#inter-island connectivity

[sustainabletransportday]

Resolution A/RES/77/286 adopted by the General Assembly to designate November 26 as World Sustainable Transport Day.

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 69/213 of 19 December 2014, entitled “Role of transport and transit corridors in ensuring international cooperation for sustainable development”, its resolution 70/197 of 22 December 2015, entitled “Towards comprehensive cooperation among all modes of transport for promoting sustainable multimodal transit corridors”, its resolution 72/212 of 20 December 2017, entitled “Strengthening the links between all modes of transport to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”, and its resolution 75/313 of 29 July 2021, entitled “Strengthening the links between all modes of transport to ensure stable and reliable international transport for sustainable development during and after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic”, Reaffirming the importance of timely implementation, in this decade of action and delivery for sustainable development, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, and reaffirming also the Paris Agreement,

Reaffirming also its resolutions 53/199 of 15 December 1998 and 61/185 of 20 December 2006 on the proclamation of international years, and Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980 on international years and anniversaries, in particular paragraphs 1 to 10 of the annex thereto on the agreed criteria for the proclamation of international years, as well as paragraphs 13 and 14, in which it is stated that an international year should not be proclaimed before the basic arrangements for its organization and financing have been made

Recalling the first United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference, held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 26 and 27 November 2016, and the second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference, held in Beijing, China, from 14 to 16 October 2021, Recalling also its resolution 76/294 of 30 June 2022 entitled “Political declaration of the high-level meeting on improving global road safety”, in which it acknowledged the need to promote road safety and sustainable transport, Noting the need for continued international cooperation to address the issues relating to transport and transit corridors as an important element of sustainable development and connectivity, and in this regard noting the related intergovernmental deliberations in the relevant international bodies and forums, Recognizing the importance of addressing the particular vulnerability of landlocked countries, especially low- and middle-income countries, inter alia, by establishing and promoting efficient transit transport systems that link them to international markets, and in this regard reaffirming that the Almaty Declaration, the Vienna Declaration and the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024 constitute a fundamental framework for genuine partnerships between landlocked and transit developing countries and their development partners at the national, bilateral, subregional, regional and global levels, Noting in this regard the Ministerial Transport Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries, held in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, on 15 and 16 August 2022, and its outcome document, the Awaza summary statement, Stressing the importance of enhancing and linking the economies of small island developing States to regional markets and global supply chains, including by integrating them into existing and emerging maritime and multimodal transport and economic corridors, and encouraging sustainable transport initiatives, including in the context of the Small Island Developing States Partnership Framework, Reaffirming the importance of timely implementation of the outcomes of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in New York and in Doha, Qatar, and the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway for small island developing States,

Recognizing the important role of safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all in supporting sustainable economic growth, improving the social welfare of people and enhancing international cooperation and trade among countries, Noting the importance of cooperation in enhancing transport connectivity through an integrated intermodal transport system by developing quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, exchanging best practices to optimize the development of interconnected highways, roads, streets, railways, waterways, airways, areas of modal transfer and ports, and by encouraging transport infrastructure construction and operations to minimize consumption of energy, land and other resources; generate lower emissions of greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances and other pollutants and ensure a positive social impact, Recognizing the need for continued cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and existing partnerships on sustainable transport issues, such as the Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport, the Sustainable Mobility for All partnership, the Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLOCAT) and the Group of Friends of Sustainable Transport,

Decides to declare 26 November as World Sustainable Transport Day;

Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, individuals and other relevant stakeholders to mark World Sustainable Transport Day by means of education and the holding of events aimed at enhancing the knowledge of the public on sustainable transport issues, in particular enhancing intermodal transport connectivity, promoting environmentally friendly transportation, developing socially inclusive transport infrastructure and other aspects of transport sustainability;

Invites the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat, in collaboration with the United Nations regional economic commissions, within their respective mandates, to facilitate the observance of World Sustainable Transport Day, mindful of the provisions contained in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67;

Requests the President of the General Assembly to consider convening, through voluntary contributions and without duplication of effort, including activities within the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development towards the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a half-day highlevel meeting, in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in New York, during the seventy-eighth session of the Assembly, to promote sustainable transport cooperation in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the New Urban Agenda and the political declaration of the high-level meeting on improving global road safety;

Commits to enhancing the role of sustainable transport and mobility in job creation, mobility facilitation and improvement of the efficiency of logistics chains in connecting people and communities to jobs, schools and health care and in the delivery of goods and services to rural and urban communities, thus providing all with equal opportunities and leaving no one behind;

Emphasizes the contribution of sustainable, low-emission and energyefficient modes of transport to climate change mitigation and adaptation and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the importance of long-term strategies and multi-stakeholder partnerships in delivering such sustainable modes of transport;

Encourages the organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, relevant international and regional financial institutions, multilateral and bilateral donors and the private sector to further coordinate their efforts and to collaborate in mobilizing financial and technical assistance to countries, in particular developing countries, for strengthening the link between all mode s of transport to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;

Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals; Stresses that the cost of all activities that may arise from the implementation of the present resolution should be met from voluntary extrabudgetary contributions. 70th plenary meeting.

#paris agreement #financing for development #agenda 2030 #Sustainable Transport #resilient infrastructure #resolutions #united nations general assembly #efficient transit transport systems #inter-island connectivity

[ceranovis]

So... the thing that IMMEDIATELY stood out to me in Fit's Dec 30th lore stream was the use of the nocom heatmap:

Like this is the exact version if the heatmap Fit uses in his 2b2t vid about the nocom exploit (which is a wild story in itself, please watch it if you haven't before).

But some musing about how nocom might be connected to the lore (which quickly spiralled into some theories about Madagio, the 2 Cucuruchos, and the eggs):

Nocom was an exploit that tracked players in real time, predict their movements, and allowed remote spying on physical changes to locations. Madagio being drawn in by the remenant signal of that could just be a nod to their interest in finding ways to collect information and why they would find Fit suitable for the job.

HOWEVER-- Nocom was built on a Papermc vulnerability that meant it could also work on other multiplayer servers that run it. While nocom was patched on 2b2t, that doesn't mean other servers have patched the vulnerability & the source code has been released by the creators. So Madagio could have been interested in going to 2b2t to get ahold of nocom to use on Quesadilla island so it could uncover the "secrets [it] must have at all costs"-- their POV when tracking down fit shows entity lines so they clearly have some tracking ability/tool.

Maybe they got the nocom code, but found they couldn't use it yet. It's been mentioned before that Fit tried hack clients on QSMP but they didn't work, and exploits get fixed pretty quickly to keep the server stable. Madagio said the only way onto thr island at the time was the Federation train-- presumably the Federation had thing heavily locked down and Madagio wouldn't be able to enter or run any sort of exploit.

2b2t's nocom was made possible because of social engineering-- Madagio could have hired Fit to collect information so it could find a way to successfully manipulate holes into the Federation's security and get onto the island/run nocom.

In the Dec 21st QSMP Info stream, Dark Cucurucho seems to be looking for something the Federation has hidden, and demands Cucurucho tell him where it is. Maybe Madagio is looking for the same thing? Nocom would theoretically allow someone to find hidden facilities/people anywhere on the server.

Where Dark Cucurucho seems tied to the Nether, and Cucurucho the overworld, its becomes pretty notable that Madagio has Fit go through a giant Ender portal.

Madagio being tied to the End also has some interesting implications if you think about the (ender?) dragon that supposedly inhabited the island & created the eggs. While the federation claimed the dragon left when the wall was blown up, there's no actual evidence it was there at the time. Perhaps Madagio is the dragon.

Fans seem to be interpretting the "i am a god" anagram of Madagio literally, which could fit with the ender dragon being a sort of godly being presiding over the End dimension.

BUT it may not be a literal dragon-- the eggs seem to be some sort of science experiements, so what if the anagram is a reference to a scientist playing god?

