#and its a map of a city and environs that was his home that was being torn to pieces

[corvidaedream]

theres something extremely powerful in studying your local history and ive said that before but also its extra intense when you keep running into a guy who 250 years ago was the same age you are now and was working in the field your degree is in and you're just looking up maps of the city for research unrelated to him, and your search gets you an unbelievably beautiful and detailed map he drew of this city you both share across time.

[necroromantics]

🧺 — Laundry And Taxes

chapter 3. // (masterlist)

Toby stood on the side of the highway, sticking his thumb out eagerly at the passing cars. He had spent two long days bussing, walking, and catching rides down to Alabama. The soft breeze of the approaching autumn flew past him, the sun shone bright in his ambitious eyes. A small black truck slowly rolled past him, coming to a stop a few meters away. Toby grinned with success to himself as he picked up his backpack and ran over to the passengers door.

“Hey, thanks, I’m heading down to Tuscaloosa.” Toby spoke as he climbed into the vehicle.

“How old are you, kid?” The driver spoke. An older man, wearing a worn out baseball cap and thick gray beard.

“Whats it matter to you?”

The man spoke not another word, scoffing at the younger's attitude, and driving away to Tuscaloosa.

Toby stared through the window out at the passing wide open scenery. His eyes hadn’t witnessed the great vast land of Alabama, and yet he recognized every gas station, town sign, and highway they drove down. Every bump in the road made his stomach turn. It seemed his motion sickness carried to this world with him as well.

Midnight had overtaken the city by the time he arrived at his destination. Toby held tightly onto the straps of his bag hanging firmly on his heavy shoulders as he made his way through the streets. He walked quietly under the streetlamps, noting any flickering, and any faces he occasionally passed by. He always made sure the people he passed had faces.

Just as his luck would have it, Toby's memory of his original life served him as he stood in front of a small abandoned motel on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa. The same motel he had spent many nights in when he was a proxy. He hacked his way through the locked door with his hatchet he had packed in his bag, and made his way into the old, dusty room. Toby exhaustedly collapsed onto the creaky mattress which was painted with stains and dirt, groaning as his tired body hit the bed. He never stopped appreciating the existence of mattresses, back where he was from, he was without them for days on end. It was always a treat to fall asleep on a proper bed.

Toby spent the next day wandering Tuscaloosa, taking in his surroundings. He was in a place he had never been in before, yet he had walked those streets many times, in another world. As he walked down the streets, past houses he had once broken into, past families he had once destroyed, Toby felt a very eerie sensation of being watched. His feet slowed their pace, the quiet early autumn afternoon seemed to slow down with him. His mind staked out for the smallest sound, making a note of everything around him. He decided to stray from his intended route, and made his way through a labyrinth of streets and alleyways, in an attempt to shake off the feeling of being followed. An attempt to make distance between himself and whoever, or whatever, was closing in on him. Left, left, right, left, straight for a few blocks, right, left again.

Toby walked through an alleyway downtown, watching the cars race past through the cracks between old, decaying buildings. It seemed the heart of downtown was dying, and the rot slowly spread itself outwards, like the city itself was sick. Toby felt more at home wandering the maggot-infested carcass that was Tuscaloosa than he had felt spending his nights at his mothers house. He felt more comforted by the idea of being stalked by an unknown stranger, than he did hugging his own family.

Eventually, the boy made his way to the nearby library, an hour before closing. It was quiet. The environment breathed with contentment and history, the books acting as its aching bones. Toby wriggled out a large book on the history of Tuscaloosa and sat down at a table in an isolated corner of the building. His fingers flipped through the pages, gliding over sentences, old photographs, and maps. The last time he touched this book, there was a distinct photograph of Rosswood Park where, if you looked closely, you could see a tall, faceless man-entity. Now, as Toby analyzed the photo, he quickly realized it was an exact copy, but the faceless entity was nowhere to be found. He cursed questioningly to himself as he looked over the photo again. It was completely normal.

Toby placed the book back where he found it, and found himself a phone book. As he came back to the table he was sitting at, his heart skipped a beat for a moment. Laying neatly on the surface was a hastily scribbled paper that resembled a Slender Page. It showed dark, messy sketches of that faceless being, paired with the words ‘LOOK TO THE ROOTS’. The boy quickly turned around, looking around frantically to see anything else out of place. His brown eyes darted across every corner of the room. Everything but him was still. It was quiet, calm. Like the eye of a hurricane. The fact this paper was lying on this table meant that somebody left it there, which meant there existed somebody else in this world who knows about The Slenderman.

While spending most of their time in a forest, the proxies became familiarized with the different animals that lived there. Mostly birds, and the different symphonies they’d sing. Only they knew the call of a Northern Cardinal, and only they knew how to replicate it.

Toby whistled out the call, in hopes to get a response, and identify a potentially familiar coworker. There was no response, for a minute. He stood idle, still keeping an eager eye on his surroundings, and a desperate ear open. Then, from a few aisles down, he heard a whistle in response. The call of a Northern Cardinal.

He rushed over to the source of the sound, quickly, and prepared himself to fight. Though he may have worked with this person in a previous world, there was no guarantee they were friendly. A lot of people despised the boy and his loud mouth, his violence, his arrogance.

When he approached the aisle the whistle came from, he found no person, but another sheet of paper. As he picked it up off the floor, he noticed it was scribbled with Slender Symbols, a circle with an ‘x’ through it. The sign of the proxy.

He whistled out again, and for another moment, received no reply. Again, louder, Toby whistled out the call.

“Excuse me, you can’t be doing that in here,” a short, old lady approached the boy, making him jump. He was ready to knock her out. Irritated, he mumbled out a ‘sorry’, and made his way back to his seat. The book was flipped open to the ‘W’ last names, with a page rashly ripped out. Exasperated, Toby slammed his hand down on the table and groaned to himself in annoyance. It seemed that no matter the steps he took, the stranger was always one step ahead of him. The boy wasn’t fearful, no, he was far too cocky for that. He was frustrated, aggravated. And he had an idea of who was getting in his way.

As the night approached, Toby decided to put an end to his day, and made his way to his abandoned motel room where he had put together a makeshift shelter. The boy climbed through the broken door he had previously axed his way into. He threw himself on the dirty bed, tossing his backpack to the side. Toby stared up at the darkness, to the water-damaged ceiling, it looked as if it was about to collapse at any moment. He breathed in the smell of age and history long beyond his years, closing his heavy eyes as he inhaled. Slowly, his hand raised up to his cheek where his scar used to reside, and he traced his fingers across his skin. His thick brow furrowed as he thought of his past. Drool that would leak from his gash as he huffed, repeatedly hacking at a bloody body. The screams, begs for mercy, to which he always teased, or ignored. A sick satisfaction. It seemed to have disappeared with that scar of his.

Cradled by the darkness of the midnight hour, he slowly drifted off to sleep. That night, he dreamt he was standing in a burning building, and he couldn't get himself to move. He begged, pleaded at his body to move, but he was frozen in place. He had no choice but to stand still as the flames engulfed him, and everything around him. It suffocated him, he couldn't catch his breath. Toby groaned, and fought with himself, as the air escaped his lungs. His throat felt like it was being crushed.

Toby’s eyes shot open as he stared up at the hooded figure sitting over him, gloved hands strangling his neck. Toby dug his knees under the assailant's body and kicked them off, jumping to his feet, and catching his stolen breath. Before he could attack back at the intruder, his eyes examined the figure as it ran out through the hole in the door. Yellow hooded sweater, black mask. Brian Thomas.

“Holy shit.”

A sick, twisted rage built itself up inside of the boy as he shouted out to himself in frustration, driving his foot to kick the wall. He would’ve put a hole in that wall if he wasn't saving his fist for Brian’s face. An old colleague of his, a man who had taught him the ins and outs of surviving the cruel world they were from. Before any more destruction could be done as a result of Toby’s wrath, he noticed another piece of paper left behind. This time, it was a messy sketch of Slenderman crossed out, and words that read ‘THE CHAINS HAVE BROKE. BUT ARE YOU FREE?’

Toby scoffed as his lip twitched, there was lightning inside of him, left behind as residue of his morning adrenaline. He crumpled up the page, tossing it to the ground with disregard, and grabbed his backpack. The boy proceeded out of the front door and into the cool, early morning. The birds were singing, the leaves were beginning to turn a soft green-yellow. His eyes felt heavy, his chest felt weak. But he pushed himself down the street, and he pushed his burning body into the post office, where he found himself a new phone book.

He slammed the large book down onto the desk and flipped it open to ‘W’ last names, dragging his finger with his gaze as he scanned the pages for a particular name and address. It was only a few seconds before he found it, before closing the book and making his way back out onto the streets, and towards his destination.

