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chromaticramblings · 10 months

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book review - ecotopia by ernest callenbach

Ecotopia, written by ernest callenbach in the 1970s, describes a world in which the land regions previously known as northern california, washington, and oregon secede from the rest of the united states and create their own nation, the nation of Ecotopia. the principles of sustainability and circular economy are central to this new nation.

here are my thoughts on some things covered in the book, i hope that this reaches someone else who's read it and we can share thoughts!

(this will include spoilers. however, the nature of the book is not a narrative, and is rather a presentation of ideas. therefore reading this post will not ruin the book for you if you choose to read it)

one of the greatest thought experiments Ecotopia undertakes is that of ideal urban planning. in that respect, the book is pretty cool! they hypothetical nation of Ecotopia describes San Francisco as a central city hub, from which spokes of public transport emerge and run to smaller city towns. these towns take the place of suburbs, which were razed during the country’s Independence / reconstruction era. (wooooo!!) public transport abounds and runs at a high speed of 30 mph, which is all you really need since the urban centers are so densely built and multi use. Between city towns are managed forests (actual forests! not monocultures) as well as natural land which has been allowed to restore itself.

people live in flexible communes that typically work together to produce something, whether that be a farming commune, fishing commune, artist communes, or business / science communes that invent things. everyone has a universal base income that is just minimal enough to reasonably get by, allowing people to pursue art or a risky startup without fear of dying. which i think is really cool! necessity breeds innovation yes but you need security too. work culture in Ecotopia is also vastly different, as the boundary between work and leisure and personal time is eroded, which may seem like a bad thing but the consequence of the UBI system means that most Ecotopians actually Like their work and choose to do it of their own free will. crazy huh.

houses are typically made of wood, which to me raised a suspicion flag, cause this is the Bay Area we’re talking about, which is Humid as Shit, and the Ecotopians have phased out paint due to it containing heavy metals. which good for them i guess but those houses are gonna rot lmfao. i took the liberty of imagining they are proofed with sealant made from the biodegradable, non petroleum based plastic the Ecotopians had developed and manufactured. while wood is the building material of choice, houses are also built from large tubes of insulated bioplastic, which are joined at the whim of the family or commune creating the house. (there are no architects, everyone builds their own houses themselves to suit their needs.) these houses are cheap and accessible, and zoning laws seem to be nonexistent, making homelessness a nonissue.

in terms of materials, everything in Ecotopia is renewable and has a full zero waste lifecycle. wood is the material of choice. the only metal Ecotopians use comes from scavenged cars and machinery of the pre seccession era. Ecotopians still manufacture plastic, but most kinds of it are fully biodegradable in a few days. when a lasting material is needed, a different type of plastic is used; this kind will not degrade until it is in full contact with soil. given how important disposable plastic is for applications such as research, i'm glad this was considered and accounted for in this book instead of throwing it off as a "we don't need plastic anymore kumbaya" kinda vibe.

culture wise, there is a lack of emotional restraint which the book’s narrator, a visitor from NYC, frequently comments on. hugs and physical affection between all relationships and genders are normalized. there also seems to be an insistence on small talk as a way to humanize those working “lesser skilled” jobs. honestly i found this a bit annoying, as i don’t think small talk is necessarily indicative of human connection, and that a truly emotionally attuned people would be okay with giving space when necessary. but i thought it was nice to acknowledge that all people are people, even while working “subservient” jobs.

ok so those were the things i liked.

criticism #1.

WILLIAM WESTON STOP BEING A FUCKING MISOGYNIST CHALLENGE

alternatively:

ERNEST CALLENBACH WRITE ONE (1) WOMAN WHO ISN’T A SEX OBJECT CHALLENGE

NO, THE WOMAN WHO YOU DESCRIBED AS UNATTRACTIVE WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE IN A POSITION OF POWER DOES NOT COUNT

god jesus christ

over the course of his adventures, journalist William Weston encounters many fellows (men) and new friends whom he talks around the fire with (men). he also encounters Marissa, a beautiful wild woman, exotic and mysterious who runs through the forest, cares deeply for trees, stares into his soul with her plain face and round dark eyes, and has sex with him twenty four hours three hundred sixty five days a year.

