#coding industry inclusivity

[countakutagawa]

work is consuming my life and that is just so sad for me. is this what life is like when you approach 30. i want to go back to being a teenager.

[liberaljane]

❤️ When CHEEX approached me with the idea to create some smex positive geese, I was SO down.

❤️ Platforms like CHEEX (my personal fav) are redefining the industry and creating safe spaces with spicy content that is ethically produced alongside educational resources. CHEEX is safe, aesthetically pleasing and even features tutorials and masterclasses on the topic of $ecsual wellness (and more!). I love how platforms like CHEEX invite us to be open about $ecs—it helps build healthy relationships, boosts self-awareness, and breaks down stigmas. 💕 Paying for CHEEX also means supporting ethical, inclusive, and beautifully produced 🌶️ content that prioritizes consent and representation. 💖

❤️ Try CHEEX for yourself - go to the link in my bio 🔗or to g e t c h e e x . c o m and use my code LIBERALJANE to get 7 days of unlimited access to the whole platform*!

The code works when you select the yearly plan as a new user, but you can cancel or switch to the monthly plan anytime during the 7 days. After that, the CHEEX subscription costs less than a movie ticket a month with their yearly plan, which is amazing!

[writingwithcolor]

Hey folks!

It has been a while! Well, we wanted to announce some big things coming your way!

WWC Askbox: Soft Re-Opening

Wednesday, Nov 1, 2023 to Thursday, Nov 30, 2023

In light of the recent attention WWC has received by the writeblr community, and the reception to our Guide to Academic Research—the mods have decided that we will temporarily reopen to your questions and test some important changes to the site! As you may have noticed, we've taken a much-needed break to catch up on our personal lives and restore our inspiration to answer the hundreds of Q&A that we receive. 

Once the submission window is up on Nov 30, we will evaluate how our new system is going, tinker some more, and reopen once again once the construction dust clears.

New Rules and FAQ! 

We are pleased to announce our new and improved Masterpost, which we hope will be a more centralized, more informative resource for those new and returning to WWC. 

Brand-new FAQs, with new answers and content for further reading

Code of Conduct and other etiquette rules

The Ask Tutorial—a guide to writing a good ask that we’ll answer!

Moving forward, all followers are required to go through the masterpost to submit a question so they are aware of the new rules, terms & conditions. 

Read the masterpost here and ask your question!

New Process

We're piloting out our own personal askbox via Google Forms. This will help us streamline the process and keep track of everyone’s questions.

We are also introducing the Deletion Log, a public, anonymous ledger that lets you know if your question (identified by a number code) has been deleted due to a rule violation, and what you can do to resubmit. Check out the Deletion Log here. 

Want to submit an ask? 

The below are topics of asks that we will get to right away, based on the mods who are currently active. 

Black 

Chinese

Colonialism

Iranian/Persian 

Japanese (INCLUDING: Anime fanfic questions! Only Mod Rina will be answering anime questions, and only if she feels that the ask would make for an educational post.)

Jewish

Mixed race

South Asian: Hindu, Indian, Punjabi, Sikh (please remember that when asking about South Asia you must indicate region & time period) 

Taiwanese 

Writing/Publishing industry 

Coming Soon: Writingwithcolor.org

We've made tremendous progress on writingwithcolor.org and are almost ready to show off the more permanent residence of WritingWithColor! However, it'll take a lot of time to fully transfer posts and links. To get the new look and all its benefits to you faster, we plan for a soft launch of the content. This will include back and forth linking between WritingWithColor.org and our home on Tumblr. We'll try to keep things seamless and your viewing experience on Tumblr shouldn't be too interrupted. Launch date is coming soon!

New Mod Applications

We still have some applications from our last call of mods and folks to respond to. So if you haven’t heard back, sorry for the delay, but no worries—we will get back to you as we start shaking the dust off our bones and getting back into Q&A. Once we are ready to invite more mods again, we'll continue our outreach.

A Special Thanks To You All

We want to thank you for your continued support, whether it’s been viewership, spreading the word about us, or sending us a tip that supports our domain and future projects for you all. The whole team really appreciates it. We will keep bringing you our best advice and guides on all things good writing with inclusivity. 

Be well and keep writing!

~WWC

[sjbattleangel]

The Virgin Lily Orchard:

Sides with abusers

Lies about having Indigenous heritage

Is horrifically abusive to friends and family

Always sides with corporations

Writes awful revenge-fics out of spite

Fetishizes black women

Dismisses an entire cultural animation medium (anime) as "spankbait for perverts"

Wrote the worst writing advice ever

Has a pathetic vendetta against Rebecca Sugar for simply existing

Sends death threats to creators

Throws marginalized creators under the bus for not being "woke" enough

Lied about being a "highly sought-after writer" solely to spite Rebecca Sugar, ND Stevenson, Darron Nefcy, Dana Terrace and her sister

Hates Asians

Hates Jews

Holds nothing but contempt for animation

Wants all of animation to be nothing but slice-of-life romantic comedies

Wants the Hays code back

The Chad Rebecca Sugar:

One of the nicest people working in the industry

Has fought hard for diversity and representation in animation

Is incredibly talented

Is friends with Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls), Matt Braly (Amphibia) and many others

Paved the way for more diverse creators

Has won multiple awards

Wrote and sang songs for Adventure Time

A non-binary, bisexual Jewish woman whose background and experiences influence her work

Created one of the most groundbreaking, inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly shows of all time

Fought against higher-ups when they tried to censor the queerness of her work

Helped normalize discussions of kids' mental health

An uplifting inspiration to a generation of queer kids growing up

Influenced by both western animation and anime

Married to Ian Jones Quartey

[sexymemecoin]

The Rise of DeFi: Revolutionizing the Financial Landscape

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has emerged as one of the most transformative sectors within the cryptocurrency industry. By leveraging blockchain technology, DeFi aims to recreate and improve upon traditional financial systems, offering a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial ecosystem. This article explores the fundamental aspects of DeFi, its key components, benefits, challenges, and notable projects, including a brief mention of Sexy Meme Coin.

What is DeFi?

DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance, a movement that utilizes blockchain technology to build an open and permissionless financial system. Unlike traditional financial systems that rely on centralized intermediaries like banks and brokerages, DeFi operates on decentralized networks, allowing users to interact directly with financial services. This decentralization is achieved through smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code.

Key Components of DeFi

Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs): DEXs allow users to trade cryptocurrencies directly with one another without the need for a central authority. Platforms like Uniswap, SushiSwap, and PancakeSwap have gained popularity for their ability to provide liquidity and facilitate peer-to-peer trading.