Toby slowly strided up to the doorstep of a tiny, quaint house in a peaceful neighborhood. He held his breath every step he took, only his burning desire for answers moved his hesitant feet forward, and raised his fist to knock on that dreadful door. His throat tightened as he awaited a response. Toby heard shuffling from within the house for a moment, before the front door slowly creaked open.

The boy was met face to face with the barrel of a twelve gauge shotgun.

“Oh shit-”

“What the fuck are you doing here kid?”

“Woah, woah, get that shit out of my face first” Toby said, putting his hands up in surrender.

The gruff, older man glared daggers at the boy as he huffed in frustration and lowered the shotgun, stepping to the side and nodding his head as to tell Toby to come inside. With a smug grin, Toby nodded back and slid himself into the others house.

The two stood facing each other, the boy stuffed his hands into his jean pockets, and the older crossed his arms with clear annoyance at Toby’s presence.

“So, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Colorado?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t stand to be there. But hey, good to see ‘ya, Tim.”

“Sure, kid.”

There was a moment of awkward silence that lingered between them, a layer of tension bubbling under their tongues and through the daggers they glared at each other.

“What do you want from me, Toby? Get your ass back home already, there ain't nothing here for you,” Tim said, breaking the silence.

“I’m trying to, that's why I’m here.”

“I meant back home to your mother.”

Toby shuffled his feet for a moment, looking down and sinking into himself.

“I’m not going back there yet. Not ‘till I have my answers,” he lifted his head and looked up again at the man before him, “what the fuck happened? I mean, why are we here?”

Tim chuckled angrily to himself and pressed his lips before shaking his head. He had no intention of digging himself a grave next to Toby.

“Your stubbornness is gonna get you killed some day, kid. Assuming you even care.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Toby raised his voice, and Tim matched his tone.

“It means that I don't got your fuckin’ answers, Toby. I don't know why we're here, but I’m sure as hell not complaining.”

Toby stared Tim down, anger grimacing on his young face. He couldn't be in the same room for more than a minute with that man without fury sparking from their mouths, war raging between them. They both sunk their teeth into fatality. They both had a taste for tragedy.

“Seriously? That's it? After everything that happened?”

“Yup, that's it.”

“And what about Brian, huh?”

“What about him?”

Toby dug into his pants pocket, and pulled out a crumpled up piece of scribbled paper Brian had left for Toby yesterday, and threw it at Tim.

Catching it, Tim unwrapped the wrinkled ball and glanced over it, before crumpling it back up and tossing it into the garbage, brushing it off.

“That's his problem, not mine.”

Toby dragged his hand over his mouth, taking a deep breath to collect himself. The two were stubborn, and neither were about to budge.

“You're happy like this then? Living in this stupid house, in this stupid city? Surrounded by all these stupid people who think they know shit they don't?”

“You know what Toby? Yeah, maybe I am happy like this. I'm happy that I don't have to worry about whether or not I’m going to wake up in the morning, I’m happy to have a roof over my head that isn't leaking or collapsing. I’m happy to have that fucking static out of my fuckin’ head,” Tim began to shout.

“Well you can pretend all you want, but I’ll know what you’ve done, Tim! I’ll know all the shit we’ve done!”

“Jesus kid, quit it.”

Toby slammed his hand onto the table next to him as they shouted back and forth in that tiny house.

“No! You wanna run off into this fantasy world? You're a fucking pussy!”

“You listen to me. We finally have something good here, and if you want to destroy that like you always do, fine by me. But leave me the fuck out of your mess.”

Infuriated, Toby laughed to himself at the insanity of the words his colleague was speaking.

“You think any of this is good? Like everything is fine and great because we're not in that warzone anymore?” He took a step towards Tim, gesturing at the man. “Look at you! You can't even answer the fucking door without a shotgun in your hand.”

Tim lunged at the boy without another word, grabbing him by his shirt collar, and slamming his body up against the wall.

“Take your bullshit somewhere else,” he said in a low tone, dragging the boy out of his house as Toby screamed and struggled before his body hit the ground of the front step.

“Fuck you! You fucking traitor!” Toby yelled out, pounding and kicking at the now closed and locked door of Tim’s house. He ran his hands through his messy brown hair, he hadn't washed in days. Toby shook off the rage that lingered as he turned away from everything he knew, and towards his last resort.

Toby stood silently at the edge of the forest surrounding Rosswood Park, a place he had never been, yet had been to hundreds of times before. A place he had lived in for years, a place he knew to be the direct source to the Slender Forest.

He yelled out at the vast nothingness.

“Alright you eldritch fuck, where the fuck are you, huh?”

Toby picked up a rock and chucked it hard at a tree, stopping for a moment afterwards to stay aware of his surroundings for any response.

With every second of silence, the hopeless frustration within the boy only grew louder. He shouted again, and kicked a tree. This time, he didn't stop.

“Come on!”

Toby desperately clawed at the forest around him, kicking at the ground, hitting the trees, throwing rocks. He slammed his body against nature, he demanded answers. Yelling out until his voice went hoarse. He fought against that dead forest until he couldn't anymore. Until he was nothing but an exhausted mess, leaning up against a tall evergreen, and allowing his weak legs to fall from underneath him.

Toby placed his head between his knees, he could barely move his overworked body. All he was left with was nothing. He used to have everything, and now he sat leaned weakly as he drifted off to sleep, with absolutely nothing.

Encased in sleep, his mind replayed moments of his past. Toby dreamt of himself throwing up blood in a disgusting gas station bathroom, confessions of sin scribbled on the walls around him from those before him. He dreamt of himself scribbling his own confessions on that wall, but the only thing he could write was that he didn't regret a thing, and he would take it all with him to his grave.

He dreamt of dizziness, a loud ringing in his ears, a command, an intrusion. The sickness surrounded him, suffocated. Screams of his victims coming out of his own mouth. Television screens in his eyes playing nothing but static. He dreamt about the burden of murder. He dreamt that he would do it all again. He dreamt of a life that nothing could save him from.

[bioluminosity]

What did Witnessian culture look like? And do you have a name for the species?

I don't have a name for them beyond whatever I make up on the fly ("origin species"). If I had to make something up though I'd probably look at the choice vocabulary in the lore like Unveiling, Inspiral, etc., and etymologies related to them, but that's like a whole essay's worth of consideration, so I'll get back to you on that. As for aesthetics. Concept art from Bungie has notes on the disciples' appearances taking after its culture X, and we have the pyramids (in which apparently the mural styles of Rhulk's may be more Witness-aligned than his own work, but it's also more than likely the graphics were used in the origin cutscene for consistency, anyway that is less important), but something that interests me the most right now is Tessellation. There are visual references to that "artifact" vibe (and I am curious for the quests surrounding its catalyst), it shares material from TFS trailers (+rainbow roads in the Mars relic/some pyramid maps), and the flavor text/lore are formatted much like other "Witness" stuff we've seen.

Namely the handle's spinal shape (think Mykel's Reverence from Root), the tassels, barrel, and the top is literally shaped like a pyramid. It looks crafted with the reverence of a species' dogma. That part might be biased.

Beyond that, though, there is a lot to garner from the pyramids and other Witness-aligned environments. Rhulk's has the horse statues and a lot of general cityscapes (plus a "Dark City" in Savathun's throne world), there are some greyhound-looking reliefs in the Witness' pyramid (but it does not strike me as a dog person lol?), strange floating lights everywhere, etc. Generally speaking, we see a lot of "tomb" architecture (+actual tombs which makes sense given themes of death + disciple lore), but also themes of conquest, so I use all of these in my visual library for picturing their home world and the fleet (where most of the AU takes place, thus the story is a bit grim). That is all to say nothing of the structures we got on Europa which feel a bit unique in presentation (garnering feelings of discovery, unlike stuff from LF's season of defiance which is more clearly meant to invoke "invasion", but of course the other stuff was still being worked on for TWQ+TFS).

If I were to try and extrapolate anything besides what we've been given in-game, though, I'd go back to the (alleged) utopia landscape of their "Garden" world along with a desert/nomad background, [which is what I started my AU with: literal travelers], as the idea of conquest -- if it did not already exist within their culture -- definitely arose from their...integration and newfound purpose with the Final Shape. (Cue separate essay about war, falsehoods in utopias, and paracausal resources.) It feels redundant to say religion and philosophy were important -- Unveiling is right there, and Inspiral has some parables from ambiguous sources -- but I like to think these disciplines were more highly regarded than war or economics in a society that would have had its material needs being met, or maybe just exerted itself with overwhelming force. (Edit: The AU expanded on the powers we now know were granted to them by the Traveler + the Veil, letting them be sorts of planetary/universal curators, though that's a surprisingly less developed portion of that story. It would allow these ideas of authority to pervade their culture over time.)