Maybe Madagio literally created the eggs from End-realm-DNA or something before fleeing/being kicked off Quesadilla, and the dragon story is just what the Federation made up to explain the eggs without having to bring up Madagio.

Maybe the experiements that led to the eggs were about opening up inter-server travel? Madagio said whatever made it leave Quesadilla also gave it server-hopping powers (powers which seems similar in reach to the Federation's ability to pull people to the island/send workers to other places).

The Federation can block interdimensional travel too-- we saw that with the Nether, which the residents eventually broke through with the train bug, implying hacks/bugs are needed to bypass Federation security.

Dark Cucurucho told Forever it wanted to leave, desired freedom, and that the Federation didn't want it to have that. Maybe the thing Dark is looking for is the thing that Madagio created that allows for interdimensional travel, which the Federation stole.

I think the only non-Federation example of cross-server travel we've seen is with the Watcher/Purgatory, but it may have actually been Dark Cucurucho who enabled that, not the Watcher. Aside from Dark being the one to give the residents their tickets to Purgatory via the dice game, Cucurucho claimed the recent security vulnerabilities were due to Dark, so maybe Dark found an exploit that allowed for limited interdimenisonal travel-- if it's tied to the creation of eggs somehow, maybe that's why there were 3 new eggs found on Egg Island?

The Unknown Egg diary Cellbit found could potentially be connected to Dark Cucurucho leaving & making contact with the Watcher prior to the purgatory arc, given the timing (about a month after the residents broke open the Nether, which may have created a door for Dark to get to the overworld despite Federation security and set things in motion). Maybe Cucurucho sent Cellbit to investigate because it suspected Dark was up to something? Cellbit assumed the egg's fate was the Federation's doing, but why would they send him to investigate it then? Maybe it was Dark making a cheap immitation of the Federation adoption center so it could travel, and then abandoning the egg once it had what it wanted?

Cucurucho also said that Dark didn't understand the potential of the eggs, which could explain why Dark would only be able to achieve limited travel.

#qsmp lore #Qsmp #Fitmc lore #Madagio #Fitmc #qsmp theory #Ive not really been keeping up on all the Cucurucho and Federation lore so some of my interpretations there could be off #Also sorta wondering if the binary entities could be connected to madagio attempting to hack and manipulate its way past Federation securit

[fullyfazed]

I keep thinking about the possibilities for the next* life series so now you all get to be subjected to my thoughts.

*not confirmed yet, just based on hope and an implied future for the series

Like I said in my other post I would LOVE for there to be a large snow biome on the map, but that got me thinking about other biomes and land features which have been under-repped in seasons past.

So I made a topographical map. Of course.

The big feature would be the stony peaks which would surround spawn (located on an island in a lake). The mountains could be used as a wall for those living inside, a lookout point for anyone living on it, and it would serve as a natural terrain challenge when it came to brawls and inter-faction attacks.

The other large geological feature would be the cavern/ravine. Another feature which could work as a base and/or difficult terrain, but could also be a good entry point for mines and the deep dark.

As for the biomes themselves I think it would be cool to use them not only because they haven't really shown up yet, but because of the aesthetics, dynamics, and building styles associated with them would be so fun to see in a season (plus the fanart would be sick)

These are just some examples but it could be interesting if there was a tree house village in the jungle, a secure winter base in the mountains, or maybe even an apocalyptic wasteland in the badlands. Obviously there are tons of other variations of bases that could be built in these areas, but these were the first that came to mind.

But Fazed, you cry, what will the gimmick be?

Well I'm so glad you asked because I have two main ideas, both of which involve an aspect of randomness. They'd be built off the original 3rd life system, so keep that in mind :)

The first idea is that every session, there's a random server-wide event. The event could be anything, like every player turns invisible, a random green turns red for the session, or a tornado shows up. Something that will bring an aspect of chaos to the server as a whole, and could potentially increase in dangerousness as the series progresses. There would only be one event per session, and there would be no way to predict what it will be, so they'd have to be handled in a similar way that the secrets are handled in Secret Life.

The second idea steams from double life, but instead of 2 players being connected, the server is split into teams, each with 3-6 players. Teams are randomized at the start of the series, and players switch teams (also randomized) when they die. So there's a real chance that someone could be caught in a trap and then forced to join their killers teams. Health wouldn't be linked for obvious reasons, but I think there could be potential in having shared status effects, inventories, or team synergy bonuses (couple seconds of resistance if your whole team is together, strength boost when all members attack one enemy, regen when eating together, things like that).

Personally I could see both of these ideas working in tandem but I understand how that could be overwhelming when it comes to the creation and execution of the series, so seeing them on their own should also work.

That's about it, I don't really have a good name for this yet but if you like any of the ideas in here please consider adopting them into your psyche.

#life series #trafficblr #3rd life #last life #secret life #double life #limited life #random life #<- bad name i know #begging everyone to imagine rancher duo but winter core #think of the embroidery. think of all the crane wives and oh hello songs we could put to it #originally the team idea would also have a randomly rolled leader but i thought that might mess with the dynamics a little too much

[mask131]

Thinking about it, I do believe that the big misunderstandings of the Greek gods on the Internet today (or in media recently) is due to a problem of... let’s say “character VS personification”. 

People have grown too much accustomed to the consumption of Greek myths and legends as... not so much “stories” but... as fiction. Which leads them to treat the Greek gods as characters of tales and stories. Which leads people to treat them like... well, like people. Like full humans. Thinking about their actions only in terms of human/social/psychological reasons and consequences. And people forget the very essence and nature of the gods...

The Greek gods are personifications. They are allegories, and their actions always reflect their actual nature as a part of the world or a human phenomenon. It is true that when you read the Greek myths as they reached us today, you will read what seems to be stories about super-humans, because said stories were given to us through epic poems and theater plays. But there was a whole theology and religious thinking behind those myths (to the point some of the ancient litetature of the Greeks was criticized by religious authorities for deviating from their actual beliefs) ; and there was an entire philosophy surrounding those myths. Literal philosophy - with Ancient Greek philosophers not only re-reading and interpreting the myths in the lights of their teaching, but also inventing their own “philosophical myths”. The Greeks had time to read and rewrite and discuss their own myths and stories for centuries and centuries - and thus these stories ended up with numerous layers of meaning and interpretations woven through them.

Which is why to fully understand a myth, one must look behind the simple story. A god in the story is never just a character, but always something else. Poseidon is a grudge-holding, monster-birthing deity prone to mood swings which place him alternatively as an ally or an antagonist - but it isn’t just because “he is like that”. He is like that BECAUSE he is the god of the sea, and the Greeks, as sailors and explorers and island-dwellers, knew very well that the sea was a changing and treacherous thing, the sailor’s best friend and worst enemy at the same time. The fact that Apollo is at the same time the god of truth, the god of beauty and the god of art isn’t just because it’s his hobbies - it is because for the Greek all these concepts were inter-connected, art being beauty, the truth being beautiful, the best art being the truthful art, etc... And as a result myths are always about something else than their own story. The most famous case being Persephone’s abduction. People keep treating it as just being a love story - forgetting that, beyond the story of a guy in love with a girl and a mother worried for her missing girl, it is actually also a fable for the brutality anf unfairness of death striking young people, and how a mother can deal with her grief. It is literaly the story of “Kore” (which isn’t a proper name, but just means “maiden” or “young girl”), being ravished by Hades (whose name is ALSO the name of the Underworld), of a young girl plunged from the world of the living to the world of the dead, and a distressed mother crying for her disappeared daughter... 