Lending and Borrowing Platforms: DeFi lending platforms like Aave, Compound, and MakerDAO enable users to lend their assets to earn interest or borrow assets by providing collateral. These platforms use smart contracts to automate the lending process, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Stablecoins: Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to stable assets like fiat currencies to reduce volatility. They are crucial for DeFi as they provide a stable medium of exchange and store of value. Popular stablecoins include Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), and Dai (DAI).

Yield Farming and Liquidity Mining: Yield farming involves providing liquidity to DeFi protocols in exchange for rewards, often in the form of additional tokens. Liquidity mining is a similar concept where users earn rewards for providing liquidity to specific pools. These practices incentivize participation and enhance liquidity within the DeFi ecosystem.

Insurance Protocols: DeFi insurance protocols like Nexus Mutual and Cover Protocol offer coverage against risks such as smart contract failures and hacks. These platforms aim to provide users with security and peace of mind when engaging with DeFi services.

Benefits of DeFi

Financial Inclusion: DeFi opens up access to financial services for individuals who are unbanked or underbanked, particularly in regions with limited access to traditional banking infrastructure. Anyone with an internet connection can participate in DeFi, democratizing access to financial services.

Transparency and Trust: DeFi operates on public blockchains, providing transparency for all transactions. This transparency reduces the need for trust in intermediaries and allows users to verify and audit transactions independently.

Efficiency and Speed: DeFi eliminates the need for intermediaries, reducing costs and increasing the speed of transactions. Smart contracts automate processes that would typically require manual intervention, enhancing efficiency.

Innovation and Flexibility: The open-source nature of DeFi allows developers to innovate and build new financial products and services. This continuous innovation leads to the creation of diverse and flexible financial instruments.

Challenges Facing DeFi

Security Risks: DeFi platforms are susceptible to hacks, bugs, and vulnerabilities in smart contracts. High-profile incidents, such as the DAO hack and the recent exploits on various DeFi platforms, highlight the need for robust security measures.

Regulatory Uncertainty: The regulatory environment for DeFi is still evolving, with governments and regulators grappling with how to address the unique challenges posed by decentralized financial systems. This uncertainty can impact the growth and adoption of DeFi.

Scalability: DeFi platforms often face scalability issues, particularly on congested blockchain networks like Ethereum. High gas fees and slow transaction times can hinder the user experience and limit the scalability of DeFi applications.

Complexity and Usability: DeFi platforms can be complex and challenging for newcomers to navigate. Improving user interfaces and providing educational resources are crucial for broader adoption.

Notable DeFi Projects

Uniswap (UNI): Uniswap is a leading decentralized exchange that allows users to trade ERC-20 tokens directly from their wallets. Its automated market maker (AMM) model has revolutionized the way liquidity is provided and traded in the DeFi space.

Aave (AAVE): Aave is a decentralized lending and borrowing platform that offers unique features such as flash loans and rate switching. It has become one of the largest and most innovative DeFi protocols.

MakerDAO (MKR): MakerDAO is the protocol behind the Dai stablecoin, a decentralized stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. MakerDAO allows users to create Dai by collateralizing their assets, providing stability and liquidity to the DeFi ecosystem.

Compound (COMP): Compound is another leading DeFi lending platform that enables users to earn interest on their cryptocurrencies or borrow assets against collateral. Its governance token, COMP, allows users to participate in protocol governance.

Sexy Meme Coin (SXYM): While primarily known as a meme coin, Sexy Meme Coin has integrated DeFi features, including a decentralized marketplace for buying, selling, and trading memes as NFTs. This unique blend of humor and finance adds a distinct flavor to the DeFi landscape. Learn more about Sexy Meme Coin at Sexy Meme Coin.

The Future of DeFi

The future of DeFi looks promising, with continuous innovation and growing adoption. As blockchain technology advances and scalability solutions are implemented, DeFi has the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems further. Regulatory clarity and improved security measures will be crucial for the sustainable growth of the DeFi ecosystem.

DeFi is likely to continue attracting attention from both retail and institutional investors, driving further development and integration of decentralized financial services. The flexibility and inclusivity offered by DeFi make it a compelling alternative to traditional finance, paving the way for a more open and accessible financial future.

Conclusion

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) represents a significant shift in the financial landscape, leveraging blockchain technology to create a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial system. Despite the challenges, the benefits of DeFi and its continuous innovation make it a transformative force in the world of finance. Notable projects like Uniswap, Aave, and MakerDAO, along with unique contributions from meme coins like Sexy Meme Coin, demonstrate the diverse and dynamic nature of the DeFi ecosystem.

For those interested in exploring the playful and innovative side of DeFi, Sexy Meme Coin offers a unique and entertaining platform. Visit Sexy Meme Coin to learn more and join the community.

[so-i-did-this-thing]

What are good questions to ask in job interviews to find out if a place is going to be friendly to your continued transition? I have been on T for about a year and am job hunting right now and I'm worried about reaching a point sometime in the next year where I have no choice but to come out because I don't read as a woman anymore.

Ok, big caveat from me: I was once in your exact position. I had just started T and decided to interview with a small company who assumed I was a woman. (I am guessing they thought I was a butch lesbian - I still had my gender-neutral deadname. I did not assert my pronouns.) When they gave me an offer, I let them know I was transitioning. I still got hired, but was treated as an inconvenience. They did not suggest I immediately switch to male presentation, and I was too scared to suggest it. It started getting hostile when other employees noticed my voice changing. I really wish I had just gone into the interview presenting male and I ended up quitting the job within 8 months because it got too awkward.

So. As for my advice:

I'd start with Glassdoor to read employee reviews. I'd also check the company's social media, plus that of the people in your chain of command to do some vibe checking. People who are transphobic are commonly going to be very vocal about right-wing leanings, and you'll see some signs, even on LinkedIn. Check if they have anti-discrimination statements in any of their hiring material, or stated commitments to diversity and inclusion.

In the interview, ask about what sort of clients they attract and what charities/orgs they support and sponsor. If you feel the vibes are promising, ask if they sponsor local Pride. Ask general culture questions about team building and employee enrichment. Ask what healthcare benefits look like and other employee assistance perks they may have. Fish around for gendered policies that could cause you problems, like dress codes. That said, can you bite the bullet and go ahead and interview in a masc gender presentation? Because honestly, that will be the best gauge of how you are going to be received. (And in my experience, folks are fairly likely to assume a masc presenting person is male.)

