#cities of etc

[hamletthedane]

I was meeting a client at a famous museum’s lounge for lunch (fancy, I know) and had an hour to kill afterwards so I joined the first random docent tour I could find. The woman who took us around was a great-grandmother from the Bronx “back when that was nothing to brag about” and she was doing a talk on alternative mediums within art.

What I thought that meant: telling us about unique sculpture materials and paint mixtures.

What that actually meant: an 84yo woman gingerly holding a beautifully beaded and embroidered dress (apparently from Ukraine and at least 200 years old) and, with tears in her eyes, showing how each individual thread was spun by hand and weaved into place on a cottage floor loom, with bright blue silk embroidery thread and hand-blown beads intricately piercing the work of other labor for days upon days, as the labor of a dozen talented people came together to make something so beautiful for a village girl’s wedding day.

What it also meant: in 1948, a young girl lived in a cramped tenement-like third floor apartment in Manhattan, with a father who had just joined them after not having been allowed to escape through Poland with his pregnant wife nine years earlier. She sits in her father’s lap and watches with wide, quiet eyes as her mother’s deft hands fly across fabric with bright blue silk thread (echoing hands from over a century years earlier). Thread that her mother had salvaged from white embroidery scraps at the tailor’s shop where she worked and spent the last few days carefully dying in the kitchen sink and drying on the roof.

The dress is in the traditional Hungarian fashion and is folded across her mother’s lap: her mother doesn’t had a pattern, but she doesn’t need one to make her daughter’s dress for the fifth grade dance. The dress would end up differing significantly from the pure white, petticoated first communion dresses worn by her daughter’s majority-Catholic classmates, but the young girl would love it all the more for its uniqueness and bright blue thread.

And now, that same young girl (and maybe also the villager from 19th century Ukraine) stands in front of us, trying not to clutch the old fabric too hard as her voice shakes with the emotion of all the love and humanity that is poured into the labor of art. The village girl and the girl in the Bronx were very different people: different centuries, different religions, different ages, and different continents. But the love in the stitches and beads on their dresses was the same. And she tells us that when we look at the labor of art, we don’t just see the work to create that piece - we see the labor of our own creations and the creations of others for us, and the value in something so seemingly frivolous.

But, maybe more importantly, she says that we only admire this piece in a museum because it happened to survive the love of the wearer and those who owned it afterwards, but there have been quite literally billions of small, quiet works of art in billions of small, quiet homes all over the world, for millennia. That your grandmother’s quilt is used as a picnic blanket just as Van Gogh’s works hung in his poor friends’ hallways. That your father’s hand-painted model plane sets are displayed in your parents’ livingroom as Grecian vases are displayed in museums. That your older sister’s engineering drawings in a steady, fine-lined hand are akin to Da Vinci’s scribbles of flying machines.

I don’t think there’s any dramatic conclusions to be drawn from these thoughts - they’ve been echoed by thousands of other people across the centuries. However, if you ever feel bad for spending all of your time sewing, knitting, drawing, building lego sets, or whatever else - especially if you feel like you have to somehow monetize or show off your work online to justify your labor - please know that there’s an 84yo museum docent in the Bronx who would cry simply at the thought of you spending so much effort to quietly create something that’s beautiful to you.

#shut up e #long post #Saturday thoughts #this has been in my drafts for a week haha #also this is the heart of why AI art feels so wrong #forget the discussion of copyright and theft etc - even if models were only trained on public domain they would still feel very wrong #because they’re not art. art is the labor of creation #even commercial art and art commissioned by the popes and kings of history: there is humanity in the labor of it #unrelated: I did not know living in the Bronx was now something to brag about. How the fuck do y’all New Yorkers afford this city???

[perfectlyripeclementine]

calling my lover "mine" but not in the way that my toothbrush or notebook are mine, mine in the way my neighborhood is mine, and also everybody else's, "mine" like mine to tend to, mine to care for, mine to love. "mine" not like possession but devotion.

#nonbinary love #nblnb yearning #nb4nb #nblnb #wholesomeposting #yearning hours #ive been thinking about how some languages dont have a possessive tense #so you dont say “i have a thing” but rather “a thing is by me” #and like im not usually one for psycho linguistics and like critical thoughts etc etc etc #but i really like the framework of responsibility/commitment rather than ownership #i think about this mostly in terms of ecology #and relation to land #but i also love it as it applies to language shared between lovers #like i LOVE calling them mine or for them to call me theirs #but i'm also nonmonog and that was kinda weird to square for a while #and it clicked one time when i was talking about my neighborhood and i was like well #when i say my neighborhood or my city it's understood i'm not taking it away from anybody else #its understood i just mean the city where i live #so why cant we apply the same to lovers? #mine in the way i want to show up for you again and again #ok #done now

[reasonsforhope]

Sometimes you just have one of those moments where the progress we've made as a culture get thrown into stark relief. You look at something and go "Holy shit, that would never have happened when I was a kid."