I can list on and on the examples, but I think you get my point. Yes, it is nice to know the story. It is better to try to understand them. The topic came when I read something about Zeus recently... It talked about the gods embodying “order” - and it listed Zeus, for after all he was the ruler of the cosmos, punisher of wicked ones and fighter of monsters, the god of justice overseeing all oaths and the basic principles of Greek society... But this text added that however, his behavior character wise was “much more chaotic”. Notably pointing out towards Zeus’ wild behavior around females of all kinds. It is true that a serial cheater with a HUGE number of lovers of all kinds, and lots of “bastard children” everywhere seems to contradict his role as a god maintaining order and morals... But again, the key is looking beyond that. Yes, Zeus is massively unfaithful on his wife and seemingly can’t keep his thunderbolt in his pants - if you pardon me the expression. But the question that nobody asks is... Why is he like that? Why does he do that? Just because he is a horny guy? That’s the superficial explanation, that’s the joke explanation. That’s not what the Ancien Greeks would have answered you. This precise topic is one I like to reuse frequently because it illustrates perfectly something that feels natural to those that read about Greek mythology from experts, and yet can seem like a sudden mindblow for those that only know Greeks myths from popular fiction. 

I do not recall where exactly I read this explanation - but I am certain it was in one of the books about Greek myths written by famous French experts, so it was probably from Jean-Pierre Vernant or Pierre Grimal, or someone of those waters. Why is Zeus such a horny dog? We have to think about his titles. “Father of Men and Father of Gods”. It isn’t just a nickname or a title, it describes what he does: he birthed most of the major Greek gods, and he birthed many ancestors of humanity. It also makes you think: what was Zeus’ first action when he became king of the cosmos, when he took over the world after fighting the Titans? He married, several times, and had numerous lovers, with which he birthed some very important gods. Through sex he actually created important elements needed for the world. Not counting the other Olympian gods, he gave birth at the beginning of his reign to the Arts (Muses), the Seasons (Horae) and Fate itself (the Moirai), basis for the civilized world and an ordered, stable cosmos. And who are the other children of Zeus, all those “bastards” children he got out of being unfaithful? Heroes. Heroes who build principles of civilization, heroes who destroyed monsters, heroes who threw down criminals and tyrants. Good things. That’s the thing with Zeus: he constantly lusts after women, yes, and he constantly has sex, yes... but most of the time, if not always, it is to create something good. He keeps procreating beings, things and people needed for the universe to form itself, for civilization to form itself, for the world to get better and evil/chaos to be defeated. Herakles and Athena and Perseus... Even through his unfaithfulness, Zeus keeps creating new agents and champions of order, law and justice. 

It is in fact quite interesting to look at Tumblr here, because on Tumblr there are favorite deities who are depicted right because people love them enough to go dig into their symbolism and their religious festivals and their philosophical meaning. Dionysos is the one that comes to mind. And then other deities whose deeper meaning gets thrown out of the window. 

A good counterpart to Greek mythology, in the approach of “character vs personification”, is Norse mythology. Because the Norse gods, as depicted and represented in mythological texts such as the Eddas, are actually “characters before the personifications”, the reverse of Greek gods which are “personifications which were given character”. I am not saying that the Norse gods aren’t personifications, that would be a stupid claim. But what I am saying is... Often people try to enter Norse mythology asking “So, this god, what is he the god OF?” because they assume Norse gods are like Greek gods, defined by their field of action and what they represent or rule over. When in truth, the Norse gods are defined by who they are, not so much by what they are. Odin is the one-eyed wanderer, and the eight-legged horse-rider king of the Aesir, and the cunning rune-master ruling over Valhalla. Thor is the very strong god, and the hammer-wielding jötunn killer riding on a goat-chariot, and the red-haired hero of Asgard who fears nothing and fished Jormungandr out of the sea once. Everybody knows today that Thor is the god of thunder and lightning - but it isn’t said, or explicitely spelled out in most of the Old Norse texts. It is not like Zeus who is explicitely said to use thunderbolts on his ennemies - Thor’s hammer doesn’t have lightning shooting out of it. To get this, to get what a Norse god is the “god of”, there is a work of research that needs to be done. For a Greek god it can be obvious due to their attributes and names (Hestia for example - her name literaly means “hearth” and she started out as the hearth being venerated, before being personified). For a Norse god, to get the “what” of the deity, you will need to look at the archeological remains of the religion and cult of Norsemen, you will need to theorize based on the etymology of the deity’s name and its relationships, you will need to collect the kennings and local expressions and other folk-sayings and interpret them. It is a para-characterization that isn’t obvious, or sometimes doesn’t even appear, in the Norse texts per se. Because in the Norse legends as they came to us, the gods are mostly defined as characters - by their function (guardian, warrior, king), by what they do (power to see far-away, power to know the future), by what they look like (missing one hand, or golden hair)... For exampe, for a very long time it was thought that Loki was the god of fire. It was a strong, popular and famous interpretation - but research and experts have proven that it is a late re-interpretation of the deity, who originally probably didn’t had anything to do with fire and was just mixed up with other fire-figures (like Logi) with time, the same way Loki was mixed with Utgard-Loki as a “master of illusions”. 

This phenomenon of inversion can be summed up quite easily. In Greek mythology, we have TONS of secondary and tertiary deities who are basically personifications without any kind of legend or myth to them, uncharacterized allegories that sometimes are just a name appearing in a list of concept. In Norse mythology, you have tons of secondary and tertiary deities without myths or legends, who are just names in a list - but this time, we have their names, we have a basic characterization, we know who they are, and the problem is that we don’t know what they are supposed to represent. You have tons of small Norse gods about whom people keep asking and searching “What did they embody? What did they personify?”. The character without the personification. 

#greek mythology #norse mythology #greek gods #norse gods #poseidon #zeus #persephone #thor #loki #dionysos

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: merpeople

Everything from pretty, magical sirens and selkies to eldritch monstrosities and murderous, scientifically plausible fish-people, merpeople as a whole have a special allure and surprising versatility to them. Allow me to share with you some books!

(Also, did you know that a lot of mermaid books are very queer? If not, you're about to find out!)

Continue under the readmore for details and my thoughts on the books!

Other book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding

Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding

Dark sapphic romances

Vampire books

The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Krauss

Surely this one needs no introduction on tumblr dot com, the monsterfucker site? In 1960s America, Elisa works as a cleaner in a government laboratory when a strange fish creature is brought in to be studied, and an immediate connection sparks between the two.

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky trilogy) by Rebecca Roanhorse

This isn't so much a mermaid book as a fantasy book in which one of the main characters is of merpeople heritage. In a pre-columbian inspired world, sea captain Xiala travels with a mysterious scarred passenger toward a dangerous goal. Also features bisexual and nonbinary leads!

Ice Massacre (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai trilogy) by Tiana Warner

Young Adult. A small island is forced to defend itself against intruding forces of vicious mermaids. As all men trying to fight them get lured in by their siren song, a ship filled with warrior girls is sent instead. However one of them, Meela, had a complicated past with one of the mermaids, which is brought back to life when the two reunite on the battlefield. Sapphic romance. This one is also available as an ongoing webcomic.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

A research vessel heads towards the Mariana Trench in search of answers of what happened to a ship which mysteriously lost all its crew some time earlier. In the deep dark, something intelligent and hungry awaits them. Very much mermaids of the horror variety. Sequel to a novella. Also contains a sapphic romance, however that is a pretty small part of the plot as a whole.

Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides series) by D.N. Bryn

A siren who's been held captive by a pirate is freed, but too injured to survive on their own as their tail has become paralyzed. Another pirate captain decides to help them out and has to work to win their trust. Fairly fluffy and light on worldbuilding and plot (though there is a bit of a revenge story in there), with a focus on character and recovery. m/nb romance with an asexual love interest.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Novella. Yetu holds the memories of her people, descendants of pregnant African slave women who were thrown overboard, a past forgotten by everyone but her. But holding the memories alone is slowly destroying her, and she flees to the surface. A look at inter-generational trauma and the scars it leaves.