he also encounters Linda, an attractively sarcastic yet caring nurse, who nurses his injuries, jacks him off, and consumes him with thoughts of when he “will be healed enough to fuck her properly”. (direct quote)

in addition to the misogyny, there appears to be a fair amount of gender essentialism in Ecotopian society, something I found disappointing. Ecotopian clothes are sharply gendered. (from my understanding of Ecotopian values, i’d expect everyone to be wearing skirts due to the ease of manufacture and resulting ease of movement.) women are described to have an “air of fertility” (yes, actually). the governing party is made up of women, due to womens’ “natural competency regarding cooperation and diplomacy rather than competition”. the only sport in the country, the ritual war games, is barred to women. (it’s actually remarked later in the book that in Ecotopian psychology offices, it is often women who come in with issues of untamed aggression, and attributes it to their exclusion from the games. i wonder what a solution could be 🤔) thankfully work is not gendered, but it appears the social spheres of men and women rarely intersect, as Weston socializes and discusses ideas with a fair amount of men, and no women. perhaps for the better, as he’d be too distracted trying to fuck them to have a discussion of any substance.

queer pairings are also mentioned offhand, but they serve the purpose of emphasizing the Ecotopian's open attitudes towards sex and intimacy. queerness is treated as a sexual quirk rather than as an orientation.

in addition to the disappointing sexism / heterosexism, there's a good amount of racism. different races live segregated. although this is a conscious choice by the inhabitants, it still strikes as somewhat odd that there wouldn't be a way for humans to maintain their culture while living in an integrated society. many of the barriers to race equality in our current system are abolished in Ecotopia; the cheapness of the bioplastic houses makes it accessible for anyone to own a house anywhere, and the ease with which people can start their own enterprises reduces employment barriers significantly. therefore i'd expect integration between races to be a significant achievement of the Ecotopians. the writing itself is also racist. callenbach makes distinctions while describing the cultures of the nonwhite populations that make it clear that white is the default of Ecotopia, and all other cultures are side notes. also, callenbach makes no mention of an Ecotopian prison system (an aspect of society that no doubt merits analysis) until he mentions the Black community. sir what is up with that 🤨

there's also a lot to be said of callenbach's treatment of Indigenous ideas. the Ecotopians take a lot of inspiration from classic Indigenous principles, such as living in balance with the earth's natural resources and respecting nonhuman life, and Indigenous clothing styles. however, this feels rather appropriative rather than appreciative, and there are no actual Indigenous characters in the book. i would expect that such an empathetic society which takes direct principles from Indigenous culture would appreciate and honor the Indigenous people within that society rather than just shamelessly taking their culture, especially given the context that Ecotopians are ex citizens of the united states, the country which caused the Indigenous communities in that area so much harm.

overall, i think this book's strengths lie in its rethinking of what society could be like without work as its central focus. i love the UBI system, the reduced work week, and the attitude of work as something to enjoy rather than something to get over with. i also love that the nation's economic fall wasn't skipped over. i think its important to realize that many policies which would improve human health and quality of life would also lower our GDP, and that maybe that's perfectly fine. maybe human lives matter more than how rich a nation is. despite all these strengths, however, the sexism and racism cannot be overlooked; they made me almost put the book down several times. this book is clearly a product of its time, written by a white man. in keeping with good critical thinking practices, its important to recognize what ideas are good to keep and what needs to be thrown out.

tldr: great ideas about an alternative structure for society, unfortunately sexist and racist as well. 6/10

#gonna spam tags in hopes that it finds someone who's read it •_•#ecotopia #ecopunk #solarpunk #urban planning #utopia #sustainability #ecology #sci fi novels #sci fi #environmentalism #currently reading #books #bookblr #politics #public transportation #ernest callenbach #UBI #book review

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prismadog · 1 year

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guess who just finished the refined line-art for their Jimnoth au...that's right, it's me, I got the character concepts drawn. they're still uncolored (and they'll probably remain that way for a long time, but hey, I got them drawn at least)

I also plan at a later date to make some posts regarding the characters' backgrounds, not seriously long posts like this (hopefully), but kinda just the basics like their family or empire - there is SO much that's locked up in my brain that needs to be spilled.

there's several images below - the full height chart plus close-ups - and I'm going to include some details below each image. this is going to be a bit of a long post, but hope y'all enjoy!

