#I LIVE IN A BIG CITY IN AN URBAN STATE

[dontmeanyoudontmissit]

Analog TV would never do me dirty like digital TV does

[reasonsforhope]

Masterpost: Reasons I firmly believe we will beat climate change

Posts are in reverse chronological order (by post date, not article date), mostly taken from my "climate change tag," which I went through all the way back to the literal beginning of my blog. Will update periodically.

Especially big deal articles/posts are in bold.

Big picture:

Mature trees offer hope in world of rising emissions (x)

Spying from space: How satellites can help identify and rein in a potent climate pollutant (x)

Good news: Tiny urban green spaces can cool cities and save lives (x)

Conservation and economic development go hand in hand, more often than expected (x)

The exponential growth of solar power will change the world (x)

Sun Machines: Solar, an energy that gets cheaper and cheaper, is going to be huge (x)

Wealthy nations finally deliver promised climate aid, as calls for more equitable funding for poor countries grow (x)

For Earth Day 2024, experts are spreading optimism – not doom. Here's why. (x)

Opinion: I’m a Climate Scientist. I’m Not Screaming Into the Void Anymore. (x)

The World’s Forests Are Doing Much Better Than We Think (x)

‘Staggering’ green growth gives hope for 1.5C, says global energy chief (x)

Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View (x)

Young Forests Capture Carbon Quicker than Previously Thought (x)

Yes, climate change can be beaten by 2050. Here's how. (x)

Soil improvements could keep planet within 1.5C heating target, research shows (x)

The global treaty to save the ozone layer has also slowed Arctic ice melt (x)

The doomers are wrong about humanity’s future — and its past (x)

Scientists Find Methane is Actually Offsetting 30% of its Own Heating Effect on Planet (x)

Are debt-for-climate swaps finally taking off? (x)

High seas treaty: historic deal to protect international waters finally reached at UN (x)

How Could Positive ‘Tipping Points’ Accelerate Climate Action? (x)

Specific examples:

Environmental Campaigners Celebrate As Labour Ends Tory Ban On New Onshore Wind Projects (x)

Private firms are driving a revolution in solar power in Africa (x)

How the small Pacific island nation of Vanuatu drastically cut plastic pollution (x)

Rewilding sites have seen 400% increase in jobs since 2008, research finds [Scotland] (x)

The American Climate Corps take flight, with most jobs based in the West (x)

Waste Heat Generated from Electronics to Warm Finnish City in Winter Thanks to Groundbreaking Thermal Energy Project (x)

Climate protection is now a human right — and lawsuits will follow [European Union] (x)

A new EU ecocide law ‘marks the end of impunity for environmental criminals’ (x)

Solar hits a renewable energy milestone not seen since WWII [United States] (x)

These are the climate grannies. They’ll do whatever it takes to protect their grandchildren. [United States and Native American Nations] (x)

Century of Tree Planting Stalls the Warming Effects in the Eastern United States, Says Study (x)

Chart: Wind and solar are closing in on fossil fuels in the EU (x)

UK use of gas and coal for electricity at lowest since 1957, figures show (x)

Countries That Generate 100% Renewable Energy Electricity (x)

Indigenous advocacy leads to largest dam removal project in US history [United States and Native American Nations] (x)

India’s clean energy transition is rapidly underway, benefiting the entire world (x)

China is set to shatter its wind and solar target five years early, new report finds (x)

‘Game changing’: spate of US lawsuits calls big oil to account for climate crisis (x)

Largest-ever data set collection shows how coral reefs can survive climate change (x)

The Biggest Climate Bill of Your Life - But What Does It DO? [United States] (x)

Good Climate News: Headline Roundup April 1st through April 15th, 2023 (x)

How agroforestry can restore degraded lands and provide income in the Amazon (x) [Brazil]

Loss of Climate-Crucial Mangrove Forests Has Slowed to Near-Negligable Amount Worldwide, Report Hails (x)

Agroecology schools help communities restore degraded land in Guatemala (x)

Climate adaptation:

Solar-powered generators pull clean drinking water 'from thin air,' aiding communities in need: 'It transforms lives' (x)

‘Sponge’ Cities Combat Urban Flooding by Letting Nature Do the Work [China] (x)

Indian Engineers Tackle Water Shortages with Star Wars Tech in Kerala (x)

A green roof or rooftop solar? You can combine them in a biosolar roof — boosting both biodiversity and power output (x)

Global death tolls from natural disasters have actually plummeted over the last century (x)

Los Angeles Just Proved How Spongy a City Can Be (x)

This city turns sewage into drinking water in 24 hours. The concept is catching on [Namibia] (x)

Plants teach their offspring how to adapt to climate change, scientists find (x)

Resurrecting Climate-Resilient Rice in India (x)

[sailorjojogames]

NEW CHALLENGE

THE SIMS 4: BARBIE Decades Challenge!

As an aspiring Barbie connoisseur, it gives me great JOY to present this challenge , HUGELY  inspired by @sim-himbo Barbie Legacy Challenge and @liyaahgee Urban Barbie Legacy

Barbie has been around since 1959 till now ( 7 generations ) , And adding decades and Barbie lore to the Sims 4 as a challenge would be fun!

Please let me know if you have any suggestions or questions . I would love to hear from fellow Barbie connoisseur ❤ Feel free to tag me @sailorjojogames and use #barbie decades challenge #BarbieDecadesChallenge, I want to see your gameplay ❀ Hope you enjoy this as much as I do x .

All heirs must be named Barbie - optional for generation seven  (non-heir children may have any name expect when classified )

You may use the freerealestatecheat for your first house, but try not to use money cheats after that!

You are allowed and encouraged to use lot traits and reward traits to boost skill gain, anything that’s in-game is fair game.

Must refer to Barbie dolls and history - Barbies By Year - Toy Sisters and dress up according to decade.

Must have a pet/pets in each generation.

You are encouraged to use mods - mods needed would be stated.

The race , colour, gender and pronouns of Barbie/Ken/siblings/cousin/friends - DOES NOT MATTER or have to be accurate to THE Barbie lore .

There are other generation ideas for ***generation 2, 4, 5 and 6  at the end, to pick and choose . Enjoy x.

Packs you will need:

EPs: Get To Work, Get Together , City Living, Cats & Dogs, Get Famous, Island Living, High School Years, University, Horse Ranch

GPs: Spa Day*, Parenthood

Optional packs:

Strangerville

*You only need Spa Day for the High Maintenance trait in one of the generations and nothing else, so it’s fine to skip out on it.

Useful tips, links and Barbie Lore and gameplay ideas in this

🎀 🌸google doc 🌸🎀

🎀🌸watch video🌸🎀

Based on the 60's - Classic barbie from 1959

Complete Successful Lineage aspiration

Max Parenting , Cooking and Baking skills

Must have Family-Oriented , Neat and Foodie traits

Must Have 5 children called Barbie Millicent Roberts, Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea/ Kelly and Krissy (if you have twins - called them Todd and Tutti)

***Based on the 70's - Superstar barbie and Malibu Barbie

Complete Master Actress aspiration

Max Acting , Dancing and Singing skills

Must have High Maintenance and Dance Machine traits

Max Actor Career

Must reach at least Proper Celebrity status

Must have a secret affair with a fellow Actor! 🌶

Have a Beach home in Sulani

Have only 2 children - Barbie and Skipper

Optional 

Complete the Party animal aspiration -to fit the disco vibes in the 70's

Based on the 80's - Day to night Barbie, Peaches 'n cream and Great shape barbie.

Complete Fabulously Wealthy aspiration

Max Charisma and Logic skills

Max Business career (Investor branch)

Must have Ambitious , Romantic and Non-committal traits

Must reach at least Proper Celebrity status

Have 3 children- Barbie, Skipper and Stacie (does not have to be from the same partner 🌶)

Optional

Be a serial lover (Serial Romantic aspiration) 🌶

Own a Business venue - Use @littlemssam LittleMsSam Mod buyable venues

***Based on the 90's - totally hair barbie, Hawaii fun, magical hair barbie and jewel hair mermaid barbie

Must live in Sulani

Complete Beach Life aspiration

Max Conservationist career (Marine Biologist branch)

Become a mermaid

Max Fitness skills

Must have Child of the Ocean trait

Have 4 children (non-mermaids)- Barbie, Skipper, Stacie and Kelly

Optional

Use The Expanded Mermaid mod by @sp-creates - Max Mermaid Ranks and XP

***Based on 00's - myscenes. Playing as a teen along with generation 4 or can move out as a teen.

Complete Admired Icon teen aspiration

Must graduate High school and have a Prom

Must have a big group of friends - 8-10 sims . Make a club and always hang out with these friend. 🌶 add drama by messing around with the cuties in the group

Must have Creative and Insider traits

Carry onto University...

get into university with the same friend group

Complete Leader of the Pack aspiration

Max Photography and Painting skills

Must complete an art related degree and live on campus

Max Style Influencer Career (Trendsetter Branch)

Get married to one of the boys in the group

Each member of the friend group must have a PET

***Based on the 2010s due to all the unhinged pets playsets that come out during that time and the Farm vet barbie and the Vet barbie .