The Mermaid's Daughter by Ann Claycomb

A continuation on the classical fairy tale. Kathleen, up and coming opera singer, has suffered from a lifelong and unexplainable stabbing pain in her feet. As both her mother and grandmother died from suicide, possibly due to a similar condition, Kathleen's girlfriend convinces her to try and find out more of her family history. More of a magical realism than a full on fantasy (with a lot of focus on the intricacies of opera) but very beautiful.

Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys

Lovecraftian fishpeople! Aphra and her brother are the only survivors after the government raided their home, Innsmouth. Their only living family are the amphibian people of the deep, whom they will one day join, but until then they are bound to land where they struggle to build new lives for themselves after the great loss of their home and loved ones. Then rumors start to spread of a russian agent seeking dangerous and ancient magic, forcing Aphra to involve herself as they try to stop it. Does contain horror elements but is generally a much more optimistic look on cosmic horror than most lovecraftian stories, told from the perspective of one of his monsters. Lots of focus on found family and rebuilding of community. Asexual main character (however I don't think that becomes in-text confirmed until the sequel).

Eelgrass by Tori Curtis

When Bettan, a selkie, has her skin stolen by a man and gets forced into marriage, her best friend Efa is determined to save her. The other selkies however refuse to help, and so Efa seek out the help of dangerous mermaids in the hopes of rescuing her friend. Atmospheric and beautiful, with a very nice balance of platonic love between friends and a (sapphic) romance, both portrayed as equally important.

The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre

You can't go wrong with a Vonda McIntyre novel just, like, in general. This one is set in 17th century France, where a young woman and her brother travel to live at the royal court, where they are to care for and study a strange captured sea monster fabled to have the ability to grant eternal life. A lot of focus on court politics as well as the cultural and biological differences between the humans and the mermaid. Also available as a movie (but it's not very good, please just read the book).

Sommaren 1985 by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Including this on the list feels a little mean because it's not yet available in english, but all of the author's other works have been translated (fun fact, he's the writer of internationally acclaimed vampire novel Let the Right One In!) so odds are this one will be as well. It follows a group of young teens in 1985 finding a mermaid tied up on a beach and hiding her in a bathtub in a shed. While the mermaid is important, it's more of a coming-of-age story with few supernatural elements. The author generally writes horror, and while I wouldn't classify this as such it certainly has an ominous atmosphere throughout. Gay main character but no romance (other than sideplots involving other characters).

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

Young adult graphic novel. Morgan, a young girl living on an island, meets a selkie with whom she quickly sparks a connection. But Morgan has yet to tell anyone about her feelings about girls, and the selkie has secret motives of her own as to why she chose to come on land. Sapphic romance with enviromental themes. Very pretty art.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

The Mermaid the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Young adult sapphic fantasy featuring not only mermaids but also pirates!

Out of the Blue by Jason June

A young merperson must leave the sea to undergo a coming-of-age journey - and risk getting stuck on land forever.

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

A boy living on an isolated island befriends a merperson with dangerous secrets.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't quite work for me but maybe you guys will like them:

The Seafarer's Kiss by Julia Ember (sapphic little mermaid retelling from Ursula's perspective), Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz (enviromental novella), The Fate of Stars by S.D. Simper (fantasy, sapphic enemies to lovers)

#next week will be vampires! #nella talks books #book recs #mermaids

[tenthmuseondine]

The Back Pearl of Braavos and 16th century Venetian Fashion:

There is a common consensus among fans that Braavos - a city sited on a group of small islands that are linked by bridges and walkways, divided by canals, channels and waterways of varying size - is heavily inspired by Italian mercantile/maritime republics, of which Venice is the most famous.

Furthermore, the canal-based, inter-connecting island architecture is not the only similarity between Braavos and Venice; both cities are famed for their courtesans.

Indeed in 16th century, Venice was famed for its many elaborately dressed and coiffed courtesans; Veronica Franco (1546–1591) is a famous example! She developed her position in Renaissance Venetian society as a cortigiana onesta (Honest Courtesan), known for her notable clientele, feminist advocacy, literary contributions, and philanthropy.

Her fictional parallel in ASOIAF could be Bellegere Otherys II - one of the famed courtesans in Braavos (the other being Daughter of the Dusk). We know Bellegere comes from a family of courtesans, bearing the title of Black Pearl of Braavos - a moniker borne by a descendant of Bellegere Otherys I, the first Black Pearl, a pirate queen who became a mistress of Aegon IV Targaryen.

The eldest bastard daughter of King Aegon IV and Bellegere, Bellenora Otherys, became a courtesan under the same name. Bellenora's descendants became courtesans as well, each eventually bearing the name "Black Pearl".

We can also assume that Bellegere is rather wealthy, owning her own barge and servants to pole her to trysts and when purchasing three cockles from Arya, who is disguised as Cat of the Canals, paying ten times what the cockles are worth. This wealth is directly reflected in her clothing!

"She was so lovely that the lamps seemed to burn brighter when she passed. She had dressed in a low-cut gown of pale yellow silk, startling against the light brown of her skin. Her black hair was bound up in a net of spun gold, and a jet-and-gold necklace brushed against the top of her full breasts." (TWOW, Mercy)

The aforementioned "low-cut gown" immediately brings to mind the 16th century gowns worn by Venetian courtesans!

Look at this art print of a Venetian Courtesan (Cortigiana Veneta) published by Pietro Bertelli in 1591.

Notice the incredibly low and exposed neckline of the gown!

It is important to mention, however, that not only courtesans dressed this way. Venetian noblewomen of the 16th century also bared their breasts in keeping with the fashion of the day.

For example, look at this art print of a Venetian Bride (Sposa Veneta), also by Pietro Bertelli. There is virtually no difference; perhaps that is why the civic authorities decried the courtesans' deliberately misleading resemblance to 'honest women.'

In some portrayals, the Venetian woman's neckline opens almost immediately below the breast!

In Dress of Venetian Women (Habiti delle Donne Venetiane) ca. 1591–1610, the engravings done by Giacomo Franco show ornately dressed courtesans and respectable women, all of whom sport very low cut bodices.

In the second plate we see a depiction of parentado, or the ritual presentation of a bride to her relations. Here, a bride in a richly embroidered dress wearing pearls and a bejeweled crown is presented by her ballerino, a dance instructor who prevented the woman from toppling over in her chopines, or platform shoes.

In conclusion, in depicting Bellegere Otherys - the Black Pearl of Braavos - I would most definitely illustrate her wearing a gown inspired by 16th century Venetian dress (worn by both courtesans and noblewomen). She'd look rather striking I think.

#asoiaf #Black Pearl of Braavos #Venetian fashion #16th century #bellegere otherys #fashion thoughts

[allthecanadianpolitics]

"Two inter-city bus routes on Vancouver Island that connect Victoria, Nanaimo and Tofino, British Columbia with dozens of municipalities and First Nations are being suspended this week.

Wilson's Transportation, the private company that manages the Vancouver Island Connector and Tofino bus lines, said it can't afford to keep running at a loss when ridership drops significantly in the period after the holidays and before the summer.

After Tuesday's trips, the two bus routes will be suspended until May, President and CEO John Wilson said, adding the company plans to make a permanent shift to seasonal operations between May and October.

"October, November, right through up to the end of April is a tough time for the numbers on the bus," Wilson told On the Island host Gregor Craigie. "We wind up subsidizing the service ... and post pandemic we just can't afford to do that any more."

He also said his business lost a lot of revenue during the pandemic and the government funds that helped had all been spent.

In a statement, the transportation ministry said it understands post-pandemic travel patterns made things difficult for private transportation providers, but that inter-city bus companies across B.C. received more than $6 million in grants in 2021.

Vancouverite Tina Akland said the regional bus line is an essential service. She was catching a bus from Nanaimo to Port Alberni, about 110 km north and 200 km northwest of Victoria respectively, to be with family on Monday because her father died recently. Now, she's not sure how she'll be getting back.

