#multi-level space city

[feodortum]

[shadeops21]

Rules/Recommendations for writing an Australian character/OC

(The following is just a list of things I personally feel should be included or considered if one makes a character of Australian nationality, descent or heritage. It by no means is a hard and fast ruleset, but just things that can be done to enhance a character’s flavour or add a little authenticity)

Shortened nicknames for fellow characters that follow Australian Shortening Conventions: multi-syllablic names are condensed down to one, and an -a/ah, -o, -zza, -y, or -sy is added, eg: McKenzie (or and Mc name) > Macca, Damien > Damo (Day-mo), Jeremy > Jezza.

Swearing. This is actually a common trap I’ve seen, with some Australian characters being less reserved in their language than others. This will depend on the specific background of your Aussie, as vulgarity is moreso a commonality in smaller cities and rural spaces, and less so in larger built-up cities. That said, we do tend to through the more vulgar words around with greater frequency than other cultures, with f### and c### being thrown around more freely.

Slang. Again another trap, especially with older “stereotypical” Australian slang that I personally hear more from my grandparents and older uncles and aunts and less so my own peers + 10 years. That said, some terms are still used very frequently and have no generational boundaries, including but not limited to: ute (pickup truck), bottle-o (liquor store), servo-o (service/petrol station), “the shops” (any centralised marketplace from your general stores to large malls), booze bus (roadside randomised breath testing/DUI checkpoints, some which do both alcohol and drug testing), hoon (reckless driver, typically young males in cars too powerful to handle at their skill level).

Weather tolerances. This varies based on a character’s geographical background, but you’ll find that most Australians have higher than normal levels of tolerance to extreme heat. However, those that live around the Brisbane latitude and north have decreased tolerances to cooler temperatures, decreasing the further north you go. (Personally I find myself pulling on long sleeves and hoodies after it hits 20 or cooler.)

There’s probably more here, but it’s approaching 10pm for me at time of writing, so for my Aussie followers/mutuals, please feel free to expand upon or add your own tips or recommendations to writing Australian characters in a believable fashion. Curious to see what they are!

[simstorian-blog]

New York City: ONE

(CC List + Links)

World Map: San Myshuno

Area: Spice Market – Old Salt House

Lot Size:  30 x 30

Capacity:

4 Apartments: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, washer/dryer per unit

1 Townhouse: 4 Bedroom Suites, 6 Baths, 2 Half Baths, A Sauna, Indoor Pool, Gym, Office Space, Entertainment/Hosting Floor

Shared Areas: Café, Game Room, Laundromat (non-functional), Press Conference Room, Security Booth

Gallery ID: Simstorian-ish

Packs Needed

Expansion Packs

City Living

Discover University

Eco Lifestyle

For Rent

Get Famous

Get Together

Get To Work

Growing Together

High School Years

Horse Ranch

Snowy Escape

Game Packs

Dine Out

Jungle Adventures

Spa Day

Strangerville

Vampires

Stuff Packs

Laundry Day

Kits

Cozy Bistro

Desert Luxe

Recommended Gameplay Mods

(Please read through what each mod has to offer before deciding if it fits your gameplay style or not.)

City Vibes Lot Traits

Lock/Unlock Doors for Any Lot

Use Residential Rentals shared areas as Community Lots

Build Mode

Felixandre

Berlin Pt. 2 (Doors, Ionic Column)

Chateau Pt. 2 (Marble Tiles, Stone Stairs)

Colonial Pt. 3 (Column 1, Fence 2, Railing 2, Spandrel 1)

Georgian (Arches, Doors)

Gothic Revival (Pilaster 4m, Socket, Trim 1)

Paris Pt. 2 (Bar, Bistro Table, Counter, Espresso Bar, Glass Display, Island, Paneling 3 Tiles, Stone Wall, Window Decal)

Soho Pt. 2

Soho Pt. 3

Soho Pt. 4

Versailles

Harlix

Kichen (Fresco Wall)

Tiny Twavellers (Trim Wall)

Harrie

Brownstone Pt. 2 (Traditional Items, Stone Wall)

Brownstone Pt. 3 (Wallpapers)

Klean Pt. 2

Klean Pt. 3 (Plaster Window Frame Large)

Hey Brine

Indonis Bathroom (Penny Floor & Wall Tiles)

Joyce

 Summer Garden (Floor Tiles)

Lili’s Palace

Folklore (Smoky Kitchen Wall)

Intarsia (Polished Marble Floor + Florence Fresco Add-ons)

Lijoue

A Louer Collection (Apt Mailboxes, Door, Intercom, Iron Fence, Railing, Stone Stairs)

Peacemaker

Multi-Level Carpet

Pierisim

Combles (Module Medium 2, Paneling Middle)

Sooky88

Victorian Tiled Flooring

Syboubou

Industrial Elevators (This Mesh Needed)

Buy Mode

AroundTheSims4

Laundromat (Chariot, Folding Table - Metallic, Seating x3, Laundromat Sign, Soap Machine)

CharlyPancakes

Lavish (Wardrobe Pieces)

Lighthouse Collection (3-Seater Sofa)

Felixandre

Chateau Pt. 4 (Fridge, Cabinets, Counters, Sink)

Chateau Pt. 5 (Bookshelf V2 – Medium)

Grove Pt. 2 (Timber Shelves)

Flirtyghoul

Lavanderia (Note: Non-functional)

Harlix

Bafroom (All Wall Mirrors)

Baysic Bathroom (Shower Wall, Toilet Roll)

Orjanic Pt. 2 (Medium Curtain + Rod)

Harrie

Brutalist Bathroom

Coastal Pt. 3 (Marble Kitchen Sink)

Coastal Pt. 6 (Bathtub, Landscape Mirror, Shower, Toilet)

Spoons Pt. 2 (Cake Boards, Pastry Display Platter)

Meinkatz

Light Fixture (DL on Patreon)

Thermostat

Pierisim

Coldbrew Pt. 2 (Books, Menu, Napkins)

Coldbrew Pt. 3

Oak House Pt. 4 (Bathtub, Shower, Towel Holder, Wall Hanging Light)

Woodland Ranch (Dining Chair 1 + 2)

Ravasheen

Thermostat

Tuds

SHKR

DO NOT REUPLOAD MY LOTS.

DO NOT CLAIM THEM AS YOUR OWN.

DO NOT PLACE BEHIND A PAYWALL.

Tray Files: DOWNLOAD

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Hmmm, you can buy this whole building in Atlantic City, New Jersey for $10.9M. Looks like a not-so-great block, but you get to live in the penthouse and that's kind of cheap for a whole hi-rise. AC can be dicey at night, though. There's got to be a reason why they're selling it. There are 6 floors of office space and the apt. has 5bds, 5ba, and is multi-level. Judging by the parking lot, there aren't many renters. I

The owner's apt. is certainly impressive, though.

This was probably the height of class/wealth in Atlantic City's hey-day.

The home has a name, too- “Casa De Cielo.” We should all name our apts. and homes. When I had a house, I called it "Chateau BeauBeau," b/c my last name begins w/a Bo.

Check out the kitchen. Love the cabinets and handles, plus the quartz counters and backsplashes.