Complete Friend of the Animals aspiration

Max Veterinarian skill

Run a 5-star vet clinic

Have at least 3 pets - a dog (Taffy) , a cat (Blissa) and a horse (Tawny) and be good friends with all of them

Must have either Cat Lover and Dog Lover trait or Animal Enthusiast trait ( or all of them )

Have a Farm with chickens, mini sheep , mini goats, llamas, cows and horses. (optional - collect all the fish, insects, frogs and axolotls)

Based on the 2020's - inspired by Kamala Harris , presidential candidate barbie and 2023 barbie the movie barbie president

Complete Mansion Baron aspiration

Max Politician career (Politician branch)

Max Charisma skill

Must have Cheerful , Good and Self-Assured traits

Optional 

Have a child called Ken

You can stop here , this is according to how long Barbie has existed… The next few generations are not compulsory . 

Inspired by 1992/1993 stars ‘n stripes army Barbie

Must live in Strangerville

Complete Strangerville Mystery aspiration

Max Logic and Charisma skills

Max Military career (Either branch)

Must have Erratic and Active traits

Year 3000 inspired by Astronaut barbie and space goddess

Complete Nerd Brain aspiration

Max Astronaut career (Either branch)

Max Robotics and Rocket Science skills

Go to SIXAM at least once and bring a souvenir

Must have Genius and Overachiever traits

Be abducted by Aliens at least once

Fall in love and Marry an Alien

Have a Servo as a family member / Butler

Make your dream Barbie. 

Complete at least 2 child aspirations

Complete at least 2 teen aspirations

Complete Renaissance Sim AND Academic aspirations

Max 10 skills

Have 12 or more traits

Graduate from college

Reach the top of any career

Have a house worth 1 Million Simoleons

***Other generation ideas to swap with…

Swap Generation two 70’s movie star barbie with this. Based on the 70's - Superstar barbie and Malibu Barbie

Complete World Famous Celebrity aspiration

Max Dancing and Singing skills

Max skill in at least 2 instruments

Max Entertainer career (Musician branch)

Must have Music Lover trait

Must reach at least Proper Celebrity status

Have a Beach home in Sulani

Have only 2 children - Barbie and Skipper

Optional 

Complete the Party animal aspiration -to fit the disco vibes in the 70's

Must have a secret affair with a fellow celebrity ! 🌶

Swap Generation 4 90's sea pearl barbie with this.

Inspired by western stampin' and all the horses that came out in the 90's

Complete Championship Rider aspiration

Max Riding skill

Must make all money from gardening, farming, wine making, etc. No day job!

Must own a horse and have it max every skill

Must have Animal Enthusiast and Rancher traits

Swap for generation five 00s my friends- inspired by Cali girl barbie, city style barbie and fashion fever barbie 

Complete Leader of the Pack aspiration

Max Photography and Painting skills

Max Style Influencer Career ( Trendsetter Branch )

Must have Creative and Insider traits

Must have a big group of friends - 8-10 -make a club and always hang out with these friends.

Name children -Barbie, Stacie Kelly and Krissy 

Optional 

Complete the Beach life aspiration 

Date or have an affair with a Prince 🌶

Can use the World famous stylist mod by kiarasims4mod or any model related mod

Swap Generation six 2010s pet vet barbie - Inspired by the show barbie dreamhouse adventurous and barbie vlogs 

Complete Friends of the World aspiration

Max Social Media career (Internet Personality branch)

Max Media production and Singing skills

Must reach at least Proper Celebrity status

Must have Cheerful and Outgoing traits

Optional Max social media star aspiration by kiarasims4mod

🎀🌸A huge thank you to @sim-himbo and @liyaahgee for the inspiration for this challenge! 🌸🎀

More Generations ideas and Barbie Challenges 

Barbie Legacy Challenge

Urban Barbie Legacy

@sea-cross Barbie CAS Challenge

🌳 // Tumblr // Tiktok // Instagram // Twitter // Twitch // Youtube 

Gallery @sailorjojosims 🌸🌸Barbie Month 🌸🌸

[artbyblastweave]

Whatever else I may say about the writing of Fallout 3, Oasis is excellent on every level. Genuinely totally siloed from the main quest and the rest of the game world's communities, isolated from any area of the game world that you'd be likely to pass through on your way to another quest objective (maybe Fort Constantine, but you'd still have to detour pretty heavily.) Despite that, allusions to the place are seeded throughout the game- Three Dog talking about it on the radio as an urban legend, a single insane wastelander ranting about it before dropping dead in front of you. One of your rewards for completing the Arefu quest is that you'll have a cluster of locations in Arefu's general area marked on your map if you hadn't found them already; one of those locations contains an exiled, berserk Treeminder with coordinates to Oasis on his person, albeit without any explanation of what Oasis actually is. Actually finding the place is a very self-directed activity even if they hand you everything you'd need to get there. I feel as though there's a level of restraint on display from Bethesda here that you wouldn't get for settlement with a named quest these days- an asset as visually unique as Harold would absolutely end up with top billing in the main quest, you wouldn't be allowed to miss him. And anyway, once you get there, I dunno, there are interesting parallels. Inasmuch as Fallout 3 has any kind of actual deliberate theme, I'd argue that the theme is that you can't run from your problems, and you can't stick your head in the sand. A lot of the settlements you visit over the course of the game have the vibe of a whole bunch of people who are just sort of holed up and waiting to die, even the outwardly successful ones like Megaton and RIvet City. The entire main plot is triggered by James deciding to try and do something about the state of the world instead of just waiting to die of inbreeding along with everyone else under the Overseer's thumb. Everywhere you visit is experiencing some kind of watershed moment- something's gotta give. And then you get to this place that's outwardly a pretty sweet setup, but only because they're obscure- and that's not sustainable. You found this place, other people are going to, the only actual choice on the table is on what terms they're going to come into contact with the outside world and on what timetable. The possibility of reforestation is complementary to Project Purity; they make a big point of the fact that Harold can't do jack about the irradiated water even if the restoration of greenery would still be a major net positive. And it's not hard to draw a connection between the ending where you convince Harold to keep living because the Treeminders are dependent on him, and the whole "abandonment issues" beat that the Lone Wanderer is given room to have with their own father- you don't get to duck out on the world that easy, James Number 2. Lots of interesting little parallels swirling around in there, if you're an overly charitable apophenic such as myself

[biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer]

hiii :3!! Could you do a gn!reader x geo one bed left trope pls :3? (IM A SUCKER FOR TJAT DYNAMIC PLS ☹️)

A Lone Respite (Geo x MC/Reader - One Bed)

Hope you enjoy Annonie.

You're in an established relationship with Geode muahahaha

Anyway uhhhhh. Yuh.

- Signed by biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer

Lone: having no companions; solitary or single.

Respite: a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

You and Geo had decided...well, you decided — you just had to stubbornly convince him — to go travel places after school. Specifically Japan and possibly parts of Europe.

So when you both finally flew there (on Geo’s private jet of course), it mostly entailed him just taking you to all the fanciest places (because he’s 110% new-money-rich...or old money idk) and just showing you around. 

Most people actually don’t side eye you (because you know how some tourists like to assault the Geishas and all that? I don’t blame the Japanese personally), and some are just happy that A. (at least) one of you two speaks the language and knows the culture well; and B. that you (if not of Japanese descent, which I know is most of you readers), are trying to speak their language. 

I’m 99% sure Geo has Japanese citizenship, so if –when– you get married, you bet your ass you’re getting one as well (muahahaha)

You both are just going to places he knows are good, mostly in the more urban cities, like Tokyo,  until you both decide to visit the more coastal regions.

Geo does not live near the beach, so you’ll have to book out a hotel (this mf will book everything reluctantly lol; he’s not a fan of hotels at all, he probably thinks they’re filthy).

Anyway, after you both just wander around a beach (probs the Ishigaki one idfk), you return to the hotel you guys booked and…well…you get your keys, go to your room and...

One bed.

One single bed (heheheh imagine making your requester suffer couldn’t be me).

And Geo is malding. Very very stoically.

He’s death-staring the bed, a very cold, menacing glint in his ocean eyes.

You’re a bit concerned, because you know Geo isn’t gonna share a bed with you; and annoyed, because now Geo was probably gonna lose his McMarbles™.