"This is a life link," she told CBC, while fighting back tears. "And when I have to see my family later in the year to deal with the details of my dad's passing, I just don't know how I'm going to do it.""

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #canadian politics #canada #canadian news #canadian #british columbia #BC #buses #transit #public transit #vancouver island #victoria #nanaimo #tofino #transportation

[bagelvangr]

modern day au where Eivor and Randvi are travelling back home for the holidays

they are from different cities but have the same connecting flight and end up seated next to each other on the plane

Randvi obviously has the window seat because she checked in early and Eivor has to awkwardly take the middle seat, this will not be explained further

just like right now, there is an arctic system affecting flights. their flight ends up delayed from the gate, and then it taxis/holds on the tarmac for like 4-5 hours because de-icing and general weather conditions are making it really difficult for ALL flights

they get to know each other on the plane. Eivor's phone lost charge like 2 hours into the forevertaxi and Randvi had been reading some old Norse archeology book so they start talking. Eivor talks about and shows Randvi her tattoos and talks about living in Norway/Iceland/Faroe Islands/England/Ireland/Archeological flavour of your choice.

They find out they have a lot of mutual contacts and plan to meet up when they land.

The travelling situation is a mess and they have to navigate the airport with hundreds of other stranded travelers trying to figure out what to do with their cancelled flights. Randvi is distraught bc it's her first year in a while going back home and her sister (Thora ofc) just had a baby. Eivor is distraught bc a mentor and father figure of hers passed away (Svend) and she's concerned she won't make the funeral.

They spend literal hours in endless lines getting confusing information from a severely understaffed and overwhelmed 3am airport staff. Everyone around them (and themselves) are tired, hungry, thirsty, looking for a way to their destination.

They split briefly at first, but eventually find each other again to navigate the mess. It just makes more sense to stay in line together. One can stay in line and watch bags while the other uses the restroom, tries to find out what is happening in another line, tries to find food/drink, charges their phone. This of course leads them to exchanging their contact info so they can keep each other informed.

At some point Randvi gets super cold bc it's negative double digits and her coat is in her checked-in luggage. So of course Eivor gives her her jacket and says "it's fine, I run hot. Anyways, I'm wearing a flannel so technically I have layers too" -- totally normal gay behaviour.

Eventually, after 16 hours, they are delirious and swaying on their feet, but they manage to get a standby flight to where they're headed. They get food and drinks together once the shops are finally open and then head to their gate. Eivor, clearly shaking and on the verge of sleep deprived delirium, offers to stay awake while Randvi catches up on some sleep while they wait. Eivor says she will sleep on the flight.

Their first standby flight is a miss; but they're automatically rolled over to the next flight. Since it's still some hours away, Eivor does get some sleep and they both rest for a while.

There's a mutual unspoken fear of being put on separate flights since they are on standby and itching to get going, but luckily they make it on the same flight.

Seats are super limited though and they end up sitting separated from each other. Not that it matters too much bc all they end up doing is sleeping lol

When they land, there's a bit of debacle about how to find their luggage, and they end up chatting a bit more. This is when Eivor learns that Randvi was actually pretty close with Sigurd and Styrbjorn's family in general (details to be filled in on exactly what this is lol), and Randvi learns that Eivor is very good friends with Tove, who she is also good friends with, sharing mutual interest in ancient art.

So they learn they're going to the same neighbourhood, so they take a rideshare together. They actually solidify their plans to meet up later when Randvi learns Eivor is getting another tattoo and Randvi is giving research materials to Tove for referencing.

Eivor takes a genuine interest in it and offers to help on any expeditions or research sessions or trips if Randvi would like. Randvi learns Eivor has a boat and has enjoyed their time so far, and so they start planning regular expeditions around the North Sea, experiencing its lands and gifts together and witnessing the beauty of the northern lights regularly on Eivor's boat. :)

And for the 7292649391638th time, these two bitches fall in-love AGAIN

#this delirium post brought to you by my 20th hour in the Denver airport #this may or may not be based on a true story happening literally right now #I think I'm hallucinating at this point #when was the last time I slept? like 48 hours ago? #I didn't even get to see the stupid demon horse #randivor #eivor x randvi #randvi x eivor #randvi #eivor varinsdottir #eivor varinsdóttir #eivor wolfkissed #ac valhalla #assassins creed valhalla #ac: valhalla #assassin's creed valhalla #I'm legit about to crumble into dust #this arctic cyclone is a great way to start the holidays #I'm going to vibrate into another DIMENSION

[sircesimblr]

Manon: I feel it's such a shame, sweet Miss Rachel, that I only get to present three gentlemen. I've done my best to convey two so very different personalities to your dear heart, and now a third, but heavens what if none of these gentlemen sprinkle your smile, or flutter your belly, or make you sigh at the sight of them?

Klaus-Ove: Somehow I hoped I had a bit of a fair chance, of making Rachel smile, flutter and sigh at the sight of me, but hey...

Manon: Yes, sweet pup, but for all your honourable artistic qualities and quirky attire, your cute smiley eyes AND your receding hairline, let's not deny that you are far too young to woo Rachel, or to woo any woman. Take Mr. Hardenes as an example, make something of yourself first. Or like Mr. Les, TRY to. You need time to ripen!

Klaus Ove: Life's too short and precious for that!

Manon: Oh?

Klaus-Ove: Did you notice, Miss, that the winds around this island completely reversed about five times, since we're here? Did you notice those fantastic cloud formations, created by it? And that one ray of sun we got, touching over this swaying grass, making the silk in your gown flash with blue, ever so briefly?

Manon: I... I was of the impression you were attentively listening to my presentations?

Klaus-Ove: I was! I notice everything! And sometimes it makes my whole being ache. You stood there so goldenly beautiful, when that one ray of sun touched you. Life crashed on me. If only I had my sketching pad with me.

Manon: ...

Stam: And I thought I was passionate!

Klaus-Ove: Hahaha. Orbin, you saw! And that made me feel connected. To you, but also to what was happening. That's the thing. I'd love to live this life alongside someone special, who feels the same, and sees the same. Someone sweet and calm like Rachel. It would be like flying and rooting, at the same time. A double experience. Why should I wait for that? It's awesome to be a pair with a loved one.

Manon: Ah! And you know all about that! Because you have an identical twin! Yes, dear Rachel, should you fall for this youth, you'd better keep your wits about you, because you could see double, and I know these two are prone to pranking, a lot!

Klaus-Ove: Hahaha! True! But Bo-Espen still lives back home in Aurora Skies and we're both students broke as hell, so no travelling just for pranks. For the moment. Hahaha! No worries, Rachel! Or?

Manon: Hihihi... Mr. Larsen! Stop this farce! My goodness, poor, poor Rachel, don't get into this myriad of confusion. Love should be pure as a ray of light...

Klaus-Ove: I know, Miss. I promise. Rachel won't have a shred of doubt about who's who. I'll be her guy, not Bo-Espen, she'd feel it always and ever. Besides, there's one thing that tells us apart. I can't handle modern technology. Simply can't. But he's a real computer nerd.

Stam: You can't? Ha! This is great! What about your profile on Honeyfinder? Did your brother set it up, not you? Who does Rachel see, on there? How is she ever going to get in touch with you?

Klaus-Ove: Easy, Stam. Rachel and I go to the same college, I'm not particularly invisible, I might just bump into her at the cafeteria tomorrow! Now that I have my antennae out for her!

Orbin: Priceless. I love this.

Manon: And why would love need technology? That inter-net-da-ting-site? Isn't it purely a thing of the heart? I can't imagine...

Klaus-Ove: Miss? Shall I state my declaration of love now? Yes? Okay. So, hello beautiful girl. Rachel. There's something about you that spoke to my heart...

Stam: ... when my brother told me about your profile...

Manon: Gentlemen, please!