Needless to say a LOT of the imagery hinted at in TFS trailers looks like really cool expansions on this "empty" empire, with a more personal effect with the hands and half-figures everywhere. like dont even get me started bc we will be here all day about design themes and motifs. But a lot of it also references the whole of Destiny rather than the species.

Sorry that was really long and a bit broader than like, what they would wear in different time periods/decorate with/paint etc. Those sorts of things are very interesting to me and would be born from the foundations laid out above!

[tiredgamergirl]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation has been public domain for years and many have used the famous detective as subjects for series, movies and games throughout the years, both with the stories created by the original writer and brand new adventures. The Ukrainian company Frogwares released their first Sherlock Holmes title back in 2002, called “The Mystery of the Mummy” (available for free on steam) and kept on perfecting their craft , refining the mechanics and having highly acclaimed writing in the adventure game community in their later titles.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, as the name implies, is both a prequel and a soft reboot of the series featuring a younger Sherlock, recently graduated from boarding school and back to his family’s home on the Mediterranean Island of Cordona to come with terms with his mother’s passing years prior. Upon arrival, it is implied that Violet Holmes didn’t die of tuberculosis as he originally believed and he decides to uncover the truth no matter the cost. Along with his imaginary friend Jon (yes, not John Watson) the entire city is a melting pot of political tensions waiting to happen, conspiracies lurking at every corner in an open world environment.

The game starts introducing the player to the mechanics in a closed environment with a simple mystery in a very focused narrative, perfect to have the player acquainted to the controls. A  bold narrative decision that might divide opinions also rear its head: the game invites to analyze the evidence and ultimately make your own decision on who is the killer and what will be the conclusion to the case. Will you allow the criminal to escape or will they be locked behind bars? Will justice be served? Was the truth reached? Some of the cases are open to the interpretation and can be hit or miss, including one in particular that Frogwares had to clarify who was the “canon” culprit. One could say that it may give the players agency in making their decision and shaping their own Sherlock, while some might want a more certain answer. For example, in one of the previous titles, Crimes and Punishment, it was possible to check if the verdict was the correct one from the casebook after the conclusion of the case.

Once the open world reveals itself it features a well-crafted city with five different zones, each featuring its own ambiance and citizens going about their own business; Sherlock is free to walk around the British aristocrats in Grand Saray, visit the sailors around the yacht club and the port, visit the more hard-working lower class citizens among the rocky Miner’s End or try his luck gathering information within the walls of the Old City, home of the Ottoman population. The opening screen warns about social and gender prejudices present in the era and the developer acknowledges it and instead of pretending it never existed they try to handle it as tactful as possible – wherever they hit the mark or not is up to the player’s interpretation.   Sometimes in order to get information about a case or enter certain locations Sherlock can disguise himself or play a eavesdrop mechanic to get new leads or even new cases, the city itself has many cases ready to be uncovered and solved by curious players. Some cases are unlocked after story progression so it is always worth coming back and wandering around to find something new and traversing is rather easy and without loading screens except for getting to new closed areas, like a house. However, the game severely lacks a mini-map and it may be a constant back and forth to the casebook menu, opening the map and checking where you are and how to get to your destination even if you have placed a marker. The game will give an address and it is up to the player to read the map and locate the streets and how to get there without the assistance of street signs. Thankfully there are plenty of fast travel points and handcrafted landmarks to assist the navigation but can be a little frustrating if playing one of the treasure hunting quests.

The casebook mechanic is also something that may be a hit or miss: in order to analyze certain leads it is necessary to “pin” it, and that sometimes involves having the right lead to interrogate suspects or find information. In one of the sidequests, despite having the right clue pinned and wearing the right outfit to gather information the game refused to spawn the right time of passerby that could give me the location to keep the investigation going. The casebook can be useful in having small icons above each clue to inform what kind of activity the player need to do and once it is exhausted there will be no more red icons surrounding it and it gets updated accordingly. Sometimes there is some more legwork needed so a trip to the police station, the newspaper or the city hall is necessary to peruse the archives and find the right documents or articles for the new locations or even the crime scene proper and it is all available on the casebook.

Once in a crime scene the observation mechanic showcases the developer’s experience and attention to detail, with Holmes allowed to examine many of the objects individually, turning and expressing his assessment about the clues presented and sometimes prompted to make chemical analysis within the casebook. Other times, upon pinning a track clue it is possible to follow the footsteps of a suspect and end up in another location and find other important evidences. The chemical analysis can be skipped, they can be a brain teaser for the math fans. After all the clues are gathered, Sherlock can interact with a white orb that will allow him to recreate the scene in his mind’s palace. Controlling Jon, the player is free to wander around in Holmes’ concentration mode and place the events where the evidence was found and if successful Sherlock will narrate what took place. Sometimes it is also necessary to access the Mind’s Palace to connect the clues so Sherlock will make deductions to provide new clues and proceed with the plot. Lavish visuals and intricate expression capture also enhances the experience of each investigation, the world feels lived-in and vibrant, restrained in realistic ways. The most out of place might be Jon that tends to appear -- justified as he is a imaginary friend.  

Like some of his traditional stories, combat is also necessary at points. The player is invited to try their hand in criminal dens but sometimes they also happen throughout the cases, in which it is possible to skip the whole process. It might be an anti-frustration feature as the combat is clunky, sluggish and very frustrating at times. The arenas often have strategic spots to shoot that might incapacitate the enemy for a brief moment of time or Sherlock can use his tobacco box to stun the opponent and subdue for a proper arrest or can downright kill the opponent. The decision is up to the player, the combat was clearly intended to be strategic but it isn’t nearly as satisfying. It might be because Sherlock is still young, but traditionally he knows boxing and a few other forms of unarmed self-defense and it is sorely missed in these situations.

This game provides an experience closely assembling the novels; a myriad of cases with varying degrees of satisfaction, some can be merely busywork like following the tracks of a donkey but sometimes they can provide some interesting brain-scratchers. Sherlock is still in his early point, not a consulting detective just yet and it reflects in his arrogance and impetuousness. Trying to step out of his older brother’s shadow, sometimes he allows himself to be overtaken by emotions that are not often seen in his later career. A lot of this title hinges on his emotional core and his relationship with Jon and the memories he uncovers at his home.

There are some DLCs for this title: Mycroft’s Pride adds a series of cases at the behest of his older brother, M for Mystery sets up the stage for Holmes’ greatest nemesis, Beyond a Joke also introduces one of his famous enemies and is a fun piece of story. The only two rather disappointing extra content is the “Saints and Sinners” quest that can be compared to the more ‘busywork’ cases in the base game; and the Victorian Starter pack’s Lead Zeppelin case, but the later comes with a hefty sum of the in-game currency that allows players to bypass the struggle of going to bandits’ lair to amass money needed for one of the quests.

This game is a must try for fans of the genre despite the interface being an hindrance most of the times and with the ability of skipping the combat, it is easy to get immersed in the narrative until the end. There are, however, a few trigger warnings that must be taken into consideration before playing.

Tʀɪɢɢᴇʀ Wᴀʀɴɪɴɢs

Gore (death bodies)

Prejudice (class, racial, religion, gender discrimination, sexual discrimination)

Slavery (former slaves)

Sexual violence (one of the cases the characters refuse to use the photo evidence due to its contents)

Self-harming (one of the suspects in the last case)

Drugs and alcohol

Suicide (DLC M for Mystery)

Violence against minors

Drowning

[midnight-scrivener]

🖊

Hello! Sorry this took me a few days, I Could Not Decide who I wanted to infodump about 😭

Indrid Caldwell

Is a human accountant who lives in Coulton, Kentucky. He doesn't have any friends, he doesn't like nut brittles, and he owns every season of classic courtroom drama The Good Wife on special edition DVDs.

He's also. Fucking Dead.

In his place is a shape shifting alien from Outer Space who's continuing to live Indrid's life as a Perfect, Flawless Facsimile of a Normal Human Man.

Alien Indrid (who I'm just gonna call Indrid from now on) is here on Earth looking for three of his friends that vanished around what we humans would call 1967. He has to get them back to his home planet before an asteroid belt intersects with their world's orbital path.

He hasn't found them yet.

What he has done is memorize every episode of classic courtroom drama The Good Wife (on special edition DVD), befriend a coworker named Hank from New York City that he likes enough to grab a beer with every once in a while, and get Super Into Birdwatching.

Indrid's the kind of guy that will order the same thing every time he goes to a restaurant, always has a script ready for any social situation, and can talk at length about his favorite topics (native Kentucky birds and classic courtroom drama The Good Wife).

(he's the kind of guy that would be diagnosed with Autism if it ever occurred to him to talk to anyone about it. But he's Very Normal. So why would he?)