So, you both take your stuff and leave to the reception (mostly him stalking out, vehement ornery in the rigidity of his posture).

You stayed behind to watch over your things, in case Geo deemed this place unworthy and dragged you both out.

And, well, that’s exactly what happened.

He came back and proceeded to bluntly state you’re leaving.

“We’re going, they refunded us.”

“Geo what-”

So you both go somewhere else, because, apparently, they didn’t have other rooms to spare with a double bed, then the staff started claiming he hadn’t even paid for it, so he got his money-decked ass (and yours) outta there ASAP.

Anyway, by the time you get to another hotel, Geo states, in Japanese, something that seemed formal, at least it sounded formal, you didn’t know lmfao.

Due to the fact it was getting later in the night, and Geo is a very big fan of beauty sleep, the first thing he does is check the bed.

A n o t h e r   v e r y   l o n e l y   b e d. (can we have 100 likes for the lonely bed thank you😔)

At least it was a queen sized bed this time.

It takes 27 minutes of pure debate, but you convince Geo to just sleep, because you’re both tired —and you told him people who get stressed get wrinkles and he doesn’t want those lol–.

So he pulls out one of those weird lights that reveal stains on bedsheets and whatnot (you know those janky ones that people use to check if their bed is actually clean or not?). And he’s *very* paranoid about cleanliness. He hates dirt.

Thank God the bed is actually clean, so Geo immediately unpacks the bare necessities and steals the bathroom (dw he already checked it as well it’s clean).

Yeah bro I’m sorry this man won’t let you wash up before him.

He might even be a germaphobe tbh.

Anyway, after his very long, very amazing skincare routine and shower, Geo emerges, his hair loosely falling down his lanky frame (omg omg omg bark bark woof?!?!?!?!!?!?!).

He tells you to hurry up and usurps a side of the bed (probably the one nearest to the restroom so he can freshen up bright and early).

So when you shower and get out of the restroom, he’s telling you to sleep. (also btw, he’s gonna crack all his joints before sleeping, he probably even meditates, so be quiet when you’re in the restroom).

You better make sure to not snore or kick in your sleep though, this man will throw you off the bed if he has to, sleep is superior to relationships for him (such a mood tbh).

But usually when it comes to one bed, he’s gonna take it from you. (He’d have to really like you to share a bed with you in the first place).

If you are the type to get nervous when sleeping in an unfamiliar place though? He’ll “reluctantly” offer his arms and you squish into him. (don’t push it guys I know it’s tempting ngh)

He’ll also be the type to go to a buffet (there is definitely gonna be one, he refuses to go to anyplace that doesn’t have one, especially in the more remote areas of any country).

So expect, when he wakes you up at like 7am, to be served food at a table. He won’t allow eating in bed, both from the fact it’s weird to him and also just…what if you drop some food or something??? He’d get embarrassed on your behalf…

But after that funny time is over, you both continue to traverse Japan, deciding to put that time behind you. Well, Geo does. You 110% are gonna try and sleep in his arms more often now. >:)

[copperbadge]

Hi Mr Starbuck! Some friends and I are moving in a few months and we're eyeing various places all over the US. Chicago came up as a relatively affordable big city (compared to LA and NYC) and I have to ask the resident Tumblr Chicagoan his opinion. As a resident who lives and works in the windy city, what's your big pros and cons of residing there (especially things you might not encounter as a tourist)? (also, how accurate is your "guide to chicago" still, since its been a few years!)

Well, I definitely have opinions!

The guide to Chicago is no longer accurate -- too many places have closed or moved, and the pandemic altered a lot (for example the Money Museum still exists but I'm not sure if it has regular hours even now). I should do a new one but like, I really don't get out much anymore so I can't talk about restaurants outside of a VERY local area, and I never could talk much about hotels, which just leaves points of interest mostly already covered by Atlas Obscura. :D At this point it'd just be kind of moot, others are doing it better than I am.

Chicago is inexpensive compared to New York or Los Angeles, but like, that's everywhere in America. Chicago is still a quite pricey city to live in, mainly because the taxes are so high -- 10.25% sales tax, for example, and my property taxes are also pretty steep. People joke about Taxachusetts, but I'm pretty sure Chicago at least has it beat (and 2/3 of the state's population lives in Chicago or the outlying suburbs). Housing is not at a premium in the way it is in NY and LA but depending on where you want to live and how far you want to commute it can still be very expensive. My housing was never less than half of my monthly income until I bought this place, and then ONLY because the job I'm in now came with a $10K/yr raise from my last one.

Chicago does have great culture, great museums, great food, and it's a liberal island in a pretty conservative region. It is however quite segregated, so if you are any race other than white, living here can get a little more complicated than I've portrayed it as a white dude. There is significant crime and particularly gun crime, but it's generally confined to specific regions of the city. That said, even if you discount crime, the Chicago PD are corrupt as fuck and uninterested in being helpful, so if you are from a demographic the cops enjoy harassing, it will not be different here.

I do love the city, warts and all. I like the water, I like the people, I like the midwestern vibe. I'd find it very hard to leave, especially because I have a network of friends here, but also because I just plain like it and I know it really well. There is a very short list of cities I'd consider leaving Chicago for, and most of those would have to have a well-paying job waiting for me. But it did take me time to fall in love with it -- it took a few years before it felt like home.

It's a little difficult to get more specific without knowing more about your situation -- what you do for work, what your budget is like, what your goals are in leaving where you are. Do you prefer to drive most places? (Parking and traffic can both get dicey.) Can you tolerate taking public transit if driving is inconvenient? Is the industry in which you work something that has a lot of openings here? Do you want to live in an urban environment, and if so are you prepared to live in a likely somewhat shitty apartment to do so? If you prefer to live in a house, are you prepared for a long commute? What do you like to do for fun and is there a thriving culture for that here? What is it important to have access to -- museums, concerts, theater, sport? Where do you need to travel to regularly (ie, I go to Austin several times a year) and how do you prefer to travel there?

Anyway, yeah -- like, I love it but I have few illusions about it. If you want to chat further feel free to hit me up by email, happy to answer more specific questions!

[redpenship]

How do you think the Restoration operates? Or rather, what kind of society you think the mobians live in?

For example, do you think they’re anarcho-capitalist (the Restoration works like an insurance company)? Anarcho-communist (the Restoration works by people just volunteering to work together for the common good)? Both? Or something else?

How do mayors factor into all of this? Do you think the mobian territories are just a collection of democratic city states?

I think the anarcho-communist label works better, mostly because I really like the idea of Mobians living in a moneyless society. Admittedly, this HC was based on a misunderstanding of the "no money" rule mandated by Sonic Team to comic/game writers, but I think it's more fun to imagine them as just not having any money period. Although, this only works by ignoring huge sections of canon, such as the Chaotix and the fact that the islands appear to have major urban areas, which tend to only exist when a surplus of capital has accumulated in a specific region. Anyways, I hate monetary theory and it has consistently been the least interesting political subject to read/write about, so I'm going to end that here.

Without money, how do you motivate a society to function? How do you end up with an organization like the Restoration? The answer is SOCIAL PRESSURE. Pretty much all values are learned, including the "every man for himself" variety of individualism that makes it hard to convince people to help others for nothing in return. Which means the opposite is possible, too. A functional anarcho-communist society, assuming they are collectivist, would be very good at making its people feel obligated towards helping the community as long as it is within their means. If we assume Mobians live in this type of society, then it would make sense that the Restoration would mostly be run by volunteers, especially if they felt an imperative to help victims of Eggman's schemes. So, in this case, your second explanation fits a bit better.

You can probably consider the islands to have a government/civil organization SIMILAR to democratic city states, although I tend to think they don't have a state at all. Hence where the "social pressure" part of the compulsion to contribute to society comes in.

As for the mayors, I'm not suuuuuper sure. Jewel being the "head" of the Restoration tells me that Mobians aren't entirely allergic to hierarchy, but whether or not Jewel can unilaterally impose her will over others due to her position is yet to be seen (I think). So that one is still up in the air a little for me. A mayor could exist to handle disputes, or more specifically have a specialized role where their job is moreso to see the big picture of the town and make sure everyone is being taken care of.

ty for the question!! sorry if this was a bit rambly, and i hope its a decent enough answer haha

[desiresiwant]

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦-𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫

word count: 4k~

warnings: strong language, eventual violence, a pretty much tamed 1st chapter…for now

a/n: this is the 1st chapter of my au fic based off the The Originals (what if the child was a teenager/YA throughout the show duration and not at season 5?). If there’s a warning I skipped let me know.

MASTERLIST | NEXT ->

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲 | 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗢𝗿𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀

𝐍𝐄𝐖 ����𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐒.

