• Member Since 25th Jun, 2019
  • offline last seen 3 hours ago

The Voice in the Water


Listen to the crashing of the waves, the flow of a stream, the roar of a waterfall, or the patter of the rain.

A little bit about me.

Name: The Voice in the Water (TVW for short if you want)

Occupation: Biologist (Botany)

Favorite cold drink: Gravenstein Apple Cider (non-alcoholic) or good horchata

Favorite hot drink: Yerba Mate

Preferred level of spiciness in food: Between gargling thermite and burning napalm.

Preferred music: Hard Rock, Industrial, New Age, World, Classic Rock, Blues, Jazz, Classical
– Current favorite artists: Halestorm, Blackmore's Night, Loreena McKennitt, Lindsey Stirling, Rise Against

Hobbies: Video-games, nature photography, hiking, writing & drawing (infrequently, but would like to do more often), being a curmudgeonly, snarky bastard.

Currently playing: Random Indies


Top 5 Favorite MLP characters:
1 - Sunset Shimmer
2 - Sci-Twi
3 - Princess Twilight Sparkle
4 - Grogar
5 - Mirror King Sombra

Top 5 Favorite MLP ships:
1 & 2 SunLight (Tie between Princess or SciTwi)
3 - RariJack
4 - Mirror Sombra x Celestia
5 - CheesePie

Latest Stories
3

Blog Posts
64

  • 3 weeks
    Favorite Super Robot attacks

    Because I'm going through anime withdrawal due to having my internet via wi-fi hotspot and therefore must ration my data usage, and don't have access to my disk collection, here's a bunch of my favorite attack names from Super Robot anime, and the series they come from. This is by no means a complete list of all the attack names I like, but they're some of my favorites.

    • Hanjuuryoku Storm (Translation: Anti-gravity storm) / Eng: Rainbow Beam - UFO Robot Grendizer

    Read More

    2 comments · 89 views
  • 4 weeks
    Nightcrawler

    The current leader of the Cult of Endless Decay, Nightcrawler is an atrocity (the Chaos equivalent to an ascendant) created by D’compose in the waning days of the Skellweb Crisis. With his master's capture and Black Thorn’s death, Nightcrawler became the de facto leader of the cult. Even now, he works against Solaria in an effort to both free his master, and defeat the hated phoenix-born.

    Origin: 

    Read More

    11 comments · 227 views
  • 15 weeks
    New Phoenix-born chapter Tuesday

    Hello everyone,

    It took longer than I had expected, but I've got the next chapter more or less ready. Barring some serious issues coming to light with it when I proof it again, it should be posted on Tuesday, Aug 22. As to why it took so long? Well, I was about 6K words in, and realized that what I had wasn't going to work. So, I had to scrap it and start over more or less from scratch.

    In any case, thank you all for sticking with me and my odd little story.

    4 comments · 172 views
  • 16 weeks
    Was reminiscing / feeling nostalgic

    *Voice suddenly starts talking from the beverage you're about to start drinking*

    HEY! You know what?! I feel like listing off movies I like because I'm going stir crazy, and feel like thinking about something that makes me happy as opposed to thinking about the current state of cinema, which makes me want to pour concrete into this water!

    So, in no particular order, here are a bunch of movies that I genuinely enjoy.

    Predator 2
    The Last Unicorn
    Gojira
    Godzilla vs. Biolante

    Read More

    2 comments · 190 views
  • 21 weeks
    The Dragons of Nitor

    “Of all of Harmony’s creations, the most ancient yet enigmatic are the dragons. We know very little about these creatures, and what is known raises more questions. Why did the Empress create them? When did she create them? Why are they so different from all the other creatures born of her will? How is it that, among all of Harmony’s creations, they are not static in which aspect they wield, but rather have the ability to choose if they wish to bear flame, gloaming or shadow?

    Read More

    11 comments · 368 views
Nov
11th
2023

Favorite Super Robot attacks · 3:31am November 11th

Because I'm going through anime withdrawal due to having my internet via wi-fi hotspot and therefore must ration my data usage, and don't have access to my disk collection, here's a bunch of my favorite attack names from Super Robot anime, and the series they come from. This is by no means a complete list of all the attack names I like, but they're some of my favorites.

  • Hanjuuryoku Storm (Translation: Anti-gravity storm) / Eng: Rainbow Beam - UFO Robot Grendizer

Read More

SunLight - the ship that keeps me coming back
278

Comments ( 82 )
  • Viewing 78 - 82 of 82

3238264
Thanks for sharing. I've actually got a lot of notes on how Selenia's economy and society work. Some of what you suggested was close, while some is pretty far off.