I tend to be very careful about outing myself until I'm sure I'm in a supportive culture with HR to back me up -- and this might be something you can't discover until you are hired and working for a while. And even then, I've just been very matter-of-fact about transition stuff, saying things like (when doing my background check) "I have older documentation that doesn't match my current name or gender marker, and I can provide any additional paperwork if needed." When I changed my legal name, I gave my boss a simple communication plan on how I'd tell co-workers and clients. Though at that point, most folks assumed I was a cis man, so it was a very different experience compared to that awful 8-month long job.

I wish I had more advice, but a lot depends on how badly you need a job, how safe you feel, and if you have options like only staying in your next job until passing as a woman becomes a problem. To be bluntly honest -- you *will* lose opportunities in your life due to being trans and it's just something to have to have backup plans for (I lost a ton of music gig work because everyone in the industry is all up in each other's shit). But whatever you do, document everything you can related to you being trans, because you never know when you'll need to raise a discrimination case. :/

[dotthings]

Congrats to the fans of the wee woo show. I don’t go here but it makes me happy to witness how this arc for Evan Buckley got to bloom and I’m happy because I hope this reflects another shift in the TV industry.

For some media commentary context for you: ABC network is owned by Disney. Fox network was owned by Rupert Murdoch. So I can see how the network change for 911 can easily be a factor on how this got greenlit, after years of creator Tim Minear’s intention to work in hints, on the off chance he could take it there. (I don’t go here, but I did my reading). Oliver Stark who plays Buck also revealed he's been for it and couldn't say anything, until he was sure they could do it, until it aired and was out there. (*steeples fingers*)

For further context, Bob Iger—with George Lucas’ vocal support—just fended off a right wing coup on the Disney board from the kinds of people (like Peltz) who complain “why do we need so many female leads” “why do we need movies with all Black leads.” While it doesn’t mean Disney is no longer an evil megacorp, I’m pointing out that its CEO defended inclusive Disney brand content to the shareholders and the board, as well as dismantling the idea that it can’t be entertainment while being diverse.

The ripple of this goes outside of the wee woo show fandom. I’m seeing the joy on my dash from people who don’t watch the show or don’t watch it regularly, as well as from people who have been watching a long time and noticed things and realized there was a progression and it was there all along, and I know how much this must mean to a lot of people. With the world being how it is, with what people are facing inside the US from the far right, in their real lives.

It’s very hopeful in general for inclusion levels on a major network TV show, owned by a big evil megacorp. Representation matters.

Also I'm aware the wee woo show already had a queer couple, plus it's already an intersectional inclusive series, that’s great.

There shouldn't be limits placed on inclusion though. “But you already have X” shouldn't be weaponized to tell people to shut up. There is no “enough” or “too much” when it comes to inclusion. While I'm not for undermining the inclusion that's there, I've seen that weaponization used with a series that hasn't been great on inclusion, and I've seen that weaponization used for 911, which is. It's a sus argument.

Indirect and unintentional as it is, also bi Buck shut down every concern troll, every gaslight, every denial, every rationale I've ever seen people deploy against bi Dean. Everything from people who don’t understand what bi actual means—“but he likes girls so he can’t be bi”—to “but he wasn’t declared bi from the start of the show so he can’t”—yes he can and the wee woo show just did. On one of the original big three networks. Or people who say it would "ruin the character." Really? “But he’s an action hero”—so what? Evan Buckley is a hero, Dean is a hero, both badass action heroes. “People who see this as canon are delusional”—Evan Buckley went O RLY? Not so delusional now, is it.

Evan Buckley avenged bi Dean.

It’s self-evident. It’s right there. Different show, different network, but the concepts are familiar, the situation has a certain familiarity. This turn of events on an ABC show didn't just make bi Dean fans valid. bi Dean fans were always valid, the bi Dean reading was always valid. But I appreciate how much what happened on the wee woo show bonked people with a truth stick, about self discovery, character arcing, queer readings, queer coding, and the validity of merely noticing things.

[broodwoof]

I talk about the trans characters in da with my friends alllll the time and today was no exception but I just keep thinking about them!

krem meant So Much to me as a trans man. just seeing someone like me? in a fantasy game? specifically a game where I've loved the entire franchise? (no caveats! I love all the games!)

krem was so important, and esp at the time inquisition came out, was a rarity. he made me happy cry. and bull's plain support of krem's gender was so, so heartwarming

and veilguard went even harder! but it makes sense, since it has such a deeply queer dev team. trick is the lead writer, and they're nonbinary! the nonbinary characters were written with an own voices perspective!

which is NOT necessary btw. I'm a big advocate for ppl writing those unlike themselves, so long as they do so intentionally and with respect. but it's also so, so uniquely important when own voices are involved. it's a deep level of lived experience and familiarity with the subject, and that's absolutely reflected in veilguard

taash is such a sincere, real depiction of a nonbinary person. and their story isn't rooted in tragedy! bc queer ppl aren't just a tragedy! we can be heroes of the veilguard! we can be dragon hunters! we can be autistic and nonbinary!

taash means so much to me... 🥺 but so does flynn and maevaris and tarquin and ivenci! I think there are other trans characters too, and it's so exciting. we're represented, we're seen, we're shown

in a triple a game! in this modern political climate!

it's just so important...

this is why I keep calling veilguard brave. the devs chose to be inclusive - to be very, very inclusive - in the gaming industry and during a political moment that penalizes inclusivity and rewards exclusivity. they made that choice! and not just in terms of gender - bellara and taash are both very nd-coded, both intentionally*; lucanis is demisexual*; having so many poc characters; having a female cast early game...

it's just so important. I cannot say that enough

*word of god confirmations, but they were apparently written with that in mind and to me it comes across

[usonofallama]

🗺️ Geography & Region Logic

Last Updated: 05/12/25

This is a long-ass masterpost where I break down how the worlds in my save connect culturally, regionally, and politically. It’s not about exact replicas, but resonance.

I’ve been obsessed with geography and history since elementary, and after years working in hospitality, medical tourism, and professional language interpretation, it was only natural I’d end up wanting my sim worlds to reflect real cultural friction, flow, and complexity.

Every EA world (as of 2025), from Newcrest to Nordhaven, is mapped here with a real-world logic: how people speak, how laws work, what histories get remembered, and how land is treated. Some TS3 worlds are referred where TS4 falls short in representing a certain culture or region. I use the following mods (plus a healthy dose of play-pretend) to build the gameplay experience I want:

Basemental Drugs by Basemental

Home Regions & Townie Demographics by Kuttoe

Language Barriers by Frankk

LGBTQIA+ Mod by Lumpinou

No Townie Generation and Relaxed Filters by @down-in-simsland

Worlds are grouped by continental region.