[from left to right] row 1: Shrub, Katherine, Joel, Fwhip, Gem, Joey, Sausage row 2: Pixlriffs, Pearl, Scott, Xornoth, Jimmy, Lizzie

Shrub - 4'3" / 129.5 Katherine - 5'4" / 162.6 Joel - 5'8" / 172.7

Shrub

Shrub has many scars from her childhood because she grew up in the Nether in a crimson forest. she was raised as a farmer but knew a good deal about fighting because a close friend used to be a warrior.

the piercings she has on her ears are made of gold - gold keeps piglins calm, though her earrings wouldn't have been enough. before coming to the Overworld, she had gold bands on her wrists.

the mushroom hat and boots are just for aesthetics because of where she grew up [these may be colored like the crimson mushrooms later on]. the gnomes of her village had mushroom accessories to help them blend in with their surroundings.

she has a very distinct lack of breasts due to her being a part of a very androgynous, "sexless" race - they still have the concept of gender but they don't have the male/female sexes. this means that Shrub essentially has pecs instead of breasts, very muscled ones because she is a tiny strong boi who could bench press an average man

Katherine

Katherine is a faerie with cat features - it is very common for the faeries of the Overgrown to have features of some sort of animal.

she walks around barefoot because she likes the feel of the grass on her feet, but also because it makes her feel grounded - she will wear shoes on occasion, specifically when she's going to other empires

Katherine has several piercings, something that was influenced by her childhood friend Scott - some are silver and some are gold.

the bands she wears are engraved with blessings from her people - long life, love, good will, strength, and courage. this is a common type of gift from one faerie to another.

due to her cat-eyes, she can see very well in the dark, and she has exceptional hearing thanks to her large ears.

Joel

Joel is a very chill guy who wears light, but very detailed clothing - those of Mezalea live in a hot and humid area and believe it would be suicidal to wear heavy clothing (like the real King of Mezalea on the youtubes)

he doesn't care much about shoes because he likes the feel of the clay and moss on his feet - he will however wear shoes on occasion if he's traveling to any cold biome (ie Scott's empire).

the symbol of his people and his empire is the Mother Tree [design was inspired by the Celtic tree of life] and he wears it proudly - it was the Mother Tree who allowed Mezalea to blossom and it was also the Mother Tree that breathed life into Joel himself [more on this later in a future post]

he is a bit on the thicker side due not only to how bountiful the food is in Mezalea - their main food source is horse - but also because he works a lot with large, heavy blocks of clay and moves statues around near-daily. [not shown] his hands and clothes are often stained with clay because he likes to sculpt figures and statues.

Fwhip - 5'10" / 177.8 Gem - 5'11" / 180.3

Fwhip

Fwhip is a mischievous guy that wears quite a bit of clothing for not only aesthetic but also out of necessity because of his work in the labs - the scarf was made by his (and his siblings') mother when he was little.

he, like his twin Gem and his little brother Sausage, have some form of dragon features because while their mother was human, their father was not - however, for much of Fwhip's life, he only had the horns, the wings came later on when the Grimlands blessed him with power when Xornoth tried to corrupt the land.

Fwhip broke his right horn in a lab accident when he was a teen - he thinks it makes him look badass.

[not pictured] he has some scarring in multiple places - burns and cuts - from various incidents during his experiments.

Gem

Gem wears thicker clothing because the Crystal Cliffs can get quite cold - any hats she may wear all have holes made in them to allow room for her horns.

unlike her twin, Gem does not have wings, but instead she has a near-endless supply of magic, something that neither of her bothers naturally possess - this was a point of contention between them all in their younger years.

the moon and stars she wears represent her empire of the Crystal Cliffs

she carries around a Wither Rose that's been preserved with magic - it's something that she and her brothers share, though they have their roses in safe-keeping in their homes.

Joey - 5'11" / 180.3 Sausage - 6'0" / 182.9

Joey

Joey is an avian with multi-colored wings [not shown] - his family is the only one in the Maztec empire that is avian, everyone else is a cat-person.

he is also fairly light, not bird-light, but just much lighter than the average person due to being an avian.

he wears very little, very loose clothing because 1) it makes him look hot as fuck and 2) the jungle he resides in is hot as fuck

the bands and other jewelry are common-place in the Maztec empire, as well as tattoos - tattoos are seen as a sign of strength and beauty, strength because it takes a strong person to endure the tattooing process and beauty because they're just into that.

the symbol that adorns all of Joey's clothing represents everlasting life - something his people worship unconditionally. the other symbol that sometimes accompanies the symbol of immortality [the flame/heart thing on the sash] represents the Eternal Flame, the Heart of the Maztec empire.

