Non-Boring Environments that need Fantasy Representation
Tropical Rainforests
Scrubland/Dry Forests. For extra effect make them the sort that burn very often; some native plants never germinate until after a fire, and some animals not only rely on fire to smoke out prey, but may even start them themselves.
Savannas/Tropical Grasslands
Temperate Rainforests. I almost didn’t include this bc New Zealand is covered in them, and that’s where they filmed Lord of the Rings. But tbh, no one really knows about them, so it belongs here
Taiga Forests
Barren Tundra, perfect for some extreme seasonal dichotomy
Polar Ice Sheets
Desert-Grasslands (arguably the same as Scrubland but Australia’s good at adding its own twists)
Barren Desert
If you like Cacti, look at American Deserts like the Sonoran
Salt Flats
Soda Lakes and Alkaline Lakes
Madagascar’s Karst Limestone Formations
Madagascar’s Spiny Forests
Madagascar’s Baobab Forests
Madagascar’s Subhumid Forests (Madagascar is cool as hell ok)
Danxia Landforms
Badlands/Mountainous Deserts
Steppes and Highland Prairies
Flood Basalts
Newly-Formed Islands, still rife with Volcanic activity
Now for Underwater Environments, sure Coral Reefs are cool.
But there are SO MANY other kinds of environments for aquatic settings, it’s unbelievable:
Seaside Cliffs
Archipelagos. Not just Tropical Island chains like Polynesia (Moana anyone?) but also Coldwater Archipelagos like the Aleutians.
Tidal Flats
Bayous/Cypress Swamps
Tropical River Basins, AKA Seasonally Flooded Rainforests
Mangrove Swamps/Deltas/Beaches
Kelp Forests
The Open Ocean
Coastal Seabeds
Rocky Beaches with Tidepools
And there are a LOT more I could name but this post is already obscenely long as is, if you’d like to toss in your own go right ahead, but my point is if you limit yourself to European Deciduous Forests you’re a wimp.
Tell the players the dungeon is in one of those places but when they get there it’s a European Deciduous Forest with a huge sheet of wallpaper draped over it.
First off, I am blown away by the amount of love I received for my Jester costume!!! She was amazing to make, so much fun to wear, and all around an incredible experience from start to finish!! I have a bad habit of getting sucked into details but I think it worked in my favor this time around! There were so many little things about Jester’s outfit I wanted to get just right, and fussing over them was honestly half the fun.
The beautiful photos taken of the completed costume were done by a dear friend of mine @ivorivet, who isn’t just a fantastic photographer, but also an amazingly beautiful talented cosplayer in her own right!! I can’t thank her enough for doing my solo shoot and I love her to bits 💖💖💖
Other helping hands are credited to @dontevenlikecoconut, @centeris2, and @artofnana, who all did little tasks on other costumes so I could focus on Jester, or drove me up packages from home so I didn’t lose my mind the night before con. 💙💙💙
I did something a little different this time around with my WIPs! If you follow me on instagram (pearlybaecosplay) then you would have seen the hell crunch that was on my insta stories all month!! If you missed it, no worries!! I saved all my Jester WIPs onto a collection on my insta profile, if people were interested in seeing extra details and some video progress.
One last thing before I let y’all go; my ko-fi is still active!! So if you like my work and appreciate these big costume writeups, please consider donating a coffee or two!! The link is available on my blog, or you can type in pearlybae at the site and find me that way!
As per usual, more details of how I made this costume are under the cut!! 🍭
Nature-Inspired Swirling Illustrations by James R. Eads
Los Angeles based multi-disciplinary artist and illustrator James R. Ead’s stunning illustrations are known for their unique style and technique. Following van Gogh’s signature brushstroke composed of colorful and fast moving brush strokes, Ead’s work reveals a meditative and soothing connection with nature and humanity. Both gentle and powerful, the swirling illustrations contain a surrealist and ethereal touch.
backup blog in case tumblr explodes 