For exact lot placements, see Save Details For gameplay systems and tuning, see Gameplay & Management

🌎 New World

🌲 Northern Simsonia

These are quiet places where environmental policy is tight, unions still matter, and people pretend not to gossip. It’s all flannel, regional crafts, and seasonal depression. Green tech is big. So is the lumber industry. Old colonial scars show up in architecture and labor.

Evergreen Harbor

Moonwood Mill

Spoken Languages: Simlish, Françims, Windenburgish, Native Dialects.

Cannabis Legal Status: Fully legal for medical and recreational use.

Gambling Legal Status: Heavily restricted.

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Very accepting.

Outbound Migration: To West Coast, SimNation for education and green innovation.

Inbound Migration: From SimNation's Deep South and Central Simsonia seeking stability and rights

🦅 North Simsonia A.K.A. SimNation

Four distinct regions, tech-saturated coastlines, wealth gaps across blocks, and rural pockets bound by tradition and bureaucracy. Public services depend on your zip code. So do your rights. Every region calls itself the heart of the nation; none of them agree what that means. Family structures evolve faster than the infrastructure. Political slogans change faster than the roads get fixed. It’s the dream, the dystopia, and the brunch menu, depending on where you land.

🌉 West Coast

Del Sol Valley

San Myshuno

San Sequoia

Oasis Springs

🗻 Native Lands

Chestnut Ridge

Granite Falls

Strangerville

🎡 Northeast

Copperdale

🌪️ Deep South

Magnolia Promenade

Newcrest

Willow Creek

Spoken Languages: Simlish, Selvadoradian, Tartosiano, Windenburgish, Komorebigo.

Cannabis Legal Status: Recreational use legal in the West Coast and Northeast; medical only in the Deep South; decriminalized elsewhere.

Gambling Legal Status: Legal in Del Sol Valley and Strangerville; restricted or outlawed in most other regions.

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Mixed, historically inclusive, structurally hostile.

Outbound Migration: High. SimNationals move everywhere, usually calling themselves 'expats' intead of immigrants, avoiding local taxes and raising life expenses. Common destinations include the Old World, Central Simsonia, and Sulani.

Inbound Migration: Very High. SimNation is seen as an opportunity hub, but also as a gentrifier magnet. Many arrive for education, media, or survival, but not always by choice.

🌶️ Central Simsonia

Language has texture. History is living. Family extends beyond blood. Laws vary by state, and bureaucracy is both maze and muscle. These worlds are intense in feeling: big food, bigger grief, and joy as defiance. The past isn’t past. It’s cooking in the kitchen.

Ciudad Enamorada

Selvadorada

Spoken Languages: Selvadoradian, Simlish, Native Dialects.

Cannabis Legal Status: Legal for personal cultivation and medical use; decriminalized in urban zones.

Gambling Legal Status: Illegal in Selvadorada; tightly regulated in Ciudad Enamorada.

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Mixed

Outbound Migration: Moderate. Many leave for work or educational opportunities in SimNation or the Old World, some others want security and stability, often returning seasonally.

Inbound Migration: Moderate. Movement from Old World and Caribbean diasporas, as well as regional migration from rural to urban centers.

🏝️ Caribbean

Fluid identities, vivid resistance, and joy you have to earn. Creole blends, diasporic layers, and island economies shaped by both tourism and trauma. Land is unstable in more ways than one. Nothing works the first time. Everything has meaning.

Isla Paradiso

Spoken Languages: Françims, Selvadoradian, Native Dialects, Simlish.

Cannabis Legal Status: Decriminalized for personal use; culturally tolerated, inconsistently enforced.

Gambling Legal Status: Legal in tourist zones; culturally contested in residential areas.

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Legally Recognized, Socially Negotiated.

Outbound Migration: High. Driven by economic instability and environmental precarity. Migrants often go to SimNation or the Old World.

Inbound Migration: Low. Primarily retirees, tourists, or diasporic returnees. Often seasonal or dual-national.

🌍 Old World

🫖 Old Kingdom

Tea, titles, and weather complaints. Classism runs under everything. Education is the real currency. Everyone says sorry before they curse you out. Gender roles are rigid until they’re not. Charm is a weapon.

Britechester

Henford-on-Bagley

Spoken Languages: Old Simlish, Tartosiano, Françims, Selvadoradian.

Cannabis Legal Status: Legal for medical use; decriminalized recreationally, socially taboo in elite circles.

Gambling Legal Status: Legal but highly regulated; mostly digital or private-club based.

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Legally Protected, Socially Reserved

Outbound Migration: High. Especially younger or educated Sims seeking better prospects in SimNation, Tomarang, or Sulani.

Inbound Migration: Moderate. Often from former colonies or treaty nations; many arrive for cultural, historical, or educational ties.

🍻 Windenburg

Rules, rituals, and nightlife. These worlds run on efficiency and inherited systems, both technological and social. Paganism never fully left. Public transport works. Art galleries double as punk venues. Regional pride is strong.

Glimmerbrook

Windenburg

Spoken Languages: Windenburgish, Nordska, Old Simlish, Ravena

Cannabis Legal Status: Legal for recreational and medicinal use; socially integrated, especially in wellness and academic circles

Gambling Legal Status: Mostly prohibited, with underground exceptions; tolerated at festivals or private events

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Quietly Accepting

Outbound Migration: Low. Windenburgers are deeply rooted and tend to stay, though some artists and scholars relocate to San Myshuno or Mt. Komorebi.

Inbound Migration: Moderate. Attracts creatives, occult seekers, and mystics. Immigration is selective but culturally tolerated.

🧊 Nordska

Quiet minimalism. Public funding. Cool-toned everything. These places believe in collective care and individual mystique. You’re expected to respect the land and mind your business. The supernatural? It’s just science no one’s published yet.

Nordhaven

Spoken Languages: Nordska, Windenburgish, Old Simlish, Ravena

Cannabis Legal Status: Legal for medical use; decriminalized recreationally, with cultural emphasis on discretion.

Gambling Legal Status: Restricted; state-run lotteries allowed, private betting discouraged.

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Normalized

Outbound Migration: Low. Emigration mostly for global research, humanitarian work, or exchange programs.

Inbound Migration: Moderate. Highly skilled migrants welcomed, especially from Glimmerbrook, East Simla, and parts of SimNation.

🦇 Ravena

History sleeps badly here. Magic is hereditary and grief is ceremonial. Faith is private, but altars are everywhere. You don’t name what haunts you unless you want it listening. Beauty is precise. Revenge is a valid response.

Forgotten Hollow

Ravenwood

Spoken Languages: Ravena, Tartosiano, Selvadoradian

Cannabis Legal Status: Illegal; culturally taboo.

