Writing Challenge - May/June 2018 [CHALLENGE COMPLETED - RESULTS TO FOLLOW]

[redfeatherraven]

sounds like you need this challenge more than the rest of us

 

[Natz~]

i feel like i should appologize in response to that lol

 

[redfeatherraven]

Nah.

It is almost certainly one hundred percent true.

Doesn't help that when I put the brakes on my train of thought at midnight I haven't quite gotten back in on it. More research has been done, but no writing - which describes almost literally my whole week.

 

[Natz~]

ouch......

 

[redfeatherraven]

It's a cycle.

I broke it once, I can break it again.

 

[Natz~]

It's a cycle.

I broke it once, I can break it again.

well whatever the katt can do to help let the katt know!

 

[Natz~]

also i just realized something redfeatherraven

darkfenrir and kirby dragons aren't even invited to this place

so they can't receive notifications at all

ya need to invite them here :V
or hand on off a mod (place is now up to 9 people and some visitors so someone else to help out make annoucments and keep tabs to help out isn't a bad idea)

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I'll admit, I started my story but forgot to finish it by yesterday. I'll try to finish and post it today or tomorrow.

 

[Natz~]

I'll admit, I started my story but forgot to finish it by yesterday. I'll try to finish and post it today or tomorrow.

ya aren't rushed or anything, red made a goof so you pretty much get a buypass this week, though you do owe 2 1750 words this week, at least if you can't do it ya get a mercy day for no penalty

so basically no need to rush, but it is to be mindful

 

[redfeatherraven]

darkfenrir and kirby dragons aren't even invited to this place

Sent em out - DarkFenrir on 4/28 and Kirby yesterday - but they haven't formally been accepted yet, hence why they're not on the list.

I'll admit, I started my story but forgot to finish it by yesterday. I'll try to finish and post it today or tomorrow.

Gotchu fam.

Could you go ahead and accept the invite so the tags work though?

 

[Natz~]

ah okay~

 

[redfeatherraven]

Spoiler: Excerpts from Xenological Studies of the Hylotl, A.Z. Price

Greetings, dear readers! If you've come by this humble tome in your search for knowledge about our universal neighbors, I welcome you with open arms to this noble quest for knowledge!

My name is Arthur Zachary Price, lifelong scholar of xenology and the passions of existence itself, and I am under recent commission to wander far and wide amongst the stars to gather knowledge in the service of our Terrene Protectorate.

I humbly entreat you to join me in my quest amongst the cosmos. Together we shall climb the great tree of universal understanding, and upon its hard-won fruits we shall feast!

-------

I was requested for my first expedition to wander deep into a sector of unexplored space, to visit a distant system with a beautiful, temperate star. It was here, my publisher explained, that reports had verified surface-level settlements of the noble, graceful Hylotl - a culture and civilization we've only just begun to interact with as a people! To the day I set my pen, we'd only known their cities as hidden away gems, peacefully situated beneath the mighty waves of planets covered in mighty oceans whose fierce and protective embrace only they could properly navigate.

To learn of such a settlement as we could freely and safely visit to exchange the gifts of our cultures - the diplomatic effort could not have been less than a Herculean task, and to be appointed to the position of First Contact Ambassador nothing less than the highest honor. This was a chance no self-respecting chronicler of our friends from afar could pass up!

My shuttle was readied by lunch, and I set out on my journey - already historic, as the jump was three times further from our own Earth than had ever been recorded to date. I felt a bit ashamed for the poor soul who fueled my ship - surely only providing enough fuel for the journey forward, and not the journey home, will be recorded as a terrible error.

Never fear, dear reader, as I'm no stranger to improvisation in times of hardship. Fully understanding I may need to barter, and with my publisher's endorsement - and my editor's truly heartfelt encouragement - I ensured that my shuttle was loaded with the entire first print run of my latest work, "A Brief Treatise on Ancient Human Civilizations, Volume One." I felt that beyond its worth as a material good, it would do well to offer insight into our own civilization. Certainly the Hylotl, noted to hold their traditions in such high esteem, would appreciate the glimpse into our own.