Klaus-Ove: Hello beautiful girl. Rachel. There's something about you that spoke to my heart. As if we view life in the same caring, loving way, and abundant. Yes, I'd like to stay at home with you, cuddle on the couch, reading stories to each other, me drawing you. You drawing me? Haha. Talking and exploring, showing each other all the little things that make our hearts swell. And those long walks, shall we bring a dog or two? I love dogs! You and I could be a solid team. Embrace life and lift each other up along the way. But first, let's just meet, and laugh, over a cup of hot chocolate. Maybe we both walk home smiling after that. And I know you'll inspire me to create something beautiful. Write me!

Stam: Write me. Right.

Manon: That was heartfelt, Mr. Larsen. And what an enigma you are. One moment you're a frolicking puppy, the next an aged wizard watching life.

Orbin: Very accurate, I think, Miss de La Haye.

Manon: Oh, my head is spinning. Let's please bring this debacle to some kind of closure, my lovely confusing big little nibbles. I'll get off my wooden box and join you for a last bow to Miss Rachel Murray. Line up, dears, let's change into our formal apparel and send her a kiss.

(see that kiss tonight in the final episode of this little AU mini story!)

(prev)

#a man for rachel #@kimmiessimmies #ts3 #sims 3 #intermezzo AU mini story

[gintsukiauthor]

Officially announcing my upcoming novel- SPLICERS: THE RISING GODS

Chinese Mythology meets Cyberpunk 2077 in this sci-fi romance set in a dystopian, multi-tiered city state...

Chentang City is not a place of opportunity.

It's the kind of society where you are forever locked into whatever economic class you were born into; the majority of the population live in single room shacks with their entire families in the Outer Circle, those with something of a disposable income live in relative comfort in the Inter-Circle, and the richest of the rich live amongst the neon lit skyscrapers of Prime Island.

Nezha knew he was unlucky; being born in the Outer Circle was basically a sentence to an early death after a life spent toiling away in factories, manufacturing products he'd never be able to afford. However, his desire to climb the economic ladder was only outshined by his beauty, and that made him the perfect candidate to become a Rentboy. After finding some success at a brothel in the Inter-Circle, he's convinced he’s only one good night away from changing his family's lives forever.

However, everything goes to Hell when the brothel unexpectedly shuts down, and Nezha is forced to get in on heist to steal Xiandan; the hottest drug in the city that supplies both a euphoric high, and the potential to develop superhuman powers.

When things inevitably go wrong, Nezha finds himself gifted with more power than he could've ever imagined, and he comes to an intoxicating realization; the chance to change his life that he's always wanted? This is it, and he has no intention of wasting it. He’ll join forces with Yang Jian, the leader of a group of cyber-rebels called Ghostnet, and Ao Bing, the son of the CEO who practically owns the entire city. Together, they’ll fight to bring down Chentang City’s literal and metaphorical walls, while coming to realize that the connection they share might truly be the strongest force on the planet.

Tentatively Releasing 12/2/24!

#bookblr #queer books #fiction #lgbtq books #chinese mythology #science fiction #cyberpunk books

[celestial-coordinates]

Introduction

Finally decided to make a Tumblr for my sci-fi project that's been languishing on Amino for literal years.

The City

Astar City sits in the heart of the Atlantic, an artificial island that breaches the boundary of earth and the greater reaches of space. I is here that the greatest minds are trained, taught and cultivated to carry humanity forward in the pursuit of betterment--and to avoid the mistakes of the past. Guiding them are our allies and friends from beyond the stars, each bringing to the table something unique that enriches the lives of those living with and without gravity keeping them on the ground.

At the northernmost point stands the base of the great Gravern-Tybbs Space Elevator, the hub of planetary travel and resource management for Astar City and the very reason for the island to be built. The city itself consists of three 'rings' with the outermost zone being subdivided at the cross-quarters:

Northeast: the docks that import and export goods from the elevator to the rest of the world.

Northwest: the factories that shop materials used in the city itself or to be exported.

Across the midline is the Elgiss Channel that separates the industrial zone from the rest of the outer ring.

Southeast: Glassgow Park, a touch of nature to greet the incoming visitors and new citizens of Astar City.

Brightside amusement park lies at the southern tip of the island, full of neon and fiber optics.

Southwest: Elysium Square, named for the fields of heroes, this part of the outer ring is a type of nature reserve where festivals, recreation and camping occurs.

The secondary ring is the widest and most densely populated, hosting the library, museum, businesses, apartments, the university, etc. Different zones have developed based on local population and need, with various cultures carving out corners of the city for themselves, each connected by the monorail that covers the middle ring.

The inner ring is also known as Pillar Place and hosts only three buildings the locals refer to as "the ladies of Astar City" for their nicknames: Astrid, Ingrid and Ester.

Astar Technology, Research & Development (AsTReD) is the jewel of the city where the greatest minds of all species bring their skills together to move forward. There is a direct landing zone for small ships on the roof of the building which stands the tallest at 123 floors.

The Inter-Global Resource Department (InGReD), or “trade center”, manages the accounts and resources of Astar City, regulating repairs, jobs, money and relationships between earth and the colonies. Boasting 119 floors, it is the second tallest building in the city.

The third building is colloquially called “the ambassador apartments” but it's legally named the Exo-Endo Suites for Terran Relations (EESTeR) which are somewhere between a hotel, a timeshare and an apartment block for political figures to stay and to house the ambassadors of the Kuana which handle the translations and interactions on behalf of their patrons. The Lofted Gardens sit atop the spire, capping it at 115 floors.

No building in the city is allowed to exceed 100 floors as to not conflict with The Ladies.

The digital currency of the city is the kibb, which has an exchange rate of 100KBB=1.25 USD (kibb are counted like Japanese yen with no decimals or fractional dollars).

The Citizens

Boasting a colorful array of denizens, Astar City boasts not only the greatest diversity of new-earth cultures in one place, but also the most non-earth cultures as well. In the wake of The War for Change (also dubbed WWIII or the Eco-War), many cultures and countries on earth were fractured, lost or sub-divided as populations were deposed and borders redrawn. In an effort to preserve history and their memories, surviving groups were approached to document their culture and struggles post-war; some of these survivors eventually migrated to Astar City for work, settling in the new districts and reshaping their identities into what they are today.

Of the races/species represented, there are:

Humans, both Enhanced (robotic) and Modified (gene spliced)

Robots, the smallest faction, consisting of pure synthetic 'life' developed from rapidly advancing AI made by humans

Viispaa, currently majority Primes, some Curantis and Puer, a few Inimicus and Artifex (other subtypes coming soon)

Aska'a Thani, the second most common non-human under Viispaa

Kuana, though they remain in orbit and rarely come to the surface

Ravulcaba Mercs and Merchants, the most recent inclusion to the roster having appeared after responding to distress caused by stray Miscreant activity

Lem'iran, a single individual currently in hyper sleep with an unknown wake date

The System

By the onset of the 3030s, earth (also known as Terra, Geos or Gaia) and its resident sapient species, the humans, have touched the corners of their solar system and set up stations of one kind or another on most available surfaces. In 2375, the three races agreed that all space within 40 AU of Sol/Helios (our sun) would belong to humans by right and thus determined by them how it would be distributed and moderated. [dates are temporary and under reconsideration]

Moon/Luna/Selene: colonization of the moon started in 2260 as the first major unification project between the Kuana, Aska'a and humans. However, political and bureaucratic policies on earth forced the colony to declare independence in 2269, dubbing themselves the Greater Alliance Lunar Commonwealth, later dubbed Galuc. They celebrate the birth of the first off-world infant which opened the filed of psionics in 2272, with the colony town developing into something of a college-town. The University of Galuc is the only facility in the system greater than Astar University in terms of academic scope, with focus on the study of psionics, low-gravity survival and colonization of hostile landscapes, and deep-space communications and observation through the use of Arecibo II. Sim chambers are a staple of the lunar economy, with the short ride from the space elevator to the docking bay being little more than a train ride for citizens of Astar City.