This is some big butler's pantry. Look at the intercom phone- buttons galore for all the rooms.

I have never seen a dining room that seats 30. It's massive.

And, talk about entertaining, this is the bar.

The wine room is separate.

This, believe it or not, is the bar's own kitchen. Wow.

Can you imagine having a room just for family photos?

Apparently, they also have their own post office in this lobby.

Primary bedroom. Are those angled mirrors in the ceiling?

The massive en-suite bath has blue lighting.

The spa.

What a library.

This sitting room has a beautiful inlaid wood corner bar and I love the dogs on the fireplace surround.

What a cool hall. It feels like a loggia.

Even the elevator is decorated like a room.

Look at this fabulous home theater. It's like a dinner theater.

This fountain is so big, I thought it was a pool.

Very large rooftop deck with a big outdoor kitchen.

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Carol Danvers x Reader : Wherever You Are

Summary: Going the extra mile for your girlfriend is never a problem. Covers the ‘Flannel PJs’ square of Holiday Bingo.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1k

* * * * * * * *

With a smile, you grab the bag off the counter, and say,“ Thank you so much. Have a wonderful night.”

The shop owner returns the sentiment, thanking you for your patronage as you leave the shop and step onto the pathway. Just like when you came in, the sky is painted brilliant shades of purple, blue, and pink. Jellyfish shaped clouds are scattered about as the smoky pink moon shines its light. 

Pulling your hood up, you begin your walk down the wooden, bridge-like pathways that are suspended above the ground. The alien city is practically split in two levels, the ground floor connected by stairs which you take down and head to the ship.

You landed on this planet with your girlfriend the other day as she received a message from an old friend of hers who needed her help and while she handled her business, you were off on a mission of your own.

It’s been almost three years since you and Carol were back on Earth and you could see the toll it was taking on your girlfriend. At first she was fine, obviously missing family but she wasn’t too down as she believed she’d be back soon enough. However, as it usually plays out, she gets caught up in being a hero, saving lives and the like, and gets so far out in the universe that she loses track of time.

Still, she eventually feels the effects of the distance between her and the people she calls family. Almost a week ago, the sadness she felt over being away nearly doubled as she realized that Christmas was literally two days away.

She had missed so much time with Monica and Fury already, so many holidays, and she now was more than fond of Kamala Khan. Her wish was to be on Earth, participating in cheesy, cliche traditions with her family and instead she was millions of lightyears away.

That night, while she thought you were sleeping, she’d broken down. Her soft sobs filled the silence of the ship and broke your heart in two. 

At the time you let her have her personal moment since being locked on a ship with someone doesn’t grant much of that. While you didn’t say anything to her at the moment, you promised yourself that you’d do everything you could to make her feel even a fraction better than she did. Which is why your exploring yesterday and your shopping today was so important. 

Now, with the necessary supplies, you boarded the ship and got to work, knowing Carol would be preoccupied until much later in the day.

A good hour or so later and the ship was, in your opinion, a masterpiece.

Having used the materials you were able to find and scrounge together, you made the ship as festive as you possibly could. 

Some makeshift tinsel was hung about with multi-colored lights attached. Handmade ornaments and more lights decorate the little Christmas tree you and Carol acquired last year. Stacked beside it are a few wrapped presents. Lastly, hanging from the ceiling, are custom mistletoes, your favorite part.

Knowing Carol was likely on her way back, you dimmed the main lights in the ship, turned on the multicolored ones, and pulled on a pair of pajamas. The warm, comfy, red flannel pants complimented with one of Carol’s band shirts set the perfect vibe and you made sure to set a matching outfit on the bed for her.

With all the craziness that accompanies space travel Carol is always more than thrilled to come back to you. The ship had become her safe space but with you there it became home and she quickly realized that her home was always wherever you are.

She couldn’t describe how she felt having your arms to fall into after a long day but this, coming back to a fully decorated ship and you standing in the middle of it, mug of hot chocolate in hand with a smile on your face, multiplied that feeling.

“What is all this?” Her question follows her stepping further onto the ship, eyes drifting over every square inch in an impressed manner.

“This,” you emphasize with a few steps closer to her,“ is the beginning of a very Merry Christmas.”

Shoulders sagging and a sigh falling from her lips, she looks at you with pure adoration and love in her eyes.“ Y/n, baby, you did not have to do all this.”

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.” 

You set the mug on a nearby table, then pull her into a hug with your arms around her neck. The blonde doesn’t hesitate to reciprocate the embrace, her own arms wounding around your waist to pull you even closer. Her warm breath fanned across your neck and you could tell your gesture made her a little emotional from the way said breath stuttered ever so slightly.

After a moment you speak.“ I know how much you wish you could be on Earth and I know how much it sucks to not be surrounded by the people you love, especially this time of year, but I wanted today to be as special for you as it could be.”

“Y/n,” she practically whimpers, holding you tighter.“ I-” Her words are cut off by choked sob.

“Please don’t cry, babe.” You whisper, feeling tears of your own gathering at your waterline.“ You mean the world to me so doing this was nothing. I just- I want you happy, always.”

Slipping away just a little, her hands cup your cheeks and teary brown eyes lock with yours.“ I love you so much.” She says, a tear escaping that you’re quick to swipe away.“ You make me so happy. The fact that you did all of this just adds to the already infinite reasons why I love you.”

“Well I love you too. As long as you know that every day that we’re together, I’m happy.”

She rapidly blinks away the tears in her eyes, sniffling a little before she pulls you into an intense kiss. Gentle hands slip up into your hair to hold you close, even after it becomes a little hard to breathe.

Eventually though, you part, dorky grins on both your faces. Despite trying to fight them off, a few more tears had fallen down her cheeks.

Softly squeezing her waist you tell her,“ I do have a few gifts for you but you're only allowed to open them after you put your PJs on.” She giggles at your words, eyes rolling playfully.

Before she can respond however, the familiar tune of her ship receiving an incoming call sounds through the space.

“Oh, that’s your first gift, hurry up and go change.” You lightly pat her butt, rushing over to sit and accept the call.

“Wh- what gift do you have-”

“Go change and come find out, Danvers.” Fury’s voice sounds from the call, followed by the familiar sounds of Monica and Kamala laughing.

Carol’s jaw drops slightly, tears welling up in her eyes again as she looks at you.“ You’re so getting a ring on your finger.”

Heat rushes onto your face at the looks you receive from Nick, Monica, and Kamala and you can do nothing but grin like an idiot.

* * * * * * * *

Taglist: @owloftheshadows @blackxwidowsxwife @b-5by5 @lostandsearching @iliketozoneout @alotofpockets @storiesofsvu

[centrally-unplanned]

Watched a bunch of stuff last night, including the Alita OVA from 1993! I thought it was a lot of fun, the thoughts:

--- It did the "obvious" thing of adapting the romance arc with Yugo of Volume 2 as the core, while blending in the events of Volume 1 as sort of backstory and setup as opposed to their own story. This arc is Alita at her most humanized in the early parts of the manga, and its the plot that centers Zalem as the untouchable overlord city most effectively. Any short adaptation is gonna choose this - part of why James Cameron (lol) did the same thing!