Today, I had one of those moments when I realized that the teenage boys I'm working with are just. genuinely, openly enthusiastic about going to Build-a-Bear for their outing.

These are sixteen and seventeen year old boys! They just had a whole conversation about what to name their "cute", mostly new squishmallows! They're genuinely excited that they're going to Build-a-Bear this weekend and asking other kids to pick up specific accessories for them!!

Holy shit, that never would've happened when I was 16. None of the boys would have dared to be visibly interested - and neither would most of the girls! There would have been a million gay jokes and "Haha, you're a girl" jokes and "What are you, a baby?" jokes. Teenagers weren't even supposed to care about anything back then!

Less than 15 years later, and I'm watching three 17 year old boys treat all that as not even worthy of comment.

So let's call that a reason for hope. Even when the kids aren't alright, in some ways apparently they are alright. Go Gen Z, honestly. It's so lovely to watch you guys just openly doing and saying stuff that, when I was a teen, would've been a social death sentence.

#obligatory disclaimer that this really really obviously is not universal #I do live in a major progressive city #there's definitely a level of a liberal bubble effect here #but it's still really powerful to see it #because even in a major liberal enclave there were so many limits on the gender roles and homophobia etc. etc. fronts #and also the limits of the oppressive weight of obligatory teen apathy lol #seriously go gen z. so glad you guys decided cringe is dead. I love you for that so much #and I love it for you #not news #life #hope #homophobia #sexism #teens #teenagers #progress #gen z #btw if it wasn't clear I'm a #millennial #plush toy #plushie #squishmallows #build a bear #stuffed animal #like the idea of almost any teenager much less teenage boys #saying IN FRONT OF THEIR PEERS #that they are excited about their STUFFED ANIMALS #when I was a teenager #????? #cannot imagine that ever happening.

[communistkenobi]

something I don’t see people bring up a lot when talking about worldbuilding, especially when you’re creating cities, is wind. prevailing winds in many places in the northern hemisphere blow from west -> east, and because industrial production tended to take place in the centre of cities, workers would live downwind of factories while the wealthier classes would live on the other side, away from air pollutants, which is why a lot of cities have a poor east-end and a rich west-end, a spatial configuration that persists in many places that are now post-industrial

and in general the built environment has a durability to it that persists far past the historical moments that produce those configurations. this means that the stated aims of a city via a vis city planning are frequently at odds with the physical layout of the city itself. so if you want to create a city that feels like it has a long history to it, working through its earlier stages of production can help with decisions you make about its layout, and also allow for weird spatial contradictions in a city that has to constantly fight against its own physical history

#geography #note hell #this works for non industrial cities also you just need to modify it #like a lack of industrial standardisation probably also means roads are not standardised #etc #I don’t know very much about city layouts in pre-industrial history #so on my part it would be more speculative

[siggiedraws]

1st Mission: Escape from the military pursuit!

This was made for Emi Jones' City Escape cover!

HUDless version:

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic adventure 2 #sonic #city escape #sth #my art #wanted to incorporate as many details from gameplay as i could #hence the sparkle trail when collecting rings #how his feet go sideways when he grinds on the rail while crouching #etc

[galina]

Debris of a dinner party, which is to say, debris of love

#back to the old house #when everyone goes outside to smoke and before you step out you take in the scene; the empty glasses; etc #diary #london #winter #dinner #dinner party #city #interiors #spaces #nostalgia #warm #cosy #late night

[gummybearstastelikesadness]

The Bat kids trying to do more civilian things to be less suspicious. But Steph ends up being the one to plan everything, leading to them all ending up doing things from a “25+ Things Your Teenage Daughter Can Do For Fun” webpage.

Duke: “Ok so number 12 says get your ears pierced.”

Dick: “I know a place!”

•••

Tim and Cass: *looking at earrings*

Damian: “Richard are you sure this establishment is… sanitary?”

Jason: “Oh is the great blood son afraid of a,” glances at store name, “Claire’s?”

