there's not much to see in the totally utilitarian city, although some enjoy its red brick-and-brass architectural style.

Rialtum's arms depict a sail emblazoned with three gears, and troops raised there bear either the full arms or simply a single brass-colored gear.[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=Revaalsbandt]by Pan Asian Amercian Coalition

Revaalsbandt is the southernmost habitable area on the main continent, and is even divided in half between Antediluvian and Precambrian troops, each vying for control of the massive rhenium and tungsten mines. The population hovers at about 3400, not including the occupying troops.

It is said to be the polar opposite of Altaflor, with temperatures rarely going above freezing, hurricane strength blizzards, two months of sun a year and endless tracks of enormous Ice Cedar trees. The main exports are Cedar Bear meat, winter-proof soldiers, general misery for the stationed troops, and neigh invincible Ice Cedar lumber.

The area used to be ruled by a elected chieftain, each voted for by the representatives of each of the twelve native tribes, each differentiated by a worshipped deity in their 12 god pantheon. They are extremely friendly between each tribe and are united against the invading troops, who used their armored support and superior numbers to grab the region 3 generations ago.

 Recruits from this region wear a light purple-red scarf tied around their helmet so they can identify each other. There is an unwritten rule that they don't shoot each other people from Revaalsbandt, even in the face of court martial.[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=City of Altaflor]by Agritum

Altaflor is a renowned summer vacation spot in Antediluvia. Located near the northwestern coasts of the country, it usually counts about 127.000 inhabitants, but the number usually increases on holiday season.

It is renowned for having a gentle sun, calm breezes and, most famously, the High Gardens, a series of public botanical gardens maintained on top of the highest rowers of the ancient castle of Cair Floral.

Along tourism, floristry is one of the main businesses in Altaflor. More than half an hundred florist business daily duel for the monopoly of the city's floral market. Altaflor bouquets are famous for their complexity and floral variety.

The town is ruled by the young Baroness Margareth de Floral from its ancestral seat of Cair Floral. Recruits raised from Altaflor often have the daisy symbol of the Barony emblazoned on their uniform or engraved in their helmets.[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=City of Oorburg]The major city tucked away in the bowl shaped valley under the legend. I would like that to be the city. It's name is Oorburg, after house Oorburg which ruled over the territory for centuries. The city is a major mining and smelting city. Rich in coal and metals, the city is an important area both economically and militarily. A large munitions factory calls its home there, supplying the military a large chunk of its munitions.

It's position makes it difficult to capture from the East, even in modern warfare. The only navigable route to the East is a small mountain pass call Deadman's run. Sheer cliffs on both sides going up and down, and areas that are only wide for a person, the area is naturally defensive. It was made economically viable 200 years ago, when House Oorburg invested in building sturdy metal ledges to allow the building of roads on top of them. But to keep the defensiveness up, they also had the ledges rigged with explosives to collapse the metal ledges, making it impossible to navigate with anything bigger than a man. The ledges have been blown many times, which can be seen by black marks and collapsed cliffs. But they are only really blown when Precambrians invade through that corridor.

Oorburg is an ancient and largest city in the Duchy of Verstact, largest city in the Northern Ranges, and one of the largest cities in Antediluvia. The name means Ear-town in Thorn. This name comes from the loud, fast winds that blow throughout the town since ancient times, which makes it hard to hear. A more modern version is the smelteries make it difficult to hear anything, though not the origin still holds true. Locals joke that one needs good ears to hear anything in Oorburg.

Oorburg since ancient times was mostly a farming settlement. Situated in the fertile lower valley of Verstact, it became a center for agricultural goods. After the adoption of feudalism, rulers of Oorburg have been exceptionally wealthy because of the agricultural output of the lands surrounding the town. When the Ezerics finally conquered the region, it became the capital of the new duchy of Verstact. From then on, Oorburg became a trade capital, from where the goods of Verstact culminated to be bought by traders from outside the valley.

When the technological revolution came to Verstact, Oorburg exploded with growth. It shot up from its sizable population to one of the largest cities in the kingdom within fifty years. Oorburg experienced a golden age, where wealth, science, and culture grew exponentially. Dozens of mines opened up in the mountains, whose ore went down new roads to the new smelteries on Oorburg. People from inside and outside the valley moved to Oorburg to fill in jobs in the smelteries, turning Oorburg into a multicultural metropolis.

To this day, Oorburg is still growing. While still heavily smelting based, there is also a number of universities, services, and manufacturing industries within the city that also supplements the economy. There is also a healthy tourism industry, where people come all over to see the cathedrals, buildings and museums.[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=Duchy of Verstact]by The Carlisle

Encompasses the high mountains and the bowl shaped Verstact (Hidden) Valley. Capital and largest city is Oorburg, which is one of the largest cities in Antedeluvia and the largest city in the Northern Ranges. Ruled over by the Family Oorburg. For centuries the realm had been independent, Ruled over by the Hidden King. Back then, the realm could fight of Ezeric incursions by using its large population and defensive positions. It wasn't until when gunpowder was invented that they fell to Ezeric rule. Because of it's isolation and fiercely stubborn culture, the Thornorgisil language spoken there is still alive and well, although there is a lot of loanword from the modern Nahumic language. In saying this, most denizens speak modern nahumic fluently as a second language, though there are pockets in the fringes that speak solely Thornorgisil. The main trade in the duchy is the mining and smelting industry. The rivers are too shallow for boat travel, but this is made up by a well connected rail and road system. It's also a burgeoning cultural center, as many famous artists were born and/or raised there. Beauty is a secondary export, as many lesser and noblemen vacation in the beautiful mountain valleys of Verstact.

Soldiers from this area would have the insignia of a farming valley with a large city in the distance tucked between two mountain peaks, with a mine on the left and a cabin on the right.[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=City of Linvale]by Mincaldenteans

Linvale is home to Alrick zu Heltzer and the rest of House zu Heltzer. House zu Heltzer established itself in Linvale after the success defense of the (then) village from destruction. Linvale has seen it's share of conflicts and prosperity that has left its citizens to look at life with a healthy sardonic and cynical view, a view still shared in current times. Growing steadily through the centuries from village to a burgeoning city, the House is known throughout the lands for its medical and pharmaceutical products.

House zu Heltzer is a pious one (at least on the surface): to them everything is a sign, a warning, a portent of things to come. In the old days it was not uncommon for members of zu Heltzer to confide in priests and 'oracles', so much so that the house built a grand cathedral in the city that has since become synonymous with the city itself. Today however, they look upon their religion as one to uphold spiritually... and politically. The cathedral is something of a misnomer itself as it stands as the seat of power of House zu Heltzer and main stage where most of its internal and external court politicking take place.[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=Grun Himmel]by Mincaldenteans

Grün Himmel, the ancient home of House zu Heltzer. This dense forrest can be seen at the outskirts of Linvale, a vast and thick forrest of magnificent trees with leaves so thick that it blocks the sun, giving its meaning to "Green Sky". It was once the ancient home of the House; the zu Heltzers have since reclaimed their ancient Forrest through the centuries, restoring the delicate ecosystem from the ever expanding and callous disregard of House Oorburg whose mining industry has compromised many areas, not to mention the delicate peace zu Heltzer had negotiated long ago.

Grün Himmel has also seen a fair share of zu Heltzers repopulate the forrest. Along with the zu Heltzers, minor houses owing allegiance to House zu Heltzer have also made homes built into the trees, incorporating natural rocks and earth as foundation and support. The forrest is heavily patrolled, maintained, and guarded by the zu Heltzers and its minor house affiliates, all of whom are weary of House Oorburg's encroachment.[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=County of Hugeleg]by The Carlisle

A temperate climate dominated by rolling hills and plains. The area used to be moorish all over, but land clearance and new technology gave way to clearing of many of the marshes, turning it into a large agricultural area.