--- Speaking of, the manga does not actually have any particular focus on Alita's eyes, but the anime definitely has more than one shot where it establishes them as thematically special. Given that the James Cameron film is famous for going full CGI on Alita's eyes, and he knows about the property from Guillermo del Toro passing him the OVA as opposed to the manga, I think I can see the chain of events that lead to that (ill-fated?) decision.

Her eyes are pretty amazing in the OVA, so I get it! As my previous reblogs showed lol.

--- I think I can break apart the manga into three "concepts": the setting as cyberpunk dystopia, Alita as a character dealing with identity issues as an amnesiatic combat robot, and shounen fighting & levelling arcs. The OVA heavily focuses on the first part, ditching almost all the shounen stuff - its fight scenes are quick and focus on violence & bodily destruction over strength or "fighting techniques", etc. This is great for me, obviously! But it also, almost accidentally, ditches most of her identity issues? Because its less than an hour long, and needs to do a ton of worldbuilding - including even adding in a new character from Zalem to help with that - and is doing Yugo's entire arc, you really don't have time left for Alita's struggles. Yugo actually gets more "inner depth" than she does! She commits to being a bounty hunter, then after that she is pretty much just In Love while Yugo goes through his detailing of his past and collapse.

I'm not saying it doesn't work, it does as a story. Just interesting for something that is known as very "protagonist associated" to have an OVA where she is barely the protagonist.

--- While no Urotsukidoji or anything, this is another one of those OVAs where its reputation, particularly in the west, is as a hyper-violent, gory OVA? And like so many it really isn't. People get decapitated, don't get me wrong, buts its never lingers on those moments. Instead they serve as tone setters for the crapsack world or just are part of the action sequences.

I think in general the OVA era rarely made horror/gore films the way some other mediums/industries did? There are exceptions of course but in the end anime is trying to do too many other things; beautiful animation, focus on character designs, often being adaptations and so doing the plot of those more complex stories, erotic content for audiences that aren't *that* fetishistic on average, and more. All of these priorities compete for space in comparison to having endless jumpscares and blood splatters. So far my track record for watching the famous "gorefest" or "~crazy~" anime is that every one of them is tamer than the rep suggests, and I believe this medium/genre mismatch is why.

--- The biggest question I have around Alita in general is why there was never any more anime? Its weird, right? Its a famous property from a beloved genre, it had a hollywood film for some crazy reason, things like Ghost in the Shell got multi-season anime after all. Why no feature film remake in the 2000's? Why no 13-cour in the 2010's? I don't have an answer to that yet.

Why the initial OVA was so minimal is at least partly answered by Kishiro here:

MNS: Many fans have wondered, why were only 2 anime OAV episodes produced in 1993? YK: It was based on the plan proposed by the animation production company. It might have been better to turn down the plan and wait for a better adaptation proposal to come up, but back then, I couldn't afford to review the plan coolly. At that time, I was still serializing the work and was so busy that I wasn't ambitious to make it into animation.

Essentially he took the "deal on hand", not offering much, because he didn't have the time, money, or business savvy to work the industry for a better proposal. 100% understandable. I don't think the OVA did too well? I can't find a lot of sales figures, but the comments I see are in the "respectable" range, and it didn't get quick or expansive rereleases over time.

More broadly, and again speculative, I think maybe Alita overall isn't that successful? Like sure Kishiro is still out here releasing more sequel manga to this day somehow, but when I look at the "media mix" its just really sparse. No big video game adaptations - it has a PlayStation game in the 90's - it has like a drama CD and a novelization? No big merch waves or tie-ins. I am betting the big anime production committees just don't think its a hot enough property to sell that great. Wouldn't be a bad idea or anything, but not one you have to do like idk Chainsaw Man.

In the western fandom spaces its quite well known because of the idiosyncrasies of licensing history, the weird James Cameron factor, and I think a general fascination with anime cyberpunk; the west eats up any of the older cyberpunk properties for its aesthetic in a way that can blind people to the reality of that just being a subgenre in Japan at the time. Alita might just be niche enough that it not getting any wider anime adaptations is no grand mystery.

(But I hope to dig into this question more)

[nitewrighter]

I think one of the reasons dc/warner bros like to push Batman (other than “cool/dark/edgy”) is ironically, it’s the easiest hero to sell toys of. As a character with no powers, he has to make do with tech, that means accessories! He can’t fly and doesn’t have super speed, ergo the Batmobile or batwing, or a bat jet pack! He needs different suits for different jobs, so that justifies variant figures! With other heroes, you’d just get the figure and that’s it. Why would the flash need a car? Why would Superman need power armor? If you’re old enough to remember, or research back enough, you’ll know the stupidity of the Superman mobile, or the just sad justice jogger. You could have a super figure’s eyes light up to show heat vision, but that’s about it. I guess you could have a green lantern toy line with construct accessories, but clear green plastic might be flimsy or too expensive, I don’t know. I’d think this was why they gave Wonder Woman a sword and shield, cuz they thought the lasso was lame, if not for BoYz DoNt LiKe GiRl HeRoZ! (Convo for another time, but even as a kid I hated that, and I was a boy)

So tldr, one of the reasons dc pushes bats is once upon a time they saw dollar signs at the idea of bat ji Joe.

Also the fact that you can make Batman Merch out of anything just by making it black and/or gray and just slapping a Batman logo on it--it's just probably a lot easier than finagling around other hero's color schemes.

Thinking about the Batsketball again...

But on a lore level, yeah, Batman is basically the "Cool Toys" superhero. You pretty much have every person in the DC universe commenting on how many "Cool toys" Batman has, or how much of a manchild having all those "Cool Toys" makes him. Like, I hate hate hate Frank Miller and of course I would fight him any day of the week, but the one thing All Star Batman and Robin had going for it was the GIANT BEAUTIFUL JIM LEE ILLUSTRATED BATCAVE PULLOUT MULTI-PAGE SPREAD. Like I need you to picture me in bed, giant glass of ice water on my nightstand, absolutely fucking miserable as I trudge through the worst fucking Batman characterization of my goddamn life, and then, AND THEN-- I go, "Oh, this is a pull-out," I carefully unfold it because library book, and then my jaw drops. I literally felt all the 8-year-old boy parts of my brain activate, and then you have young Dick Grayson's voice narrating it with five little words: "And it just. keeps. going."

A thing I really do like about all of Batman's tech and toys is they're all very tactile, and one of the things that's making Arkham Knight very fun as I'm playing through it is this factor of figuring out which of your little gadgets to use in which situation, and you're so proud of yourself when you figure out when the game expects you to use a certain gadget without the game cuing you to do so, or when you get a new gadget and then go back to all the parts of the map you previously weren't able to access without it (Baby "Square shape goes in Square hole" brain activation...) and the game also has very fun sound and vibration design and camera work to make using the various doodads feel very tactile even as it's happening in the game, but okay, let's take all those factors and pivot to Superman.