It wasn't how Deena imagined it to be the moment she stepped off the smelly bus onto the gravel sidewalk, with a packed bag hung across her shoulder and an old black suitcase covered in band stickers she used to listen to years ago.

She came a long way from Le Havre, France. Spent about seventeen hours on a plane and another two hours riding two buses to get here, stuck next to an annoying older woman spilling her lifelong secrets.

The sunny sky was touched with a gloom and many buildings looked as if they came out of the 1700s in American films with a modern touch to fit today's society. There were many interesting stores that had caught Deena's eye as she traveled down the sidewalk with no plan in mind. She enjoyed the urban touch of the city through the people and how together they were which was much different back home. Also, it was very much diverse compared to the small area she lived in.

She felt comfortable. At home.

Off the side of a group of friends passing through, Deena pulled out a picture of her beautiful mother in the arms of a man that's to be her father—Klaus Mikaelson.

Her mother was happy in this picture. They both were. In a black shirt hanging off her shoulders, ripped tights under a pair of shorts, smiling at the camera with a drink in her hand and her curly hair almost taking up half the photo. The man—her father, Klaus—sat leaned into her mother, kissing her ear with an arm thrown around her waist. He wore a basic leather jacket with dark blue jeans. Dirty blond hair, dark blue-greenish eyes, and a killer smile. The table in front of them covered in empty red cups and half-filled liquor bottles. They were both young, in college, and in love.

"I want to find him," Deena said to herself in a soft voice. "I need to find Klaus Mikaelson."

But the problem was if Deena ever found her father, she didn't know what she would tell him. She practiced what to say when meeting him, but it was all gibberish and uncompleted sentences that made no sense. She feared a lot of things about her father; him being married with kids and she would come into his perfect life and ruin the happiness he made for himself, no knowledge of his other child he had created across the globe. Or he was a dead-beat with nothing going for his life. Or he has long passed away.

But whatever truth lies in his life, she just wanted to see him. From afar, if needed. To see how he lived. And if he cared enough to know that the woman he met in this very city before she moved to France years ago, was now dead. But she selfishly wanted him to know that she existed.

...if she knew where he was. Or where to start.

The city was so big, nevertheless the state and because Deena wasn't from around—this was her second time ever in America—it was difficult for her to navigate or read the English signs she never learned. But she grew hungry and entered the nearest restaurant.

"Hey, welcome in! Take a seat anywhere," Greeted the waiter, passing by with both hands filled.

Most tables were filled as Deena searched for an empty spot.

Sensing the panicked teenager, the waiter stood before Deena after she finished serving a table. "Must be your first time here, so welcome. Just join a table with someone, anyone, but choose wisely; some people can talk more than they chew." She was picking at the older customer sitting at the counter who obviously heard what she said and sent her a squinted look with pursed lips. "That's the motto of the restaurant; To Meet A Stranger Along The Way. Eating alone doesn't mean you have to be alone. So sit anywhere and I or another waiter will be with you soon."

Deena sent the nice lady a smile. "I understand, thank you."

She pulled along her suitcase looking for a place to sit down. Most tables were occupied and many shared engaging conversations of their own that Deena didn't want to intrude, until she noticed a brunette sitting alone with a book in her hand reading quietly.

"Can I sit here?"

The girl looked up from her book and gestured towards the empty chair. "Go for it," she went back to reading.

She took off her backpack and placed it in the empty seat next to her before sitting down. The girl was young, or at least she appeared to be. Had to be around the same age, and she was very pretty.

That part Deena will keep to herself.

As if the girl felt Deena's complimenting stare, she tore away her gaze as the girl lifted her head from the book, but it was already too late since she was caught. "Have you read it?" She started. "Romeo and Juliet?"

"Who hasn't?"

"I know right? It's for some stupid class, so the teacher's forcing us to read up to five chapters and come back to a pop quiz. Which, I know I will fail."

Both girls shared a short laughter.

"I'm Deena.” She introduced. “I'm new around here."

The waiter then came to take Deena's order while also setting down a grilled turkey sandwich with extra avocado and a side of fries for the girl. She finally placed down her book, giving thanks to the waiter before digging into her food.

The mouth-watering scent made Deena's stomach grumble. I’m so damn hungry.

"Davina," while washing down her fries with lemonade. "Not new here. But I noticed the accent. Where are you from?"

"France. More specifically, Le Havre." Deena replied. "You?"

"Born and raised. Also, don't hate me but the only place I know of France is Paris, but I'm sure Le Havre is a fun place to visit and live at."

Deena shrugged showing no offense to Davina's knowledge of France. She didn’t blame the girl since she knew nothing of the US besides New York, California, Florida, and Texas. They were normally the most talked about and the most used location in films. Also, it seemed a lot always happened in those states.

"It's cool. I actually didn't know Louisiana existed until a few days ago." Deena admitted.

"But here you are!"

She gave a small smile, agreeing. "Here I am."

Some moments later, the waiter delivered Deena's food; half cut Cuban sandwich with extra pickles and a sweet tea. She dug in without question.

Davina was a cool person to chat with. Easy-going, funny, and there was something about her energy Deena felt oddly connected to. Davina also felt an odd connection to Deena but brushed it off as she stuffed her mouth full.

There was a long list prepared for the day, but realized it was quite small and she had no starting point. I came here on a whim. With little to no planning, and childish hope.

But remembered Davina was from New Orleans. There's a possibility she might've ran into her father or seen him around somewhere. Or visited a store he owned. Or attended school with one of his kids. Or visited his grave.

"So, I was wondering since you're from around if you knew this man?" Deena wiped the oils from her fingers before reaching into her front backpack's pocket. Pulling out the photo of her mother and Klaus, she held it in front of Davina to inspect.

Davina noticeably froze upon viewing the photo. She had blinked a few times to make sure the man she saw wasn't just some random person she's misjudging but a man who was famously known throughout the streets and the supernatural world.

She pulled back from the table and picked at the grilled bread. "What do you want with him?" suddenly, she got hostile with Deena despite her pure intentions.

She knew him.

Deena sighed with relief. Davina obviously knew her father, but the cold tone she used when responding made her nervous. He must be married. With kids. Or nothing but a dead-beat. Or worse. Dead.

Deena returned the photo back into her backpack pocket with a shrug. "So you know him?"

"Yea, Klaus Mikaelson. Anyone who's done him bad or crossed his path on accident knows of him and his notorious siblings—"

"He has siblings?" Deena interjected.

"—oh yeah. Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson and whoever comes back to life occasionally." She continued, slightly confusing Deena but she was happy to hear there's more than her father alive. "Terrorizing the city and the people who live within. Any person with a sense of mind would tell you to stay the hell away. You don't want anything to do with that psychotic man and his troubling siblings. His family is a curse to this city, to the communities, and they care for no one else but themselves. I'm sure the woman in that photo was killed by the hands of Klaus Mikaelson himself." She sneered.

Deena, not knowing this man nor his siblings personally, felt offended by Davina's harsh words because they were her family. And even worse, she accused her father murdering her mother. A beautiful soul who raised Deena with everything she could give her, found locked in her car with a letter admitting how unhappy she was with her life.

The smile on Deena’s face faltered to a deadpan glare as Davina bad-mouthed the family she had ties to. She noticed the change of her expression, but she thought nothing of it since she assumed she was doing good by scaring the curious French girl away from Klaus and far away from this cursed city.

Deena abruptly stood from her seat already gathering her belongings.

"W-where are you going? You haven't finished your— "

"The woman standing next to Klaus is my mother. And the man next to her, Klaus Mikaelson, is my father. And she wasn't murdered by him, she hated her life and everyone within it so she did the job herself." Deena vividly watched Davina grow with shock upon hearing Klaus was her father and was filled with sudden guilt from all she had said about her parents before. "But you are right about one thing; we are troubling. At least it keeps people away. So thanks for nothing. I'll find him my own damn self."

She wasn't sure how much the meal cost altogether and because the currency was slightly different, she left a big amount on the table which included a tip. She was out the restaurant in no time. Her head felt dizzy and she was hot all over heaving out steam, suddenly impacted by the overwhelming emotions she thought she had pushed back.

A month ago, Deena's mother passed away.

Her death made no sense. She was a cheerful woman who often hid away in her art studio painting and sketching for hours until it was time to pick Deena up from school. Students were often jealous because while other parents nagged on their child's grades and permitted curfews, Deena's mother never hovered over her shoulder about her grades and trusted Deena enough to be home within a reasonable time. And while other parents came dressed in their finest most classiest clothing for teacher conference nights or the school performances Deena was a part of, her mother came dressed straight out of a Fruits Magazine.