The place is unique because it has a high amount of names, surnames, and words related to the long dead Vyoroney culture. While the people are very Hengistic, there is a noticeable difference in accent, wording, and names between other Hengistic people. There are even different festivals and cultural interpretation between the people here and other Hengistics. The locals even call the county by a different name, Slatina, and go a different name called Slatina-lide. Because of this, archaeologists and anthropologists flock to this area to study the people and dig out older villages.

Despite the differences, the people are heavily mixed. In the north, its more Hengistic, in the center its more pure with the purity better as you go to the center, and more Ezeric in the south.

The people, despite there differences, are very united. A Hengistic speaking Slatina-lide and an Ezeric Slatina-lide feel more connected to each other than with the hengistic or Ezeric in the next county, even if the distance is so minimal.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/pkyBfyM.png[/img][/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=Blakrocke]by Agritum

There's hard, rock hard, Highlands rock hard, and Blakrocke hard.

Coal. The highlands were full of it. But Blakrocke? Blakrocke swims in coal. They mine it, they burn it, they make it into steel, cement or feckin' energy. Sitting atop of the central Highland Mountains, Blakrocke proudly claims the title of Highest place in all of the Highlands. While that may not be actually true, you better not dispute these claims, lest you want to have your face pummeled by the nearest Blakrocker and be called a Lowlander in front of everyone else.

Though, truth be told, every other person in Antidiluvia is a Lowlander for Blakrockers.

This pride was actually born as a way for Blakrocke to redeem its face and prestige after places of being considered a smog-filled cold hellhole inhabited only by blackened coal-lovers and strange small rodent-things called Haggows, which said coal-lovers consider a local delicatesse. That said, even if considered to be an agglomerate of boastful fuckers who can only find delight in eating haggow meat, Blakrocke remains one of the most competitive mining cities in Antediluvia, supplying a considerable number of coal, energy and levy troops to the country. Blakrockers are considered to be rowdy, vulgar and generally uncultured, probably having a mining/criminal background and sometimes possessing an horrific scar on their face called the "Blakrocke Smile". In most cases, this is only a stereotype, but as you know, some stereotypes may have some truth behind them.

Other than deploying them all accross the Royal Army, Antediluvia also incorporates Blakrocke levymen into the Blakwatch Royal Infantry Regiment, a Blackrocke-only unit commonly nicknamed "Haggowslayers" or "Coalfukkers" by the rest of the Army. There's still doubt about Blakwatch's function: some think that the "elite regiment" stuff is just a cover and that Blakwatch is really a penal battalion used to dispose of particularly rowdy Blakrockers.

Blakrocke troops can be identified by their characteristic coal-black bonnets, which they usually wear instead of helmets (there's a saying that Blakrockers are dumb enough to survive getting shot in the head by virtue of having an exceptionally small brain and an absurdly thick skull), the family woolen cloth called tyretaine, usually carried in the form of a scarf or other clothing apparel (skirts are quite popular among Blakrockers. Men included), and sometimes the stench of alcohol and haggow meat.

Blakrockers are likely to get into fights with Revaalsbandt personnel, due to reasons apparently connected to "Perkele".[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=The Unexplained]by Ayreonia

Alright, pilgrim. We all know you're no wizard. If you were, you'd either wouldn't be serving, or you'd be UNMETA... sorry, just repeating nasty, baseless rumors. Bottom line is, we don't like magic users here. The brass say the Precambrians don't have them, either, but sometimes you see things here in the Forest that make you wonder. If you encounter them, the higher-ups will dismiss it as PTSD, shellshock, or just plain old crazy talk. We've compiled a list of these [i]things[/i], just in case. Oh, and if anybody asks, Sergeant Helenski, Corporal Dupont and Private Arts know nothing of this pamphlet. Arts has tin foil.

    [b]"Madness"[/b]

    Imagine you're on patrol, sentry duty or any such situation. Boring, right? Well, imagine your teammate getting silent all of a sudden, their movements jerky and awkward, then shooting you. Or the other way around. Or maybe your totally happy and well-adjusted squaddie goes into the woods to take a leak and is found an hour later with a smashed-in face and a bloody shovel in his hand. Weird, right? Some people can really spin a scary tale!

    [b]"Lag"[/b]

    One recurring story among Great Forest deployees is about the so-called lag, proven to be a particular symptom of combat fatigue. The ones who experience it and survive always tell the same tale, with minor variations: they're in a firefight, when suddenly they experience a strange sense of tiredness, like they can't move their bodies. They look around, only to see their nearby squadmates moving at a crawl, while the rest of the world is completely normal. If they get a glimpse of enemy soldiers in this state, they seem to be moving much faster than what should be possible.

    [b]"Spontaneous combustion"[/b]

    The Precambrians seem to have fielded some sort of incendiary weapon that can set people and objects on fire without any sort of contact. Troops with an unhealthy interest in old legends claim that Antediluvian mages of old could do that with their minds.

    [b]"Ghosts"[/b]

    Enemies appearing from thin air. Is it just us, or is this the oldest excuse of a sentry who's fallen asleep, like, [i]ever?[/i]
    [b]
    "Super armor"[/b]

    This is probably a quality control problem with our mass-produced weapons, or a case of bad marksmanship. Enemy tanks have been reported to sustain hits from anti-tank weaponry without even a scratch. These kinds of stories are usually dismissed as crazy talk, but there [i]was[/i] one case with several eyewitnesses. A Precambrian Triarius main battle tank had been flanked and fired upon with several confirmed hits... but no damage, no explosions and no sound from the impacts. It had taken a dozen hits from AT weapons of various calibers before the thing finally burned out. The best part? The four-man crew was taken alive and unharmed. During interrogation, the loader burst into flame and burned to death.[/spoiler][/floatleft][hr][/hr]
[b][size=125][color=#4080BF][align=middle]Notable Family Houses[/align][/color][/size][/b][floatleft][spoiler=House Rialto]INSERT AYR FAMILY BIO[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=House zu Heltzer]INSERT MIN FAMILY BIO[/spoiler][/floatleft][floatleft][spoiler=House von Oorburg]House Von Oorburg is a major noble house who rule over the Duchy of Verstact. An ancient and prestigious house, whose roots extend back to over a millenium. It has ruled over the Duchy of Verstact for over 700 years, when the Ezeric King finally conquered and thrown down the Verstact King. Instead of appointing an Ezeric, they appointed a local Thorn branch that was loyal. And that is how house Von Oorburg was promoted from being barons of a wealthy castle to duke of Verstact, which is equivalent to the old kingdom.

Von Oorburg's title is not only prestigious, but also extremely wealthy. They own several steel smelteries and the entire rail system in the duchy rail system. They even hold the oldest aluminum smeltery in the entire world, which still operates to this day. The wealth of Von Oorburg equates to about $25,000,000,000. Of course, they reinvest a good amount of their gains back into the public sector, making the Von Oorburg family well loved among the populous.

Von Oorburg rule has been a lot more independent than other dukes. This is mostly due to the fiercely stubborn culture of the Thorn people in the Verstact Valley. For one, language laws are different in Verstact than other duchies due to Von Oorburg influence. This helped preserve the Thorn language and culture in Verstact. Another is special zones, often villages and towns on the fringes, where pure Thorn is spoken only, preserving the local culture. Another is the different tax Von Oorburg pays to the king, which is less than other dukes. This is mainly due to Von Oorburg unbroken dedication to reinvesting their wealth back into their duchy.