Superman doesn't have the Batcave, he has the Fortress of Solitude, and the Fortress of Solitude is not a Toy Chest like the Batcave is. The Fortress of Solitude is not a teenager's basement room to brood. The name itself is very intentional: It's Superman saying, "Yes, I save humanity, but I need breaks from it, I need a space to contemplate my work and my heritage, as well as get some distance from it for perspective, or else I will go fucking bonkers." And it's not just a house or a trophy room, either, it's a museum, it's an archive. I think about the Grant Morrison commentary about the bottle city of Kandor being a family heirloom like a snow globe or a music box--beautiful and yet distant, and that also sets a lot of the mood for the Fortress of Solitude: If the Batcave is a big toybox full of robot dinosaurs and a batarang target range and a lot of tactile stuff, then the Fortress of Solitude is a lot more, "You can look but please please please do not touch unless you really know what you're doing." You touch one crystal in the Fortress of Solitude and Jor-El's giant hologram head pops up booming 'KAL-EL, MY SON, THESE ARE THE PRECIOUS RECORDED HISTORIES OF OUR PEOPLE--' and you're like "Oh Jesus fuck how do I turn this off---"

One of the things I've come to really like in recent comics is how, as Superman has embraced having a family, that the Fortress itself feels warmer and more dynamic--Lois is using it as a space to research and write a book about Krypton, Kara tinkers with Kryptonian technology, Jon spent stints there as a toddler in Superman: Space Age, Krypto is there... It's actually kind of reflected how museums have become a lot more dynamic and kid-friendly in recent years. It's still clearly a space they all respect, but there's a much stronger element of enrichment than, "Look at this thing behind glass."

But anyway, yeah, Superman's stories are really more, like, fantastical than Batman's, so it goes to reason that Superman-play is more daydreaming and broad imaginative concepts while Batman-play is more physical and tinkering. So Batman in general is more likely to have lots of toys.

[leomonae]

Tips for BG3 fans considering giving BG2 a try!

Disclaimers: I never played the enhanced or extended or whatever it's called - the Beamdog edition, that one - so I can't say what, if any, of this it might have changed. Also, while it continues to be my favourite game of all time, it's been like 5 years since my last BG2 playthrough, and I always ran it with a whole bunch of mods; I might get a few things mixed up, but I'll edit in corrections if I find that I have!

Much of this will apply to BG1 as well, of course, but not all. I am not really addressing BG1 because I've played through the whole thing maybe twice to my couple dozen BG2 games, and also because people who started a series at #3 don't get to be too picky about doing the first two out of order either :P

Right, so! I'm going to try not to spoil much here; these are just things to make your life easier and less annoying before you are blindsided by them and have to back up three hours to avoid the issue.

1) You might find yourself having to back up three hours to avoid some issue. BG3 has hopefully already thoroughly taught you this practice, but save early, save often, and keep your old saves until you're entirely done. This is a twenty year old game, I promise you have enough storage space.

2) We are playing under something like 2e (second edition) D&D rules here, not 5e. Armour class is good when it's low, not high. You don't get a set number of ability points at character creation, you roll dice and then you keep rolling for the next ten minutes until you get a nice, high points total to distribute as you prefer. Thac0 means "to hit armour class 0". Multi classing and dual classing are not at all the same thing, and will result in very different builds (also which one a character can do is determined by their race).

3) Games came with giant manuals back then; you are gonna need to either be doing some research, or just accepting that everything is going to be very confusing for awhile.

4) Go right ahead and crank that difficulty setting down a notch or two before you get started; after the first hour or two getting to grips with it, BG3 combat was basically just a nice, gentle romp through the park for me. I'm not saying this to brag (I don't ever play above core difficulty in BG2, myself), I'm saying this because you are going to find yourself getting very, very frustrated very fast if you don't understand that games back then had much different expectations when it came to how they handled some of the things that contributed to difficulty. Don't be meaner to yourself than you have to be! Challenge is fun; beating your head against a brick wall over and over is not.

5) The game is not going to do anything to stop you from going places you are not equipped or leveled to handle yet. If you are not making progress with some new area after a few tries and different approaches, consider going away and coming back later. It is also perfectly happy to spring surprise dragons on you. Or surprise "oh hey I just opened this door in the middle of the city with a certain common item in my inventory and now I appear to be in the second hardest fight of the entire game" encounters.

6) XP is distributed to all your party if it is main quest xp, and split among your party otherwise. If a character is not in your party at the time this happens, they don't get the xp, as a general rule. One or two specific exceptions aside, the game does not play catch-up for the characters you had leave your party temporarily; I would advise deciding who you want to have in your party fairly early on, then sticking to that so you're not wasting good xp on characters you're not keeping around.

7) Unfortunately, the previous is somewhat complicated by the fact that some companions have their own personal quests they want you to do for them. Quests with hidden timers that start running when you pick them up. Quests over which they will leave your party permanently, if you don't get around to them soon enough/don't listen when they give you a "do this basically now, or else" ultimatum. Quests you are going to be in no way capable of doing at the start of the game.**

8) Not all companions get along with one another; some of them cannot be in a party together without eventually fighting to the death as you're walking down the street one day. Pay attention to their alignment and don't go mixing good and evil characters in the same run. Neutral ones are significantly more chill.

9) There's a reputation mechanic which is kind of a morality tracker; good companions can also leave you if you get too low rep, and evil if you get too high.

10) When you first get out into the city proper, go check out the shops in this starting area; you can get a gem bag and a scroll case which will make inventory management much more pleasant. There are also bags of holding in the game - you know, those things our BG3 player characters kept taunting us about not having?

11) Companions can permanently die in a way that leaves them unable to be resurrected again due to the condition of the body. Be careful! Or just reload one of your twelve billion saves you've been carefully making, that works too.

12) Sometimes certain spells can have effects that might not occur to you in advance. Like, oh, say, disintegrating a dragon and only realising thirty hours later that you also disintegrated the crafting component required for making a really powerful weapon which it had in its inventory at the time.

13) You've noticed by now in BG3 that there are enemies who are resistant or vulnerable to certain types of damage, yeah? Bludgeoning, specific elements, etc. That is also going to be a thing here, but it's not always as immediately obvious what the problem is when you're failing to damage something. But in general, magical vs non-magical damage is a much bigger concern in BG2. There are many enemies that only take damage if your weapon is an enchanted one, and they might also require a certain minimum level of enchantment; +3 weapons or better, that sort of thing. Spells can affect this, too. Certain types of damage can cut through certain spell protections. Etc.

14) Hint: Melf's Minute Meteors count as +5 weapons, if you should ever find yourself unexpectedly in need of such a thing for some unknown reason I'm sure will never come up!

15) You can turn on a great many auto-pause options in the menu to get something significantly closer to the turn based combat you're used to. I use most of them; pausing whenever one of your characters finishes casting a spell (different spells take different amounts of time to finish casting and you can be interrupted before you manage doing so) is very useful so that you can immediately start them on their next spell without wasting time in combat.

16) If there's anything you really don't like, such as constantly being told to gather your party before venturing forth, there's almost certainly a mod for that.

That should do for now, have fun, enjoy the absolutely terrifying versions of vampires and illithid which will stalk your nightmares afterwards!

**It's Keldorn, I'm talking about Keldorn. I know he's amazing, but just leave his ass right the fuck where you found it unless you are feeling about ready to fight some of the toughest enemies in the game. Or you've bought that one specific item and don't mind a little cheese, because god knows I always use it if I'm planning on recruiting him.