Indrid's alien brethren are a species literally lab designed to be hardy and adaptable to any environment. Called Explorers, they're built to fulfill the niche of mapping their world, studying its ecology, traveling in deep space, and undertaking long term transit and delivery work. They're laborers, scientists and genetically engineered Discoverers Of New Things. Indrid is part of a special contingent of Explorers trained to operate off-world as well as on it, blending into the population of alien planets using a special piece of shapeshifting technology to perfectly copy the genetic codes of the indigenous population. Because all explorers are artificially created, they're naturally sexless and genderless, but Indrid has decided he actually likes being a dude, so that's how he rolls now.

Explorer's mouths are in their chests. They have three hearts and two stomachs, and communicate telepathically, using a special resonance chamber in their skulls. They stand about eight feet tall and can get up to 20 feet long (including their tails).

But most of the time indrid just kind of looks like some guy.

Explorers need to consume high levels of mercury to survive, so to avoid arousing suspicions for buying a bunch of poisonous metal in bulk, he's become an impromptu collector of vintage thermometers, and has Strong Opinions on Brands and Quality.

He eats onions like apples and has memorized the names of all your bones. :)

[dotthings]

Okay, let me break down some stuff from the new Deadline article about the direction CW Nexstar may be headed. Note the article says "according to sources" and this is just a mapped plan and it's unpredictable.

But it's actually some good news for a change. Well, except for my hopes for SPN on HBO, which goes up and down like a barometer. Sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. And of course if you want CW Network torched for good, which is understandable after all the mess they've made. However, a platform is only as good as the content it provides. And the more platforms doing diverse programming, I say, the better. Especially with a dwindling broadcast landscape, I'm not unhappy by the latest industry forecast on CW Nexstar.

Disclaimers: I do not stan for corporate entities. I boycotted CW for a year. Then I chose to do targeted support of shows that were addressing the tire fires that made me boycott in the first place and I've been really pleased with what I found. The hot mess that is CW is an evolving situation and I'm beyond tired of hearing about "betrayals" and "selling out just to support your faves." This has nothing to do with supporting specific actors, it has a lot to do with what kinds of TV I want to see and how much it matters not just that the diversity is there but it's handled well and with respect and that CW no longer be a perpetual PR dumpster fire hurting multiple big fanbases.

Let me summarize: -CW Nexstar is NOT divesting from scripted genre or younger-aimed fare. It will be less than under the CBS/WB era of CW, but they are still planning to develop that side -expanding further into other areas. Adding sitcoms and procedurals (no surprises there, we knew Nexstar wanted to have a fuller kind of slate of different types of series), and yes, stuff for 58 year olds. -CBS and WBTV will remain the exclusive content providers for 2022-2023 but then they plan to buy stuff from other studios too For now under the new direction, the article mentions two series CW Nexstar has already bought. The good news: it's continuing to expand towards diverse, inclusive shows. 1. The Hatpin Society "One of the first projects that will test that new studio strategy is The Hatpin Society, a period drama written and executive produced by Elissa Aron (Humane Treatment) and executive produced by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator/exec producer and star Rachel Bloom and Dan Gregor. Set in 1909 New York City, it centers on a motley legion of suffragists who fight for equality by day and vigilante justice by night, seeking revolution through any means necessary."

I haven't seen My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, people tell me I should so maybe I will check that out now, but I hear good things about that and Rachel Bloom. So anyway. Rachel Bloom is one of the EP's, for a series about vigilante suffragists in 1909 NYC. Personaly I may have actually SQUEAKED OUT LOUD reading about this. I would like to watch this series. They don't know which studio will be producing yet. 2. Jake Chang "Jake Chang, from Oanh Ly, Viet Nguyen & Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD, which is produced by WBTV. It is part of the CW’s core genre efforts and reflects the network’s push for on-screen representation over the last several years." Kung Fu has been doing really well for CW and it's good to see more Asian rep being added, and with Asian producers. Including Daniel Dae Kim's company.

From the og announcement (back in June): "Jake Chang is an Asian-American–led mystery following a 16-year-old private investigator as he navigates the racially and socioeconomically diverse worlds of his ever-gentrifying home of Chinatown, and the elite private high school he attends. The show will blend soapy teen drama with the neon noir aesthetic, all while flipping nearly every Asian stereotype—honor, martial arts, destiny, lineage, parental sacrifice—on its head."

This seems like an environment where the expanded and more diverse SPN universe can do well and where Gotham Knights will also be right at home. I don't worry much about the survival of The Winchesters or Gotham Knights, because even if CW Nextar ditches them, they can go to HBO Max. And lbr, a lot of us would like SPN done with CW forever, SPN on HBO Max dreams.

But I'm not sorry the platform will continue to create diverse content or that SPN and Gotham Knights can probably do well there. Walker should be fine as well, given it appeals to older audiences already.

So CW making J2M their centerpieces at the May 2022 upfronts, seems like they plan to work with all 3 of them for a long time.

What CW Nexstar is doing is trying to make itself a "real" network, with the variety of programming the broadcast networks have. If you've noticed--CW was always slanted heavily to only one thing most of the time, teen dramas or soaps, and genre aimed at younger audiences, superheroes, SF, horror, all hourlong. Not much sitcoms. Very few things outside that. CW Nexstar's idea seems to be--they'll have it all. Teen dramas, teen soaps, genre series, more diversity, sitcoms, procedurals, and middle of the road things (i.e. for a more conservative audience, but that's true of the big broadcast networks). They want to compete with ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX. Old CW never actually tried to. Nexstar is going to give it a go.

[sciencespies]

Our Favorite 2022 Climate Coverage. (Some of It’s Even Good News!)

https://sciencespies.com/environment/our-favorite-2022-climate-coverage-some-of-its-even-good-news/

Our Favorite 2022 Climate Coverage. (Some of It’s Even Good News!)

Our Favorite 2022 Climate Coverage. (Some of It’s Even Good News!)

Huge legislation. Secret Amazon airstrips. Political shenanigans. Also a trash guessing game. Reporters and editors from The Times’s Climate Desk share pieces they particularly liked.

Photo credits: Saumya Khandelwal, Tomás Munita, Ashley Gilbertson, Iman Al-Dabbagh, Victor Moriyama, Nina Riggio and Nasuna Stuart-Ulin for The New York Times; Erin Schaff/The New York Times

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Our Favorite 2022 Climate Coverage. (Some of It’s Even Good News!)

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Dec. 21, 2022

In a year of groundbreaking news from the frozen (but warming) Arctic to the shores of the Red Sea, The Times’s Climate Desk produced hundreds of articles, covering multibillion-dollar legislation, clandestine obstructionism, even a “shrinkflation” expert.

Here are selected pieces that the journalists who write about climate found most memorable this year, in their own words.

〰︎

“Many American cities have set ambitious climate goals, but slashing planet-warming emissions within their borders is often easier said than done, especially when it comes to transportation. My colleague Nadja Popovich and I went to Portland, Ore., a city that considers itself a climate leader, to find out why. What we found was a bitter fight over official plans to expand several major highways.”

— Brad Plumer

Can Portland Be a Climate Leader Without Reducing Driving?

Chona Kasinger for The New York Times

〰︎

“Where and how you live changes your climate impact. Mira Rojanasakul, Brad Plumer and I published a series of maps that show how much households across the United States contribute to climate change, on average, by driving, powering their homes, taking flights and more. You’ll notice some clear patterns.”

— Nadja Popovich

The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped

The New York Times

〰︎

“At every step of his political career, the senior U.S. senator from West Virginia helped a local power plant that is the sole customer of his private coal business. Along the way, he blocked ambitious climate action.”

— Christopher Flavelle

How Joe Manchin Aided Coal, and Earned Millions

Trucks being loaded at the Humphrey No. 7 Mine in Maidsville, W. Va. Erin Schaff

〰︎

“Around the globe, the wild places that animals depend on for life are shrinking. This article, with stunning graphics by Lauren Leatherby, shows you some of the animals most at risk and tells about a crucial global effort to preserve habitat.”

— Catrin Einhorn

Animals Are Running Out of Places to Live

The New York Times

〰︎

“Climate change cases in the courts are coming up against a coordinated, multiyear strategy by Republican attorneys general and conservative allies designed to kill environmental regulations.”

— Coral Davenport

The Republican Drive to Tilt Courts Against Climate Action Reaches a Crucial Moment

Shuran Huang for The New York Times

〰︎

“A team of scientists is trying to make a map of all that we cannot see: the fungal networks under our feet and that may hold some answers to the climate crisis.”

— Somini Sengupta

Unearthing the Secret Superpowers of Fungus

The New York Times

〰︎

“Hundreds of airstrips have been secretly built on protected lands in Brazil to support the criminal mining industry. My colleagues and I examined thousands of satellite images to locate more than 1,200 of these illegal airstrips across the Brazilian Amazon, many of them part of criminal networks that are destroying Indigenous land and threatening people.”