Von Oorburg has married into several noble branches throughout the years, mostly in the Central Mountains. But they have married several times into the King's dynasty, the most recent on being a generation ago. They have claims throughout the entire mountain ranges, even in Precambrian territory. Some Thornophobes state that they can go independent with the entire mountains and no one can contest it, though this is just a propagandist story with no real feasibility.

Von Oorburg family, while still mostly Thorn, is also Ezericized a bit. For one, the first names of the children are always Ezeric. This is because of an ancient pact between the first duke of Verstact and the Ezeric king where the king allowed him to rule as long as he proved his loyalty by naming his children with the names of his kingdom. Von Oorburg dynasty members all speak High Nahumic and Modern Nahumic alongside their original tongue of Highland Thorn.

House Oorburg holds great influence throughout the realm. Their prestige, dynastic ties, and wealth allows them to influence many organizations. The most recent, but hidden, act of influence was the prevention of corporal Maximilian Von Oorburg's promotion to to the rank of sergeant and his moving to squad leader into the Fourth. This was headed by the Dynastic head and ruler of the duchy of Verstact, Julian Apollonian Von Oorburg.

The Von Oorburg Coat of Arms is a man with a horn sticking into his ear, listening to the wind which carries words and music from all across the valley.[/spoiler][/floatleft][/blocktext][/box]

[Palonitr and Howland]

Sorry I've been absent a lot.

Finals are happening and I'm bracing myself.

How's Baerbarrow coming along so I can edit that post and change my character? JW.

KAy thanks, bye.

Almost done with it. Im busy as well.

[The Carlisle]

So I was gonna say. There are two Oorburgs. The first one is the early draft of it, which contains a description of the town and duchy. I suggest cutting it out and splicing bits of information from it in to the New Oorburg tab and Verstact tab.

[Mincaldenteans]

So I was gonna say. There are two Oorburgs. The first one is the early draft of it, which contains a description of the town and duchy. I suggest cutting it out and splicing bits of information from it in to the New Oorburg tab and Verstact tab.

I combined the two as I noticed the same thing but wasn't going to edit it out without your input on it.

Best thing: edit and post it again, Ayr can always delete and re-add the info

[The Carlisle]

So I was gonna say. There are two Oorburgs. The first one is the early draft of it, which contains a description of the town and duchy. I suggest cutting it out and splicing bits of information from it in to the New Oorburg tab and Verstact tab.

I combined the two as I noticed the same thing but wasn't going to edit it out without your input on it.

Best thing: edit and post it again, Ayr can always delete and re-add the info

Gotcha. I'll actually organize it into where it needs to go.


To Oorburg

A large munitions factory calls its home there, supplying the military a large chunk of its munitions.


To Verstact

Rich in coal and metals

The duchy interior is only accessible through various mountain passes, the most dangerous of which is the eastern pass named Deadman's Gorge. Sheer cliffs on both sides going up and down, and areas that are only wide for a person, the area is naturally defensive. It was made economically viable 200 years ago, when House Oorburg invested in building sturdy metal ledges to allow the building of roads on top of them. But to keep the defensiveness up, they also had the ledges rigged with explosives to collapse the metal ledges, making it impossible to navigate with anything bigger than a man. The ledges have been blown before, which can be seen by black marks and collapsed cliffs. But it rare in this day for it to be blown after Precambrian invasions were mitigated by the establishment of the Revaalsbandti Military Base and the fact that it is a highly important supply line

[Grenartia]

I actually really like this idea (and not just because I'm queer ). It has RL precedence in a number of cultures (see two-spirit, hijra), and adds another interesting dimension to Antediluvian culture. It could also trigger a number of plot points involving the LGBTQ characters, if Ayre so chose.

Well, I'm not sure on making it a religious aspect. It would be cool to have it be societal, as I talked about above. Mainly to keep the dynastic conflict going. And honestly, for our style of government, official tolerance will be a bit iffy. It would make for a more interesting divide between nobles and regulars.

Wait. Why can't a monarchy be tolerant? I've got no problem with a noble/commoner divide for sake of story, but it seems what you're suggesting would lead more towards a cishet/LGBT divide more than a noble/commoner divide.

Here is Gren's food list with new names for many of the dishes.

-Fristort: Pita bread topped with one or more cheeses (the exact type(s) used varies from region to region), sprinkled with cinnamon and oregano and (already cooked) chunks of beef or pork (also a regional variation, some using beef, some pork, and others both), heated until the cheese melts, and then topped with a cool, creamy sauce (usually, though in recent times, other sauces have become popular to use).

-Sotornis: Durian flavored ice cream. Durian in Soil is called sotorn.

-Kits'n'gres: Biscuits (no, Brits, not cookies) and gravy, with some form of meat on the side. Usually the gravy is made using the grease from cooking the meat, mixed either with black coffee or flour and milk, along with other seasonings. The exact details of the gravy varies from region to region.

-Steak: Your average, every day steak.

-Shepherd's pie: Shepherd's pie.

-Meatballs: Meatballs (given how meatballs seem to be pretty much standard parts of cuisine throughout most of the Old World IRL, its pretty much guaranteed that they'd be standard parts of cuisine on Soil).

-Meat cake: A curious variant of meatballs, developed in Antediluvia, in which pasta and cheese are formed into the balls along with the meat(s), and are then deep-fried. Has a long history of being prepared at home, and then taken with one to eat during a short trip (less than a day or so, or during the first day of a trip of any length) or while at work, due to their portability and edibility at room temperature.

Sauces, spreads, jams/jellies, and condiments:

-Brown sauce: Equivalent to RL BBQ sauce; a sauce often made with some mix of vinegar, black pepper, and sugar, with many, many other ingredients being incorporated into the sauce, often varying from region to region, and sometimes, even family to family. Many of these regions (and families) are intensely proud of their particular variation of the sauce, though nobody knows who invented the original version (though it almost certainly had other ingredients than the 3 listed, said 3 merely being the ingredients all known variations have in common). This sauce is most commonly used to coat meat in cookouts, though it occasionally finds more niche uses.

-Fish sauce: Equivalent to RL Worcestershire sauce; made from fermented fish, as well as various other ingredients, including vinegar, molasses, salt, onions, garlic, and assorted spices. Is used on its own to flavor various foods, but is also often incorporated into the making of other sauces and condiments.

-Oflavo: Equivalent to RL mayonnaise; made from a mixture of vinegar, egg yolks, and oil, and sometimes with other ingredients added. Like the fish sauce above, it serves as a base for many other sauces and condiments.

-Pomodor sauce: Equivalent to RL ketchup; a sauce made of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and various spices. Like fish sauce and oflavo, it is often used in making other sauces, though it is used on its own as well. Tomatoes in Soil are called pomodors.

-Mint sauce: A sauce made from spearmint, vinegar and sugar. It doesn't get much usage in mainstream Antediluvian society, but there are areas where its usage isn't uncommon, and enthusiasts often swear by it.

-Piquant or hot sauce: Any sauce made from any chili pepper. Due to this definition, there are a broad array of hot sauces, of varying intensities.

-Sweet sauce: Any sauce meant to cover a dessert, such as chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, or custard (milk/cream mixed with egg yolk and other flavors).

-Ovet: Any sauce made from one or more fruits. Notable ovets include applesauce, cranberry, and plum.

-White sauce: A sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. Is very often used in making traditional sauces.