(I am certain, of course, that by the time you read this, the second print run will be completed. If you find the subject as intriguing as I have, please stop by your local bookstore and feel free to pick up any of the sixteen volumes of the series - or all of them, if your thirst for knowlege truly knows no bounds!)

The coordinates given to me by SAIL placed me in orbit around a lush and wonderful place. Truly, it was a precious and shining emerald in the vast darkness of space. However, it seems that the digits were incorrect, as even after combing the surface of the world thoroughly, I did not find the Hylotl city. I did manage to make relatively pleasant contact with a local group of Floran, the results of which I shall be happy to document in a later piece, but suffice to say I will need to find a significantly larger store of meat, and perhaps some kind of armed escort, before I am able to make a proper exchange of ideas. Consider it a long-term project!

Of course, I didn't wish to worry my publisher or the Protectorate by returning home quite so early, so I resolved to correct the error of the initial jump myself, which I presumed was an error in the coordinates' transcription. To my delight, I found that the moons out here were littered with the requisite amounts of fuel to hop around my local group of planetary systems. As I'd some years back mastered the fine art of holding my breath (you'd be surprised at the number of applications such a skill has) I was able to collect plenty over the course of several short trips.

I was soon able to correct my course - it seems that when the coordinates were input, an eight had been mistaken for a two - and discovered, on the surface of a gentle world of wide open grasslands, the surface village of the Hylotl that had been promised. They strangely did not seem to be anticipating my arrival, but I apologized for my tardiness nevertheless. I've found manners to be important in such matters, and would hardly be dissuaded from such today.

The Hylotl have been described as haughty and disdainful in other texts, but dear reader I will tell you now, nothing could be further from the truth. No sooner had I told them my mission than they became the most hospitable of hosts I have ever had the pleasure to be the guest of, insisting that I speak with them of their enlightened culture over tea.

-------

I was granted audience with a charming Hylotl woman who agreed to be my hostess, and she began with me at the very beginning, with a brief primer on the biology of the Hylotl and their earliest stages of life.

Their bodies bring to mind those of certain amphibians of Earth, with smooth skin that must be periodically moistened for good health. They posess a triangle of eyes, each the color of a stunning rose in full sunlight. As my host demonstrated to me with several traditional works of art, their trinocular vision is overwhelmingly more sensitive to the nuances of luminosity, and this allows them to sense shades of color and hints of light far subtler than anything you or I could find without great effort and no small amount of guidance.

Though their lifecycle also mimics the amphibians of Earth to a degree, beginning as tadpole-like organisms, they rapidly grow out of this form within their first few years of life. Freshly-born Hylotl are about the size of a small fish - perhaps twenty centimeters long, tail to tip - and are partially terrestrial from the moment they've hatched.

Hylotl skin, you see, is fully capable of a powerful form of cutaneous respiration. For a grown Hylotl this mostly serves to suppliment the air stored in their powerful lungs, allowing them to remain submerged beneath the tides for longer periods of time. However in newborn Hylotl it is essential, as their still-developing lungs are not powerful enough to handle the demands of their growing bodies.

These marvelous powers do come at a price; the skin of a newborn Hylotl is a delicate thing, a lattice of vascular systems primed near a thin protective layer of cutaneous tissue, in constant danger of tearing or cracking under too dry a condition or too great a stress. In this stage of their lives, they must be handled like the finest and most precious porcelain, watched over dilligently and viligantly to ensure that no harm befalls them.

Yet even with proper caution, there is yet tragedy, and my hostess sorrowfully explained that she knew of many that simply did not survive, especially in the more distant colonies. To hear her as she spoke of it - dear reader, were it of solid durasteel, your heart would have broken in the wake of the sorrow in her voice. I suspected she knew of this firsthand, but dared not ask more.

I steered the subject a bit further to positive considerations by inquiring as to where their young might actually be. On my initial trek through the village, I saw no Hylotl newborns, or for that matter even children. This seemed enough of a turn to let peace re-enter her mind, and as she poured us each another cup we carried the conversation on.

According to my hostess, a promising Hylotl nursery would have a reasonable amount of water and plant life, preferably at mild to warm temperatures. Scattered across the stars as they are, where such is not readily available a village will band together to create a small indoor pond with facilities acceptable to rearing their young.