[deergravity]

Came across these maps I made for a d&d game a few years ago! Pretty sure I used the dice method for making the landmass. Those blank spots are cities that I intended to make more detailed maps of, though I only ended up with the one here on the right, representing the southernmost city.

Each section of the city was a district the dm defined, though I don't recall them all now. They've each got a stepped pyramid that serves as a community center/govt building/place of worship. Beyond that, here are my guesses based on the designs I gave them:

Olladra was a academic/museum district, also the main entry to the city

Dol Durn is a port/market. I think the blank area in bottom right was meant to be a kind of farmer's market space.

Baldrei was a entertainment district, you can see an amphitheater there, as well as housing

Kol Karran is also a port area but this one was dominated by the theives guild, therefore more crowded and in disrepair

Aureon was the royalty compound, spacious and to some degree self contained

The southern part of the city was occupied mainly by halflings and wood elves, and has much different architecture, including multi-level raised walkways

I'm sure they each had distinctions too but alas I didn't leave myself many clues down there. Dol Arrah at least looks marshy? Maybe another port? Probably something woo woo going on in Arawai.

Always fun to see stuff I made during the long strech of my life when I would think things like, "wow, I wish I could be an artist. Too bad I'm just crafty and Unworthy of calling myself An Artist because I lack formal training (except all those art classes I loved in school which dont count) and I believe I need permission/approval/validation to incorporate things into my Identity or people will see I'm a liar poser trying to steal valor from Real Artists, an esoteric class of people who naturally understand themselves to be Artists, again, unlike me, who merely wants it."

... so maybe that sheds some light on why I am such a crusader for the idea that art is in everything and everyone. Someone planted that seed in me, many someones tbh, so I feel it's my duty to spread some seeds now that I've come to flower and bear fruit.

Because in reality, I was always an artist. And you are too. :) All you have to do is want it and it's yours.

[siremasterlawrence]

Broken Heroic Will Part 1 - 2

Clark Kent is on his way home when a giant screen appears blaring over the entire city of The Great Metropolis showcasing a group of people rushing in to the Museum of Metro Technology and Science.

The main one stops cold facing both of the other men snapping his fingers they follow his orders informing him them to remove all of their guns and guards the space with the front door barricade.

The man quickly makes intake of the area all surrounding him when he spots the odd object sliding across the room he stops shy of the glass fading his hand as it pushes in through the glass and grabbing it.

The mind altering agent boggles a bit shook him to his core then spun about feeling all of his senses as he looks up knowing who else is here because the power level of the Man Of Steel.

He spins in mid air like a drill he burrows so deep in to the ceiling as it cracks up in a huge smash he continues to drive down to me in fashion the blue, red and yellow are a dazzling sight.

I giggle a bit throwing and catching the old no ancient object in his hand flipping it back and forth as it burns up with light shining it then absorbing it in to his skin with a strong vibration empowering him.

Superman is overwhelmingly not shocked at all to see me then throws a super hard shaft of a nightmare punch sending him flying so much craziness across the room hitting the wall.

His body sliding to the bottom of the room I glee with excitement laughing so loud in the main hall as let the noise echo in to his ears as he it is excruciating shaking his one body.

The man uses some magic creating a circle of power in the air creating a box out of thin air sending box decorating in Christmas like paper and a bow tie on top of it glowing in a aura it lands next to him.

The main raises his hand wiggling his finger as sprinkles of fire transferring him from the museum and leaving Superman is lost as his whole senses comes back to reality he signs heavily.

He is groggy picking up a box anger rage of himself unwrapping the bow tie, trashing the Christmas paper and unlocking the top of the box and the magic lifts upward in to the air.

The magic rains over him changing a multi array of color on to his body becoming more in to Kryptonite getting weaker and weaker as his energy draining his power from his body.

The box swirls on to his body as he began to float into the air traveling without his will or consent shooting him in to the sky he flew in to a magical hole transporting him in to a new dimension.

Crash landing in to a massively huge crater

leaving him in pain as he crying begging him for help as he rolls over in pain and some tears in his eyes as the man walks off in to the distant.

Clark tries to throw a punch catching both of his hands in his palms, Superman firmly taking it in his hands twisting them to the side and forcing him to his knees it is very obvious.

“How on earth are you doing this?”

“Oh Poor Superman!”

“Stop mocking me”

“Or What?”

“Super pussy”

“That is not my….”

“Not you what?”

“That word”

“You men a name “

“Yeah!”

“Dumbass”

“Take a knee”

“I will never succumb”

“Oh but you already have “

“You lie”

“Hardly! Look at me”

“I said look at me”

“Your eyes “

“I am your Lord and master”

“You are my slave “

“You are too powerful “

“Someone admits it “

“Who am I?”

“Master Lawrence “

“Clark Kent”

“Kiss me”

“I am not gay”

“You are now “

“Nnnnoooo”

“Yes”

“YES! I love you “

“It’s about time my boi”

“I am sorry”

“Do you love me?”

“With all my heart “

“Here to the moon”

“Wow!”

“Oooohhhhh”

“My God!”

“The world will crumble under his feet”

“I am yours”

“Is this not simpler?”

“Yes My God! I love you “

“Raise up to me”

“Kiss me like you are hungry “

Captain America aka Steve Rogers is on the beach ignoring everyone else a weird strangers palm lands on his wide shoulder holding it tightly and swinging him in to a gigantic bird cage.

Steve looks horrified watching an evil looking Superman with a sadistic expression arms crossed and ready to battle with darker like intentions he speeds over to the cage and raising.

He shook it over his head before he is proceeding to throw it fifty miles away in to the rock formations behind him and causing hell on earth with shamble of rubbles spread wide.

I stepped in to a horrible disaster area that is worthy of a construction site crew horror is on full display when Captain America is able to escape flipping in to the air he does a super hero landing.

A shield is thrown in to one rock as if it is so light weight starts to ricochet sending it hit me head on and I go rolling to the floor in total pain and he stares down at me into total disappointment.

I can feel all of my attention on him as when Captain America descending down right in front of me but Superman rushes to my side blocking his fist in a swift attack and gave a good punch to the gut.

Steve is struggling on the floor completely in a stems of hazy fog clouding him up all else fades disappeared in to nether world of his own mind and he is falling in to a life of my consuming him.

Clark grabs him jolting in to the air doing a semi back flip he slams his body in a fatal bone crushing pain his eyes roll back in to his socket and he is knocked in to a deep slumber.

Clark is unconscious waking up tied down to the chair he is stripped of his clothes and unable to move the fear in his eyes is clear that he is broken their is no way coming back from this.

“Why Clark? “

“Just what?”

“I am Master Lawrence’s vessel “

“No Clark”

“Stop it”

“Submit”

“I cannot “

“Feel the crushing pain of defeat “

“You cannot force me too”

“Too what Steve?”

“You can’t win”

“Master Lawrence….”

“He is using you “

“Lies”

“He freed me from my torment”

“All hero’s have torment”

“Such a loser”

“FUCK YOU!”

“Oh! I will Fuck you “

“Bastard you are cruel “

“Mwahahahahaha! You have no idea “

“I can’t fight you any longer”

“Why bother anymore?”