She was stressless, free, a kindred spirit, and an amazing mother. Sometimes Deena would forget her mother wasn't a close friend or an older sister despite having her at a young age. She was vocal about her problems and told Deena since a young age that "anger should never be placed into a bottle. Let the world hear you even if they say you scream too loud. They don't like Black girls expressing themselves in any manner if not with their heads down, so you must do it for the next little Black girl who's taking notes.".

But still, it made no sense.

The morning before she died, Deena's mother showed no signs of distress. She made banana pancakes, sent Deena off to school, and when she came home, her mother was working on a late piece for an art exhibition a friend in town invited her work to. She then left after dinner and was never seen for two days until Deena received a call from the police station. But it was questionable and she didn't understand it.

Why was she unhappy with life when she expected so much out of it? Why would she leave when she promised me the world? Why wasn’t she vocal with her depression in the same way she taught me to be vocal?

"Deena, wait!" Davina called out after placing down her half of the pay and rushed out the doors. She knew she was wrong for what she said and she felt terrible. "Look, I'm sorry! I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or bring your mother into this; I was only speaking from a personal experience which is no excuse at all. Next time, I should watch what I say. But..."

Deena kept walking. She struggled to drag her suitcase with her speed. The old wheels looked as if they were about to break off at any second, but she somehow managed to keep going.

Davina huffed annoyingly. "But I know where he is, Klaus Mikaelson," Deena halted her steps, facing the girl. "And I know where you can find him."

As Deena studied her face to find any spec of bluff hidden in her tone or written amongst her face, she saw she was telling the truth. She knew where her father currently hung around or lived, and of course, she wasn't going to question why or how she knew that kind of information.

"Where is he?" Asked Deena.

"The Abattoir. I can take you there since you might get lost. Also, you might want a travel buddy traveling in that particular area."

Deena sized the girl down. "Why? Will Klaus murder me too?"

"Again, I'm sorry about that." With her eyes narrowed, Davina apologized again. Deena still felt offended by what she said but since she genuinely felt sorry for it, about her mother at least, she decided to cut her some slack. She doesn't need an enemy on her first day in New Orleans. "Look, you're not from around and I'm sure you don't know about..."

Taking in Deena's blank stare, Davina then shook off the conversation and reached down for her suitcase. "Never mind, let's go."

Deena's hand was still on the handle, able to hold her grip from slipping it out her fingers and asked, "I don’t need your help. I can carry it myself." She tried pulling back but Davina somehow had the suitcase fully in her hands.

"It's about to break, I'm practically doing you a favor." She noticed the band stickers on her suitcase and claimed to have listened to some of them when she was thirteen.

Deena allowed her guard down and quickly followed behind Davina across the street before the main light turned green. She continued on about the particular bands she knew and who she used to stan and asked Deena about the bands she was unfamiliar with.

Somewhere during the conversation, "Thanks," it was soft but Davina caught it

She offered a soft smile. "You shouldn't thank me. I might not particularly like Klaus, but if he truly is your father, I wouldn’t live with myself by keeping you away from knowing him. At least then, hopefully, you might run away once you do."

"Is he really that bad of a man?"

Davina was quiet at her question. To her, Klaus wasn't just a bad man, he was terrible, and he almost killed her multiple times if it wasn't for Marcel having to save her. She wished she could tell Deena these things in hopes she would stay away, but no one wants to hear the bad of a man you've never met. Especially when he was your father. Family. It also wasn't her place to kill the image she might have of him.

Then she shrugged. "I will let you be the judge of that."

━━━━━━ ━━━━━━

𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃-𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄. It was well kept for the most part but it was obvious this house had been through hell, Deena definitely thought Klaus was a deadbeat. This wasn't a family home, but it was a pretty big property. Maybe a rich deadbeat?

Together they stood staring up at the white doors ready to be knocked upon. Davina stared at the door with fear. Every witch sense coursing through her blood told her to turn away and run.

She knew she wasn't allowed here—that witches weren't allowed here, but she came to protect Deena.

Deena wasn't aware of the supernatural world or the fact that her father was a ruthless millennium-old psychotic hybrid, and what lies within the compound was an 'army' of hungry blood-sucking vampires who were already aware of their presence. Vampires who were too scared to leave Klaus if not slaughtered after the gruesome war against Marcel's army and enemies, and whoever they could rally up if Marcel hadn't got to them first.

Nevertheless, Davina watched her new friend lift her hand to knock on the door. Sucking in a deep breath, her knuckles were seconds away from alerting the vampires before something churned in her stomach. She quickly lowered her hand and hurried away.

"I can't do this." Deena panicked.

Davina lingered a bit longer at the door before rushing after her. "Where are you going? He's right inside." She shouted, dragging along the suitcase.

"I can't do it." She breathed heavily. "I-I don't know why I came here in the first place. And I hate myself for being curious, but I don't think I can do it. I should go home with the money I have left."

There was so much roaming through Deena's brain all at once. She thought she was ready to meet with him, but she wasn't, or at least she was convincing herself that she's not. But after losing the only family she had, Deena had grown lonely and desperate for someone to care about her and love her as much as her mother did. That's why she went through her mother's things. She trashed her mother's room, the kitchen, the attic, even her own room in the process. She didn't know what she was searching for until she discovered the letter.

It was meant to be given on her 18th birthday, a couple of months early.

But now that she was here, she didn't feel as pumped as before. Maybe she should've thought a bit longer on the idea before hopping on the next plane to New Orleans? Maybe she was getting too ahead of herself? Maybe this wasn't the right thing for her to do?

Davina grabbed Deena just as she was about to cross the street and tugged on her arm so that she was facing her. "Just breathe." She attempted to calm her down.

Deena rolled her eyes. "I am breathing."

"No, you're not. You look like you're about to pass out." Despite her annoyance, Deena forced herself to calm down. Once seeing she had, Davina narrowed her gaze before speaking. "I have no words to comfort you. Hell, I can't even comfort myself, but I can tell you, that you will regret not meeting him and him not knowing you. You have a chance that many kids don't have; I don't even know whether my dad is alive or not, but you do. And you should take it."

"I feel like I'm gonna ruin his life." Deena admitted.

Davina scoffed with a dragged 'please'.

"I'm serious. How would you feel living a life of your own for however many years and suddenly a seventeen-year-old kid comes knocking at your front door claiming to be your daughter? I would close the door in her face and continue my show!"

"If I was Klaus Mikaelson, I would be pretty damn blessed to have a kid with my blood in their veins at my doorstep. You never know."

"He must be a pretty famous man the way you speak of him."

She shrugged. "You can say that. But look," She took hold of Deena's hand. "Go meet him. Let him know who you are. And if you regret it, you can take the first plane back to Le..."

"Le Havre," she completed.

"Right. Le Havre. And I will be right here supporting you."

Davina was right. At least she had a chance to get to know her father while many don't and she shouldn't let the opportunity pass by. She sucked in a deep breath and began making her way to the white doors, but just as soon as she took her first step, she was stopped by Davina's stretched arm hitting her chest. She appeared focused, waiting for something to come.

She pushed away Davina's arm from deep within her chest, but she stopped her again.

Deena rolled her eyes with a huff. "You give me some go-for-it-speech and now you don't want me to seize the moment while I'm ready?"

"Something isn't right," Davina eased out with worry.

Deena would've guessed the brunette was another spiderman from an alternate universe the way she peered around her surroundings like a guard dog. Or spidey senses, she'd call it. She didn't see nor feel what Davina was and there was no one within their proximity when glancing around to catch what she caught, so she wasn't sure what had her on edge.

"You are right," Both girls jumped at the deep voice of a brown-skinned woman who spoke with a slight thick accent. She wore a green tank-top with dark blue jeans and she had to be around thirty years old, and she was looking at Deena as she came forward. "Something isn't right."

Despite the weird look, at least Deena knew she wasn't a stranger judging by Davina's calm expression and her tensed shoulders releasing.

She removed her arm from Deena's chest with a sigh. "Zoeè? What are you doing on this side of town?"

"I could ask you the same, harvest girl?"

Davina doesn't respond.

"I sensed someone—" Her brown eyes flickered to Deena. "—special entered the city and came runnin' soon as I could. And now that the cloaking spell has worn off and the prophecy is clear, all that I need to seal the deal is standing right in front of me."

Davina stepped in front of Deena in a protective manner once putting together two and two. "I don't know what this is about but let's not do it here. You and I both aren’t safe in this area—" merely glancing back. "—and she has nothing to do with this. This is between me and you."

Deena was clearly confused. "I'm sorry but who is this?"

"Don't matter who I am. What matters is what you gone do to our kind once the Mikaelsons find out you're alive."

Whatever happened, happen so fast that Deena was unable to process absolutely nothing. After Davina screamed out, she pushed her back and lifted her hands in a wizard-like manner before she was thrown against the building wall with no effort.

