Flora - Meyntach Weed

by **Stitch** on February 10th, 2010, 1:40 am

Lol, I just have to say, I think this does make for some amusing RP moments. Come on, who wouldn't want to be walking their PC's through some quest, and the Storyteller just causes a mushroom to explode by their feet?

But so I am not just spamming...

But the explosive, yes explosive, powers of the Meyntach is not for the light hearted.

You can take out the "yes explosive", I do believe. It kind of messes with the sentence, sounds weird. Remember this is a wiki article, and needs to remain formal and informative. Something you would find in a library book about flora, for in the game world, this article would likely be found in a book.

There is usually only one mushroom per cave, and they grow only at mouth of that cave, yet on rare occasions multiple spores will land in the same place, producing a small number Meyntachs in a concentrated area (See example to the left.)

Could you split this up a bit? It kind of runs together. Make it into two sentences, perhaps?

[b]Although, another more difficult technique involves using auristics. The Meyntach seems to be actually angry under the inspection of an expert or master aurist.

Nifty little detail. <333

Look for places that could use commas, and sentences that could be split up. There are a few in there I believe, but I don't want to start tearing you up for minor mistakes like that, when the actual content of the article hasn't even been approved yet. I like it though.

by **Klane** on February 10th, 2010, 4:10 am

Stitch wrote:
Klane wrote:Although, another more difficult technique involves using auristics. The Meyntach seems to be actually angry under the inspection of an expert or master aurist.

Nifty little detail. <333

Thought you'd like that 0.-

Alright, I tried to correct my grammar, but feel free to help if you find something that I missed. I also added a little terminology section, feel free to add any terms that would probably exist. And, of course, continue to critique the entire thing in general!

by **Alistair deGrey** on February 10th, 2010, 4:21 am

More problems.

1) Mushrooms most often grow in colonies. Visible mushrooms are only the reproductive system of the plant. Having one mushroom, most of the time, is like having an entire highway complex for a single car.

However, I do believe that the number of fruit bodies depends on the amount of nutrition a mushroom is receiving from its surrounding area. So while it may be possible to only have one mushroom, it is not predictable.

2) Consider this. We have a very specific, rare location. This location, the cave mouthes of Kalinor, houses one mushroom per cave mouth. Even if we changed it to one mushroom COLONY per cave mouth, this species would die. The specific locations required for growth are just too far apart for this fungus to survive. First it has to explode, and release the spores. Then these spores are cast onto the wind, and if they don't land at a cave mouth they die.

I suggest you make it so large colonies grow at cave mouthes, or make them grow in more places than just cave entrances.

3) What makes cave mouthes so special anyway? What differentiates the dampness, shade, and shelter from the elements that a cave would provide, from that of a tree or nurse log? When considering this, I suggest you increase their demographic to include other places.

4) Kalea is not a desert, Kalea is temperate and mountainous as far as I know.

5) Use a different word for Ignition. How about Catalyst?

6) "Below Ground Parts" sounds more like something a human would have, rather than a fungus.

7) Kill the part that mentions the genetic mutation.

8 ) You need to explain the correlation between living near the mouth of a cave and heat transfer.

9) "Then, when Kalinor reaches hot enough temperatures directed at the correct location, the floor of a Meyntach's cave will begin to heat. Because the fungi lives closer to the mouth of the cave than most mushrooms dare to, this heat will, hopefully, reach multiple mature Flamefungi and heat up the pouches underground that hold each one's ignition. Heat rises, and when this heat tries to rise up, it will bring the Meyntach's ignition fluids with it. Once this happens the ignition will come in contact with another chemical that has been present the mushroom's entire life. When the two elements combine a true beauty of nature occurs."

No. Caves stay the same temperature pretty much year round, even with only 3-4 feet of rock between the surface and the cave. The surrounding area does not heat up the cave.

And if it was at the very mouth of the cave where there is light or heat from the outside, then the floor of the cave would not be heating up the fungus.

10) You should describe the explosion. You call it beautiful, but how is it beautiful?

11) You claimed that the explosion of the fungus would ignite nearby plants. You should include that this would burn up competitive plants. Often times plants will have reduced performance when placed grown next to others, this is because the nutrients that one plant had, is now being divided among the two. A fungus like a mushroom would be safe, because its vitals are in the soil; however a plant would not be safe from such a flame.

12) You claimed in chat that the pollen was fire resistant, you need to include this somewhere.

Overall, good job.

Regards,
Morse

by **Klane** on February 10th, 2010, 4:08 pm

More problems.

1) Mushrooms most often grow in colonies. Visible mushrooms are only the reproductive system of the plant. Having one mushroom, most of the time, is like having an entire highway complex for a single car.

However, I do believe that the number of fruit bodies depends on the amount of nutrition a mushroom is receiving from its surrounding area. So while it may be possible to only have one mushroom, it is not predictable.

Well, they are extremely rare, and very special. So, I don't know if making them grow in colonies all the time will work out so well. Besides, if they grow in colonies and one mushroom matures before another, they all die. This makes colonies a bad idea.