-Mustard: Made from one or more varieties of mustard seeds, along with water, salt, and other liquids and spices. Can have a taste that ranges from spicy to sweet to sour. Can be used in the making of other sauces, and has many variants, including one where its mixed with honey.

-Shrimp sauce: Equivalent to RL cocktail sauce; not made of shrimp, but rather for shrimp. Its made of goldapple sauce and horseradish, and usually also has some lemon juice, hot sauce, and fish sauce, although other ingredients also sometimes pop up.

-Thousand Hills sauce: Equivalent to RL Thousand Island; named for its creation in a popular getaway destination known for its many, many hills. It is made using oflavo, along with a wide range of other ingredients, including olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, mustard, fish sauce, vinegar, pomodor sauce, and even some finely chopped ingredients such as olives, onions, garlic, pickles, and bell peppers.

-Pink sauce: Pink sauce, or as its sometimes known, Poor Man's Thousand Hills, is really just oflavo mixed with pomodor sauce (or sometimes even brown sauce), and maybe a few other ingredients.

-Pickle sauce: Equivalent to RL Tartar sauce; oflavo with chopped pickles, onions, and parsley.

-Ranch sauce: A combination of buttermilk, garlic, salt, onions, and various herbs, though egg sauce has been used as a substitute for buttermilk. Has recently had a few potato chip brands (or whatever we're calling chips now) make it into a flavor, which are fairly popular.

-Cheese sauce: Cheese sauce is, well, a sauce made with cheese. Did I really have to spell that out?

-Deper sauce: Equivalent to RL guacamole; basically mashed up avocado mixed up with lemon juice and various spices and herbs. Avocados in Soil are called depers.

-Fruit butters: Spreads that are created from the process of blending or forcing some sort of fruit preserve through a sieve. The resulting product generally has the consistency of dairy butter.

-Fruit jams: Spreads which have both the juice and flesh of a fruit.

-Fruit jellies: Clear or translucent spreads made of sweetened fruit juice.

-Marmalade: A spread, not unlike a jam, but made from a citrus fruit, and contains the peel of said fruit.

-Yeast paste: Equivalent to RL Vegemite; a spread made up of leftover yeast products from the beer brewing process, along with spices and some vegetable extracts. Its not well liked outside of certain parts of Antediluvia.

-Olive oil: Obviously, the oil obtained from olives. It has varied culinary uses, depending on quality, from cooking to salad dressing to just dipping bread in, and also has several non-culinary uses (like lubrication, fuel for oil lamps, etc.).

-Cece or Sezey: Equivalent to RL hummus; a spread made of mashed chickpeas, mixed with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. Tahini in Soil is called grunelwa. Sesame seeds are called elwa.

-Nut Butters: (stop giggling, dammit!) Made of crushed up nuts (what did I just say?), resulting in a spread with a consistency much like dairy or fruit butters, although unrelated to either otherwise.

-Cheese: A dairy product caused by the breakdown of milk by either bacteria or mould. Its flavour depends on many factors, including which animal the milk comes from, the process used to create it, how it is aged, and what herbs and spices, if any, are added.

There's also one specialty chip brand, known as Brannigan's (a cookie to whoever gets the dual references), which produces flavors often considered odd by people from outside its local area (and the existence of said flavors in chips is odd to locals, though only because its the only brand that makes said flavors, or anything like them, and that fact is appreciated). It cooks its chips in peanut oil, as opposed to vegetable oil. One of its more notable flavors include "Spicy Craw-Gator", which incorporates a local hot sauce for flavor, as well as crawfish and alligator, which sees distribution not only through much of Antediluvia, but also Erathemon.

I like it.

Soz bout my absence, I've been busy as hell. And pretty sick. I had such a bad headache last night I passed out for a bit.

Understandable.

Some detail on your lovely rations. Only field rations, since first is super vague.

-2nd class rations are basically a step down from 1st class, but still ok. Doesn't require refrigeration, and is therefore able to be taken out into the field. However, its designed to feed large groups, and needs a large field kitchen to prepare, cook, and serve, so isn't suitable for small groups. You're also not going to get these things during a long battle. The variety, however, is utterly unmatched compared to anything else you'd get in the field, unless you capture an enemy town with a stocked and powered grocery store. Which probably won't happen.

Meaty Meat Surprise - I am not even sure what in God's name this is made out of, but it will fill your gut and looks kinda like meat... maybe..

Chowda' Soup - Made of a bunch of diced potatoes boiled in an insta-soup broth with bullion blocks dropped in for vitamin and nutrient source. It sometimes has vegetables in it, but it mainly has chopped up meat stuff. If you are lucky, it has seafood in it!

Fishy surprise - Another surprise meal, it usual consists of Lunder Fish, the most abundant and tasteless fish in the ocean. But if you dump enough sauce on it, it will taste just fine.

Vegetable Medley - just your basic assorted vegtables, usually needs some salt and pepper to be any good.

Mash and Hash - Potatoes actually made palatable, they are either mashed up and cooked or chopped up and fried. Fried hash generally tastes pretty good, and is made out of an instant box usually. If you are any good at haggling, you can probably snag some from a cook to store in your pack or vehicle.

Biscuits- simple ready made biscuits

Loaf of bread - Well... it says itself...

Drinks often vary, but expect coffee and water everywhere you go. The two most abundant military supplies. Specialty food is hard to find and may only happen on special occasions.

-3rd class rations are a further step down from 2nd class, with the quality being edible, but not pleasant, though not so unpleasant that you can't eat it, which is good, because in small groups, or in a multi-day firefight, this is the best you're going to get, and its certainly better than nothing. There is variety, but not much. So don't complain. Didn't your mother tell you to eat what's on your plate or else she'd ship it off to the starving children in Reioni?

There are really only two kinds of rations that come in dumb little boxes. A-Rats and B-Rats they are so affectionately called.

A-Rats - Comes with your standard protein bar, broth bouillon block, instant coffee package or sometimes tea, a tiny little packet of four cigarettes [usually to be traded off to the smokers], an 8oz can of ham, beef, or chicken and a brick like fruitcake. Fruitcakes are absolute shit.

B-Rats - Wow this comes with a protein bar, broth bouillon block, instant coffee or tea packets, no cigarettes to make room for nutrient paste, a small can of beans, ham, or fish; the difference being here is the nutrient paste and a new menu item, the dreaded fiber block. Nutrient paste is this gray colored paste that you squeeze onto your crackers to get much needed nutrients to keep your body going. The fiber block is well.. a tasteless brown block to make you go brown.

I like what you did for 2nd class, but I don't like what you did with 3rd. 3rd now seems more or less like the old WWII K rations (with more shit), when I was going more for the old MCI rations (developed in the late 50s, used through Vietnam and all the way till the 80s), and was hoping for a little more variety in the 3rd.

Also, 1st class rations were left intentionally vague because they're basically the same shit you'd get in a civilian grocery store, so details on those are best left being developed in the context of things you'd find in a civilian grocery store.

[The Carlisle]

Well, I'm not sure on making it a religious aspect. It would be cool to have it be societal, as I talked about above. Mainly to keep the dynastic conflict going. And honestly, for our style of government, official tolerance will be a bit iffy. It would make for a more interesting divide between nobles and regulars.

Wait. Why can't a monarchy be tolerant? I've got no problem with a noble/commoner divide for sake of story, but it seems what you're suggesting would lead more towards a cishet/LGBT divide more than a noble/commoner divide.

Here is Gren's food list with new names for many of the dishes.