Deena followed the invisible force to the woman, Zoeè who's smiling back at her and scattered away. She would have ran after Davina, but her first instinct was to get herself to safety first and take a moment to digest what the hell just happened.

"Solem," With a flick of a wrist, Deena failed to cross the road before she found darkness and the cold ground.

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

If you like what you read and wish to read more of this fic, you can read here

[gffa]

what order would you recommend reading the batman comics in? also where do you find the comics?

"What order would you recommend reading the Batman comics in?" only has one answer and that answer is for me to immediately burst into tears. Okay, this list is designed around what I think is most likely to get you into comics and having a good time, if you're enjoying the kind of posts that appear on this blog: - Nightwing 2016, you can start from issue #1 and just keep reading (well, once you hit the Ric Grayson arc, you can skim if you want) because it's a fun, light-hearted series that's just very easy to read and is my comfort series in a lot of ways. I enjoy Dick Grayson's character, it does a lot of work to establish him in his own city, but also touches on his relationships with his family, and I think is a great starting place. You can start with Better Than Batman, Back to Bludhaven, Nightwing Must Die, Blockbuster, Raptor's Revenge, The Untouchable, The Bleeding Edge, Knight Terrors (not to be confused with the 2023 event of the same name!), Burnback, The Gray Son Legacy, The Joker War, Fear State Then there's something of a 'soft reboot' where the volume numbering starts over (but issue #s keep going) with: Leaping into the Light, Get Grayson, The Battle for Blüdhaven's Heart - Robin & Batman (2022), a beautifully illustrated series from the early days of Bruce and Dick, where Bruce is not exactly the world's greatest parent, but he's trying, there's an amazingly emotionally satisfying hug, and it shows what a delightful hurricane child Dick Grayson was. - "The Murder Club" is just one story out of many in Batman: Urban Legends but it's a fantastic one, with beautiful art and a story that's about Thomas and Martha Wayne traveling forward in time to see what's become of their son, and they don't necessarily approve--until Dick and Damian are basically impossible to ignore and they see what Bruce is fighting for. For more general Batman stories (rather than ones focused on my Blorbo), I'm enjoying: - The Court of Owls [vol. 1][vol. 2] by Scott Snyder, which is a solid case story and introduces the Court of Owls, which I genuinely like as a relatively recent addition to Batman's rogues gallery! - Batman 2016 is a bit of a controversial pick, because not everyone enjoys the authors writing for this series, but I've had a blast with a lot of Tom King's writing, personally. I especially enjoyed a lot of the run-up to the Bruce/Selina wedding with Rebirth book 3 (there's a double date with Bruce/Selina and Clark/Lois that's just a silly, fun good time!), The Rules of Engagement, Bride or Burglar, The Wedding, and Cold Days. I wasn't really a big Bruce/Selina shipper before those issues, but they really won me over because I love a good hot mess of a couple that have a bunch of thorny issues between them, that Selina loves Bruce not as some mythic figure but as the dumbass guy she loves, and then some bonus quality content with Bruce's kids, especially once the wedding falls apart and he's in such a bad place and Dick Grayson is so good at stabilizing Bruce that it's unreal. (You can also read Preludes to the Wedding in around here, if nothing else the Dick + Hush one was really, really fun! Clark and Dick take Bruce to Batburger for his bachelor's party because they're horrible people who think they're funny, and it's DELIGHTFUL.) - Batman/Superman: World's Finest (2022) by Mark Waid is also more light-hearted, but is so much fun, the characters banter with each other, but you can see their genuine friendship and how it became to be one of foundational relationships in both their lives, and plus Dan Mora's art is always TOP NOTCH. (Plus, volume 2 is out as well.)

I limited myself to anything from the 2016 reboot ("Rebirth") because I think that's easiest to draw someone in and these are the starting places that I would enjoy, though, they do assume a fair amount of pre-knowledge about Batman characters, like personally I enjoyed Batman & Robin Eternal but I don't think it's a good starting point for what the comics are actually like. As always, if someone has a good suggestion for a newer fan, I'd love to hear them! Especially since I tend to be Nightwing-focused, that's where my area of expertise is, if you have some good Tim or Jason or Damian recs, feel free! Though, in general, I think you can pick up almost any trade paperback and it'll be designed to be read without too much confusion, so just find a character you think you'll like and jump in! :D (p.s. I'm linking to Hoopla pages because, if you have a library card with your local library, you can use it to sign in to Hoopla!)

[dasha-aibo]

We in the US get like no education whatsoever about Imperial Russian life and culture even in college, what are some things you know about it and whether or not the shift to the Soviet Union and later Russian Federation altered it or killed it?

Apologies if this is a sensitive topic.

Imperial Russia was a whack-ass place, where rughly 85% of the population were peasants, who were not allowed to leave the plot of land they were assigned to. So slaves, with a bit of extra flair.

The rest lived a pretty average European existence of the time, with minor caveats, like the horrible police system, the awful bureaucracy and no political representation whatsoever. Tiny attempts at liberalism were only attempted in the brief time between 1905 and World War I.

Then the Soviets came, tried to do a bunch of wild experiments, before defaulting to the pre-revolution status quo, sans the hereditary monarchy. Like, that's legitimately the only thing they got rid of. Peasants still couldn't leave their villages, there was no political representation and the cities and villages lived in entirely different worlds.

Then the Soviets decided they need HEAVY INDUSTRY and that started a massive growth in the number of urban citizens (a good chunk of which were forcibly-ressetled peasants).

Then the 90s threw everything out of whack. We had a brief period of something approaching political freedom up until roughly 2004, when Putin settled into his autocrat status. The 90s were also, like, really-really bad. Everyone suddenly became even poorer than before and the crime skyrocketed. But there's a good argument to be made that it would've happened anyway, even if USSR didn't collapse. Shit was bad.

Culture-wise all of this did some interesting things. So, in the Imperial times, culture as a whole was a prerogative of the free and the wealthy, but also it was mostly pushed forward by rebellious rich kids in a few big cities. They got a nice formal education, spoke several languages and studied foreign art.

Then the Soviets came and due to the inequality inherent in the Soviet regime, the artists, once again, were relegated to the few big cities where there were education opportunities. But the import of foreign art stopped to a trickle, so the culture diverged from the then-contemporary West in its own weird ways. Ways that were tightly controlled by the state, but hey.

And then in the 90s, 7 lost decades of media suddenly flooded into the country along with true opportunities to rise from nothing for the first time since forever. Again, a very interesting cultural time, until it all got massively corporate and state-sponsored. Yeah, at the same time.

[hoothootmotherf-ckers]

obviously there's not an easy way to do this with like capitalism and bigotry and such, but I wish everyone in the US had the option for a sort of home-country study abroad situation, just the ability to spend a couple years living in different areas and different states and seeing what it's like out there

because like I grew up in California suburbs and didn't really spend much time anywhere else until I graduated college. And I love where I grew up, but I was really lacking a lot of perspective and context and understanding of the rest of the country. california has a hell of a superiority complex and there honestly wasn't a lot of a push to go or learn about or empathize with anyone else.

and then in the last two years, moving around for my job, I've lived in the rural southwest, in east coast suburbs, in the urban south. I've gotten crash courses in politics, in cultures, in history, and just how life is lived that I never would have seen in my hometown. I've met so many people, been a part of so many different communities.

I've met the kindest and most genuine people from brash and loud east coast cultures. I've found the most welcoming queer community I've ever been a part of in the south. I've worked with folks in the desert who live totally off the grid, who have to drive into town for water and can only get the news from their radio. I've also worked in urban sprawls with coworkers who've experienced homelessness in a big city.

and the people I meet and work with bring their learned experiences as well! I went to a potluck of midwestern delicacies thousands of miles from their origins, I've been lectured on grassroots politics in Florida by an enthusiastic intern on the east coast, I've been regaled with stories from a coworker who's lived in thirteen states in the last fifteen years. and I've learned so much.

I don't know where I'm going with this. Tomorrow I hit the road again, moving to my fifth state in the last two years, and I'm feeling nostalgic and also hopeful for the future. I guess I'm hoping that I never lose this feeling, this awe and respect for what I am experiencing and who I have the chance to learn from. And I really, really hope that other people have the chance to learn like this too.