* Most trade with allies and foreigners is done through barter, rather than coinage. If they were to mint coins, they would be Selenian coins, and might not have value to their allies and trading partners. So, it instead falls on the merchant's guild to negotiate trade of goods for goods.
* Internally, every individual has a sort of "status mark" provided by the Selenian's shared dream. Individuals with high status are given access to higher value resources. How much one can take is based on a lunar monthly resource allowance that is tracked both through the shared dream, and a physical ledger that must be signed and stamped by the merchant providing the goods/service. Allowances do not accumulate, so any unspent resource allowances are lost at the end of each lunar cycle.
* Family units are completely non-existent, as is the concept of marriage. When a child is born, they are taken by the state and raised in a communal home by caretakers. In place of a family-unit, one's social circle is the closest thing the Selenian's have to family. To avoid infighting among their friends, Selenians tend to develop bonds between people outside their guilds, because anyone inside your guild is a potential rival for status. Relationships tend to be fairly fluid, though it is considered in bad taste for relationships to occur between individuals of vastly different statuses.
* You're pretty spot on with the "do more with less" part of guild politics.
* The making and giving away gifts is an interesting thought. Though, by the nature of their economy and society, there is a taboo against someone of higher status gifting someone of lower status something they didn't have the status to own. Conversely, providing someone of higher status with such gifts, particularly well made ones, is a good way to build status. The one exception to this is sharing food with close friends who are only a few degrees of status removed from oneself.
* Again, I like the idea, but Night's Song itself is purely above ground for one reason: the night-weavers can't see the sky from underground. Much like the sun-gazers, the night-weavers love to see Luna's moon and stars in the sky, as they're a visible manifestation of Luna's domain and gifts. Though, nothing says that Night's Song can't have subterranean elements to it. Especially the residential elements, since it would keep them "safe" from the sun's light (night-weavers have very light-sensitive eyes).

You've mentioned in the comments on Phoenixborn that Lunaria is in many ways the direct opposite of Solaria. A cashless society divided along the lines of artisan guilds (metalworking, woodworking, farming, ranching, etc.). I had a few ideas on how such a society could reasonably function and wanted to share them with you. I wasn't sure where to put it so I'm putting it here. Still absolutely loving your work and universe, it's frustrating and wonderful in all of the right ways!

* Lunaria does not use currency internally, though it does mint coins for trade with foreign nations and allies. Internally, these are treated as promissory notes and are only really seen on border towns.
* Reputation is everything in society. The greater your reputation, the greater your standing and thus the powers and privileges you are able to enjoy.
* Family units exist but there is a strong social stigma against using them for social gain. Your family's reputation is not your reputation. People who attempt to trade on their ancestors' work are looked down on and often ostracized.
* Harvested materials are deposited in a centralized banking system overseen by one of Luna's chosen. Citizens are free to make withdrawals of required materials at any time.
* There is a strong social taboo against waste and fraud. More valuable materials are held in reserve for individuals with greater clout. IE: A common citizen cannot walk into a bank and withdraw a dozen bars of gold. At least not without approval from someone of relevant authority such as the head of the goldsmithing guild.
* An extensive schooling system exists, designed to gravitate students toward their calling and determine skill sets. Numerous competitions are held so students have the opportunity to impress and win coveted apprenticeships with various masters.
* Each of the guilds is also tasked with overseeing certain functions of society. Plumbing, roads, law enforcement, etc. In keeping with society's emphasis on personal achievement, the guilds foster a spirited competition of who can do their job best with fewest resources. The smaller a guild's budget (relatively speaking), the better they are assumed to be at their task.
* There is a minor taboo against crafting luxuries for one's self. Instead, a particularly impressive piece is expected to be given away as a gift to a respected colleague, a lover, and so on. Thus it can be assumed that a person with a great deal of 'wealth' is not only impressively skilled but also highly popular.
* I also had a minor idea about the city being largely underground in caverns of natural crystal in all the colors of the rainbow. The caverns ring constantly with the starsingers' songs. Sustained and amplified by the magic of the crystals, voices from centuries past still echoing in the chorus of their descendants.

Thx for adding my story to your bookshelf! :pinkiehappy:

  • Viewing 78 - 82 of 82
Login or register to comment