-Fristort: Pita bread topped with one or more cheeses (the exact type(s) used varies from region to region), sprinkled with cinnamon and oregano and (already cooked) chunks of beef or pork (also a regional variation, some using beef, some pork, and others both), heated until the cheese melts, and then topped with a cool, creamy sauce (usually, though in recent times, other sauces have become popular to use).

-Sotornis: Durian flavored ice cream. Durian in Soil is called sotorn.

-Kits'n'gres: Biscuits (no, Brits, not cookies) and gravy, with some form of meat on the side. Usually the gravy is made using the grease from cooking the meat, mixed either with black coffee or flour and milk, along with other seasonings. The exact details of the gravy varies from region to region.

-Steak: Your average, every day steak.

-Shepherd's pie: Shepherd's pie.

-Meatballs: Meatballs (given how meatballs seem to be pretty much standard parts of cuisine throughout most of the Old World IRL, its pretty much guaranteed that they'd be standard parts of cuisine on Soil).

-Meat cake: A curious variant of meatballs, developed in Antediluvia, in which pasta and cheese are formed into the balls along with the meat(s), and are then deep-fried. Has a long history of being prepared at home, and then taken with one to eat during a short trip (less than a day or so, or during the first day of a trip of any length) or while at work, due to their portability and edibility at room temperature.

Sauces, spreads, jams/jellies, and condiments:

-Brown sauce: Equivalent to RL BBQ sauce; a sauce often made with some mix of vinegar, black pepper, and sugar, with many, many other ingredients being incorporated into the sauce, often varying from region to region, and sometimes, even family to family. Many of these regions (and families) are intensely proud of their particular variation of the sauce, though nobody knows who invented the original version (though it almost certainly had other ingredients than the 3 listed, said 3 merely being the ingredients all known variations have in common). This sauce is most commonly used to coat meat in cookouts, though it occasionally finds more niche uses.

-Fish sauce: Equivalent to RL Worcestershire sauce; made from fermented fish, as well as various other ingredients, including vinegar, molasses, salt, onions, garlic, and assorted spices. Is used on its own to flavor various foods, but is also often incorporated into the making of other sauces and condiments.

-Oflavo: Equivalent to RL mayonnaise; made from a mixture of vinegar, egg yolks, and oil, and sometimes with other ingredients added. Like the fish sauce above, it serves as a base for many other sauces and condiments.

-Pomodor sauce: Equivalent to RL ketchup; a sauce made of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and various spices. Like fish sauce and oflavo, it is often used in making other sauces, though it is used on its own as well. Tomatoes in Soil are called pomodors.

-Mint sauce: A sauce made from spearmint, vinegar and sugar. It doesn't get much usage in mainstream Antediluvian society, but there are areas where its usage isn't uncommon, and enthusiasts often swear by it.

-Piquant or hot sauce: Any sauce made from any chili pepper. Due to this definition, there are a broad array of hot sauces, of varying intensities.

-Sweet sauce: Any sauce meant to cover a dessert, such as chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, or custard (milk/cream mixed with egg yolk and other flavors).

-Ovet: Any sauce made from one or more fruits. Notable ovets include applesauce, cranberry, and plum.

-White sauce: A sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. Is very often used in making traditional sauces.

-Mustard: Made from one or more varieties of mustard seeds, along with water, salt, and other liquids and spices. Can have a taste that ranges from spicy to sweet to sour. Can be used in the making of other sauces, and has many variants, including one where its mixed with honey.

-Shrimp sauce: Equivalent to RL cocktail sauce; not made of shrimp, but rather for shrimp. Its made of goldapple sauce and horseradish, and usually also has some lemon juice, hot sauce, and fish sauce, although other ingredients also sometimes pop up.

-Thousand Hills sauce: Equivalent to RL Thousand Island; named for its creation in a popular getaway destination known for its many, many hills. It is made using oflavo, along with a wide range of other ingredients, including olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, mustard, fish sauce, vinegar, pomodor sauce, and even some finely chopped ingredients such as olives, onions, garlic, pickles, and bell peppers.

-Pink sauce: Pink sauce, or as its sometimes known, Poor Man's Thousand Hills, is really just oflavo mixed with pomodor sauce (or sometimes even brown sauce), and maybe a few other ingredients.

-Pickle sauce: Equivalent to RL Tartar sauce; oflavo with chopped pickles, onions, and parsley.

-Ranch sauce: A combination of buttermilk, garlic, salt, onions, and various herbs, though egg sauce has been used as a substitute for buttermilk. Has recently had a few potato chip brands (or whatever we're calling chips now) make it into a flavor, which are fairly popular.

-Cheese sauce: Cheese sauce is, well, a sauce made with cheese. Did I really have to spell that out?

-Deper sauce: Equivalent to RL guacamole; basically mashed up avocado mixed up with lemon juice and various spices and herbs. Avocados in Soil are called depers.

-Fruit butters: Spreads that are created from the process of blending or forcing some sort of fruit preserve through a sieve. The resulting product generally has the consistency of dairy butter.

-Fruit jams: Spreads which have both the juice and flesh of a fruit.

-Fruit jellies: Clear or translucent spreads made of sweetened fruit juice.

-Marmalade: A spread, not unlike a jam, but made from a citrus fruit, and contains the peel of said fruit.

-Yeast paste: Equivalent to RL Vegemite; a spread made up of leftover yeast products from the beer brewing process, along with spices and some vegetable extracts. Its not well liked outside of certain parts of Antediluvia.

-Olive oil: Obviously, the oil obtained from olives. It has varied culinary uses, depending on quality, from cooking to salad dressing to just dipping bread in, and also has several non-culinary uses (like lubrication, fuel for oil lamps, etc.).

-Cece or Sezey: Equivalent to RL hummus; a spread made of mashed chickpeas, mixed with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. Tahini in Soil is called grunelwa. Sesame seeds are called elwa.

-Nut Butters: (stop giggling, dammit!) Made of crushed up nuts (what did I just say?), resulting in a spread with a consistency much like dairy or fruit butters, although unrelated to either otherwise.

-Cheese: A dairy product caused by the breakdown of milk by either bacteria or mould. Its flavour depends on many factors, including which animal the milk comes from, the process used to create it, how it is aged, and what herbs and spices, if any, are added.

There's also one specialty chip brand, known as Brannigan's (a cookie to whoever gets the dual references), which produces flavors often considered odd by people from outside its local area (and the existence of said flavors in chips is odd to locals, though only because its the only brand that makes said flavors, or anything like them, and that fact is appreciated). It cooks its chips in peanut oil, as opposed to vegetable oil. One of its more notable flavors include "Spicy Craw-Gator", which incorporates a local hot sauce for flavor, as well as crawfish and alligator, which sees distribution not only through much of Antediluvia, but also Erathemon.

I like it.

Soz bout my absence, I've been busy as hell. And pretty sick. I had such a bad headache last night I passed out for a bit.

Understandable.

Some detail on your lovely rations. Only field rations, since first is super vague.

Meaty Meat Surprise - I am not even sure what in God's name this is made out of, but it will fill your gut and looks kinda like meat... maybe..

Chowda' Soup - Made of a bunch of diced potatoes boiled in an insta-soup broth with bullion blocks dropped in for vitamin and nutrient source. It sometimes has vegetables in it, but it mainly has chopped up meat stuff. If you are lucky, it has seafood in it!

Fishy surprise - Another surprise meal, it usual consists of Lunder Fish, the most abundant and tasteless fish in the ocean. But if you dump enough sauce on it, it will taste just fine.

Vegetable Medley - just your basic assorted vegtables, usually needs some salt and pepper to be any good.