As their savannah home was not quite up to the task, they'd in fact managed to do so here, and I was invited to have a look inside during my stay. I live for the chances to see those marvelous sights no human has ever seen, and gratefully accepted their offer.

-------

I was ushered beyond a thin sliding door into a tastefully understated room, its floors and walls crafted of such materials as the Hylotl know may withstand heat and moisture alike. Against the far wall was a wide and shallow pool cloaked in humid mist, sunken into the floor and surrounded by a round of smooth and sturdy stones. Growing alongside were small grasses and shoots - some native, some not, I noticed, and my hostess confirmed that the ones foreign to this land were cultivated from plants originating on their homeworld.

Benches and cushions lined the walls, above which hung carefully constructed calligraphy and paintings of gorgeous landscapes. In a corner, a vending machine stood ready to dispense drinks, and a small radio sat silent on a side-table.

This was the village's spawning pool, where new parents would spend their hours watching their children grow, forging bonds and passing hours. What a delightful sight it must be to be full of new life! Alas, there were no newborn Hylotl at the time of my visit, and so it merely stood, silently awaiting its duty.

We retired back to my hostess' humble quarters so as not to further intrude, and on our conversation went. We'd largely exhausted our primer on Hylotl infancy, and so we turned to their next stages of life.

-------

As the young Hylotl's lungs handle more of the respiratory duties limbs begin to form and their tail shortens considerably. By the time they enter what to humans would be considered toddler age, their lungs complete development, triggering a rapid metamorphosis into their terrestrial form. Within a few short weeks of biologically frenzied growth their bodies warp and shift, taking on the more graceful bipedal silhouette we know them for.

This also marks the beginning of growth for the plethora of head adornments a Hylotl might have - all of which are alomst certainly vestigal remnants of the storied history of their DNA, and which serve by and large the same purpose for them as hairstyles might for us. In whatever form they may appear - tentacles reminiscent of Earth cephalopods, sleek or sharpened fins, even whisker-like appendages - invariably these serve little purpose to a Hylotl beyond what their shape may suggest. However they are not without feeling or sensation, and can in fact be rather sensitive to subtleties in the air or water, as case may be.

As an aside, this is both why one does not come across many Hylotl with piercings (for humans such pain is tolerable, for Hylotl such pain would be excruciating) and why, as I learned firsthand, it is rather impolite to request to touch a woman's cheek-fins, however alluring they may be.

When the process completes, they are able to take their first endearigly clumsy, stumbling steps onto dry land, free from the confines of their spawning ponds. From this point forward their life most closely resembles those of the other bipedal sentient races our Protectorate has encountered to date.

1,940 words.

That's mark for the week.

 

[Natz~]

and just 2 minutes before your mercy ended

 

[redfeatherraven]

The mercy deadline is nigh for redfeatherraven and DarkAura/Fenrir.

I have PASSED this week of the challenge, but my mercy is at an end.

DarkAura/Fenrir was unable to complete this week of the challenge. But the next week awaits!​

Because he did not use it, Dark's mercy has not been exhausted and may be used in a future week.

Kirby Dragons is still granted his free Mercy due to host error and may submit last week's entry without penalty at any point during week two.​

 

[redfeatherraven]

and just 2 minutes before your mercy ended

Right?

Hoo boy, I was cutting it close there. I was within 60 words of the mark with a half hour to go, but I didn't know if I could complete my thoughts and get it posted in time.

Here we are though.

I'm sure that even above and beyond adjusting the whole-cloth crafting with what I find in-game I'll probably want to make further revisions at some point. Fresh material for the rest of the week though.

 

[redfeatherraven]

Weeeeeell ****.

Not gonna make it this week either. Gonna write the remaining hour and get in what I can, but I'm fighting the urge to pass out at my comp every couple of minutes and have a paltry 400 words right now, which is an hour's worth of writing itself.

Should be able to bring myself back around tomorrow evening, get next week's in early. But there's no mercy left. This week is just a broken streak.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I wrote a bunch of mafia roles...

That counts right?