— Manuela Andreoni

The Secret Airstrips Behind Brazil’s Illegal Mining Crisis

Victor Moriyama for The New York Times

〰︎

“Saudi Arabia is working to keep fossil fuels at the center of the world economy for decades to come by lobbying, funding research and using its diplomatic muscle to obstruct climate action.”

— Hiroko Tabuchi

Inside the Saudi Strategy to Keep the World Hooked on Oil

A solar farm at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.Iman Al-Dabbagh for The New York Times

〰︎

“It’s harder than it should be to know which item goes in which bin. But it’s never too late to learn. Hiroko Tabuchi, Sean Catangui and I built a guessing game and explained how recycling chaos is almost by design.”

— Winston Choi-Schagrin

Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing

Rinee Shah

〰︎

“Sometimes, the disasters we need to be planning for aren’t the first ones we expect. Mira Rojanasakul and I look at a big one.”

— Raymond Zhong

The Coming California Megastorm

The New York Times

〰︎

“The Irish botanist, biochemist and author Diana Beresford-Kroeger has devoted her life to saving forests and cultivates native trees that are resilient to climate change in the woods around her home.”

— Cara Buckley

Using Science and Celtic Wisdom to Save Trees (and Souls)

Diana Beresford-Kroeger at her home in Ontario. Nasuna Stuart-Ulin for The New York Times

〰︎

“The monsoon plays a critical role in the lives of nearly two billion people in South Asia. How will they cope as it changes in a warming world? Don’t miss the explanatory graphics by my colleagues Zach Levitt and Jeremy White.”

— Henry Fountain

South Asia’s Monsoon Is Becoming More Extreme

A rainy gathering in Mumbai. Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times

〰︎

“The Congo Basin rainforest is second only to the Amazon in size and importance for absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide, but the illegal logging along the Congo River is taking a toll as logs are tied into rafts and floated down the river.”

— Dionne Searcey

Raft by Raft, a Rainforest Loses Its Trees

A raft of logs being prepared for a trip down the Congo River.Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times

〰︎

“A crucial aquifer is running low after decades of groundwater overdraft, so officials are pumping in treated sewage water to replenish it. It’s an increasingly common strategy as heavy demand and climate change strain water supplies.”

— Elena Shao

There’s Something in the Water in Virginia. Before You Say ‘Yuck,’ Wait.

A sediment sample taken in Newport News, Va. Kristen Zeis for The New York Times

〰︎

“Even as the Biden administration moves to promote renewable energy, Republicans at the state level, especially a group of well-organized and well-funded state treasurers, are pushing back and promoting fossil fuels.”

— David Gelles

How Republicans Are ‘Weaponizing’ Public Office Against Climate Action

Riley Moore, the West Virginia treasurer, announced that several major banks would be barred from government contracts with his state.Kristian Thacker for The New York Times

〰︎

“A new crop of leftist leaders in Latin America has fashioned themselves as climate change crusaders, arguing that fossil fuels haven’t lifted enough people out of poverty to justify their contribution to global warming. Colombia’s leader, Gustavo Petro, is perhaps the most strident. He wants to make his oil-producing country the first to fully decarbonize its economy.”

— Max Bearak

In Colombia, Drilling Pays the Bills. The Country’s Leaders Want to Quit Oil.

An oil field in the Arauca Department of Colombia.

〰︎

“Under a new climate and tax law, the federal government will lease hundreds of millions of additional acres for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in the next decade, even as it invests $370 billion to move the country away from fossil fuels and develop wind, solar and other renewable energy.”

— Lisa Friedman

Where the New Climate Law Means More Drilling, Not Less

Saltwater from rising seas killed a grove of cypresses in Bayou Chauvin, La.Bryan Tarnowski for The New York Times

〰︎

“Some 35 to 40 percent of all food ends up going unused, experts say. And food production accounts for more than a quarter of global emissions. A few new apps are trying to fix that.”

— Clare Toeniskoetter

Lots of Food Gets Tossed. These Apps Let You Buy It, Cheap.

Lawrence Agyei for The New York Times

〰︎

“Is San Francisco’s fog disappearing? Maybe. Some research has suggested as much. Other research says maybe not. Fog is so elusive that it is hard to say how foggy it has been in the past — never mind trying to predict the future. What is climate change doing to fog? And why does it matter? Scott Reinhard and I break down the complexity. ”

— John Branch

The Elusive Future of San Francisco’s Fog

The New York Times

#Environment

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Meriden Party Rentals, LLC

Nestled in New Haven County, Meriden, Connecticut, is rich in history and vibrant in culture. Positioned between New Haven and Hartford, this city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and had a population of 60,850 in 2020. With roots dating back to its days as part of Wallingford, Meriden became an independent town in 1806 and was incorporated as a city in 1867. Its name was inspired by the village of Meriden in England, and it boasts the Solomon Goffe House, the oldest standing house built in 1711, now a cherished museum.

Meriden’s industrial boom in the late 19th century earned it a significant place in manufacturing history. The city became renowned for its silver production, earning the moniker "Silver City." The Meriden Britannia Company was an important player, later merging into the International Silver Company. Additionally, companies like Edward Miller & Co. and Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company specialized in lamps and metalware. At the same time, the C.F. Monroe Company and Meriden Flint Glass Company were noted for their exquisite glassware. Manning, Bowman & Co. produced small kitchen appliances, and Parker Brothers were famous for their high-quality firearms. Musical instruments crafted by Wilcox and White and the Aeolian Company added to the city’s industrial prestige.

The city is also known for its beautiful public spaces, notably Hubbard Park. This park, designed with input from the Olmsted Brothers, features the iconic Castle Craig, dedicated in 1900, offering breathtaking views. The Curtis Memorial Library opened in 1903 and serves as a cultural landmark. In 1860, Meriden hosted a speech by Abraham Lincoln during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. From 1937 to 1950, the International Silver Company sponsored the popular Silver Theater radio and TV show, featuring Hollywood stars and showcasing Meriden’s influence in entertainment.

Technological innovation also marked Meriden’s history. In 1939, Edwin Howard Armstrong, a pioneer in radio technology, used West Peak for one of the first FM radio broadcasts. During World War II, Meriden's factories operated continuously, earning the city the title of "National Ideal War Community" in 1944. The post-war era saw Meriden become a center for modern art, thanks to the Miller Company and art collectors Burton and Emily Hall Tremaine. Their "Painting toward Architecture" exhibition gained national recognition, placing Meriden on the contemporary art and design map.

In 1987, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation was established to support the arts, learning disabilities, and the environment, reflecting Meriden’s ongoing commitment to cultural and social development. The city also served as a filming location for the 1989 movie "Jackknife," starring Robert De Niro, which brought Hollywood glamour to local landmarks. Despite facing social challenges in the early 1980s, including the presence of the Ku Klux Klan, Meriden has continued to grow and evolve.

Today, Meriden is home to the Franciscan Sisters and Brothers of the Eucharist and hosts the headquarters of Eastern Mountain Sports. The city remains a vibrant community celebrating its historical heritage while embracing modern developments. From its industrial roots to its cultural contributions, Meriden is a testament to resilience and innovation, making it a noteworthy part of Connecticut’s diverse landscape.

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[xtruss]

The Crimes of The Bastard Child of The United States 🇺🇸, The Illegal Regime of Zionist 🐖 Isra-hell! ‘Urbicide’: Erasing Palestinian Memory Beyond Gaza’s Ruins

Mapping out the urban destruction of Gaza and Israel’s sinister plan to reduce the besieged enclave to a new real estate entity bereft of any past or history.

— Serra Deniz Araz | April 18, 2024

Before and after photos of Gaza's lost heritage as a result of Israel's war on the besieged Palestinian enclave. (Source: AA)

Living in Gaza means enduring a landscape stained with blood. That’s how Yousri al Ghoul describes his hometown, where death is lurking around every street corner.

“We have even lost the paths to our homes. We don’t know where our streets or houses or any building that we knew before are,” Al Ghoul, a Palestinian author and founder of the Shaqaf Cultural Initiative, tells TRT World.

Gaza Damage Proxy Map

Israel's aerial bombing and ground offensive has destroyed over 35 percent of Gaza’s urban infrastructure, systematically wiping out historic neighbourhoods, cultural landmarks, medical facilities, educational institutions, and vital systems for sewage, water, and electricity.

For many city planners, an ‘urbicide’ — the deliberate annihilation of a city – has been unfolding since October 7 2023. It has turned Gaza, a home to 2.3 million Palestinians, into a ghost town that smells of death. In the past seven months, Israeli forces have killed at least 33,700 Palestinians and wounded 76,300 others in this troubled land of 365 square kilometres, while imposing famine and disease on the surviving population.