Gambling Legal Status: Technically legal but heavily stigmatized.

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Secretive but deep-rooted

Outbound Migration: Very Low. Locals rarely leave. Cultural, spiritual, and ancestral ties run deep.

Inbound Migration: Very Low. Outsiders rarely stay. Those who do tend to be occult-aligned or deeply isolated. Border laws unclear, likely symbolic.

🏛️ Mediterranean

Sensory overload in the best way. Everything’s seasonal: food, mood, affection. Bureaucracy is a nightmare but life is slow when it matters. Family is everything, even when it shouldn’t be. Everyone’s always yelling — or flirting.

Monte Vista

Tartosa

Spoken Languages: Tartosiano, Françims, Selvadoradian, Ravena

Cannabis Legal Status: Legal for medicinal use; decriminalized for personal possession

Gambling Legal Status: Legal, lightly regulated

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Loud Tolerance, Quiet Policing

Outbound Migration: High. Economic precarity pushes Sims toward SimNation, Brindleton Bay, or Tomarang.

Inbound Migration: High. Driven by tourism, dual nationals, and lifestyle migrants from SimNation and the Old Kingdom.

🎨 France

This is where romance meets existential dread. Laws are secular, attitudes aren’t. Style is serious business. Protests are a national pastime. Nostalgia for the old republic blends with modern burnout. Wine is cheaper than water.

Champs Les Sims

Spoken Languages: Françims, Tartosiano, Selvadoradian, Old Simlish

Cannabis Legal Status: Decriminalized for personal use; medical permitted with restrictions

Gambling Legal Status: Legal and regulated, mostly state-run

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Bureaucratically Queer

Outbound Migration: Moderate. Many young or disillusioned Sims leave for SimNation, Del Sol Valley, or Tomarang in pursuit of creative freedom, economic opportunity, or less rigid systems.

Inbound Migration: Moderate. Artists, romantics, and heritage tourists drift in. The region attracts those chasing nostalgia or aesthetic intensity — not always long-term settlers.

⛩️ Simla

🎌 United Prefectures of East Simla

Order is sacred, but not static. Culture here moves like a brushstroke: intentional, layered, never rushed. There’s reverence for ancestry, innovation without arrogance, and beauty in daily precision. Collectivism isn’t about sameness, but about harmony. Even if that harmony includes contradiction. Silence is etiquette. Formality is armor. And love, art, and protest all follow the same unspoken choreography: everything in its right place, until it isn’t.

Mt. Komorebi

Spoken Languages: Komorebigo, Simlish, Simla Nuo

Cannabis Legal Status: Decriminalized; restricted medicinal use allowed

Gambling Legal Status: Legal in licensed venues, highly regulated

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Respectful silence

Outbound Migration:

Inbound Migration:

🏯 Simla Basin

The Basin doesn’t forget. Empires, dynasties, revolutions: all have left their stamp. What remains is a culture where reverence and resistance coexist. Ghosts are real, and they demand precision. Respect, lineage, and duty shape identity. Bureaucracy is dense. Wisdom is spoken slowly, if at all.

Shang Simla

Spoken Languages: Simla Nuo, Simlish, Komorebigo

Cannabis Legal Status: Illegal; culturally taboo

Gambling Legal Status: Legal in designated cities, state-run

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Censored publicly, expressed privately

Outbound Migration:

Inbound Migration:

🛕 Southeast Simla

Hot, fast, layered. These regions pulse with economic flux and spiritual realism. Street food is religion. Law enforcement is complicated. Generosity is communal. Resistance lives in the open. Rituals are both sacred and monetized.

Tomarang

Spoken Languages: Tomaru, Komorebigo, Old Simlish, Toki Sulani

Cannabis Legal Status: Technically illegal but widely tolerated

Gambling Legal Status: Legal and integrated into entertainment sectors

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Legally fragile. Queerness is public and ancestral. The Mga Babaeng Imposibla, impossible women as they call them, have always been part of Tomarang’s story.

Outbound Migration:

Inbound Migration:

🦁 Africa

🐫 North

🚧

Al-Simhara

Spoken Languages: 🚧

Cannabis Legal Status: 🚧

Gambling Legal Status: 🚧

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: 🚧

Outbound Migration: 🚧

Inbound Migration: 🚧

🌊 Oceanic Lands

🪸 Oceana

Colonial aftermath meets coastal identity. Fishing is still survival. Rural meets queer, rough meets soft. Respect the water. Don’t assume the dogs are friendly. Public service is stretched thin. The sun doesn’t care who you are.

Brindleton Bay

Spoken Languages: Old Simlish, Tartosiano, Toki Sulani, Aboriginal Languages

Cannabis Legal Status: Legal for medical use; recreational use decriminalized in most provinces

Gambling Legal Status: Legal but heavily taxed and restricted

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Locally Accepted

Outbound Migration: 🚧

Inbound Migration: 🚧

🌋 Polynesia

Land and sea are not separate things here. Ancestors live in tides and legends are local fact. These regions don’t need your fantasy — they already have theirs. Festivals are sacred. Tourism is tolerated. The volcano’s not dormant.

Sulani

Spoken Languages: Toki Sulani, Old Simlish, Tomaru

Cannabis Legal Status: Decriminalized for ceremonial use; otherwise regulated

Gambling Legal Status: Culturally taboo; technically illegal

LGBTQIA+ Acceptance: Culturally Integrated

Outbound Migration: 🚧

Inbound Migration: 🚧

[sluggybunny]

posted a buncha rambling about this on my other blog but i want to be very brave and try to post about it here. warning it's very yappy, i'm not in a good headspace and i esp wasn't last night. but i want to talk about it anyway

this month i started a new little project/interactive game type stuff. it started because i was struggling to write cj and I was in the mood for dark fantasy (turns out that's my niche, i just start TYPING AWAY when it's that). it kind of spiraled and now i'm 120k deep

I don’t have a name for this project, I am very bad at naming things. But the premise/setting is a grimdark fantasy esque world. And there’s this type of magic that is actually more like a parasitic disease.

I really love the idea of magic as something that represents mental illness. And writing surrealism, dreams, memory issues, etc is my fave.

Combining it with a dream I had a long time ago of a world where they used children in war, this type of magic can be learned by anyone but they have to “survive” the initial sickness. And children are more resilient to surviving.

Because magic becomes a useful commodity in society (military, industrial, labor) there is an incentive to have a lot of magic users. So you end up with a society exposing children to a dangerous, not well understood phenomenon in order to shape them into something useful. A lot of children die or suffer very severe side effects that permanently alter their mind or body

That’s the setting, though. The main plot is more concerned with other stuff.