[cbc-bb]

(laying on the bed with my chin in my hands) I want to hear about urban planning and rewilding

WELL! (cute)

urban planning: cities are just the most beautiful thing to me. they’re a bit like a garden: you can plan them out and come to them with your own ideas, but they’re going to grow on their own regardless. it’s the urban planner’s job to play gardener, imo, to prune here and there, to keep everything watered and devoid of unwanted pests.

cities to me mean density, which means efficient land and resource use. they’re environmentally friendly because of that! and they’re fun, they’re lively, and they tend to be full of interesting people. you might say that cities are loud, but they’re only loud because of all the fucking cars, driven by people who live outside of the city because “cities are too loud.” (whenever there are holiday weekends in NYC, the cars tend to go away and it gets oh so quiet).

anyway, urban planning is all about cities working better, making them more human for the people who live in them. how do we get around? how do we mix housing with shops and restaurants and office space?

rewilding: this is almost the same as urban planning to me, spiritually. humans have carved up much of the earth’s surface and that’s been largely bad for life on earth (including us).

rewilding is the process of restoring things back to a somewhat natural state. leaving things the fuck alone is one way to do this, and nature will rewild itself, but we can also speed this up with conscious human effort.

there’s a concept i like called “half earth” which says that humans should occupy at most half of the land area of earth, leaving the other half to nature (ideally in big chunks). this would let ecosystems rewild and restore, and would still leave ample space for humans to live (densely, mostly in cities) while also still having plenty of space for agriculture. there’s a book by E.O. Wilson that introduced the concept, one about a potential socialist half-earth future, and a novel by Kim Stanley Robinson that explores the concept (among others). there’s also a great book about indigenous sovereignty / land management that explores rewilding as well. here’s an excellent youtube video if that’s more your speed (but you should read a book too)

the state of california already has a “30 by 30” program in place (30% of land by 2030) and they’re working towards a “50 by 50” plan too, which is so encouraging

[mystieris]

Urban Gods' plot and world details

So, I did post one synopsis here on Tumblr back when I started posting my Greek mythology comic, but it's kinda changed plots about 2-3 times since then, so I thought I'd post the most recent one.

Often times, the gods grow bored with their own existence, at which time they choose to reset their lives to experience them again through fresh eyes. The following story is an account of one such instance... 

The story is basically a retelling of several popular myths, adapting them to a full 21st century setting, including Mortal Realm locations. The premise of how this is possible is that every once in a while the gods will just erase their own memories and relive their youths again.

I hope to eventually do several other shorter comics going deeper into other myths that will be briefly mentioned in the first story, which is an adaptation of the Abduction of Persephone.

Kore had grown up happily on her mother's farm, but dreamed of more, showing particular interest in the Underworld, specifically its king. A dark secret bars her from entering the realm, but that doesn't stop her as she continues to interact with Hades.

Other myths to be touched on include Minos and the Bull to Theseus and the Minotaur (which of course includes the Fall of Icarus and Dionysus and Ariadne <3 ), the 12 Labours of Heracles, The Myth of Sisyphus, Eros and Psyche, and the early years of Hermes.

As stated in previous posts, in this world, animal sacrifices have fallen out of fashion with mortals and in turn gods have started opening retail establishments or working in the entertainment industry, which mortals can patronize as a form of worship.

Some of my personal favorite establishments is the big three own bars in the heart of Athens, Hades has a nightclub near the flea market, Poseidon has a tiki bar on the beach, and Zeus owns a chain of hotels, the flagship location overlooking his major temple in the city.

Athena runs a university also in Athens, Aphrodite owns a chain of adult toy stores with the flagship location in Sparta, Demeter and Dionysus have a farm shop/farmers market in Sicily, Apollo is a pop idol, Ares operates this world's equivalent of the UFC, and Artemis runs a hunting blog.

[accio-victuuri]

excerpts from this Sohu Entertainment article about SBMS : Xiao Zhan and Bai Baihe co-starred in "The Sun Is With Me", the director and screenwriter responded: They are 100% suitable for the roles

After talking to director Song Xiaofei and screenwriter Li Xiao, we learned that this project is composed of many "coincidences". For example, the screenwriter did not know in advance that Xiao Zhan had experience as a designer, but the character Sheng Yang happened to need Xiao Zhan's designer skills.

Li Xiao also lamented that Xiao Zhan gave him surprises beyond the characters given by the screenwriter. "In the scene where Sheng Yang and Jian Bing reunited, Xiao Zhan's whole state was beyond my expectation. Heart-pounding, affectionate, awkward, happy and disappointed, there were many layers of complicated feelings. I didn't expect him to perform them all. When I watched it, i was very impressed.”

He has a sense of age, a kind of persistence that is rare in today's people." After meeting Xiao Zhan, Li Xiao decided to integrate his "focus and persistence" into Sheng Yang. Sheng Yang has been obsessed with Jian Bing for ten years. "This point is added based on the characteristics of actor Xiao Zhan, so he and Sheng Yang are completely suitable."

According to director Song Xiaofei, the compatibility between the starring role is 100%. "Our actors are all very good-looking. Xiao Zhan and Bai Baihe are 100% suitable for their roles. Xiao Zhan has big eyes and big facial features. When you put them in the picture, I am a photographer, and they all look great." I feel very comfortable. It happens that he has done design and studied painting. Sitting at Shengyang's workstation, when he turned on the computer, he happened to have operated all the software. Like the three-dimensional design drawing of the moon cake gift box, he also If you know how to operate the machine, you can shoot him directly with the machine, which is very realistic."

Xiao Zhan, who was born in Chongqing and majored in design, returned to Chongqing to play a designer role. In the eyes of the audience, this is also a coincidence. However, after the main creator revealed the secret, we learned that this coincidence actually includes some of their considerations and designs.

"Why not choose Shanghai? Shanghai also has a strong urban feel. But considering that the actor has lived in that environment since he was a child, and he has this life experience, it will be easier for him to get close to the character and he will be more confident in his performance." After inspecting Chongqing at that time , Later, the director felt that the romantic night scene of the city was very suitable for the temperament of "SBMS". In addition, Xiao Zhan, the actor who plays Sheng Yang, is familiar with Chongqing, so he finally chose Chongqing. "As long as he is placed in Chongqing, his suitability will be perfect."

"There are many traces of his life in Shengyang's home, including the basketballs placed at home, posters on the walls, green plants on the windowsill, etc..." The director hopes that the audience can capture the reality from these details feel.

There is also a "coincidence" that the protagonists of "SBMS" "happen" to have an age difference, which is a popular sibling relationship on the screen in recent years.

But the creators didn’t want to use the sibling relationship as a “gimmick.”

"Every emotional model has its own merits, but our protagonists happen to have an age difference. Because this is the first time for both of us to write such a pure emotional drama, we hope to bring all our true emotions to life. All the love feelings of thirty or forty years are poured in at once." Screenwriter Li Xiao explained.

In addition to the love between brother and sister, what also triggered discussions were the social topics involved in the play.

In the company where Sheng Yang works, workplace bullying and workplace harassment among employees occur from time to time; the protagonist’s life is also accompanied by propositions and confusions that cannot be escaped in urban life, such as pressure to get married, red lights on marriage, middle-age crisis, divorce cooling-off period, but also family pressure, ordinary people's sense of "unworthiness."

Not only is Sheng Yang closer to contemporary young people, but when we turn our attention to Sheng Yang's family, we can still see the screenwriter's touch on life. Shengyang's mother, Luo Meijuan, works as a supermarket weigher. Her life has always revolved around the trivial daily affairs of her family and children, but she bought a 3,000 yuan skirt for a class reunion. When her husband Sheng Xiangqiang, a sanitation worker with a low income, found out, they had a big quarrel. This plot sparked heated discussions on short video platforms.

How to describe the characters in life, and how to capture the psychology of Sheng Xiangqiang and Luo Meijuan in this incident? Li Xiao told Sohu Entertainment that this is actually a "feeling of unworthiness" - stemming from an inferiority complex, subconsciously believing that one is not good enough and does not deserve good things. "I also discussed this feeling of unworthiness when communicating with psychiatrists. This situation is more common among my parents' generation. In their eyes, 3,000 yuan was a huge sum of money ten years ago, but now it is only If they can buy a skirt, of course they will be reluctant to part with it. Because they have suffered a lot, they will cherish material things even more."

"I think the so-called social topics are actually people's topics." In the view of director Song Xiaofei, the intensive social topics of "SBSMS" are closely related to the sense of reality that the series pursues. "For a 26-year-old social worker, encountering Pua in the company and being suppressed by his boss may be something he encounters in daily life. As long as there are people around and as long as someone's story happens, there will be these topics."

"We didn't insert topics very rigidly, we just followed the protagonist's story and brought it naturally. Because in fact, if we want to, there are many topics that can trigger discussion, but those may have nothing to do with our Shengyang story, so we won't Put it inside." Song Xiaofei added.

During the interview, the director also shared a short story.

Before the filming of "SBMS" officially started, Xiao Zhan approached Song Xiaofei and wanted to know what the director thought of Sheng Yang. "Xiao Zhan asked me if I wanted him to be thinner, or if he needed me to be stronger. I said that I think Sheng Yang must be sunny and healthy, and the audience needs to see wider shoulders."