Sausage

Sausage, like his siblings, has dragon horns, though his are much smaller than theirs' because he's several years younger than they are - the three hellions of the Wither Rose Alliance are a few years older than one would assume.

the scar on his face was given to him in a training accident when he was a child - he almost lost his eye but thanks to the clerics and mages in Mythland, they were able to heal his eye.

he's a bit heavier than his siblings because Mythland loves their feasts and festivals, also he has quite a bit of muscle from how hard he trains with a sword.

the symbols on his gloves are a sign of his contract with Xornoth - he gave up his soul to the demon just as the demon gave their soul to Exor.

Pixlriffs - 6'0" / 182.9 Pearl - 6'4" / 193.0

Pixlriffs

Pixlriffs looks older than the other rulers, but that doesn't mean he's the oldest by any means, or does it? he plays the role of father to not only Pixandria but also his family/alliance members - Joel, Lizzie, and Jimmy.

he has lightning markings from his right hand down to his left foot - these aren't scars or tattoos but actually a blessing from the thunder gods marking him as their Champion. he is also blessed by the Goddess of Death and is Her prophet, though, he doesn't have any markings to represent that, not that he needs any. She instead gives him visions and a deep connection with the Vigil.

the clothing of Pixandria is simple, lightweight, and usually colored in neutral tones, specifically in the range of white to sand-colored. the designs are embroidered by hand and many include the symbol of Pixandria - the Death's-head Hawkmoth.

each of the charms and symbols on his clothing, minus the star on his headpiece and the copper symbol on his bands, are designs taken from the Death's-head Hawkmoth itself.

[extra fact] as well as beekeeping, Pixandria is home to Death's-head Hawkmoths and vultures, and both are seen as sacred creatures.

Pearlescent Moon

Pearl was originally a scarecrow built from cloth and straw, made by a lonely farmer who wanted to protect his crops. she spent many years protecting his fields and wished desperately to return the love the farmer had shown her through his tributes and gifts - the most extravagant being a simple pearl that he fashioned into a necklace.

the God of the Sun and of Life, granted her wish and she became the Guardian of the Harvest. from then on she watched over the farmer's fields, and later the fields of anyone who settled nearby. the people gave her the title "Queen" because they saw her as the protector and ruler of Guilded Hilanthia.

she has large golden wings that grew over time due to the magic in the land and the blessings of the Harvest. they, like the rest of her, are speckled from being under the sun for countless hours.

her clothes are very simple and light for ease of movement, whether she's strolling through the fields or protecting her lands and people from danger.

her symbols are the moon for the pearl around her neck, and sunflowers for her loyalty to her people and because it symbolizes the harvest.

Scott - 6'9" / 205.7 Xornoth - 6'9" / 205.7

Scott

Scott is an elf with large snowy owl wings, something that is fairly common in his family - there are other elves that have wings but they are the minority. unlike Joey, he is not an avian, he's just a winged elf.

the symmetrical golden antlers are a blessing from Aeor and mark Scott as His Champion.

beauty and fashion are very important to the elves of Rivendell and many will wear as much jewelry as they can. Scott is no exception - he has multiple piercings with glittering diamond charms, and to match his earrings, he had charms and jewelry crafted for his antlers.

the clothing of Rivendell is thick and trimmed in fur because while the elves are a hardy people, they can still get cold from living high up in the mountains. for most outfits, there are symbols of Aeor and Rivendell stitched into the clothing.

Scott, while being on the thinner side, is actually quite toned beneath the layers of warm clothing - he needs to be in order to support his large wings and fly with them.

Xornoth

Xornoth is currently a demon, though, they once were an elf just like their younger twin Scott. and like their brother, they once had snowy owl wings, but those were stolen by the God Exor - [not shown] there are ragged scars on Xornoth's back where their wings used to be.

Exor also blessed Xornoth with their own set of antlers, though unlike Scott's, their antlers are twisted and covered in thorn-like spines. after they were blessed by the dark god and became His Champion, their body twisted as well and transformed into that of a demon.

they have several piercings, a product of their previous life as an elf of Rivendell, though the jewelry they wear is far from fancy - it's just simple silver and gold. the bands they wear are engraved with their contract to Exor. the rings on their fingers are the only thing they kept after becoming Champion - the one on their left index finger is actually a gift from their brother.