Mercury: around 2380, in response to changes in the judicial system of earth, a high-security "reformation" station was built on Mercury though everyone knows its a prison. Intended to 'make use' of those who failed to contribute to society, the station ensures escape is impossible due to the harsh terrain of Mercury and its abysmal climate. Considered a one-way trip, the facility doubles as a factory for manufacturing and refining certain materials while utilizing a system similar to the moon's for being solar powered. After a failed uprising by inmates cause massive losses around 2600, the guards were replaced in majority with AI.

Venus: despite rovers surviving for upwards of 36 hours on the surface, in 2400 Venus was deemed "still hell" and quarantined as a waste dump for materials that don't decay, such as plastics; lack of terraforming technology has made planets like Venus "unsuitable" for colonization. Some materials such as radioactive waste are ejected into the sun for removal.

Mars: in 2375, after the Galuc colony debacle settled, Mars was considered for a new base of operations. The founding colony was established as a terraforming research facility, however as they gained space and samples, our alien allies began bringing embryos from other planets to help diversify our resources and fill niches that had not been needed on earth. While the technology for proper terraforming hit wall after wall, advancements in robotic AI allowed for opportunities to better mine asteroids for material. The Mars colony itself turned its focus to conservation and study of exotic animals, becoming the system's largest wildlife preserve and only place currently allowing the display of non-Sol species.

Belt: under control of the InAMi Corporation (Inner Astroid Mining Corporation) since 2727

Jupiter: with the onset of gravity-assist launching methods becoming standard practice and trial runs of quantum radio broadcasting, the year 2572 saw the beginning of Jovian lunar colonization to help facilitate asteroid mining. By 2586, the Jovian Lunar Bases dominate the field in terms of mining exports and AI development for industrial workplaces.

Saturn: while Saturn's moons were under observation for colonization since 2586, the first bases weren't established until 2601 due in part to the fuel requirements and resource limitations, but also from the mysterious, radioactive wreck found floating between Saturn and Uranus in 2590. The make of the ship was not familiar, life signs were absent and no race claimed a missing ship, thus it was hauled to an asteroid base for study and dubbed The Shell. High levels of radiation and no comparisons for deciphering the salvage brings the study to a crawl.

Uranus: 2697 saw the first attempt to colonize Uranus, however energy requirements caused major hiccups along the way, forcing the orbital station to be shut down until alternatives are found. Inami Corp funds a smaller station to facilitate the development of electro-magnetic generators while supplying fossil fuels to the station. A gamble is taken on whether or not Neptune's moon, Triton, has liquid water which could be used for hydro-electric power. After the prototype solar-powered hypercells are perfected, the colony station comes back online on restricted power in 2836 with a focus on using magnetic fields for energy.

Neptune: in 2735 the gamble paid off and a team was sent to try and establish a power facility in the back half of the system. Despite this, tensions arose between the sentient races regarding the withholding of technology, creating The Frozen Period where advancement and colonization effectively stopped until 2825. Proper colonization of Triton begins in 2862, growing it into a power station and foothold to the Kuiper belt by 2870.

Pluto: In 2881, a unknown signal from outside the solar system is detected; origins are unknown and unclaimed, but the possibility of more life on their level existing encourages a project for converting Pluto and the other demi-planets to be fitted with signal transmitters to boost and detect further broadcasts. In 2891, after siphoning most of the unstable radiation from The Shell and spending a considerable amount of time breaking down the remnant of a language, it's discovered the console received a signal whose imprint matched the mysterious signal from a decade prior, which had previously been written off as interference from sunspots. In 2913, the Exo-Solar Communications Station (ESCoS) comes online.

Kuiper belt: under control of Inami Corp's sister company, OKAMi (Outer-Kuiper Asteroid Mining) since 2878.

#scifi #world building #astar city #aliens #modified humans #robots #futuristic #ecopunk #solarpunk #humans are not space orcs #everyone gets a fancy hat #human x alien #human x robot #alien x alien #progressive utopia #we broke it #they fix it #writing project #solar system

[sustainabletransportday]

Enhance the public knowledge on sustainable transport issues.

Recognizing the important role of safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all in supporting sustainable economic growth, improving the social welfare of people and enhancing international cooperation and trade among countries, the General Assembly decided to declare 26 November as World Sustainable Transport Day.

It also noted the importance of cooperation in enhancing transport connectivity through an integrated intermodal transport system by developing quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, exchanging best practices to optimize the development of interconnected highways, roads, streets, railways, waterways, airways, areas of modal transfer and ports, and by encouraging transport infrastructure construction and operations to minimize consumption of energy, land and other resources; generate lower emissions of greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances and other pollutants and ensure a positive social impact.

The Assembly invited stakeholders to mark World Sustainable Transport Day by means of education and the holding of events aimed at enhancing the knowledge of the public on sustainable transport issues, in particular enhancing intermodal transport connectivity, promoting environmentally friendly transportation, developing socially inclusive transport infrastructure and other aspects of transport sustainability.

#inter island connectivity #inter-modal transport connectivity #26 november #united nations general assembly #transport sustainability #sustainable transport #accessible transport #affordable transport #safe transport

[ancientorigins]

Was the Griffin Warrior connected with a war party that pillaged the Minoan stronghold of Crete, ultimately leaving the island in disarray?

#Griffin #Pylos #Tomb #Treasure #Mycenaean #Minoan #Greece #ancient #history #ancient origins

[autumnslance]

Wolcred Week 2023: Rain|Sparks

(Early EW but again only vaguely mentioning MSQ; 770-ish words of grief and fantasy funeral rites for Aeryn's particular group of people as no nation is a monolith.)

Rain fell in sheets, obscuring vision more than a few yalms out. There was barely any wind, driving the water straight down and leaving everything soaked. Thancred held onto the umbrella, glad for the proofing on his coat as he tried to keep Aeryn more or less dry.

She, of course, was heedless of the weather beyond skipping over the deep muddy puddles that comprised most of the path they traversed. The heat and humidity did not seem to bother her while Thancred wanted to wilt. He missed Sharlayan’s dryer, cooler clime.

The Scions were dispersing to inform their allies of the success with the Tower of Zot and about the alchemical breakthrough that had made it possible, to determine the next course of action against the Telophoroi. Before Thancred or Aeryn attended to those duties, however, they had this important errand to complete. It was truly too bad the weather did not wish to cooperate; he would like to see Davarresh in the sunlight. Perhaps on their next visit to Aeryn’s childhood home.

They reached their destination, an alcove dug into the small barrier island’s lone mountain, one of its connective bones to the main part of Thavnair across the narrow strait. Other alcoves lined the path, but this one, almost deep enough for them both to stand in, belonged to the Eadir family. Hundreds of simple metal and cloth tokens, nearly uniform rectangles about eight ilms long and two ilms both wide and thick, hung all over the interior, gently clinking against the stone and the hooks they hung upon.

“All of these represent members of your family?” Thancred asked, keeping his voice low. The umbrella was behind him, blocking the rain, while Aeryn squeezed into the alcove in front of him.

“Yes; the Eadirs, anyroad. The Ranaz family's further up the slope, and someday my nani’s token will hang there. But this is where Mama is.”

The East Thavnairian Cooperative was a business conglomerate of about fifty named family groups, descended from colonists who came from southern Ilsabard only a few centuries ago, long after the wars and the unification of the island nation. The satrap at the time had let them stay, and now they were simply part of Thavnairian life and culture.

But they still held a few of their own traditions, separate from their neighbors. Such as how they interred and honored their dead.

Aeryn pulled a new token from her pack, looking at it for a long moment. Thancred squeezed her shoulder as she took a shaky breath and hung Zaine’s token next to their mother’s.