Xiao Zhan listened. On the filming set, he took every moment to do push-ups and pull-ups using on-site props to achieve Sheng Yang's body shape from the director's perspective.

[linka-from-captain-planet]

Florrickology, Part 3: Wyll's Womancrush Wednesday

If Wyllyam Ravengard is gonna do one thing, it's gush about powerful ladies his dad works with big misty heart eyes and his goblet overflowing with Respect Women Juice. While it seems BabyWyll didn't hold a candle for Florrick like he did for Duke Stellmayne, he regards her as a knightly badass to aspire to, just like dear ol' dad.

Thus, when probed about her in Act 2, he delivers the following glowing endorsement... which is also implies some weird things about his (s)hero, when you really think about it.

Player: Can we trust Florrick? Wyll: I was eleven when the counsellor spotted and slayed an assassin who stalked father from the shadows. Wyll: I was thirteen when she brought word of a goblin warband advancing on Rivington. Her keen scouting saved a hundred lives that day. Wyll: The counsellor's loyalty to my father is beyond question. She's as steady as Tyr's heartbeat, as upstanding as the Sword Mountains.

These lines are a prime example of what exactly I meant by 'unintended characterization' in Florrickology Part 1. The point of this conversation is just to confirm that, yes, the player should trust and continue to cooperate with Florrick because her loyalty is well-proven. What Wyll literally says about her isn't important; it's the impression they leave you with that matters.

The writers possibly didn't really mean to imply anything extra with these lines.

But, they did.

What's more, is they seemingly managed to imply two consistent, if odd, things about her.

Wyll, what do you mean she 'spotted and slayed an assassin'?

Wyll, what do you mean 'her keen scouting'?

Both of these are pretty weird things to say about a woman otherwise presented as a urban public servant... but are they weird things to imply about Florrick? Let's dive in.

Side note: it's also funny yet perfectly in character that Wyll looks upon these subtly bonkers accomplishments with such high esteem, since he is also completely insane but manages to maintain a veneer of "the only reasonable person in the room"

In this universe, the threshold for killing people is admittedly pretty low, but the implication that Florrick kills people sounds sort of strange, especially the add-on that she just straight up and killed someone on the streets--no judge or jury, just executioner.

Florrick, a woman presented as a paragon of virtue, whom Wyll promptly then describes as 'upstanding as the Sword Mountains', kills people? And she is a wizard, so she kills people instead of casting any number of incapacitating spells like Sleep, Command, Hold Person, etc?

Yup-- if they're coming after Ulder Fucking Ravengard!

I will have many thoughts about the debacle that is her confrontation in Act 3 in another post, when she believes Wyll sold his father up the river for his freedom, slaps on a fuckass hood, and comes directly for his head, but at least it's consistent with something. She, like Wyll, looks upon Ulder as a hero and the soul of the city she loves and serves so faithfully, and so she, like Wyll, will scuttle all over creation to find him, take on any enemy to save him, and will treat any attempt on him is an attack that must be answered with impunity.

Moving on to the second line, whereas Wyll's other above is echoed in something else that comes up later, Florrick's alleged prowess as a scout is actually mentioned earlier, in Act 1... to a much less frustrating and much more amusing effect:

In Waukeen's Rest, Florrick states "the Duke has been taken westward, if my eyes and ears are to be believed."

By "my eyes and ears", one might assume she means informants... until you remember she's trapped alone and escapes with the player, so there's no way someone debriefed with her during the 15 seconds between busting down the door and this conversation.

So clearly, she was in the burning inn staring through a burning window , mad as fuck, at the drow dragging him away like

tbf "her eyes and ears" could also be people yelling what's going on from the ground while she's trapped upstairs but shhhh this is for fun

While this is again an odd thing to imply about an urban bureaucrat, this one actually makes a lot of sense... because she's a wood elf, a race famously good at scouting the wilderness.

This is slightly debatable because the game randomly doesn't list her subrace and she lacks the Fleet of Foot trait (implying she's a high elf), but I assume her dress is simply so tight and impractical that it nerfs her movement speed. On top of having a distinctive wood skin tone, she's filed under "wood elves" in the list of character models in game files, and if she dies in Waukeen's Rest, you can report finding a dead female wood elf to the Fist and they immediately know it's her. So it seems the intention was for her to be a wood elf, even if they didn't execute it fully.

So, what's strange isn't so much that she possesses this skill, but rather that she deploys it on such a notable basis.

So, unlike Wyll's first line which reinforces something we come to learn later, this line opens opportunities to wonder what we don't know about Florrick.

In the previous installment of Florrickology, I posited she was possibly around 120-130 years old, but Wyll's examples only account for what she was doing 13 and 11 years ago. Other commentary, such as by Ulder, indicates she's been a friend of the family and a public servant for quite some time, but how long? We could have up to 100 years of life to play with. She well could have been wildin' since before Ulder was even born.

Has she always lived in Baldur's Gate? Was she always a government official? Is she even a Flaming Fist (I don't think so tbh, I think she's just understood to be Ulder's stand-in) or was she and if she was, what kind of shit did she get up to? When and how did she meet Ulder? Was she always a wizard (she is only level 6 in Act 1...)? And endless more questions!

The implication seems to be that she's been an advisor as long as Ravengard has been duke, so like... what was she doing out there at all, 11 years ago, discovering goblins far enough away from Rivington that she could intervene and save the whole town? Hiking? Keeping up with her secret ranger multiclass levels? Picking up a patrol shift to stunt on all the humans by having 4 extra hours in the day to spend in service of the city? Visiting her wood elf polycule in the woods and happened across goblin tracks?

For the discerning background character fan, this is a goldmine.

Speaking of headcanons and Wyll, I have also decided that one of his best and funniest ambient dialogues references Florrick, even though it's completely unsubstantiated:

Wyll: When I was a child, father sent me to Sharess' Caress to deliver messages. How was I to know what went on behind its closed doors? Lae'zel: Eating, sleeping, and sex acts of all manner, of course. Wyll: Hm. What's plain to you wasn't so plain to mini-Wyll. Lae'zel: Mini-Lae'zel wasn't so sheltered. On Creche K'liir, very little is hidden behind doors.

We all know Ulder only has one person he'd need to talk to so damn bad that he'd send his son to bother her at the damn brothel!!!

[centrally-unplanned]

after your last post about STEM, what do you think about expanding the fields of 1) environmental science and other study of the environment and our interactions with it and 2) urban design and urban planning. Imo both of these should be as big as health sciences and engineering respectively, the only reason they’re not is that people don’t care about our interaction with the environment we need to care about and systemic place-drivers behind inequality, liveable lifestyles, and our ability to actually live sustainably as a species. mostly asking bc these are fields I’ve studied in and there’s very minimal, very introductory education imo compared to how much potential there is for 1) innovation and 2) applied study of ecosystems etc to actually care for said ecosystems

These are classic individual-cart-before-the-structural-horse issues. Does the current US economy (I'm talking about US, this will be unique by country, no commentary on Italy or w/e) lack for environmental scientists? When the EPA makes job postings for inspectors, when Williams & Connolly LLP puts out the call for environmental consultants for pending litigation, when Siemens is drowning in NEPA paperwork for a solar installation and needs to onboard staff, do they lack for candidates? Like fresh-out-of-school candidates, not "30 years of experience litigating environmental impact statements in United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit" candidates? I think the answer is "no" - its a popular major. It has tiers for levels of math skill, it has politics & business subfields, and so on. The system only needs so many of these people to do its job - I actually know about the environmental field from a professional capacity having built a degree in it, and right now we graduate too many in this field if you made me bet (but again not by like a ton, they do fine).

You can't make the system care more via the lever of supply of college majors. We currently empower environmental scientists by X% because that is how much we value the environment as a society. You wanna budge that you gotta convince people, win hearts and minds, initiate political reform, etc.

With urban studies I haven't done this professionally so I am a little less confident, but I think we oversupply that category even more. We have tons of urban planners in the US - we just don't let em do anything! We hire them by the dozens in every city and then suborn them root-and-stem to elected officials and an infinite array of veto points by local councils and lawsuits. Boosting the supply of graduates would do absolutely nothing - in fact its a "flakeout" career as we call it in the industry, the kind of job someone majors in, gets hired in the field, and then leaves after a few years because it turns out to suck for w/e reason. (though again, never dug into the data on this one, so grain of salt on this specific claim. Wider thrust is true).

I think this ties into a general principle I have - the US higher education system is not a lever for social change. In some small ways sure, and for academia oh yeah ofc and I have a ton of ideas on that one. But overall its downstream of wider social forces, and its decently-optimized to cater to the needs of those social forces. You can't squeeze new social goals out of society's certification system.