Mash and Hash - Potatoes actually made palatable, they are either mashed up and cooked or chopped up and fried. Fried hash generally tastes pretty good, and is made out of an instant box usually. If you are any good at haggling, you can probably snag some from a cook to store in your pack or vehicle.

Biscuits- simple ready made biscuits

Loaf of bread - Well... it says itself...

Drinks often vary, but expect coffee and water everywhere you go. The two most abundant military supplies. Specialty food is hard to find and may only happen on special occasions.

There are really only two kinds of rations that come in dumb little boxes. A-Rats and B-Rats they are so affectionately called.

A-Rats - Comes with your standard protein bar, broth bouillon block, instant coffee package or sometimes tea, a tiny little packet of four cigarettes [usually to be traded off to the smokers], an 8oz can of ham, beef, or chicken and a brick like fruitcake. Fruitcakes are absolute shit.

B-Rats - Wow this comes with a protein bar, broth bouillon block, instant coffee or tea packets, no cigarettes to make room for nutrient paste, a small can of beans, ham, or fish; the difference being here is the nutrient paste and a new menu item, the dreaded fiber block. Nutrient paste is this gray colored paste that you squeeze onto your crackers to get much needed nutrients to keep your body going. The fiber block is well.. a tasteless brown block to make you go brown.

I like what you did for 2nd class, but I don't like what you did with 3rd. 3rd now seems more or less like the old WWII K rations (with more shit), when I was going more for the old MCI rations (developed in the late 50s, used through Vietnam and all the way till the 80s), and was hoping for a little more variety in the 3rd.

Also, 1st class rations were left intentionally vague because they're basically the same shit you'd get in a civilian grocery store, so details on those are best left being developed in the context of things you'd find in a civilian grocery store.

Well, no, not suggesting that, at all. I just don't view the world of dynastic politics as anything but fucked up. And I'm not saying that there is a universal disdain, it varies in areas depending on laws. Some would be fine with their kids being LGBT, though those people were probably elected the title and therefore probably won't hold it after passing. Those with different laws, like choosing the heir, being openly LGBT will probably leave them out of succession, as that kills marriage and the likeliness of having kids. In primogeniture succession, all of the titles passing over to them might create a dynastic crisis, as the heir won't marry or have kids. And being openly LGBT would kill marriageability, as it's highly unlikely to produce kids.

Though these are my thoughts on it. I just want dynastic politics to remain as fucked up as they are in real life.

[Grenartia]

Wait. Why can't a monarchy be tolerant? I've got no problem with a noble/commoner divide for sake of story, but it seems what you're suggesting would lead more towards a cishet/LGBT divide more than a noble/commoner divide.



I like it.



Understandable.



I like what you did for 2nd class, but I don't like what you did with 3rd. 3rd now seems more or less like the old WWII K rations (with more shit), when I was going more for the old MCI rations (developed in the late 50s, used through Vietnam and all the way till the 80s), and was hoping for a little more variety in the 3rd.

Also, 1st class rations were left intentionally vague because they're basically the same shit you'd get in a civilian grocery store, so details on those are best left being developed in the context of things you'd find in a civilian grocery store.

Well, no, not suggesting that, at all. I just don't view the world of dynastic politics as anything but fucked up. And I'm not saying that there is a universal disdain, it varies in areas depending on laws. Some would be fine with their kids being LGBT, though those people were probably elected the title and therefore probably won't hold it after passing. Those with different laws, like choosing the heir, being openly LGBT will probably leave them out of succession, as that kills marriage and the likeliness of having kids. In primogeniture succession, all of the titles passing over to them might create a dynastic crisis, as the heir won't marry or have kids. And being openly LGBT would kill marriageability, as it's highly unlikely to produce kids.

Though these are my thoughts on it. I just want dynastic politics to remain as fucked up as they are in real life.

Well, not inherently for the underlined. Surely there's things like surrogacy and turkey basters in Antediluvia, right?

[Nature-Spirits]

Well, I'm not sure on making it a religious aspect. It would be cool to have it be societal, as I talked about above. Mainly to keep the dynastic conflict going. And honestly, for our style of government, official tolerance will be a bit iffy. It would make for a more interesting divide between nobles and regulars.

Wait. Why can't a monarchy be tolerant?

^ Basically this. There are many monarchies that are quite tolerant IRL. (Of course, most of these also have a secular/elected government in addition to the monarchy, but my point stands.)

Here is Gren's food list with new names for many of the dishes.

-Fristort: Pita bread topped with one or more cheeses (the exact type(s) used varies from region to region), sprinkled with cinnamon and oregano and (already cooked) chunks of beef or pork (also a regional variation, some using beef, some pork, and others both), heated until the cheese melts, and then topped with a cool, creamy sauce (usually, though in recent times, other sauces have become popular to use).

-Sotornis: Durian flavored ice cream. Durian in Soil is called sotorn.

-Kits'n'gres: Biscuits (no, Brits, not cookies) and gravy, with some form of meat on the side. Usually the gravy is made using the grease from cooking the meat, mixed either with black coffee or flour and milk, along with other seasonings. The exact details of the gravy varies from region to region.

-Steak: Your average, every day steak.

-Shepherd's pie: Shepherd's pie.

-Meatballs: Meatballs (given how meatballs seem to be pretty much standard parts of cuisine throughout most of the Old World IRL, its pretty much guaranteed that they'd be standard parts of cuisine on Soil).

-Meat cake: A curious variant of meatballs, developed in Antediluvia, in which pasta and cheese are formed into the balls along with the meat(s), and are then deep-fried. Has a long history of being prepared at home, and then taken with one to eat during a short trip (less than a day or so, or during the first day of a trip of any length) or while at work, due to their portability and edibility at room temperature.

Sauces, spreads, jams/jellies, and condiments:

-Brown sauce: Equivalent to RL BBQ sauce; a sauce often made with some mix of vinegar, black pepper, and sugar, with many, many other ingredients being incorporated into the sauce, often varying from region to region, and sometimes, even family to family. Many of these regions (and families) are intensely proud of their particular variation of the sauce, though nobody knows who invented the original version (though it almost certainly had other ingredients than the 3 listed, said 3 merely being the ingredients all known variations have in common). This sauce is most commonly used to coat meat in cookouts, though it occasionally finds more niche uses.

-Fish sauce: Equivalent to RL Worcestershire sauce; made from fermented fish, as well as various other ingredients, including vinegar, molasses, salt, onions, garlic, and assorted spices. Is used on its own to flavor various foods, but is also often incorporated into the making of other sauces and condiments.

-Oflavo: Equivalent to RL mayonnaise; made from a mixture of vinegar, egg yolks, and oil, and sometimes with other ingredients added. Like the fish sauce above, it serves as a base for many other sauces and condiments.

-Pomodor sauce: Equivalent to RL ketchup; a sauce made of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and various spices. Like fish sauce and oflavo, it is often used in making other sauces, though it is used on its own as well. Tomatoes in Soil are called pomodors.

-Mint sauce: A sauce made from spearmint, vinegar and sugar. It doesn't get much usage in mainstream Antediluvian society, but there are areas where its usage isn't uncommon, and enthusiasts often swear by it.

-Piquant or hot sauce: Any sauce made from any chili pepper. Due to this definition, there are a broad array of hot sauces, of varying intensities.

-Sweet sauce: Any sauce meant to cover a dessert, such as chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, or custard (milk/cream mixed with egg yolk and other flavors).

-Ovet: Any sauce made from one or more fruits. Notable ovets include applesauce, cranberry, and plum.

-White sauce: A sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. Is very often used in making traditional sauces.