 

[redfeatherraven]

Counts if you can smush em together and get 1750 words.

 

[Natz~]

Weeeeeell ****.

Not gonna make it this week either. Gonna write the remaining hour and get in what I can, but I'm fighting the urge to pass out at my comp every couple of minutes and have a paltry 400 words right now, which is an hour's worth of writing itself.

Should be able to bring myself back around tomorrow evening, get next week's in early. But there's no mercy left. This week is just a broken streak.

better than me

i don't even got one sentence and i've kept it up for a week, and that not even one sentece is a mishmash of terrible words, i got notes and know what i want written, but my brain is refusing to form writing

i just can't be forced to write, my brain won't let me <-> it needs to be on to do so and when that is i have no clue

so at least ya not going to the end of the week alone dude, i'll join ya

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Counts if you can smush em together and get 1750 words.

Over 2000.

Yup.

 

[Natz~]

Over 2000.

Yup.

****!

 

[Swamp Sensei]

****!

I made 23 roles Natz...

23....

 

[Natz~]

I made 23 roles Natz...

23....

i still wasn't expecting 2000! O.O

 

[Swamp Sensei]

i still wasn't expecting 2000! O.O

It's more than 2000.

That was me giving a low estimate.

 

[Natz~]

It's more than 2000.

That was me giving a low estimate.

wow

well only more fitting since its our finale and everything

give yourself a damn good pat on the back swamp

great job~

 

[redfeatherraven]

better than me

i don't even got one sentence and i've kept it up for a week, and that not even one sentece is a mishmash of terrible words, i got notes and know what i want written, but my brain is refusing to form writing

i just can't be forced to write, my brain won't let me <->

so at least ya not going to the end of the week alone dude, i'll join ya

That's where I was for the first half of my week.

Need to kind of pin down the next sections of Hylotl society I want A.Z. to check out. I know I want him to go from the surface colony to an underwater one - even know how that transition'll happen - but I still need to pin down the compare and contrast I want to do, as well as what sections of society I want to explore next. And by the time I had what I did, it was somewhere in Friday evening and I was preparing for a busy weekend.

Eh, we ain't dead though, just breaks the streak. Still got a lotta weeks' worth of glory to earn.

Over 2000.

Yup.

Daaaaaaaaamn son.

Well. Count it does.

 

[Natz~]

i'll just sit on out the second week -3- i mean what can i do, i'm basecally human sack of fat till my brain turns back on :V

 

[Pazzo.]

So with the closure of these groups soon, any plans to move somewhere else?

 

[redfeatherraven]

The current thought is Creative Minds.

I don't know if the mods'll move this thread and the others over or if we'll have to open one ourselves.

Also I know I haven't posted last week's tally, it's first day back on my proper sleep sched and I'm flitting back and forth between Mafia and ordering pizza.

 

[redfeatherraven]

I haven't forgotten y'all, mind.

This week has just sucked for me, overall, and it's been hard to find time to announce results.

I'll be going through tonight and tallying last week and this week in one go.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Hey I goofed too.

 

[Pazzo.]

I'm on a trip and don't have access to my laptop.

I'll double-up with a Splatoon fanfic on Teusday.

 

[redfeatherraven]

Hey I goofed too.

Goofing is acceptable.

Any failure is acceptable as long as we don't give in.

I'm on a trip and don't have access to my laptop.

I'll double-up with a Splatoon fanfic on Teusday.

Noted.

Won't be a penalty for you for that.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

Yeah, I know I need three submissions by today and I only have one. My second part is currently 1343 words and should be finished tomorrow, hopefully in the morning.

 

[redfeatherraven]

The deadline is nigh.
Results to follow shortly.

The next week of the challenge has begun.
Fourth week deadline is May 27, 2018.​

 

[redfeatherraven]

Took me weeks to realize I needed some more general direction with regards to base topics to work from, and a great deal less time (embarrassingly so) to seek them out. Got some more theorycrafting done outside the narrative framework I laid out, once I've got the rest of the topics fleshed I'll expand them with some more words from A.Z. Price.