#batman #damian wayne #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #duke thomas #batfam #batkids #would Gotham even have a Clare’s? like would they have to go to a different city entirely to find one? #batman prompt #They all end up getting their nails and hair done with half of them also getting it dyed #they get new experimental wardrobes. crash a prom. talk about boys. etc #they don’t even realize the list isn’t an actual teenage activity thing and just end up getting multiple news stations talking about them #doing random things and end up with memes about all of them within hours

[rebouks]

Previous // Next

Ivan: If y'don't get that thing outta my face I'mma smash the fuck outta yours. Oscar: C'monnn you haven't eaten all day. Ivan: I ain't fuckin' hungry!

#ts4 #sims 4 #simblr #ts4 story #sims story #forever in between #fib #oscar finch #ivan harper #sdkjdkjs ivan's SO salty atp n oscar's just like.. #A DOUGHNUT WILL FIX IT #✨🍩✨ #worst road trip partner ever #well.. for some people lmao #i'd personally love to ruin my ears. sleep. eat doughnuts and vape incessantly on a road trip 🤷‍♀️ #ALSO.. rebouks map lore ig? #but i like to imagine all the bay is spread out along the coast like the bay copperdale evergreen harbor and san sequoia etc #with the city n shit off to the left #n going up into the forests behind the bay like moonwood mill n granite falls etc #then up into the ridges like strangerville/chestnut ridge #n dropping down on the other side into like oasis springs #maybe del sol is kinda off that way too but more to the left #prolly doesn't make much sense without a map tho 🤔 #but i'm lazy n don't like shoehorning myself into a corner with that shit cos it usually barely matters n can change with new worlds etc #NEWAY #ted talk over #✌

[secretceremonials]

out: Cassandra of Troy speaking in mysterious metaphors and oracle verse

in: Cassandra of Troy talking like uncle Colm from Derry girls so she’s so boring that nobody takes anything in

#and she’s no sooner entered the city than a load of Greek ships arrive on Trojan soil #and I don’t mean six or seven #easily a thousand ships #and I says to myself says I #Cassandra #if this war goes on the Trojans are sure to lose #and the wind #I mean I haven’t seen anything like it #etc etc #Cassandra of Troy #Derry girls

[elancholia]

Our children are alienated pussies and we lack social cohesion.

Bring back chariot racing.

We don't build things any more! Modern public architecture sucks!

Turn the National Mall into a colossal neoclassical hippodrome.

Literature and the humanities are in decline!

Chariot races will furnish a perfect occasion for the composition of odes.

The male loneliness crisis and/or social atomization of late capitalism!

Consider the bond—presumably homoerotic—between two charioteers of the same faction cooperating to hem in and crush a rival against the spina.

Uhh sports gender biology spaces!

Chariot racing is open to all. A chariot is even sort of like a wheelchair (disability win!). All are equal before the terrible will of the gods, the merciless intensity of speed and mass, and the idiot mania of panicked horses.

#ephemera tag #ron paul funeral city etc. etc.

[amphibianaday]

day 1585

#amphibian #frog #this is referencing my friend who said its a “skill issue” if you have to run to catch a bus/train/etc because it means you didnt plan goo #but hes an inner city guy who hasnt experienced bus one being slightly late so you have to run to catch bus 2 which only goes once an hour #so what does he know (nothing)

[freakartack]

"...Hello? Ma! I told you not to call me today, I'm making a movie!" -Wario, Mario Power Tennis

The most important lesson from Ma that Wario took to heart was the endless pursuit of cold, hard cash. Unfortunately, the one lesson she could never teach him was the importance of hard work to get it.  It wasn't for lack of trying; Wario's Ma is the hardest worker this side of the Mushroom Kingdom.  Raising Baby Wario was a herculean enough task on its own, but ever the enterprising spirit, she had also set out to grow one of the most profitable crops: garlic.

Her backyard business quickly expanded into a veritable garlic empire. Wario's mother toiled away tirelessly each day from sunrise to sunset to grow and harvest as much garlic as she could possibly achieve.  Much of Wario's current strength and endurance can be attributed to helping his mom on the farm as a child, although the teeth-pulling task of getting him to actually work was almost as difficult as preventing him from eating all the garlic straight out of the ground.  Wario's nose for instant gratification has always been a thorn in his mother's side, but try as she might to instill a solid work ethic into the boy, her "get-rich-slow" schemes could never appeal to him.  Still, Wario enjoyed his surprisingly agrarian upbringing. Along with garlic, his mother also raised chickens for eggs, inspiring in Wario a lifelong soft spot for poultry.  (He also had a pet hamster named Fluffy, who sadly passed away in 1986.)