“I loathe you “

“Go on”

“I despise your like”

“No! You don’t “

“Keep telling yourself “

“Oh! I will”

“You love me”

“Make me bitch”

“Uuugghhh”

“My power is cemented “

“Resistance is futile “

“I can do this all day “

“Hahahah”

“Oh Captain!l”

“You no idea “

“What you will unleash?”

“Hell on earth “

“Nothing more would be satisfying”

“Uh huh!”

“What did I just say ?”

“Exactly! Haha”

“I give in”

“I give up “

“I am yours”

“Take my waist in your hands”

“Yes Master”

“Undress me”

“CUM”

The end

[athingofvikings]

A Thing Of Vikings Chapter 77: All Roads Lead To Rome

Chapter 77: All Roads Lead To Rome

Another—typically overlooked—area that was tremendously impacted by the integration of dragons was city planning and design.  Human cities prior to the adoption of dragons were universally two-dimensional (with noted exceptions such as Shibam and Derinkuyu), originating from a smaller settlement, typically next to a river or water source, and sprawling extensively across the landscape with greater or lesser degrees of urban planning, guidance, and support infrastructure.  Buildings were typically only a few stories tall and close together, with narrow, twisting streets.  The reasons for this, of course, are obvious: digging underground without the aid of Boulder-class dragons is time-consuming and labor-intensive, as is constructing high-rise buildings without the use of structural steel, even discounting the additional labor involved in climbing up and down such structures.

Modern cities, by contrast, sometimes seem almost as deep and tall as they are wide, with terraurban spaces extending far below the surface, and high-rises extending far above.  Streets are multi-level and broad, with gentle curves to allow for ease of aerial traffic, and elevators and draconic flight connect the various levels together.  Balconies and bridges are typical building features to allow for ease of transit and landing, while buildings themselves typically have high ceilings and wide corridors to allow for draconic foot traffic.  Additionally, the small infrastructure access tunnels are typically designed with the sizes and capabilities of the small dragons employed as maintenance workers in mind.  Some cities are even formed out of hollowed-out mountains and carved into the sides of valley walls; while to our modern eyes these emplacements seem natural, to our ancestors they would have seemed miraculous, something out of fantastical tales.

The transition, of course, was not smooth, and remnants of the transition are easily found and well-documented, despite the loss of some of the key transitional elements to time and demolition.  But still, while they are humble in comparison with their descendants, those first 20-story steel-framed towers constructed in the 1200s cast long shadows through human history…

—The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd. 