The full count this week for me is 2,234 words, but there's some caveats:
- This includes headers and some sections which are essentially lists of in-game items; there's no rule about this, I'm just not fond of including those in the word counts personally, so I went over the mark in order to have some justifiable wiggle room with respect to these. I don't know how much of the document is made up of the headers and lists exactly but it sure as hell ain't almost 500 words.
- There was a 122-word section on reproduction that I've removed in this upload. I went there. I brought back a t-shirt. And if you think it's uncomfortable to imagine that, imagine how the research went. The details are mostly irrelevant and the implications mostly boil down to "no cross-breeding."
- The blank topics will be explored at a later date, and all details are open to future revision and addendum.
- Didn't bother formatting. Meant more to be a repository than a read.

Spoiler: 3-dimensional fantasy race considerations - Hylotl

1. History
- This I will leave largely unexplored for the moment, beyond the information presented in-game (the library, conflict with Florans, the sandstone Hylotl, whatever other lore bits I can scrape up). It is relevant to the species as a whole, but a comprehensive history isn't relevant to the cast of Altais Rift in particular. I may be able to cook up historical figures on the fly for the purpose of telling certain stories, as I need, or I may be able to draw from Japanese historical figures if they exist.
2. Physiology
- Hylotl are primarily humanoid in shape, but draw physiological influences from aquatic creatures, most especially amphibians. Their lifespan has been described as "relatively short," which I take to be related to a combination of a dangerous living environment at the bottom of the ocean, and (based on physiology) probably a higher infant mortality rate. I've no real-world equivalent for this, so let's say that their average life expectancy would hover somewhere around 75% of a human's, barring misadventure. In 2017, human life expectancy came out to an average of 79 years. If we assume that advances in medicine around the time of Starbound allow for another decade-ish of life expectancy, bringing it to a flat 90, then you can similarly assume that life expectancy for a Hylotl would come in around 67.5 years. However, their general predisposition to healthier eating and mentality probably leads to them aging more gracefully overall. Sexual maturity and general adulthood considerations would follow similar predispositions; while it's been established elsewhere that toddler age is reached relatively quickly following their metamorphosis from tadpole stage, the additional age marks come in around: 7-10 for puberty in females, 9-12 for puberty in males; 11-14 for puberty's completion in females, 11-15 in males. [122 words of reproductive business redacted; you don't want to know and I don't want to tell you].
3. Environment
- Hylotl would prefer regions with some aquatic influences. They're the only race who bothers with ocean-floor cities, and the dominant culture developed and maintained in those cities would seem to be the best Hylotl cultural representation. If they are not in a deep-ocean aquatic environment, they would likely either a) settle as close to the nearest body of water as possible or b) craft their own aquatic features and necessities as best they could. Even in settlements with scarcer water stores - savannah settlements, desert regions, what have you - water would be prominently used for public works and as a public resource, and they would take steps to conserve and reuse as much as possible. Ocean water, and what comes from it, may be the single most prominent driver of many facets of their culture.
4. Religion
- I would expect some variant of Shinto or Buddhism to be the dominant religion, probably leaning more towards the former than the latter. For some reason Confucianism comes to mind as well, despite that being more of a Chinese thing. But before I go spouting any of the above I'd best read up a bit and ponder what parts of it might influence the Hylotl. Remember that the Hylotl appreciate beauty, the arts, and tradition, but are also known to be adaptable, forward-thinking, and prideful in themselves and their culture as a whole. These latter traits nominally go against some tenets of each philosophy involved (especially the pride, as humility is valued heavily in each), so if the religions are to end up somewhat bastardized those are the places adjustments would most readily be made.
5. Language