I just like world building fantasy stuff.

I wrote two origins the player can pick but one is sort of shelved until I can figure out the family situation. That one is the noble background and has deeply fucked family dynamics and I’m stuck on 1) did I make this too fucked up 2) I want to use character sprites because I’m an artist(tm) but if they’re related to the protag, how do I make it inclusive

The other one is you’re an orphan sent to a nice orphanage that’s really there to produce magic users. This one has the most content for now, since orphan means no family members I gotta worry about. further background customization would include having beef with the church, evil magic... stuff. this is called the scholar origin

Then there's the main story after all the origins (i want the origins to be kind of lengthy so they can deeply effect all the stuff on the main story, since there are lot of choices within those origins to shape your character) and I started writing it in a sort of episodic way or "arcs". The first arc is in the mountains with a necromancer.

I'm trying VERY HARD to not include complicated mechanics, I just looove coding so much. But I did include some exploring and stats/skills that are chosen in the beginning and can later be influenced... can't help it! 🥲

other stuff:

I kinda wrote in-universe misogyny . Maybe it’s wrong of me but I like settings that include that. Again kinda makes it hard for player options... also i know that's not everyone's jam but i'm writing for myself since I have no plans on making a commercial product

In the scholar origin, you get close friend, your mentor, a knight, and a priest. You can choose a variety of interactions with the, dynamics, etc

If you play female, the knight might be creepy to you. Otherwise he’s actually very likable and cool. I thought that could emphasize the reality of those situations If that makes sense (the predators/creeps in people's lives appearing as Just A Chill Guy To Everyone Else) Your childhood friend has potential to be an incel-like guy, a rival, or truly your closest friend depending on the choices. And the mentor is a major character to the main story and his dynamic with the player is variable. I put in so many options and branching stories, that's really what ended up making the word count when I started writing the script lol. Idk how to put a percentage on it but most of the background/origins are done and i'm midway into the first arc.

I haven't designed any visuals yet, I'm super focused on writing. WILD since i am an artist, you'd think that's what i go to first. But I get stuck in my head too much when making A Public Thing and not just my personal ocs so I'm constantly worried about the designs being palatable. I got to 120k now. It's impressive from an output number but i feel like game itself is barely any content... there's just A LOT of player reactivity. that's my fave thing in any rpg and i always crave more, so that was a leading factor in writing.

if you read any of this, i love you lol

I struggle to complete projects sooo bad but the amount i made for this gives me confidence it's going somewhere. also setting limits on myself so i don't add too much rpg elements (I wanna code a combat system sooo bad but that is some difficult work and I want to actually write interactive fiction pls)

ok good bye thanks to anyone who read it. let me know if it interests you, i'm looking for some homies that like this stuff and would be down to discussing it with me because feedback is key with games

also if anyone wants to be tagged when i talk about this let me know. two people showed interest and i got so excited over that hsfhshrh

[soleminisanction]

The discussions of elements and factions being 'defanged' in Veilguard alternately annoy and amuse me for two reasons.

One, because this has always been a series about how almost everything and everyone has multiple sides and interpretations depending on who you are, what choices you make, and what your perspective is. Is Loghain a scheming traitor, a ruthless pragmatic doing what he believed was necessary to save his country, or a misunderstood hero unfairly condemned by the ignorant masses? Is the Qun tyrannical, or exactly what the people who choose to live under it need? Is Solas a rebellious hero, a traitorous trickster god, or a tragic victim? Is that woman Flemeth, Mythal, Tyrdda Bright-Axe or even Adraste?

It all depends on who you ask when. So of course you're seeing the Crows in a positive light -- circumstances position them as freedom fighters against the Antaam invasion, and for one of your teammates they're literally family. And even then they're still as strongly coded with mafia tropes as Neve is a noir detective. And of course you need to go poking around before you find the pile of dead bodies the Lords of Fortune are hiding behind their fighting ring. Pirates are all about branding, and Isabella's branding is clearly inclusion and good times; they keep the unpleasantness under the rug.

The second reason this amuses/annoys/interests me is it reminds me of Pathfinder. The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game came out in 2009, just like DA Origins, and like DA its setting tried to distinguish itself with "real-world" grit and grittiness. Slavery. Racial tensions. Religious persecution. Mass slaughter. Infestation and disease. Plus the occasional demonic invasion and a shitton of dragons.

But it's been 15 years since then, we live in a post-HBO's Game of Thrones world, and both sides of the game industry have made deliberate efforts to become more diverse. Some of those changes came with discussions to readdress and reconsider the nature of dark fantasy and whether it really needs to be a parade of potentially exploitive human misery.

So I know for a fact that Paizo's made deliberate efforts to pull back on some of those aspects to make things more welcoming for a diverse player base, doing things like outlawing slavery across the entire setting, reinterpreting 'evil' ancrestries like orcs and goblins into fully-developed cultures, and giving the exoticized "fantasy Asia/Africa/India/Americas" setting new, in-depth and cultural respectful re-examinations.

And people bitch about that, too.

So my read is Bioware's doing the same thing for similar reasons, and personally, I like it. Is it perfect? No of course not but we all know what a nightmare this game's development was. They did good with what they had.

[mariacallous]

A young man with no government experience who has yet to even complete his undergraduate degree is working for Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and has been tasked with using artificial intelligence to rewrite the agency’s rules and regulations.

Christopher Sweet was introduced to HUD employees as being originally from San Francisco and most recently a third-year at the University of Chicago, where he was studying economics and data science, in an email sent to staffers earlier this month.

“I'd like to share with you that Chris Sweet has joined the HUD DOGE team with the title of special assistant, although a better title might be ‘Al computer programming quant analyst,’” Scott Langmack, a DOGE staffer and chief operating officer of an AI real estate company, wrote in an email widely shared within the agency and reviewed by WIRED. “With family roots from Brazil, Chris speaks Portuguese fluently. Please join me in welcoming Chris to HUD!”

Sweet’s primary role appears to be leading an effort to leverage artificial intelligence to review HUD’s regulations, compare them to the laws on which they are based, and identify areas where rules can be relaxed or removed altogether. (He has also been given read access to HUD's data repository on public housing, known as the Public and Indian Housing Information Center, and its enterprise income verification systems, according to sources within the agency.)

Plans for the industrial-scale deregulation of the US government were laid out in detail in the Project 2025 policy document that the Trump administration has effectively used as a playbook during its first 100 days in power. The document, written by a who’s who of far-right figures, many of whom now hold positions of power within the administration, pushes for deregulation in areas like the environment, food and drug enforcement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

One area Sweet is focusing on is regulation related to the Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH), according to sources who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Sweet—who two sources have been told is the lead on the AI deregulation project for the entire administration—has produced an Excel spreadsheet with around a thousand rows containing areas of policy where the AI tool has flagged that HUD may have “overreached” and suggesting replacement language.