AO3 Chapter Link

~~~

My Original Fiction | Original Fiction Patreon

[zmwrites]

OC Kiss Week Day 1: Almost

WIP: Poppet WIP

Pairing: Dutch x Aleksander

CWs: vague mentions of injuries

Words: 835

Notes: Questionably canon, would take place before the story starts

Dutch leaned back on the table, propping herself up on her elbows. Aleksander brought the candle closer to her wound—one of the cultists had managed to slice the side of her abdomen before she’d gutted them. His brows knitted together.

“Don’t make that face. It’s not that deep,” she said.

“Last time you said that, you passed out from blood loss, fell off your horse, and spent the better part of two weeks unconscious fighting off an infection.” The corners of his mouth curved downwards but he didn’t look up from his assessment. “Forgive me for not taking your word on the severity of your injuries anymore.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. It would’ve been futile; he seemed to be studying the basics of healing whenever they were apart, and she was his favourite pincushion to practice on. The why of his new hobby remained a mystery—his parents employed the best healers in the kingdom and he could easily afford to pay whatever a small town healer would charge—but she chalked it up to the eccentricities of the rich and royal.

“Any foreign princesses visiting when you go back?” Dutch asked, looking at the ceiling so he couldn’t see her winces of discomfort as he cleaned the wound. 

“One of Eletha’s cousins is coming to stay for a month,” he replied. Eletha was married to his eldest brother, and had a large family containing many single young women. “I’ve been forbidden from leaving Noxshire while she’s here.”

She almost felt bad for him. With his next-elder brother recently engaged, the family’s attention had turned to finding him a match. “The city or the duchy?”

Aleksander paused, then slowly grinned. “It wasn’t specified.”

“There’s a nest of giant spiders near the duchy’s border that’ve been thinning the herds of local farmers. Far enough from the city to warrant staying overnight. The pay’s shit for the level of danger, but that doesn’t usually deter you.”

“And we’d have to do reconnaissance, talk to the affected farmers. It could be a multi-week project,” he said. He helped her sit up and grabbed a roll of bandages.

She snorted. “Just assuming I’ll go with you?”

“Of course. Keeping me alive and unmarried is in your best interest.” His hands brushed her ribs, burning hot against the cool night air.

Her toes curled in her boots to keep a shiver from running up her spine, and the stutter in her breathing was barely noticeable. The bastard had done that on purpose. “And why’s that?”

“I can’t pay you to go adventuring with me if I’m dead or stuck managing an estate somewhere,” he said. “Besides, I pay much better than any of those merchants you escort through the northern mountains.”

She hummed her agreement, not trusting herself to speak as he tied the bandage over her sternum. His lavender eyes were focused on his task, but his damn fingers kept grazing the skin just below the raised hem of her shirt.

“And I’m much better company.” He raised his gaze and she realized how dangerously close his face was to hers. He stood with his hips slotted between her legs, and his hands dropped to the table on either side of her.

Dutch slowly lowered her shirt. It was her turn to be strong, to keep them from crossing the line they’d carefully drawn between themselves. Their relationship had to remain professional if it was going to work. It didn’t matter how blurry the line got as they travelled together, or how desperately they wanted to cross it after almost dying again; mixing professional and personal in her line of work never ended well.

“Aleksander.” Her voice was soft, gentle in a way she couldn’t afford to be.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers, their exhales mingling in the limited space between them. She swallowed hard. One hand drifted up to fist the material of his shirt. For a moment—just one moment—she pretended that it was possible. That they could build a life, that they could be happy together, away from the expectations of his bloodline and her stained past.

But they couldn’t. He couldn’t leave his family and she couldn’t pretend she was anything but what she was.

“Aleksander,” she repeated as he cupped her face. “A bandit-turned-sellsword is not the company you should be keeping.”

“Sword-for-hire,” he corrected. “There are semantic differences.”

She exhaled a laugh. “Not enough of a difference to make me someone who belongs in your world.”

“I know. I know. I just—I wish—” His other hand rose to her face so both of his palms cradled her jaw.

“I know.” She rested her hands on his wrists.

He remained still for another five heartbeats before exhaling heavily and shaking his head. He stepped back and busied himself with packing up his medical supplies. “We should leave now if we’re going to make it to Vir Ezzadh before midnight.”

“Yeah,” she agreed half-heartedly, already missing the warmth of his hands.

[she-is-ovarit]

Hello <3 I'm new to radical feminism and I wanted to know how to implement it in my life. I'm realising how passive I am, especially concerning men. I know I'm capable of good conversation and fixing genuine problems, and as a child I was fiercly competitive and took great pleasure in beating the boys at arm wrestling and sprinting. But at one point- I don't know when- I just gave up because I felt that my opinion as a woman needed to be tailored to that of the boys around me.

Just the idea of centering woman is daunting. It feels like a WHOLE new world has just appeared. Do you have any tips on how you interact with the world informed by radfems?

Thank you :)

Hey!

I do not necessarily consider myself a radical feminist so this question may be better answered by someone who is.

However, gender critical feminism I treat as more a philosophy or perspective I utilize in every day life to inform my decision making. A city planner and an ecologist on a walk through the city may have vastly different worldviews or ways of considering the urban space they are navigating. A city planner may be appreciating the buildings or finding flaws in their designs while an ecologist is observing the pigeons and mulling about effective ways to reduce waste runoff from the roads into the waterways.

The two of them might go home and be inspired to attempt to find research on the city. The city planner takes her observations from their walk earlier in the day and focuses her research to learn more about how the design of buildings within the city can be improved to better fit the needs and navigation of mothers with children, create more light around places where women seem to walk at night, and consider the location of where most women may be working and how far away they are to daycare centers to reduce the tax on mothers commuting to work while dropping their kids off at childcare centers.

The ecologist takes her observations from their walk earlier in the day and considers how to best tailor a study focusing on what ways may be best used to improve existing green spaces and wildlife habitat where women and children might be living, both to increase biodiversity and to help people's mental health. She may consider how to better nurture a relationship with women and children to nature and make a call to her city planner friend with the idea to build a learning garden, and learn about her friend's exciting plan to line the dark streets with lights. She ends the call with new homework to consider solutions in how to balance the conservation of the city's bat population and reducing environmental light pollution with women's safety.

This is a rough example of what focusing on female beings means to me. I like to do research on the myriad of nuances and ways in which women's lives are impacted. I read academic papers on Google Scholar or Pubmed through Sci-Hub, read books and PDFs on women's history and issues, learn about women's experiences through social media and from the women I talk to. I try to expand my learning the best I can on a global level, though sometimes focused knowledge on a specific place or group of women can be helpful. I then intersect or connect that knowledge with other learning and perspectives - science, Indigenous studies, prisons, psychology, history, etc.

The information and strength in learning these different perspectives and being able to consider women's place in them help me to center women in decision-making when it happens. Some women like to purchase only from women-owned businesses, choose to only date women if they're bisexual, abandon makeup, and/or only place energy on making and maintaining close female friendships and relationships. Some might create blogs focused on certain feminist topics, donate to women's charities, and join hobbies filled with predominantly women - such as rugby, book clubs, etc.

However, my biggest advice to you is to strengthen multi-disciplinary knowledge and maintain high standards for yourself. Do not just set boundaries, but learn about ways to enforce them while accepting that for some human beings - men or women - having boundaries set with them might piss them off. I like to learn skills in active listening and practice compassion and not taking reactions very personally women other women are angry with me. It doesn't mean that I need to submit to other women's ideas or agree with what they're saying, but to accept that their reaction is their reaction and be able to not have it linger too long in my mind, and learn if there's learning to do. This is an intersection of psychology and feminism.

I also like to seek out work that may especially help women. For example, I worked in a women's prison for awhile and I would like to obtain a job in higher ed since women constitute much of the student population. Having the experience of working within a prison may provide me with knowledge to help female students formerly incarcerated or who have had an incarcerated parent. I'm not seeking out work that would make me miserable for the sake of centering females, follow your passions and your natural interests and then just start considering and learning the ways it may relate to female beings, human or not, more broadly or within detailed ways. I also vote with considering how certain ballot measures may effect women particularly. Having multi-discplinary and intergenerational knowledge benefits me in making an informed voting choice, as is doing learning on systems thinking or the "bigger picture".

Finally - I suggest abandoning the idea or drive to be ideologically pure. It is not achievable and poor for mental health. We will not agree with every gender critical feminist or every radical feminist, nor will we achieve pure female centrism within every thought we have, word we speak, or action we take in life. We will not agree with every bisexual woman and we will not agree with every lesbian. Women are not a homogeneous group even within our subgroups, and even within our own online communities we do not all share the same ideas or hold the same perspectives on the environments we navigate. I remind myself to not only consider what beliefs I might hold, but place importance on what values I feel are important and to practice them in my communication. Authenticity, compassion, honesty, assertiveness, curiosity, etc.

Hope any of this was helpful!

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This Brooklyn, New York City firehouse was turned into a duplex with 2 very colorful residences. In 1895 it was a water tower, converted to a firehouse in 1903, and in 1974 it was the live/work for film maker Spike Lee. In the mid-1980s, the building was converted into two duplex loft apartments–and a multi-car garage. It’s currently for sale for $4.35M.

I like that copper ceiling. 

See how colorful it is, plus I love the pink. Though legally a two-family dwelling, the entire four-level townhouse–including two mezzanines–is currently being used as a 5,775-square-foot home.

On its main floor, the lower duplex offers an open great room and a colorful and fabulous open kitchen anchored by a solid wood island.