“We try to keep their own ashes in the tokens,” she said, her accent thickening. “But we’re travelers and adventurers at heart. In cases such as this, the token is given the dust of the road, and ash from a campfire made of many different woods, from as far as can be found. The prayers and consecrations are different as it’s sealed and engraved with their name. And then, someone in the family brings them here, to this landmark that even a lost soul might find and use as a marker on their road to the next world.”

“That’s lovely,” Thancred said.

She turned to look at him, smiling. “Sometimes, your fifteen years among Thal’s faithful shows.”

He shrugged. “If I learned aught from Ul’dah’s priests, how we honor our dead and use it to work through our grief is rather important.” He pulled reeds of incense from his pocket and handed them to her. “Also how to profit from a good card game, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Aeryn laughed lightly. She set the reeds into minuscule holes alongside the new token. “The family had this made some time ago, when I wrote to them what I learned about Zaine’s fate. They kept it, though, for as long as they could, as Papa thought I’d want to do this.”

Everything was too damp to light the incense traditionally; Aeryn raised her hand, carefully drawing fire to it. Sparks leapt onto the reeds, and soon their warm scents wafted into the air.

“He knows you well,” Thancred said, wrapping an arm around her waist, letting her lean against him.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

He pressed his face to her head, taking in the scent of her hair and the strange white flower she wore in it today, while he tried not to be too melancholy of his last memory of Zaine, leaving for Carteneau while Thancred returned to Ul’dah, so long ago. “Anytime,” he managed.

Behind them the rain finally abated, the sun breaking through the clouds.

#final fantasy xiv #wolcred week #Thancred Waters #wolcred #thancred x wol #grief #funerary rites #shippy nonsense #Aeryn Striker #Lyn Writing

[kerink]

(i have only heard the main podcast and im still reading the books so idk if this gets addressed elsewhere sorry) not counting the legal merging, do you think original Desert Bluffs was a Night Vale, or do you think EVERY Night Vale has a Desert Bluffs? And what about the other towns in the desert, like Red Mesa?

this is one of those things i've grappled with a lot while trying to understand wtnv's world building.

what we know is that huntokar ripped nv out of time to save it from nuclear war. this created a collapsing or black hole effect where all nvs in all timelines are either mixed, overlapped, or connected

what we also know is that nv is connected to some earth in some way that allows for 1. carlos (and the uowii) to come to town, 2. the man in the tan jacket, jackie fierro, and the craytons to move between nv and king city, 3. cecil to travel to europe, a tropical island, and the big city, 4. allow silas and mino to travel between it and the real world

night vale is simultaneously in its own pocket dimension sucking in all the other fractured night vales into a singularity AND a town with a location in the united states where people can travel (even before the events of 190)

that being said

in book 1 we learn that night vale is infectious. my assumption is that the surrounding towns were infected just like king city was and became Weird due to proximity to and inter-mingling with night vale.

(there's also much to be said about the history of nv and how it was weird even before huntokar hurt it, and how there ARE so many Weird towns all over the world. i personally love the idea that pre-1983 nv and other weird towns were all locked down by the world government to keep the rest of the world safe, but in order to keep the citizens from know they're trapped they're kept stupid about the outside world and are only permitted to interact with the other Weird towns. and then huntokars meddling just made things worse, but i digress.)

i don't think the other Weird towns are alt-timeline night vales because of how kevin and cecil function as doubles.

the a matter of blood arc gives us a clear understanding of how doubles are meant to work in terms of timeline shenanigans, and kevin and cecil don't fit that understanding. the danas were all clearly from different timelines and had to travel to the primary timeline. desert bluffs and night vale are within drive time, they're rival high school sports teams. kevin and cecil have different names! the events of the sandstorm do not perfectly parallel - vanessa and dana did not have the same experience.

whatever kevin and cecil are they aren't doubles like the danas and the kareems and the joseph finks. bulk has a lot of really good musing on them as mirrors instead of doubles, but i'll let them speak to that.

so no, i don't think db and pine cliff and red mesa and stone meadow and cactus park and the big city and king city and svitz and luftnarp and franchia and nulogorsk are alternate night vales. i think they're their own cities with their own rich lore and back stories and are interconnected with night vale by virtue of being Weird and therefore isolated and i don't think we've been told how yet

#im only half way thru the fow book which is a great place to get lore on the Weird european towns #wtnv #wtnv meta

[thetruearchmagos]

Time, Sweet Time...

Has consistently been one of the most annoying things I've had to deal with when it comes to my WIPs.

Keeping track of dates and such is hard enough, but the tricky bit comes with the fact that I really enjoy carrying various characters across and between different WIPs. While it's relatively easy to pick an age and rank - which is important, considering the military focus of most of my works - for someone to have within the confines of a single conflict, making it internally consistent across several has caused me a lot of trouble.

This being a bit of a 'continuity' related error, it's no surprise that it's struck hardest in my most closely connected string of WIPs. Swift Seas And Whirlwinds is the 'earliest' in that group, taking place in 154 A.S. in the Commonwealth calendar, while the three stories I've collected together in my mind as the 'Gustav Trilogy' - comprising The Commonwealth Calls, Terror Immortal, and The Snake In The Sandbox - take place from 162 to 184 A.S.

Thirty years in all, twenty of which covered by the three 'Great Wars'. And that's where the trouble comes.

Most militaries, you see, have such things as 'minimum times in rank/service', and 'mandatory retirement ages', and usually for good reasons. But, in effect, for me this has meant that:

My characters theoretically need be of a 'minimum' age by the time they've reached a certain rank. And:

For those holding the most senior positions, there should be a firm limit on how long they can stay there.

Take, for example, Vice Admiral Olivia D. Oxley, a leading character in SSAW in her role as Flag Officer Commanding, Task Group MYSTIQUE. My plans for her in the past, as they are now, is that her victories in the Islander War would buoy her career in the future, and end with her as Chief of the Admiralty - the professional head of the United Commonwealth Navy - by the start of TCC at the latest, and to continue in that office throughout the Great Wars.

While climbing two ranks to Admiral of the Fleet in a decade or so is, I'd say, reasonable, it's a little harder for a certainly quite senior officer to remain in their highest office for two decades straight, give or take. Or at least, it feels that way sometimes. Sure, I've come up with excuses here and there, and toyed with Olivia's precise age in SSAW to gel the whole thing, but there's been this nagging feeling in my mind that someone might 'call me out' on this whole affair.

She, though, isn't the worst 'offender'. No, that crown goes to dearest Gustav.

You see, by his debut TCC I've pegged his age at about nineteen or so, and holding the rank of Second Lieutenant in the 3rd Internationals. Promoted to full Lieutenant by the war's end, that, and his ascendance to Captain within a year or so post-War, is 'sane' enough. Things, however, get a little stretchy once TI comes around.

Terror Immortal takes place over around five years, and in that time Gustav goes from Captain / junior Major, to Brigadier, marking his progression of four ranks in fewer years. Suffice to say, that is not common in 'modern' militaries!

Now, the fact that the UC's currently waging an inter-World War entailing the expansion of its military forces by the millions, to meet and exceed losses in the tens of thousands, should, my view, give me some leeway, combined with the good old 'he's just that bloody good' juice. Still, the fact he keeps his very senior rank despite being surrounded by far older - in sheer age, that is - peers even after hostilities... well, for some reason it hasn't rested that easily with me. I've pegged his age by the end of TI at about his early 30s. In comparison, with 'conventional' time in rank and promotion schedules, at around that age an officer would be expected to have reached the rank of...

Major.

Yep.

Suffice to stay, this is the sorta stuff that keeps me up at night.

For the novelty of it, I'll Tag @athenswrites @theprissythumbelina @hessdalen-globe @caxycreations

#writeblr #worldbuilding #? Sure why not. Mostly via 'worldbuilding points which exist to justify all that' #my wips #writing #my writing