- Japanese language as I understand it is more evocative than definitive, with multiple meanings per character or word depending on context, but my present knowledge is incredibly limited and it'd be wise to research further before I begin exploring it. The concept of aizuchi and ishin-denshin should also be explored briefly, as if adopted they may not only influence how Hylotl speak, but may also affect how they are perceived by other races. The language may suggest facets of philosophy as well, depending on what is emphasized with it. It is fair to note that there does not seem to be a language barrier between A.Z. Price and the Hylotl he interviews (or, for that matter, between any of the races), and it would likely be more trouble than it is worth to introduce such barriers at this time. Therefore the precise nature of Hylotl language may be suggested rather than explicit, and its exploration may be an overall low priority.
6. Common attitudes
7. Customs and Traditions
8. Arts and Literature
9. Social Organization (family units and social classes)
- Adult responsibilities begin to be introduced between age 14-16 (roughly the equivalent of human age 18-21).
10. Governing Systems
- There's no real notes in the lore on the matter, nor is any sort of hierarchy suggested in Hylotl colonies. I would assume that there is some form of centralized government, perhaps focused on the Hylotl homeworld, which is effectively a federation represented by some of the Hylotl's largest colonies. But the large number of outliers likely leads to local governance winning out to some or another degree. Ocean colonies, requiring heavy investment in technology or infrastructure, are probably financed either in whole or in part by larger colonies and/or the Letheia Corporation. Surface colonies may operate largely under their own local law. It is almost certain that they'd still respect the ancient traditions, and thus laws, of their homeworld as well, with a local leader of some measure acting as enforcement. It is important to note that any centralized Hylotl government, even as an intergalactic superpower, would have neither the means nor the desire to enforce its will among all its colonies, and dissenters would have nearly infinite stars to settle on outside their reach. However, the strict adherence to tradition within the majority of Hylotl society ensures that even if there's no direct enforcement of the homeworld's laws, local areas would effectively enforce the same themselves. The net result would be one of the most expansive and centralized government structures, less so than the Apex Miniknog or the Avian Stargazers who keep tight control in the hands of their central governing bodies, but moreso than the former Terrene Protectorate, who similarly operated mostly on their homeworld and provided laws for mostly self-governing colonies, but would be less involved in the welfare of those colonies than the Hylotl government would be. It is fair to note that the primary factional presence for the Hylotl seems to be the Letheia Corporation, who operates as a mega-conglomerate with branches in, at minimum, the aerospace, energy, space colonization, home goods, and entertainment industries, and I sincerely doubt it stops there. They seem to have competition in these areas - their corporate brochure directly mentions competition in at least their Erchius mining and space station ventures, though it doesn't itself suggest how much, nor how dominant they are in their interests collectively. But any organization which deploys a numerical majority of space stations, likely supplies a majority of Hylotl space vessels, maintains a media presence among multiple noted mediums - "shockingly robust range of products and services" indeed - would be, put bluntly, unwise to piss off. Whatever the details of the Hylotl's governing structure, the Letheia Corporation would probably be one of the largest powers behind the metaphorical throne, as running afoul of them would leave most Hylotl societies deprived of a vast quantity of potential resources and services.
11. Laws or rules
- The age of majority in Hylotl culture is 18. However, their accelerated life should be noted here; a Hylotl at age 18 is equivalent, roughly, to a human at age 24. In Japan, the age of majority is actually 20, but there's been a push to reduce that to 18 as of recently in order to bring them equivalent with the rest of the world. There's currently no such push in Hylotl society. The age of majority for Hylotl defines the marriageable age (can be 16 with parental consent), drinking age, age of criminal responsibility, and voting age. Age of consent is defined as 16.
12. Economic Systems
13. Cuisine
- We have several in-game examples of Hylotl dishes. Brineapple's the first that comes to mind. They'd likely run a great deal of seafood dishes, as well as those conducive to a tropical environment. We can also take some cues from foods available to Hylotl merchants, as these would necessarily be available to the rest of their race as well. Coralcreep, Reefpods, kelp, and especially fish and other seafoods are likely big drivers of their culinary arts, and are probably primarily used by the Hylotl compared to the other races. Although they're neither commonly used nor praised, Hylotl merchants are also the only ones to carry Dirturchin, suggesting it's something they've taken to more than other races have (perhaps it takes a Hylotl to bring out its "squidy" flavor, or perhaps it just takes a Hylotl to appreciate