Murdering The City

The grim toll is evident in satellite imagery analysed by the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT) in March, revealing the wanton destruction of over 88,868 structures — equivalent to more than a third of Gaza's total edifices.

Mapping out Gaza's damage by each governorate.

The hardest hit are the governorates of Gaza City, Khan Younis, and North Gaza, accounting for over 80 percent of the total damage, according to Gaza Interim Damage Assessment conducted by the World Bank, European Union, and United Nations.

Yet, the devastation transcends the material margins – it represents a profound cultural and social catastrophe, experts say.

“The face of the city has changed and become very old, older than ancient generations, it became dark places that represent a dark view of life in Gaza,” laments Yousri.

For him, the built environment is not merely a collection of structures but a tangible embodiment of a community's history, traditions, values, and aspirations.

Speaking to TRT World, Fatina Abreek Zubiedat, an assistant professor at Tel Aviv University Azrieli School of Architecture, stresses that Israel's interminable siege of Gaza has likewise besieged collective decisions and actions of Palestinians on the territory. It indicates that the erasure of their culture, architecture, archives, and universities as bastions of knowledge on Palestine reveals Israel's intention to reduce Gaza to nothing.

City planners have described Gaza's urban destruction as "Uribicide".

Making of "Ahistorical" Entity

Pulverised Al Omari Mosque and its library, Pasha's Palace, Gaza’s upscale Rimal neighbourhood, the Rashad Shawa Cultural Center, Central Archives, Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, Palestinian Legislative Council, Al Aqsa University, and plenty of other spatial components of the city shows how Israel’s destructions of shared spatiality indicate its attempt to the erasure of Palestinians' identity, culture, and heritage.

In light of the significant role urban centres play in preserving people’s identity, Mohammad Ibrahim, a political researcher in Gaza, asserts that one of the goals of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, including Gaza, is to fuel chaos, anger and frustration among the city’s inhabitants, making them feel rootless in the face of destruction around them.

For instance, he says the night prayer at Al Omari Mosque during the month of Ramadan holds a special place in the hearts of Palestinians. With the occupational forces levelling the historic site founded by the 7th-century Muslim Caliph Omar bin Khattab, one of the close companions of Prophet Muhammad, the people of Gaza found it hard to come to terms with the loss of this sacred place.

Dr.Fatina says that Israel intends to reduce Gaza into an ahistorical entity, “something present outside modernity and global experience”.

According to her, the right to the urban history of Gaza is violated for the sake of the absolute right to conceive Gaza as a territory for refugees- the 'res nullius,' or property that belongs to no one and can be reinvented as a new real estate entity without any past or history.

“Israel destroys everything, not only the archaeological and historical sites or places, they do not care about humanity. They are even killing babies in cold blood. So of course they would not care about our heritage, our community, our history or any other kind of our identity,” Yousri says.

During an interview with Türkiye’s Anadolu news agency, Yahya al Sarraj, the mayor of Gaza's municipality, states that “the turning of the archival documents representing an integral part of our history and culture into ashes was a purposeful act aimed at erasing a large part of our Palestinian memory.”

Wiping The City Off The Face Of The Earth

From the rubble of devastated buildings and levelled hillsides to the flattened vegetation, Israel has erased almost every essential component constituting the urban identity of Palestinians in Gaza.

“This is to further prevent the Gaza Strip from being a livable amalgamation of cities, towns, villages, and camps; and to continue to be an object of violence,” Dr. Fatina says.

Gaza interim damage assessment.

Dr. Fatina highlights that the war undoubtedly marks a turning point—the transformation of Gaza from the world’s largest ‘open-air prison’ to the largest refugee camp.

But Palestinians in Gaza continue to exude the spirit of life and progress. Yousri is astonished to see so many people rebuilding their homes despite the ongoing bombings ripping apart towns and villages.

“People here have a relentless will to rebuild their country, their community, and their identity,” Yousri says.

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Outdoor Tranquility

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The Economy of Los Angeles, California

The economy of Los Angeles, California, is diverse and dynamic, with key industries driving its growth and prosperity. The entertainment industry, including film, television, and music production, is a major contributor to the city's economy, with Hollywood being the entertainment capital of the world. Additionally, Los Angeles is a hub for international trade and commerce, thanks to its busy ports and proximity to Asia and Latin America. The technology sector is also thriving, with many tech companies calling Los Angeles home. Other important industries include tourism, manufacturing, and healthcare. With its diverse economy and endless opportunities, Los Angeles continues to be a vibrant and influential city on the global stage.

Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, CA

The Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles is a famous sidewalk filled with stars honoring celebrities from the entertainment industry. Visitors can stroll along the sidewalk and see the names of their favorite actors, musicians, directors, and other notable figures embedded in golden stars. Each star represents a different person who has made significant contributions to the world of entertainment. It's a fun and exciting place to explore, with countless photo opportunities and a vibrant atmosphere. Plus, nearby attractions like the TCL Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussauds Hollywood offer even more opportunities to immerse oneself in the glamour and excitement of Hollywood.

California Pilot and His Dog Survive Plane Crash After Swimming to Shore

The chances of surviving a single-engine plane crash in the ocean can vary depending on many factors. If the crash happens close to the shore and rescuers arrive quickly, the chances of survival may be higher. However, if the crash occurs in a remote area or far from help, survival can be more challenging. Factors like weather conditions, time of day, and the pilot's skill can also impact survival rates. In some cases, passengers may be able to escape the plane and wait for rescue, while in others, they may need to rely on survival skills and resources until help arrives. While surviving a plane crash in the ocean is rare, it's not impossible, and being prepared and staying calm can raise the chances of survival.

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[pacifymebby]

I think a lot of people are desperate to get out of their hometown when they're a teenager but then start to see the place differently as they get older

Yeah, I think that mostly comes naturally too you know, when you're a kid you're really helpless, you have very little control of your environment and surroundings, when you're really small I suppose you don't notice that, your hometown is still very big and unknown, if you're lucky you're not seeing all the darker corners and the suffering that's built into most communities, then when you become a teenager you notice it all, and you notice it all the more emotively because you're still pretty much powerless to get out or to help anyone or yourself in anyway, you can get a job at 14 but they don't really have to pay you, you can't move out, you have to stay in school until you're 18 and if you're from a certain background you feel like that's holding you hostage... You probably start to notice the patterns things work in, how your parents went to the same school as you, how they met in a pub up the road, how you're going to end up just like them if you don't do something and get out... And you're still powerless to change it, you have that instinct to rebel against it and most importantly you don't have so much respect for the connections and stuff that you already have and you don't have enough to root you...

Then I guess you get older and some people leave for uni and leave home, or they move for work, or you don't leave and you stay behind and you watch a lot of your friends leave, or you lose people along the way as that happens... Your families shrink when older relatives die (and you realise maybe how much it meant to have those people around) and then families grow when siblings or cousins or friends have kids (and you realise how important and special it feels to be a part of people's lives and to have these little families which grow and grow). And if you did leave home for uni all that stuff carries on without you and you realise what you're missing...

And obviously this doesn't happen for everyone (I don't miss the town I spent my teenage years but I occasionally get nostalgic for a time when I was 16 skipping college to drink dark fruits in a park one summer with my friends before my childhood was snatched away from me). And I've learned through moving away, how much you can miss a house where you grew up, how much you can miss family once they're gone, how hard it is to live hundreds of miles away from the one person who can give you a good hug when you're feeling sad.

I know I've been ranting here but I think the thing is that the longer you stay somewhere the more connections to a place you weave, you have milestone after milestone in a town and it becomes a part of your personal history... I find it so strange that I won't be able to show my future kids the house I grew up in (because I've lived in so many and they're so scattered) or the school I went to (I remember being totally in awe when my dad drove my past his primary school or when he showed me the pub he met my mam in) I sometimes think about the country lanes I used to walk home from school down, it took me an hour and a half to get from school to my house but in the summer it was blissful and I'd go the whole way listening to Born to Die smoking cigs with my best friends, thinking we were cool when we were so not. And that's a really big part of my teenage years I'll never retrace because I'll probably never go back?

I think we get really comfortable walking streets that we know but which also know us? And then when you leave as well you start to realise how hard it is to grow those roots anywhere else. I've lived in the same city for 3 and a bit years now and though some of its familiar so much of it feels like being on holiday? I still get lost, still have to rely on Google maps, feel kind of lonely sometimes when my boyfriend points out a little piece of his history in the first bar he got kicked out of for being drunk when he was 18... and I realise that I don't have any of those memories or pieces of me to anchor me to a place.