A convenient sleeping area is a perfect guest space.

In the upper duplex, the building’s third floor is suspended between two mezzanines in a loft-like layout.

This airy central space has a kitchen, a dining area, and a living room.

From the dining area, step through a glass block wall and custom sliding door onto the fabulous upper deck.

On the ground floor are two large bedrooms, a living room, and a full bath.

Through an impressive pair of wrought iron gates, a multi-car garage is a rare perk in the city.

https://www.6sqft.com/from-firehouse-to-spike-lees-movie-hq-this-4-35m-fort-greene-home-has-a-century-of-stories-to-tell/

[ruvviks]

🫵 you. hello. tell me. WHAT is jericho like. whats the vibe there. are there a lot of stores. a lot of clubs,, Whats going on there. i need to know. would i want to live there

HIII THANK YOU SO MUCH!! so for people who don't know anything about this story yet, you can find a bunch of general information here and the current cast for the story here! the story is centered around jericho which i'll talk more about under the cut :^) it's pretty lengthy as always sorry i have a lot to say

so jericho is a big city on the west coast of the united states, located in the south of oregon. it's a hotspot for vampires specifically because of its rich vampire history and culture, and it has actual accommodations for vampires allowing them to work day shifts in special departments or in the underground part of town which is a rare sight in the united states

in appearance it's like any other big city as we know it in our universe but with a significant modern and Almost futuristic twist, meaning the business district would be a lot larger and it almost has night city vibes in terms of bright night life but with our modern day technology. on top of that, it's kind of mixed with the vibes of 80s cities, as if buildings and cars and whatnot have been kind of stuck in that time period but simultaneously upgraded over the years (sort of a retro-futuristic vibe to it like fallout but more comparable to 80s las vegas, new york, chicago, los angeles, etc)

the city has a heavy focus on being accessible for all, meaning there is reliable and relatively affordable public transport, big sidewalks with enough space for wheelchair users and baby strollers etc, as well as well-maintained roads for regular traffic (though in the suburbs it's more common to run into pot holes). it even includes cycle paths in the suburbs and the shopping areas of downtown; in those shopping areas general traffic is prohibited as well, turning it into a walking and cycling area where only public transport is allowed to pass through

the underground part of town is located in the busy center, allowing a few office buildings and skyscrapers to have up to three basement levels which can be reached through elevators inside the building or their entrance underground. it also includes the lower levels of a huge and modern shopping mall, one of the town's most visited locations. surface access goes through tunnels and large stairs similar to stairs leading to the metro; the metro itself also has a direct connection, allowing vampires to travel underground to their workplace during the day instead of having to take above ground transport

the underground area also features one apartment building with shops, allowing some vampires to live there as well! more apartment buildings are under construction, as the underground area is still slowly expanding. it's definitely strange to find yourself in that part of town but with its continuous air flow, temperature stabilizers, and well-lit streets (safe for vampires of course) it's relatively easy to get used to, as the space does not feel claustrophobic at all. but it's certainly not for everyone, but luckily no one's being forced to spend time there

much like with night city, there's so much going on in jericho that it's very easy to spend your whole life in that city with areas you've just never visited before. even without the underground area it's a multi-level city, its business district characterized by the big walkways above road level, connecting buildings and large balconies / terraces with shops, marketplaces, and food stalls together. its infrastructure is incredibly extensive to the point it can be overwhelming to an outsider, but it's also very straightforward and allows you to get from one place to another in a lot of different ways following different routes, rather than making it easier to get lost

because of its large vampire populace, the city is still very busy at night. a lot of typical night shifts (in security, 24/7 retail jobs, firefighters, medics, etc) are filled by vampires, but they also own most of jericho's night life with bars, nightclubs, and casinos. most of these spaces are mixed human/vampire spaces, letting them exist together in peace with special rules that prohibits feeding and violence; but there are definitely a good chunk of vampire-only clubs, limited to vampires and, surprisingly, vampire hunters specifically, who often show up in those circles for jobs

dynamics between humans, vampires, and vampire hunters are different all over the world, but in jericho specifically the lines blur a LOT. there's only very little vampire hunters who want to kill all vampires and they're rarely found in jericho; most hunters only deal with actual threats, such as withered vampires, vampires who cannot control their feral sense, nests, and vampire spawns. especially in jericho there's a lot of these problems because there's just a lot of vampires, and most vampire hunters focus on gigs like that. there's even plenty of vampires who lend their temporary services to hunters to help track down a nest, or deal with a particularly strong withered vampire. that's what these vampire nightclubs are for; business :^)

but the clubs are also for fun of course and there's enough dancing going on, there's the best blood available at bars (for a pretty high price unless you're a vip), and most vampire clubs have other means of entertainment as well, one of these being carousel which is a russian roulette type game played in groups of vampires, sometimes even with vampire hunters! yes there's the possibility of death in there but that's what makes it exciting to play. there's a lot of rules to carousel and i won't go into all that now but heavenly, the main character of the story, is very good at it

vampires in this universe originate from the fae, which is where some of their special abilities come from which differ from bloodline to bloodline. but as a general rule, all vampires live by some sort of unspoken moral code which upholds the balance in the world between vampires, humans, and vampire hunters. feeding is necessary; but feeding and killing are two different things, as well as feeding and turning another human. these processes are treated as different things and while feeding is not a crime, killing IS still considered a crime in most vampire circles, and turning someone can have dire consequences which can disrupt the balance. vampire hunters should be treated with caution, but unless they make themselves a threat, they should not be treated as one, and while you don't have to treat them as your friend you should not treat them as your enemy either unless you have a good reason to

this moral code is respected by the other parties involved as well, which is why in bigger cities vampire hunters can safely enter vampire clubs and walk out of it alive, and can start business or even friendships or more with the vampire lords and ladies in town; and in smaller towns a vampire hunter passing through is treated as pest control if anything, presumably there to take care of a nest or a withered vampire which if left undealt with could become a problem for vampires as well, as its presence could cause local human groups to take action against them

and jericho serves as the hotspot for this code. it wasn't necessarily created here, since it's been an unspoken rulebook for vampires for centuries at this point, but when you think about vampires and vampire hunters teaming up on gigs to get rid of a nest that's spreading disease in a neighborhood, you think of jericho. when you think of a hunter getting patched up by a vampire street doc at 3am at night in exchange for a little bit of their blood for the vampire to feed on, you think of jericho. when you think of a group of young vampires defending some human partygoers from a vampire with activated feral sense, you think of jericho

so yeah i think that sums up what the city is like pretty well! as always if anyone has any more questions feel free to shoot them my way :^)

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Snippet: Salt Line Part II Chapter 4

It was only early afternoon by the time he left the Citadel. The white film of clouds covering the sky seemed to leech the saturation of all colour. At least in the upper level of Insomnia, where most buildings were made of pale stone, metal, concrete and glass. Cor squinted at the bright silver disc that was the sun and hoped this was not some kind of omen.

He left the governmental district, which was relatively empty of passers-by. The main street was much more crowded. Children and teenagers after school meeting up, adults with toddlers or pets on their way to the nearby park, people just relaxing and appreciating their after-work hours. A Galahkari woman, dressed in greens and golds and browns stood next to a bookshop and looked at him with piercing eyes.

Cor froze, all hairs on his neck stood on end. A small child ran into his left knee, but he didn't even budge or react when the crying started and the mother arrived. All his attention zeroed in on the Galahkari woman. She was tall, with long black hair wound in complicated braids and full of beads and bones. Her skirts were long and multi-layered, their colour complimenting her dark skin. There was a shawl that looked like it was made of silk feathers, artfully draped around her shoulders, accentuating her bare arms. Cor might not be able to see the colour of her eyes from such a distance, but he just knew they were gold.

Their eyes met and the air between them grew tense like a live-wire. Power brushed against his. A greeting. A warning. Suddenly the bones in her hair didn't just seem to be decorations. Cor felt something in his facial structure shift in response. An acknowledgement. A challenge. The Galahkari woman tilted her head.

Just who was she? What was she?

Even at this distance, from that brief, controlled brush of her power against his, could he tell that she was too human to be fae, but too old to be human. The taste of slowly rotting greenery bloomed on his tongue.

He took a step forward, his gaze never leaving her. She did not move a muscle, but from one moment to the next, she was gone. Gone, as if she had never been there at all. The people around Cor kept moving as if nothing had happened. As if the woman and her wordless warning had been nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

Cor growled, low and deep enough humans could not hear it. Still the people moved to give him more space, their instincts telling them to keep their distance. He crossed the street in a large loping gate until he reached the spot where the woman had been standing. The taste of rotting greenery grew nearly nauseating, joined by the feeling of bird claws tearing at his muscles from the inside and something scaly slithering across his skin and squeezing.

Knowing it was futile but still needing to move, Cor searched along the nearby alleyways, but could find neither hide nor hair of the woman. In the current weather her striking green skirts would have been like a beacon.

Frustrated, and asking himself what by Pitioss he was doing, he returned to the main street and continued on his way. However he could not shake the feeling that something important had happened. Something of which he could not predict the consequences. Should he ask one of the Galahkari who the woman had been? Would they even give him an answer?

No matter what, he would need to inform Regis and Pax of the new dangerous element within the city. Only Chaos knew what she would do other than delivering a nebulous warning Cor couldn't quite grasp the shape of.