Staffers from PIH are, specifically, asked to review the AI’s recommendations and justify their objections to those they don’t agree with. “It all sounds crazy—having AI recommend revisions to regulations,” one HUD source says. “But I appreciated how much they’re using real people to confirm and make changes.”

Once the PIH team completes the review, their recommendations will be submitted to the Office of the General Counsel for approval.

One HUD source says they were told that the AI model being used for this project is “being refined by our work to be used across the government.” To do this, the source says they were told in a meeting attended by Sweet and Jacob Altik, another known DOGE member who has worked as an attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Mangesthat, the model will crawl through the Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR),

Another source told WIRED that Sweet has also been using the tool at other parts of HUD. WIRED reviewed a copy of the output of the AI’s review of one HUD department, which features columns displaying text that the AI model found to be needing an adjustment while also including suggestions from the AI for alterations to be made, essentially proposing rewrites. The spreadsheet details how many words can be eliminated from individual regulations and gives a percentage figure indicating how noncompliant the regulations are. It isn’t clear how these percentages are calculated.

Sweet did not respond to requests for comment regarding his work. In response to a request to clarify Sweet’s role at HUD, a spokesperson for the agency said they do not comment on individual personnel. The University of Chicago confirmed to WIRED that Sweet is “on leave from the undergraduate college.”

It’s unclear how Sweet was recruited to DOGE, but a public GitHub account indicates that he was working on this issue even before he joined Musk’s demolition crew.

The “CLSweet” GitHub account, which WIRED has linked to Sweet, created an application that tracks and analyzes federal government regulations “showing how regulatory burden is distributed across government agencies.” The application was last updated in March 2025, weeks before Sweet joined HUD.

One HUD source who heard about Sweet’s possible role in revising the agency’s regulations said the effort was redundant, since the agency was already “put through a multi-year multi-stakeholder meatgrinder before any rule was ever created” under the Administrative Procedure Act. (This law dictates how agencies are allowed to establish regulations and allows for judicial oversight over everything an agency does.)

Another HUD source said Sweet’s title seemed to make little sense. “A programmer and a quantitative data analyst are two very different things,” they noted.

Sweet has virtually no online footprint. One of the only references to him online is a short biography on the website of East Edge Securities, an investment firm Sweet founded in 2023 with two other students from the University of Chicago.

The biography is short on details but claims that Sweet has worked in the past with several private equity firms, including Pertento Partners, which is based in London, and Tenzing Global Investors, based in San Francisco. He is also listed as a board member of Paragon Global Investments, which is a student-run hedge fund.

The biography also mentions that Sweet “will be joining Nexus Point Capital as a private equity summer analyst.” The company has headquarters in Hong Kong and Shanghai and describes itself as “an Asian private equity fund with a strategic focus on control opportunities in the Greater China market.”

East Edge Securities, Pertento Partners, Tenzing Global Investors, Paragon Global Investments, and Nexus Point Capital did not respond to requests for comment.

The only other online account associated with Sweet appears to be a Substack account using the same username as the GitHub account. That account has not posted any content and follows mostly finance and market-related newsletters. It also follows Bari Weiss’ The Free Press and the newsletter of Marc Andreessen, the Silicon Valley billionaire investor and group chat enthusiast who said he spent a lot of time advising Trump and his team after the election.

DOGE representatives have been at HUD since February, when WIRED reported that two of those staffers were given application-level access to some of the most critical and sensitive systems inside the agency.

Earlier this month, US representative Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, said DOGE had “infiltrated our nation’s housing agencies, stealing funding Congress provided to communities, illegally terminating staff, including in your districts, and accessing confidential data about people living in assisted housing, including sexual assault survivors.”

[olderthannetfic]

Oh, come on, let's not pretend that even when people are reading BL or GL, it's always the 'right kind of BL (or GL).' Every time a big BL anime is released, the same wank comes up: 'It's not gay enough,' 'They don't have sex,' 'They have too much sex,' 'It was boring,' and so on. Which one is it?

Also, while we're at it, let's not pretend that the same arguments about gay coding aren't present in shoujo manga spaces. Popular shoujos like Banana Fish and NANA get the same concersations of 'Are they gay?' and the people interpreting them as gay often get the same homophobic 'They're just friends' response.

Reading for activism is a losing battle. There will always be people who want to police what others read, what they enjoy, and what they don't enjoy.

If you want to critique the media, by all means, do so. But let's not pretend the BL fandoms are better, more inclusive, or more welcoming. The fujoshi hate, misogyny, biphobia are alive and well in those spaces.

At least shonen fans aren’t pretending they’re reading something revolutionary or for the greater good. And I haven't heard a peep from them under these posts. Because no one in their right mind will argue that shonen is more lgbt friendly than a BL. It's you who are writing a fanfic in your head about those nasty shonen fans who are singlehandedly destroying the BL manga industry.

--

[gayest-historian]

Events Leading to Stonewall

In honor of the Stonewall riots' anniversary I'd like to take a minute to talk about what led up to them.

The Stonewall riots, taking place June 28th, 1969, were a series of riots that started at the Stonewall Inn between police and LGBTQ+ protestors. The events leading up to them are just as important as their impact on today so a few of these events will be discussed in this post. Obviously I cannot cover them all but I plan on talking about more in their own posts.

After WW2 many Americans began efforts to restore the country to it's pre-war state and prevent change from occurring in the social order. During this time any groups considered "um-american" were deemed security risks, among these groups were gay men and lesbians. The reasoning behind this was that, according to the US State Department, they were deemed susceptible to blackmail. According to a report chaired by Clyde R. Hoey: "It is generally believed that those who engage in overt acts of perversion lack the emotional stability of normal persons" These actions led to 1,700 federal job applications being denied, 4,380 people being discharged from the military, and 420 individuals being fired from federal jobs, all due to suspicions of homosexuality.

In 1952 homosexuality was listed in the DSM as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. The reasoning behind this choice was a belief that homosexuality stems from an unreasonable fear of the opposite sex. Despite numerous studies contradicting this belief, including those of Evelyn Hooker, the APA did not remove homosexuality from the DSM until 1974. The lasting damage of this decision can be seen even today with many queer people still being seen as mentally ill for their identity.