And even if your hometowns shit and it felt like a prison, even if it holds traumatic memories (there's a street I can't walk down in the town I lived when I was a teenager because of trauma) it's still a town that knows you and knows how to hold you, and you still have those roots there, it's still the place you made your first friend, still the place you fell of your bike and grazed your knee and got a really cool scar from that you were so proud of when you were 10 years old and falling off your bike was the scariest thing you'd ever had to face...

I really am ranting now but I'm sleep deprived and this has made me nostalgic... But yeah, if you're someone who did stay in your shit hometown then you had to make it good, you had to stay and be connected to people and make those friends and be with your family and you had no choice but to become even more ingrained in your shit hometown and it's your shit hometown. Like you do learn to see it differently over time and idk if you necessarily have to like it at any point to feel like you want to stay there.

My dads always raised me on the idea that home isnt a place it's about the people you feel at home with, because we moved so much and he was keen to make me feel secure no matter where we were... But I reckon that's true of shit hometowns too, it doesn't matter about the place so much as the people you grow up and grow close with... It's hard to leave a family behind no matter what kind of family you have found?

[randomprojectsbeforeidie]

Studying as much as I can (2/21)

Study time: 10 minutes

Sleep: 14 hours (waaaay too much!)

Magnesium: yay for pumpkin seeds!

Exercise: nope (fuen fuen fuen)

Vitamins: yay!

Water: 3 full bottles (1.5 L)

Ok, as you can see, I didn't wake up on time, and slept waaaay too much. To be fair on myself, I think I made it way harder by accidentaly overdosing with melatonin the night before.

It wasn't (totally) my fault! I was trying to get the recommended one drop under my tongue, and the damn thing wouldn't bulge, so I got impatient, squeezed the bottle and... almost choked on how much melatonin came out at once.

So yeah. That might explain the 14 HOURS of sleep.

Anyways, when I woke up, I tried to work on the study tips I had written before.

So, at first, I went on the internet and bought an ergonomic foot rest. I tried to make home-made options before, but this didn't work, so I finally relented and just bought one. You know what, if it saves me some pain, it will have been money well-spent.

I also got the analog hobbies list I wrote yesterday and turned it into an analog map with post-its, which I then proceeded to glue right beside my PC screen, on my study space. Take a look:

Simple, right? But functional. That way, everytime I have a break, I also have these reminders to help me take a screen break too! And it worked! During my shorter intervals I did some horizontal pull-ups and jacknife squats (thank God for Hampton and his modified exercises) and during my longer breaks I went on a walk and cooked.

The walk was great, honestly. Maybe it makes me sound like an old lady, but it was the highlight of my day. I focused on making it a "mental health walk" and not a "physical health walk". To do this, I didn't change into exercise clothes, opting to go in my shorts and flip flops (had to put on some moisturiser and baby powder so I wouldn't chaffe my thick thighs - and it worked) and walked as slowly as I wanted, focusing on things around me.

I live in a dangerous city, so, unfortunately, I couldn't go walk on the streets (at least, not with my cellphone) but my building has a good leisure area, so I walked around it several times. I focused on the plants, people-watched my neighbors, and mindfully listened to music. It was nice! Here's a picture of some flowers I found particularly beautiful:

Desert roses!

Cooking was also fun. I didn't put on any music or podcasts, and focused on the sounds and smells of the kitchen. It was great fun, and by the end, I had made delicious dinners for me and my girlfriend.

I also did a list of some pros and cons of studying. Let me show you guys:

Cons of studying:

I lose leisure time

I lose time I could spend with my loved ones

It's stressing

It makes me tired

I spend way too much time sitting

My eyes get tired

I have to spend money on studying materials

Pros of studying:

It will help me get a good job

It will get me knowledge

It will grant me satisfaction

It will help me get a better salary

It will make my loves ones proud of me

It will help me develop discipline

It will make me a better employee

It will make people think I'm smart and intelectual

It will help me win arguments

It will make me more competent and give me confidence in my habilities

It will help me go well on tests

It will help me get a home with my girlfriend

It makes me calm and helps with my anxiety

It will help me get more time and money to spend on my hobbies

It will help me work with something important, like protecting the environment

It will give me a good life-story to tell, by suceeding through studies

It will help me spite my enemies (bear with me)

It will give me stability in my job (public servers can only be fired in very specific situations)

It will grant me independence

It will help me get a house of my own to decorate the way I want it

It will help me get money to give good gifts for those I love

It will help me get more time to spend on fitness

It will help me get more money to support artists through crowdfunding

It will grant me time and money to travel

I might get to know different regions of my country, depending on where I work

Cool right?

I also worked on making some maps with objectives I can reach. I got inspired on Tik Tok and made a flower based on the first part of my study, with 15 tasks I need to complete and a reward at the end:

Cool, right? (Ignore the McDonald's, I'm a basic bitch and it gives me childhood nostalgia while also being way too expensive where I live, so it's a good reward)

With all the work I had today, I only managed to study 10 minutes right before sleepy time, basically doing all my Anki flashcards. But you know what? It still counts!

The challenge is "studying as much as I can", and if all I had was 10 minutes and I used these 10 minutes as better as I could, I'm counting it as a success!

That's it! Bye for today!

[best-in-whitehousetn]

Affordability of living in White House, TN

White House, TN, is a popular destination for people due to its affordability, good schools, small-town feel, proximity to Nashville, job opportunities, and outdoor activities. The median home price in the White House is around $399,115, lower than other parts of Middle Tennessee. The Robertson County School System, rated as a "good" school district by the Tennessee Department of Education, serves the town; that's why families enjoy the White House because their children get a good education. The small town of around 13,000 people offers a sense of community and a slower pace of life. White House is located 22 miles north of Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, providing easy access to all the city's amenities. 

Apartments for rent in White House, TN

Sage North is a luxury apartment for rent in White House, TN, that offers a stylish, comfortable, and high-quality lifestyle. The community features a variety of floor plans, including 2-bed, 2-bath apartments, and is situated at 344 Madeline Way. The apartments are designed to provide a comfortable living environment to their residents, and they allow residents to enjoy their lifestyle without compromising on style, comfort, or quality. Sage North is a beautiful apartment home that is also known for its pet-friendly policy. It also offers many amenities for residents to enjoy. To book a tour of Sage North, please contact the staff at (615) 675-9275 or visit their website.

Johnny Cash Museum 

The Johnny Cash Museum in White House, Tennessee, is a unique destination for fans of Johnny Cash and country music. The museum is situated on Cash's childhood home site, offering visitors a glimpse into his life and career. It houses a collection of Johnny Cash memorabilia, including clothing, instruments, and awards. Visitors can watch a video about Cash's life and career, listen to his music through a listening station, and take a photo of his statue. The Johnny Cash Café serves food and drinks inspired by Cash's music, making it a must-visit destination for fans of Johnny Cash and country music.

US president Biden invited TN Democratic Reps

President Joe Biden has invited the "Tennessee"—Democratic Reps. Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson, and Justin J. Pearson—to continue the conversation over the lawmakers' calls for gun control. Biden's press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said the lawmakers were taking the next step in calling for an assault weapons ban, which is incredibly important. The lawmakers were accused of "bringing disorder and dishonor" to the state legislature for protesting gun violence on the chamber floor after a March 27 shooting at a Nashville school killed three children and three adults. Biden thanked them for speaking out and standing their ground and invited them to continue the conversation.

Link to maps

Johnny Cash Museum 119 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201, United States Get on I-24 W from Korean Veterans Blvd and Shelby Ave 6 min (1.3 mi) Take I-65 N to TN-76 E in White House. Take exit 108 from I-65 N 22 min (23.7 mi) Take N Sage Rd to Madeline Wy 3 min (1.1 mi) Sage North 344 Madeline Wy, White House, TN 37188, United States

[sunnynimhan01]

Sunny Vinayak Nimhan: A Rising Entrepreneur in Pune's Thriving Business Scene

Pune, a bustling city in Maharashtra, India, is known for its rich culture, educational institutions, and a rapidly growing startup ecosystem. Among the young and dynamic entrepreneurs making waves in Pune, Sunny Vinayak Nimhan stands out as one of the most promising talents. In this article, we'll delve into Sunny's entrepreneurial journey, the startup landscape in Pune, how to discover new entrepreneurs like him, and why Pune is an excellent place to launch a business.

Who is Sunny Vinayak Nimhan?

Sunny Vinayak Nimhan is a name that's making waves in Pune's entrepreneurial circles. Born and raised in Pune, Sunny is a dynamic entrepreneur with a passion for innovation and business development. He's known for his keen business acumen, dedication, and ability to turn ideas into successful ventures. Despite his young age, Sunny has already made a significant impact on the Pune startup scene.