-Mustard: Made from one or more varieties of mustard seeds, along with water, salt, and other liquids and spices. Can have a taste that ranges from spicy to sweet to sour. Can be used in the making of other sauces, and has many variants, including one where its mixed with honey.

-Shrimp sauce: Equivalent to RL cocktail sauce; not made of shrimp, but rather for shrimp. Its made of goldapple sauce and horseradish, and usually also has some lemon juice, hot sauce, and fish sauce, although other ingredients also sometimes pop up.

-Thousand Hills sauce: Equivalent to RL Thousand Island; named for its creation in a popular getaway destination known for its many, many hills. It is made using oflavo, along with a wide range of other ingredients, including olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, mustard, fish sauce, vinegar, pomodor sauce, and even some finely chopped ingredients such as olives, onions, garlic, pickles, and bell peppers.

-Pink sauce: Pink sauce, or as its sometimes known, Poor Man's Thousand Hills, is really just oflavo mixed with pomodor sauce (or sometimes even brown sauce), and maybe a few other ingredients.

-Pickle sauce: Equivalent to RL Tartar sauce; oflavo with chopped pickles, onions, and parsley.

-Ranch sauce: A combination of buttermilk, garlic, salt, onions, and various herbs, though egg sauce has been used as a substitute for buttermilk. Has recently had a few potato chip brands (or whatever we're calling chips now) make it into a flavor, which are fairly popular.

-Cheese sauce: Cheese sauce is, well, a sauce made with cheese. Did I really have to spell that out?

-Deper sauce: Equivalent to RL guacamole; basically mashed up avocado mixed up with lemon juice and various spices and herbs. Avocados in Soil are called depers.

-Fruit butters: Spreads that are created from the process of blending or forcing some sort of fruit preserve through a sieve. The resulting product generally has the consistency of dairy butter.

-Fruit jams: Spreads which have both the juice and flesh of a fruit.

-Fruit jellies: Clear or translucent spreads made of sweetened fruit juice.

-Marmalade: A spread, not unlike a jam, but made from a citrus fruit, and contains the peel of said fruit.

-Yeast paste: Equivalent to RL Vegemite; a spread made up of leftover yeast products from the beer brewing process, along with spices and some vegetable extracts. Its not well liked outside of certain parts of Antediluvia.

-Olive oil: Obviously, the oil obtained from olives. It has varied culinary uses, depending on quality, from cooking to salad dressing to just dipping bread in, and also has several non-culinary uses (like lubrication, fuel for oil lamps, etc.).

-Cece or Sezey: Equivalent to RL hummus; a spread made of mashed chickpeas, mixed with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. Tahini in Soil is called grunelwa. Sesame seeds are called elwa.

-Nut Butters: (stop giggling, dammit!) Made of crushed up nuts (what did I just say?), resulting in a spread with a consistency much like dairy or fruit butters, although unrelated to either otherwise.

-Cheese: A dairy product caused by the breakdown of milk by either bacteria or mould. Its flavour depends on many factors, including which animal the milk comes from, the process used to create it, how it is aged, and what herbs and spices, if any, are added.

There's also one specialty chip brand, known as Brannigan's (a cookie to whoever gets the dual references), which produces flavors often considered odd by people from outside its local area (and the existence of said flavors in chips is odd to locals, though only because its the only brand that makes said flavors, or anything like them, and that fact is appreciated). It cooks its chips in peanut oil, as opposed to vegetable oil. One of its more notable flavors include "Spicy Craw-Gator", which incorporates a local hot sauce for flavor, as well as crawfish and alligator, which sees distribution not only through much of Antediluvia, but also Erathemon.

I like it.

I'm glad you approve.

Wait. Why can't a monarchy be tolerant? I've got no problem with a noble/commoner divide for sake of story, but it seems what you're suggesting would lead more towards a cishet/LGBT divide more than a noble/commoner divide.

Well, no, not suggesting that, at all. I just don't view the world of dynastic politics as anything but fucked up. And I'm not saying that there is a universal disdain, it varies in areas depending on laws. Some would be fine with their kids being LGBT, though those people were probably elected the title and therefore probably won't hold it after passing. Those with different laws, like choosing the heir, being openly LGBT will probably leave them out of succession, as that kills marriage and the likeliness of having kids. In primogeniture succession, all of the titles passing over to them might create a dynastic crisis, as the heir won't marry or have kids. And being openly LGBT would kill marriageability, as it's highly unlikely to produce kids.

Though these are my thoughts on it. I just want dynastic politics to remain as fucked up as they are in real life.

I would just like to note that if succession passes to someone who doesn't have kids (whether they're LGBT or not), it could always go to their oldest sibling/niece/nephew once they either die or abdicate.
Of course, there could be families who force their LGBT children to pass over their inheritance of the title and all that goes with it.

[The Carlisle]

Well, no, not suggesting that, at all. I just don't view the world of dynastic politics as anything but fucked up. And I'm not saying that there is a universal disdain, it varies in areas depending on laws. Some would be fine with their kids being LGBT, though those people were probably elected the title and therefore probably won't hold it after passing. Those with different laws, like choosing the heir, being openly LGBT will probably leave them out of succession, as that kills marriage and the likeliness of having kids. In primogeniture succession, all of the titles passing over to them might create a dynastic crisis, as the heir won't marry or have kids. And being openly LGBT would kill marriageability, as it's highly unlikely to produce kids.

Though these are my thoughts on it. I just want dynastic politics to remain as fucked up as they are in real life.

Well, not inherently for the underlined. Surely there's things like surrogacy and turkey basters in Antediluvia, right?

Love ya Gren.

Anyways, it sadly wouldn't work. Having a kid secures the marriage. I mean, why should I marry my daughter to your son if its clear that he won't confirm the marriage and secure the link with a child? Why should I be your ally if there is no link between us?

See? fucked up. Welcome to feudalism...

Wait. Why can't a monarchy be tolerant?

^ Basically this. There are many monarchies that are quite tolerant IRL. (Of course, most of these also have a secular/elected government in addition to the monarchy, but my point stands.)

I like it.

I'm glad you approve.

Well, no, not suggesting that, at all. I just don't view the world of dynastic politics as anything but fucked up. And I'm not saying that there is a universal disdain, it varies in areas depending on laws. Some would be fine with their kids being LGBT, though those people were probably elected the title and therefore probably won't hold it after passing. Those with different laws, like choosing the heir, being openly LGBT will probably leave them out of succession, as that kills marriage and the likeliness of having kids. In primogeniture succession, all of the titles passing over to them might create a dynastic crisis, as the heir won't marry or have kids. And being openly LGBT would kill marriageability, as it's highly unlikely to produce kids.

Though these are my thoughts on it. I just want dynastic politics to remain as fucked up as they are in real life.

I would just like to note that if succession passes to someone who doesn't have kids (whether they're LGBT or not), it could always go to their oldest sibling/niece/nephew once they either die or abdicate.
Of course, there could be families who force their LGBT children to pass over their inheritance of the title and all that goes with it.

Of course. M=To add on, members with claims can also force abdication of them, as not having kids would be seen as not securing the dynasty, like the sibling of the former duke, or the second child.

[Grenartia]

Well, not inherently for the underlined. Surely there's things like surrogacy and turkey basters in Antediluvia, right?

Love ya Gren.

Anyways, it sadly wouldn't work. Having a kid secures the marriage. I mean, why should I marry my daughter to your son if its clear that he won't confirm the marriage and secure the link with a child? Why should I be your ally if there is no link between us?