2) Consider this. We have a very specific, rare location. This location, the cave mouthes of Kalinor, houses one mushroom per cave mouth. Even if we changed it to one mushroom COLONY per cave mouth, this species would die. The specific locations required for growth are just too far apart for this fungus to survive. First it has to explode, and release the spores. Then these spores are cast onto the wind, and if they don't land at a cave mouth they die.

I suggest you make it so large colonies grow at cave mouthes, or make them grow in more places than just cave entrances.

Reread my first comment. Of course, if you can think of a way that multiple of them can exist in the same area, please share.

3) What makes cave mouthes so special anyway? What differentiates the dampness, shade, and shelter from the elements that a cave would provide, from that of a tree or nurse log? When considering this, I suggest you increase their demographic to include other places.

If they are too far into the cave, or in too much shade or light, there is no way for them to get the heat required to explode. The mushrooms need a very specific location to survive and reproduce.

4) Kalea is not a desert, Kalea is temperate and mountainous as far as I know.

When you left chat Columbina (or Cayenne, I'm not sure) said that the caves of Kalinor is always hot. I believe she said it was like the Grand Canyon.

5) Use a different word for Ignition. How about Catalyst?

Changed

6) "Below Ground Parts" sounds more like something a human would have, rather than a fungus.

Changed to more scientifically correct term, mycelium, and added it the the terminology for biology-challenged people

7) Kill the part that mentions the genetic mutation.

Your the one that said I needed to explain why they evolved like this... >.<

8 ) You need to explain the correlation between living near the mouth of a cave and heat transfer.

Combining this with 9

9) "Then, when Kalinor reaches hot enough temperatures directed at the correct location, the floor of a Meyntach's cave will begin to heat. Because the fungi lives closer to the mouth of the cave than most mushrooms dare to, this heat will, hopefully, reach multiple mature Flamefungi and heat up the pouches underground that hold each one's ignition. Heat rises, and when this heat tries to rise up, it will bring the Meyntach's ignition fluids with it. Once this happens the ignition will come in contact with another chemical that has been present the mushroom's entire life. When the two elements combine a true beauty of nature occurs."

No. Caves stay the same temperature pretty much year round, even with only 3-4 feet of rock between the surface and the cave. The surrounding area does not heat up the cave.

And if it was at the very mouth of the cave where there is light or heat from the outside, then the floor of the cave would not be heating up the fungus.

I'm really getting mad at you. You keep telling me how I can change this plant, and then when I listen to you, you change your mind a little while later saying that what you said before is completely illogical. Now you saying that the plant can't be a weed, flower, OR fungus

10) You should describe the explosion. You call it beautiful, but how is it beautiful?

I'll agree with that - changed

11) You claimed that the explosion of the fungus would ignite nearby plants. You should include that this would burn up competitive plants. Often times plants will have reduced performance when placed grown next to others, this is because the nutrients that one plant had, is now being divided among the two. A fungus like a mushroom would be safe, because its vitals are in the soil; however a plant would not be safe from such a flame.

Okay

12) You claimed in chat that the pollen was fire resistant, you need to include this somewhere.

Thanks

by **Gossamer** on February 11th, 2010, 6:32 pm

Hey Klane -

Usage:
The combustible properties of Meyntach Mushrooms are more of an annoyance than they are helpful. Aside from looking beautiful and for the fungi's natural reproduction, any possible use of Flamefungi is more a dream than a reality. Theoretically it is possible to use the mushrooms to demolish a building, kill a person, or create the world's greatest light show. Yet, there is one single, yet major, problem that prevents any potential usefulness of Meyntach from being a true asset: All that has to happen to make a mature Meyntach explode is for one to reach a temperature of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of this, there is no imaginable way to even transport the fungi. The thought of actually timing an explosion to accomplish the smallest of tasks is completely unthinkable.

I think we need to step in and put a foot down here.

All it takes is one good reimancer with a water emphasis to make ice and keep it nice and cool until it gets where its going. Also, when Druidism is done, they can multiply plants and do all sorts of things to make more (though why they would I dunno). I truthfully do not want any substance developed in game that explodes or can be used for explosives in the near future via someone discovering them in thread and extracting their chemical secrets. I can't emphasis that enough. They were great when they were little firestarter plants, but as exploding mushrooms I cringe and die a little inside.

I think you should actually talk to someone who's involved in approving development articles (like a founder) and not someone who's constantly looking for a way to blow up things in Mizahar when seeking advice on how to improve your article. Before you did a complete change, you were headed in the right direction and could have really come up with a neat plant. I don't, however, think exploding mushrooms are right for Mizahar. Other kinds of mushrooms - sure, why not, but things that explode in the plant world are not self preserving or realistic.

by **Klane** on February 11th, 2010, 9:14 pm

Well, I don't know what to do then. Since I wasn't thinking when I changed it, I didn't keep a backup of the other form... If any founder has a suggestion of how I can change this completely (again) then go ahead. I really can't think of anything right now.