The Hays code was originally implemented in 1934, also being known as the Motion Picture Production Code. Created by a Catholic man named Martin Quigley in 1929 the purpose of the Hays code was to enforce "morals" in the film industry in order to not badly influence american citizens, particularly children. Some examples of Inclusions prohibited by the Hays code include: Profanity, ridicule of the clergy and seuxla perversion (including homosexuality). The frustration regarding these rules could be felt at the time within the queer community and even today with tropes like queer-coded villains.

I hope this post helped to provide some context surrounding the events that kickstarted the Stonewall riots. Looking back at these events gives us both context for how far we've come aswell as how far we still need to go.

[whomstwedointheshadows]

I am howling at the sky for the look tonight that Harvey Guillén staked to death, spat on, and made it beg on the red carpet. Instead of just ranting to my queer fashion/fandom retail friends again, I took our collective slobber and tears to outline my plea to the fashion gods.

Why doesn’t this man have a ‘mens’wear line in every American mall? There is a gap in the market for adventurous, queer friendly suiting available through a retailer like Macys/J C Penney. Yes, retail is dying and wedding industry more so, but that’s particular to what’s available for consumers as well. Suiting is turned from off the rack into iconic by proper tailoring, but let me tell you from working all sides of the bridal salon, even up-scale clothing lines are getting rude as hell about quality and assembly to prevent tailoring and longevity.

This kid’s Disney charm would be perfect for introducing a plus size, inclusive line of fashion-forward pieces which include, say a QR code video about taking your own measurements, how adjustments work, with pieces designed to be sleek, with enough allowance for tailoring, and minding the lines in the garment to make the adjustments for plus size bodies easier. It’s no more adjustments than are made on straight size bodies, it’s just straight size bodies have more options to find a line which works with their natural shape.

But in my experience, it’s gender non-conforming folks and plus sized folks who get pushed out of finding pieces they can actually use for celebrations or work, much less pieces with actual personality that spark joy. This man has been killing it for years, really getting some clutch looks for events and invites in the fashion world. He’s showing proof of concept every time he steps in front of a camera.

Watching Harvey’s fashion evolution, I trust his fashion team and judgement to create a mid/high line for workwear to events suiting embracing a gender nonconforming audience. I can’t think of anyone better situated to become the ambassador of a brand with *the* formal wear for queer events and special occasions. I was tickled to see he sells his own merch and hope this experience convinces him of the joy working with artists and connecting their visions to a wanting public, dipping toes into the new ethical, sustainable trends in fashion. His looks alone shows he’s done his homework over the years about timelessness and early adopting trends.

For the years I worked selling/tailoring wedding dresses, there was the prophetic ‘someday… along will come the man who revives men’s fashion for events again’ to save the David’s bridal/men’s wear house lines who keep dropping plus sizes like mine and dying off. As the pet butch in the bridal salon I pleaded to the sky for better suiting options. Add that to my butch lezzy ways and trans masc circle of friends I legit spent this past Friday night drunk in a bar with a seam ripper adjusting jackets and darting pants in an unplanned sewing circle for a bachelorette until it was my round of karaoke. This isn’t the first time I’ve spontaneously started tailoring for the queers, I can’t keep up with the demand! Y’all we are in our twenties to mid thirties there should be better options than this that don’t require a vacation to LA/NY!!

I have ethical, sustainable fashion preferences about slipping in a retailer versus an online brand. But for the vision of accessible clothing to the masses pushing the envelope of the kind of quality only vintage pieces are affording the general public, this is the only celebrity really posed with the image, high energy, and bona fides to be the face of it. His connections in the fashion game are only growing as WWDITS wraps up.

If this man opened a pop-up suiting/fashion shop I’d take my limited time and resources to really dig in to the designers he promoted. I’d be howling in the streets for my celebrants to go get a Gullién. There’s no shortage online pattern makers, but there is a shortage of queer friendly shops to really get pieces that pop and it feels safe to enjoy in a retail environment. For average people wanting to engage with fashion that affirms their identity on their special day, there’s too much fucking compromise. Honestly it’s nice that I have a side hustle sewing to pattern, but I’d give it up in a fucking heartbeat for there to be actually sustainable and approachable options. I wish there was an in between of being ‘affordable’ gnc suiting in an American mall but add plus size availability and it gets sad for your most thrifty, creative friends. Someone needs the step in the gap, and why not someone at the top of the game?

Even if it was just a pop up line every few years, I’d fucking salivate over every image in that catalogue two thousand miles away for what it can teach home sewists just by virtue of curating those artisans with the express goal of queer, fat friendly designs playing together. Just the existence of vintage shops like Proud Mary creates a boom across the inter-webs of new sewists per post. Could anyone really imagine if there were actually accessible stores in key cities/supported by an online catalog with a personable, rising star as the brand face?

Please feed us more fashion, Harvey. Keep those stylists and designer friends close. Please. I cannot stress how many mascs/nb-bebes keep dropping your name every fitting consultation across this nation and it’s for good reason.

[saederkrupps]

I don’t have a name for this project, I am very bad at naming things. But the premise/setting is a grimdark fantasy esque world. And there’s this type of magic that is actually more like a parasitic disease.

I really love the idea of magic as something that represents mental illness. And writing surrealism, dreams, memory issues, etc is my fave.

Combining it with a dream I had a long time ago of a world where they used children in war, this type of magic can be learned by anyone but they have to “survive” the initial sickness. And children are more resilient to surviving.

Because magic becomes a useful commodity in society (military, industrial, labor) there is an incentive to have a lot of magic users. So you end up with a society exposing children to a dangerous, not well understood phenomenon in order to shape them into something useful. A lot of children die or suffer very severe side effects that permanently alter their mind or body

That’s the setting, though. The main plot is more concerned with other stuff.

I just like world building fantasy stuff.

I wrote two origins the player can pick but one is sort of shelved until I can figure out the family situation. That one is the noble background and has deeply fucked family dynamics (has anyone read my sweet Audrina? That but with more GOT shit) and I’m stuck on 1) did I make this too fucked up 2) I want to use character sprites because I’m an artist but if they’re related to the protag, how do I make it inclusive

The other one is you’re an orphan sent to a nice orphanage that’s really there to produce magic users. This one has the most content for now, since orphan means no family members I gotta worry about. further background customization would include having beef with the church, evil magic... stuff

Then there's the main story after all the origins (i want the origins to be kind of lengthy so they can deeply effect all the stuff on the main story) and I started writing it in a sort of episodic way or "arcs". The first arc is in the mountains with a necromancer.

I'm trying VERY HARD to not include complicated mechanics, I just looove coding so much. But I did include some exploring and stats/skills that are chosen in the beginning and can later be influenced... can't help it!