See? fucked up. Welcome to feudalism...

^ Basically this. There are many monarchies that are quite tolerant IRL. (Of course, most of these also have a secular/elected government in addition to the monarchy, but my point stands.)


I'm glad you approve.


I would just like to note that if succession passes to someone who doesn't have kids (whether they're LGBT or not), it could always go to their oldest sibling/niece/nephew once they either die or abdicate.
Of course, there could be families who force their LGBT children to pass over their inheritance of the title and all that goes with it.

Of course. M=To add on, members with claims can also force abdication of them, as not having kids would be seen as not securing the dynasty, like the sibling of the former duke, or the second child.

That is literally the second time today somebody from this RP has told me they love me. You two flatter me.

As for the topic, though, my thinking is that there could be same-sex marriages, and a "third" who could impregnate the couple/be impregnated by the couple. Like, all the noble and royal marriages are arranged, but they each have a number of options. Some of these potential spouses would be of the same sex, in addition to opposite sex options.

[The Carlisle]

Love ya Gren.

Anyways, it sadly wouldn't work. Having a kid secures the marriage. I mean, why should I marry my daughter to your son if its clear that he won't confirm the marriage and secure the link with a child? Why should I be your ally if there is no link between us?

See? fucked up. Welcome to feudalism...


Of course. M=To add on, members with claims can also force abdication of them, as not having kids would be seen as not securing the dynasty, like the sibling of the former duke, or the second child.

That is literally the second time today somebody from this RP has told me they love me. You two flatter me.

As for the topic, though, my thinking is that there could be same-sex marriages, and a "third" who could impregnate the couple/be impregnated by the couple. Like, all the noble and royal marriages are arranged, but they each have a number of options. Some of these potential spouses would be of the same sex, in addition to opposite sex options.

To be honest, I can't really see that happening. With the importance of blood ties, a child being a product on only one of the nobles really doesn't seem to tie the knot.

Honestly, I see LGBT nobles just accepting the marriage, have a kid or two, and have lovers. Even better, they don't really care if they have open lovers.

[New Zepuha]

I was aiming more for K-Rats since they were used during the early stages of Korea. Due to the fact that the US was fighting on surplus. My grandfather was eating K-rats in 1955 in fact, and he was in the airforce outside of the combat zone. Though on the side of variety for 2nd class, there were only three types of K-Rations and the problem with the MCIs is that they are too large to be stored in large quantity, and take up a lot of space in a ruck-sack.

C-Rations were used up to 1958 in fact and then further into Vietnam, and probably would be our best bet. Light, takes up little space, and provides 114 grams of protein and around 3000 calories.

"The K - ration contained three thousand calories and was designed to be light in weight, to be carried in the soldier's pack and to be consumed only under emergency conditions when no other food was available. This decision to send the men into combat with the prospect of inadequate daily caloric intake was not sanctioned by the doctors and was to play an important part in the poor strength and general health of the Marauders."
(James E. T. Hopkins MD. - Spearhead - 1999)

MCIs are certainly comfortable and variable, but I was trying to make it fit the mood of 'life in the forced army sucks'. That is assuming the top brass doesn't really care for our nutrition so much as keeping us alive, which is what 3rd class seems like. And I know 1st is vague on purpose, thus why I didn't do anything to it.

Though I'd consider just copying the K-Rats Breakfast, Lunch, Supper styles.

[Grenartia]

That is literally the second time today somebody from this RP has told me they love me. You two flatter me.

As for the topic, though, my thinking is that there could be same-sex marriages, and a "third" who could impregnate the couple/be impregnated by the couple. Like, all the noble and royal marriages are arranged, but they each have a number of options. Some of these potential spouses would be of the same sex, in addition to opposite sex options.

To be honest, I can't really see that happening. With the importance of blood ties, a child being a product on only one of the nobles really doesn't seem to tie the knot.

Honestly, I see LGBT nobles just accepting the marriage, have a kid or two, and have lovers. Even better, they don't really care if they have open lovers.

I'm not really seeing why they have to be blood ties in this universe, but that works, too, I guess.

[The Carlisle]

To be honest, I can't really see that happening. With the importance of blood ties, a child being a product on only one of the nobles really doesn't seem to tie the knot.

Honestly, I see LGBT nobles just accepting the marriage, have a kid or two, and have lovers. Even better, they don't really care if they have open lovers.

I'm not really seeing why they have to be blood ties in this universe, but that works, too, I guess.

Well, I can't really see dynastic politics without blood ties because its a pretty important factor.

[Nature-Spirits]

I'm not really seeing why they have to be blood ties in this universe, but that works, too, I guess.

Well, I can't really see dynastic politics without blood ties because its a pretty important factor.

Blood ties are only useful for securing alliances during wartime, but Antediluvia's too busy fighting against Precambria to be waging civil wars.

[Grenartia]

I was aiming more for K-Rats since they were used during the early stages of Korea. Due to the fact that the US was fighting on surplus. My grandfather was eating K-rats in 1955 in fact, and he was in the airforce outside of the combat zone. Though on the side of variety for 2nd class, there were only three types of K-Rations and the problem with the MCIs is that they are too large to be stored in large quantity, and take up a lot of space in a ruck-sack.

C-Rations were used up to 1958 in fact and then further into Vietnam, and probably would be our best bet. Light, takes up little space, and provides 114 grams of protein and around 3000 calories.

"The K - ration contained three thousand calories and was designed to be light in weight, to be carried in the soldier's pack and to be consumed only under emergency conditions when no other food was available. This decision to send the men into combat with the prospect of inadequate daily caloric intake was not sanctioned by the doctors and was to play an important part in the poor strength and general health of the Marauders."
(James E. T. Hopkins MD. - Spearhead - 1999)

MCIs are certainly comfortable and variable, but I was trying to make it fit the mood of 'life in the forced army sucks'. That is assuming the top brass doesn't really care for our nutrition so much as keeping us alive, which is what 3rd class seems like. And I know 1st is vague on purpose, thus why I didn't do anything to it.

Though I'd consider just copying the K-Rats Breakfast, Lunch, Supper styles.

I only based them on MCIs for their similarity to C rats (I mean, they were close enough that they continued to be called C rats), and that they were meant to be eaten for longer periods, while also still fitting in with the tech setting (we can't have MRE's, after all). Also, I thought the MCIs also fit into the "forced army service sucks" bit, since they were still considered subpar in taste. I also figured most previous ration designs would've already been used by this point in the war, given its scale and length, so we'd mostly be seeing the current rations.

Well, I can't really see dynastic politics without blood ties because its a pretty important factor.

Blood ties are only useful for securing alliances during wartime, but Antediluvia's too busy fighting against Precambria to be waging civil wars.

Pretty much my thoughts. It only really matters how the heirs are raised, not their bloodline.

[The Carlisle]

Well, I can't really see dynastic politics without blood ties because its a pretty important factor.

Blood ties are only useful for securing alliances during wartime, but Antediluvia's too busy fighting against Precambria to be waging civil wars.

Well, not only for alliances. It can help with influence and business. Like, if I marry a cousin to the daughter of a mine owner. Said mine owner would gain influence and noble children, and I would gain a deal where most of his ore goes to my smelteries. Just one of many examples. As I said before, Oorburg has extensive influence throughout the highlands because of their blood ties.

Though, TBH, this stats quo in the noble house won't last forever. For one, Maxie is the only son to the duke of Verstact. When he inherits, things will change. And depending on what happens in the RP, a lot more could happen as well

[The Carlisle]

Also, I have no idea where this will fit but we must have it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIjUY3pjN8E