it). Ingredients such as Corn, Chilis, Wartweed, Pearlpeas, Eggshoots, Raw Tentacles, Avesmingo, Sugar(cane), Oculemon, and especially Pineapples are also found in their merchant lists, and probably known to them culturally in some degree. Wheat is conspicuously absent, and any frying is likely to be done with cornbread bases, if at all. Tomatoes are also absent from the Hylotl racial merchant list, and although they're tropical, Coconuts aren't described as particularly Hylotl in nature either. They do have access to Milk, but probably have less use for it historically than other races might. As Japan mostly has, and partly due to their ingredients and a lack of space necessary for things like grazing animals or wheat fields, they are likely to take to healthier dishes overall. It's also fair to note that rice has been described as a big part of Hylotl cuisine, via rice cakes and sushi; making that lore-friendly might be a great deal more difficult, but shouldn't be impossible, and also suggests things like rice wine are probably prevalent in the culture as well. Besides those recipes noted explicitly as Hylotl derived (Sushi, Brineapple, Ocean Surprise) it would be fair to assume they have their own variations on, or were perhaps even primarily responsible for, recipes such as Ocean Risotto, Ocean Salsa (perhaps omitting bananas), Reef Juice, Reefpod Surprise, Pearlpea Risotto, Seafood Gratin, Salt Salad, and the Soggy Sack. It's all but certain they're responsible for the Rice Cake as well, though it isn't described as such, and Reef-Cola is definitely a Hylotl recipe, only purchasable from Hylotl vending machines. They probably have some appreciation for dishes like fish pies, stuffed dirturchin, fish dumplings, fish stew, and fried fish, and may even have their own twists on each, but primarily owing to the historical lack of access to primary ingredients (especially Wheat) these are more likely to not be Hylotl traditional recipes. Special Fried Rice is probably mis-attributed, although I would probably say they do in fact have access to eggs (and therefore chicken). Though they have access to the ingredients, Eyebowls are a distinctly Floran dish, and Hylotl may have some measure of disdain for them as a result. Trade has no doubt expanded all their capabilities, and the addition of Wheat, exotic fruits and vegetables, and new cooking techniques and philosophies from other races would in turn suggest brand new possibilities. Perhaps this is where they'd introduce Tempura.
14. Opinions about other races
- That they're generally racist towards the Floran is so well documented I hardly need to elaborate on it, and due to the relative isolation of Hylotl society this is generally only reinforced unless and until a Hylotl ventures into space. They do however recognize that spacefaring Floran are, typically speaking, a great deal more civil than average. This has made some economic and cultural exchanges possible, if rare. They find themselves most attuned to Humans and Apex - though they still consider themselves superior - and this generally compatible nature has led to good relations and brisk trade with both races. The Avian, Glitch, and Novakids all occupy a neutral ground somewhere in between these two extremes, having less to offer than the technologically advanced Apex or culturally and intellectually diverse Humans but inspiring none of the racial ill will they show the Florans. One exception to all of this is in regards to romance - as Hylotl are genetically incompatible with the other races, there is a great deal of cultural pressure for Hylotl to only get romantically involved with other Hylotl, and depending on how tolerant an individual society is, doing otherwise may be seen as taboo. That said, the further an individual Hylotl moves away from an all-Hylotl settlement, the less this applies, and it especially doesn't stop Hylotl who choose to move or work into mixed-species societies.

I'll gather up results from the rest of you when my shift starts in about an hour-ish, both for this week and from the prior two.

And I really am sorry both for setting a terrible example these last couple weeks and, far more importantly, being lax on recognition for the work y'all have been putting in. I intend to improve on both fronts moving forward.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

My writing is focused on schoolwork.

Sorry

 

[redfeatherraven]

Reaching out about things I may have overlooked:

Kirby Dragons .
Can't find an entry for you on week four.

Natz~ , Pazzo. .
Can't find entries for you on weeks three or four.

@A0SHIMA.
Can't find entries for you on weeks two, three, or four.

@DarkAura64/Fenrir, @Opossum.
Can't find entries for you on any of the four weeks.

 

[Natz~]

i haven't put in a single entry since my first cause my brain won't let me write :V

 

[redfeatherraven]

The deadline is nigh.
Results to follow shortly.
Still looking to verify entries. Might even try a new format.

The next week of the challenge has begun.
Fifth week deadline is June 3, 2018.​