Xornoth has many scars due to the hundreds of years they spent in exile in the Nether. they literally fought to survive, but was eventually able to become a force to be reckoned with that no resident of the Nether wanted to fight, save of course, for Shrub who's village was terrorized by the demon.

there's not many options to get new clothes so they wear a simple, stitched together skirt that they made with their own hands, not that they really care that much anymore about modesty. [I didn't wanna draw demon dick, hence, skirt]

Jimmy - 7'4" / 223.5 Lizzie - 8'0" / 243.8

Jimmy

Jimmy is one of two eggs remaining from a batch of hundreds - their parent was a mighty eldritch beast blessed by the Deity that ruled over the Ocean and the singular batch of eggs was a sign of their bond. sadly, the war between the gods Aeor and Exor killed their eldritch parent and crushed their seablings' eggs. he was raised by his elder sister, Lizzie, who hatched several years before he did.

[not shown] his hair is colored yellow to better fit in with the cod people but his actual hair color is a soft pink (much like Lizzie's minecraft skin), which goes well with the pearlescent pink scales that cover his body.

like his sister, he has quite a few scars gathered over the years from fights against the salmon, the worst one being the spiderweb scar over his left eye. this scar was one of the first he got, during the first salmon war when he was still a child, and because of it, he is actually blind in his left eye.

he's fairly muscular because swimming around in the ocean for hundreds, if not thousands, of years can really build up a person's body. though, he does actually have a bit of fat because the ocean is also a very cold place and fat is a natural defense against the cold.

his outfit is simple and lightweight, and fairly loose because he has the ability to transform his legs into a tail. he also has the ability to change his size, though it really only happens when he takes on his merfolk form [more on this in a future post]. he wears rain boots because 1) he thinks they're fashionable, 2) they're easy to take on and off, and 3) he lives in a swamp. as for his leggings, those were specially made for him and are designed to represent the Cod Empire.

he doesn't wear many accessories but what he does wear mean a lot to him - the cloth bracelet is stitched with symbols of his family/alliance - Lizzie, Joel, and Pixlriffs. the pins on his top and the buckle on his belt are gifts from the cod people, and the gold circlet on his head is a sign of his being the Cod Empire's ruler. the circlet is a direct replacement after the cod mask and helmet were stolen from him.

Lizzie

Lizzie is the eldest of the two remaining eggs from their parents, and has deemed herself Jimmy's guardian and caretaker - she did raise him from a hatchling afterall. she is actually the healthier of the two because during the destruction of the batch of eggs, Jimmy's was damaged and her's was not.

[not shown] her hair is sort of two-toned where soft pink gradiates into a soft blue. the scales that cover her skin are a pearlescent blue instead of pink like her brother's.

she's covered in scars from all the many years that she's lived in the oceans and fought off any dangers that would threaten her or her brother - the dangers in question are mostly from battles with the salmon that terrorize the ocean, but also fisherman and pirates.

because she's a merfolk, she doesn't have breasts like a human female would - there's no need for breasts, nor nipples to that extent, because merfolk hatch from eggs. she does, however, have what is essentially a nice set of pecs because she's very strong and gets quite the workout from swimming around the ocean.

her outfit is very loose and quite revealing because she, like many merfolk, doesn't really care much about being modest - they usually have tails anyway instead of legs so there's not really anything to hide. she really only wears shoes when she visits other empires, specifically those with more extreme biomes, ie, Rivendell, Pixandria, the Maztec empire, etc.

she doesn't wear much for jewelry but she does have a few pins - an axolotl and one from the Cod Empire. she also likes the fishing lures that she finds in the ocean - the hooks on the lures are filed down to a point where they're no longer dangerous. she does, however, have one main accessory that she cherishes and that's the cloth bracelet stitched with the symbols of her family/alliance - Jimmy, Joel, and Pixlriffs.

#empires smp fanfiction #jimnoth au #to love my enemy au #jimnoth character concepts lineart #prismadog art #this has been several months in the making due to lack of energy and getting obsessed with vault hunters #I'm actually really proud of finally finishing the lineart for the character concepts - now all I have to do is color them!#haha that's not gonna happen for awhile cause I need a break from this #I might work on some other artwork or start working on the rewrite for to love my enemy - I'm feeling in the mood to write

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