Today, Wario is still on good terms with his mother despite their physical distance, and frequent phone calls keep her updated on all of Wario's business successes.  Of course, being Wario, he heavily embellishes the amount of work he actually does at his company.  If she only knew...

#wario #mario oc #(technically...?) #something I couldn't gracefully fit into my spiel is that she is also where he gets his affinity for country music from. #also my timeline here is that wario spent his early childhood on this farm in the mushroom kingdom (where he met mario) and moved to #diamond city as a teen (where he met jimmy t‚ was taught how to drive by dribble and spitz‚ etc) #idk why they move though i havent figured that out yet. But they go back to the mushroom kingdom area at some point #wario‚ now all grown up‚ kicks off all his sml and wario land shenaniganery after several failed attempts to yoink mario's castle #and later goes back to diamond city while wario's mom continues to thrive on her garlic empire #and thus warioware is born. You know the rest #art #moms n dads

[myfriendfaust]

Spoilers for asteroid city under the cut because I need to talk about a scene I keep thinking about.

I only noticed this the second time I watched it but in the scene where Augie is reciting the lines for Midge’s scene and she tells him to ‘use his grief’ she’s not just talking to the character of Augie but his actor too… there’s this little moment that is maybe the most important meta break in the whole film, because they both hesitate and the look on their faces reflects that they know. It’s a little moment of empathy between the actors, who are both mourning their playwright in the real world. It’s them processing that grief through their characters as their characters are also doing the same within the text of the play. “You can’t wake up if you don’t go to sleep”, for them, means exploring their emotions through their art, both within the context of asteroid city and outside of it.

#tearing my hair out etc #I’m so normal about this movie #asteroid city #asteroid city spoilers #text

[mumblesplash]

don’t you hate it when your civilization flees deep underground to escape the wither only to find yourselves trapped down there with something even worse. anyway surprise! i can still draw

#my art #minecraft #minecraft fanart #minecraft ancient cities #they named it the warden because they were its prisoners i will die on this hill #see fellas when i said i was brainrotting about ancient cities i meant like advanced stages of decay #Bad Syndrome: instead of a brain there is sculk #i'm still pondering additional designs for like guards/soldiers and redstone specialists etc #also yeah i was like ok time to design generic ancient city residents for outfit concepts #and bc i'm me they immediately became Characters and now it's a whole thing #their names are echo and felix and they hate each other <3 #echo was actually a temple kid like felix growing up but he fled to the outer city due to irreconcilable differences w the sculk worshippers #felix keeps trying to convince him to come back bc he was one of their most talented alchemists #they don't quite have echo's talent for magic but they make up for it in charisma and violent tendencies #neither of which have yet proved effective in convincing echo to come work for them #these days he mostly dedicates his potion skills to making life a bit more bearable for outer city residents #he got the nickname 'echo' due to his knack for inducing realistic auditory hallucinations of dead loved ones #...i TOLD you it turned into a whole thing #i also have a pet theory that ancient cities invented skeleton horses bc they needed horses but also leather and meat #but that's mostly bc i think the phrase 'have your horse and eat it too' is rly funny

[pebblerosegamer]

"do pardon her presence, she begged to join us.." the king sighed "she promised to not cause us fuss, so lets discuss as usual, yes?" he gazed back to lurien, who then nodded.

ive been making an attempt to try lineless / paintinglike digital art! one of my :D fav doodles so far in the style!

#hollow knight #my pile of rocks #hollow knight art #my rosy doodles #hollow knight pale king #hk pale king #hollow knight lurien #hk lurien #hk hornet #hollow knight hornet #love her lil smile #plus the glowy lines around pk #the thing on the table is like a mock up of the city #so they can plan buildings / events / etc #a red thread au

[y-rhywbeth2]

Hey, other Durge players, I'm curious: what class/es did you give your Durge and how do they tie into their backstory?

#I went with Ranger (which is a story I've already partly told) and then shoved on one level of sorcerer for the dialogue options #Deathstalkers traditionally stalk rural areas #hunter and tracker - but the prey is people #animals as weapons and co-conspirators #death as part of the natural world #adept at making own poisons #lying low outside the city #etc #I pretend that the ranger spells are actually divine soul sorcerer spells. If this was 3.5e I'd be playing Favoured Soul #Honestly the joy of multiclassing left me when prestige classes did #This bitch would be an arcane archer for the irony #“Look! I'm running my bloody Bhaalspawn fingers all over your precious elven stuff” #/durge