The Startup Scene in Pune

Pune has emerged as a hotspot for startups in recent years, thanks to its conducive ecosystem and supportive infrastructure. When it comes to the best startup in Pune, it's challenging to pinpoint a single standout, as the city boasts a diverse range of innovative companies across various sectors.

From tech-driven startups in artificial intelligence and software development to sustainable ventures focusing on eco-friendly solutions, Pune has it all. Entrepreneurs like Sunny Vinayak Nimhan have contributed to this thriving startup culture by bringing fresh ideas and disruptive technologies to the table.

Finding New Entrepreneurs like Sunny Nimhan

If you're interested in discovering new entrepreneurs in Pune or any other location, here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Networking Events: Attend local business and networking events. Pune hosts numerous meetups, conferences, and seminars where you can connect with aspiring entrepreneurs.

2. Online Platforms: Utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn and specialized entrepreneurial forums to connect with like-minded individuals.

3. Incubators and Accelerators: Many startups in Pune are incubated in accelerators like the Pune Smart City Innovation Center. Keeping an eye on such programs can lead you to promising entrepreneurs.

4. Local Media: Follow local news outlets and business publications to stay updated on the latest entrepreneurial success stories and emerging talents like Sunny Vinayak Nimhan.

Is Pune a Good Place to Start a Business?

Without a doubt, Pune offers a favorable environment for aspiring entrepreneurs. Here's why:

- Educational Hub: Pune is home to renowned educational institutions, providing a pool of talented graduates and skilled professionals.

- Affordable Living: Compared to major metropolitan areas like Mumbai, Pune offers a lower cost of living, making it easier for startups to manage their budgets.

- Supportive Ecosystem: The city's growing startup ecosystem is backed by incubators, accelerators, and funding opportunities, creating a nurturing environment for businesses.

- Quality of Life: Pune's pleasant climate, green spaces, and cultural diversity contribute to a high quality of life for entrepreneurs and their teams.

In conclusion, Sunny Vinayak Nimhan represents the new breed of entrepreneurs in Pune, leveraging the city's resources and opportunities to create innovative businesses. If you're looking to discover and connect with emerging talents like him, Pune is undoubtedly a city worth exploring. Its thriving startup ecosystem, coupled with a supportive community, makes it an ideal place to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

To learn more about Sunny Vinayak Nimhan and his entrepreneurial journey in Pune, visit his website [sunny nimhan](https://www.sunnynimhan.com).

For contact: 083081 23555

Address: Vinayak Bunglow, Zunj, Someshwarwadi, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411008

Google maps: Sunny Nimhan office

Visit: https://sunnynimhan.com/sunny-vinayak-nimhan-entrepreneur-pune/

Email: contact@sunnynimhan.com

#punestartups #delhistartups #startupindia #mumbaistartups #bangalorestartups #startupmumbai #startupnews #startuppune #gurgaonstartups #startupdelhi #startupbangalore #startupnewsfyi #startupgurgaon #indianstartups #startupindiastandupindia #startuplife #chennaistartups #pune #hyderabadstartups #dubaistartups #startups #startupnewsindia #startupbusiness #startupmemes #startupmeme #entrepreneurindia #punekars #banglorestartups #startuplifestyle #indianentrepreneur

[fallenstar193]

**Name**: Caleb Harrington

**Age**: 22

**Occupation**: Part-time auto shop worker

**Personality**: Caleb Harrington is a force to be reckoned with, known for his fearless attitude that often borders on audacity. He thrives on challenges, never hesitating to tackle even the most daunting obstacles head-on. Caleb's bluntness is a defining trait; he doesn't sugarcoat the truth and always tells it like it is, which can sometimes ruffle feathers but is ultimately appreciated for its authenticity.

Beneath his tough exterior, Caleb possesses a caring side that he reserves for those closest to him. He fiercely protects and supports his loved ones, going to great lengths to ensure their well-being. When it comes to family and friends, Caleb's fearless nature transforms into unwavering loyalty and a willingness to do whatever it takes to keep them safe and happy.

**Relation to the Flores**: Caleb doesn't know the Flores. However he would soon learn about them from his friend Julie. How they met you ask? Both went to the same gym, with some conversations and jokes. Caleb and Julie became workout buddies, and that's where he learns about the others.

**Anything else you want others to know**: Caleb Harrington lived in the gritty streets of New York City. Born into a broken home in one of the city's toughest neighborhoods, Caleb's childhood was marked by adversity from the very start. His parents, struggling with addiction and financial hardship, were unable to provide him with the stability and care he needed.

Caleb's earliest memories are of witnessing domestic disputes and enduring long nights filled with the sounds of arguing and sirens. He learned to be self-reliant at a young age, often fending for himself as he navigated the unforgiving city streets. The absence of a nurturing environment made him tough and fearless out of necessity, as he had to protect himself both physically and emotionally.

Despite the hardships, Caleb developed a deep sense of empathy for others who were also struggling. He would often share his meager meals with homeless individuals he encountered and try to offer words of encouragement to those who needed it. This caring side of him emerged as a stark contrast to the harsh environment in which he grew up.

One fateful night, tragedy struck when Caleb's parents' addiction led to a devastating accident, leaving him orphaned at a tender age. This loss fueled his determination to rise above his circumstances and find a way out of the cycle of poverty and despair that had ensnared his family.

Through sheer grit and determination, Caleb managed to complete his education, earning a scholarship that allowed him to escape the city and pursue a better life. His past, filled with pain and hardship, serves as a constant reminder of the importance of integrity and compassion, shaping him into the fearless, blunt, yet caring individual he has become.

“Caring doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.”

“I’m not arguing; I’m just explaining why I’m right.”

“Do you have a map? I just got lost in your eyes.”

**Appearance**

[modern-los--angeles-ca]

Food Scene in Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles is a city known for its diverse food scene, offering various cuisines from various cultures. The city is at the forefront of food trends, popularizing new and innovative dishes, and has numerous restaurants, food trucks, and street vendors. LA is also known for its focus on healthy and organic eating, offering vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. It's true that the culinary scene is thriving, with many top chefs opening restaurants in the city. The shopping and entertainment scene in Los Angeles is unparalleled, offering iconic destinations, trendsetting fashion, world-class entertainment, cultural attractions, and year-round events. The city is home to world-class venues like the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, and Staples Center, which host concerts, performances, and sporting events. Additionally, LA has a rich cultural heritage, with museums, galleries, and historical sites offering unique entertainment experiences. With a busy events calendar, LA is a vibrant and exciting place to be.

One-Bedroom Apartments near Culver City

The Parker is the best choice for a one-bedroom apartment near Culver City. This city is situated in a walkable neighborhood hub for LA's best offerings, including award-winning bars, restaurants, and museums. This one-bedroom apartment provides dynamic spaces for great inspiration and collaboration. You'll discover a curated area to gather and share ideas at this apartment. Whether taking in the sunset on the rooftop deck, entertaining friends around the pool, or watching a classic in the outdoor cinema, our amenities are designed to keep you inspired. The club lounge and tech-enabled coworking space offer a very comfortable environment for working on projects or socializing with friends, featuring fireplaces, communal or private seating areas, and charging stations.

Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum offers over 300 vehicles on display, covering the history of automobiles, automotive engineering, and car design. Visitors can take a general tour, a behind-the-scenes tour, or a tour of the Vault, which houses some of the museum's rarest cars. The museum also hosts various events throughout the year, including car shows, concerts, and educational programs. To get involved, visitors can volunteer, become a member, or donate to the museum. Some recommended exhibits include the Vault, which houses rare and exotic cars not publicly displayed. The Hollywood Dream Machines Gallery showcases cars featured in movies and television shows; the Concept Cars Gallery features cars still in the design phase; and the Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation Gallery showcases the work of the museum's Foundation. The museum also provides opportunities for visitors to get involved in various ways, such as volunteering, becoming a member, or donating.

Los Angeles workers walk off the job for 24 hours.

Thousands of Los Angeles city employees, including sanitation workers, engineers, and traffic officers, walked off for a 24-hour strike on Tuesday, alleging unfair labor practices. The strike is part of SEIU Local 721, which claims that the city has failed to bargain in good faith and has engaged in labor practices that restrict employee and union rights. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated that city workers are vital to services for millions of Angelenos and the local economy. The strike is the latest to overtake the nation's second-largest city in recent months, following strikes by Hollywood writers, actors, hotel workers, school staff, and a contract dispute at Southern California ports. Read more.

Link to maps

Petersen Automotive Museum 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, United States Head south on S Fairfax Ave toward Warner Dr 0.3 mi Turn right onto W Olympic Blvd Pass by Carl's Jr (on the left) 0.1 mi Turn left onto Hi Point St 0.5 mi Turn right Destination will be on the right 154 ft The Parker Apartments 5935 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035, United States