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jackdaw-kraai · 1 year

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Honestly, I think that we as a society are far too willing to say life and society and the world are shit, when what we really mean is that a few specific parts of it are shit. And it seems like such a small distinction, like, obviously we don’t think everything is shit, but when you use “life sucks” as a shorthand for “living as a person while parts of my life are governed by a system designed to grind me down” you start to believe it after a while. And yes, capitalism and racism and colonialism and homophobia and ableism and misogyny and all those other systemic problems do suck ass, but allowing them to commandeer such a vast, wondrous concept as “life” is both giving them too much credit and too much power. Oppressive systems can ruin a lot of things, and cause a lot of stress, but we shouldn’t let them claim more than they already have. Capitalism ruins many things, but don’t also let it ruin the soft peace of an early summer morning when bees buzz through the planter boxes of your apartment balcony. Don’t let abelism claim the innocent joy of talking with a person you love about anything and nothing at all. Don’t let homophobia stake its ownership on singing off-key in your living room with no one to judge you but the cat. These systems have already claimed so, so much, and they’re already so oppressive, but don’t let them convince you that they own life itself. These systems kill, and they kill many, but don’t let them deflect blame by waving it off as “just life being awful.” Don’t let them abdicate responsibility like that. Don’t let them make you believe that life as a whole is awful when life is such a vast thing.

Oppressive systems are a horror, but do not dare let them convince you that life is to blame for your difficulties. Life may not pick its favorites, but neither does it pick its despised. Humans do both, and we have the power to improve on both.

Anyone who tries to convince you that life is anything but brutally fair is trying to sell you something, and usually it’s apathy and disinterest towards improving your circumstances or upsetting the status quo by trying to make synonyms out of that vast, terrifying wonder that is life to something as banal as a bad system and malicious intentions of a very few.

Life does not pick its favorites. People do.

#welcome to the pride #pride #pride month

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wildestflowrs · 2 years

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DOMESTIC/FUTURE RONANCE HEADCANONS <33

They’ve had their fair share of apartments; they first moved in together when they went to Emerson, then travelled around Europe, Asia and South America for a little before settling on the outskirts of Indianapolis when Nancy lands a secure job as a reporter (she gets to travel with work from time to time, which she loves)

When they’ve settled Robin becomes a middle-school teacher (she teaches French, Spanish, extra curricular mixed languages lessons and a few music lessons on the side - also helps to run band)

Their apartment in Indianapolis is the first place they actually own together, rather than renting a place or staying at a hostel, so they go crazy painting and decorating with lots of colour

Even though she prefers to sleep in, Robin loves to get up and make Nancy breakfast (sometimes she even brings it to her bed on a tray with a little flower)

They have a small balcony where they grow as many plants as they physically can, plus they have plenty of window box planters. Robin names all of their ‘plant babies’

They know each other’s coffee and tea recipes by heart; Robin likes her chai tea with a little milk and a spoonful of sugar and Nancy likes her coffee with cream and no sugar

Robin runs warm while Nancy runs cold; Nancy snatches us most of the blanket in bed while Robin cuddles up to her or splays like a starfish, letting Nancy rest her head on her chest

Steve bought them a ‘kiss the cook’ apron when they moved in and they use it as an excuse to steal kisses while they cook together

They have a spare room and couch bed for when the kids or friends want to stay over

Their next-door neighbour is a little old lady who bakes stuff for them

Robin gives free music lessons to kids in the apartment block

Nancy still keeps guns / weapons hidden around the house - she even has a handgun stashed under a floorboard in the bathroom

Nancy leaves early for work on weekdays, so Robin doesn’t tend to see her before work; Nancy leaves her notes on her empty pillow like ‘have a lovely day my darling, I love you always - N <3’

Robin’s students love Nancy; Robin always gushes about her partner when prompted by the kids, and even if in the beginning it’s a way for the kids to distract their teacher from giving them work, they begin to love hearing about who they assume is Ms. Buckley’s husband

Robin forgets her lunch one day and Nancy comes into her class and drops it off and gives Robin a kiss goodbye - the kids are shocked but they’re accepting <3

Nancy often falls asleep poring over her work at her desk, and always seems to wake up with a blanket thrown over her and a warm mug of tea or coffee waiting for her

If one of them has a particularly bad nightmare they’ll cozy up on the couch and watch a movie and listen to music

When they moved in, the first thing they got out was a record player that they keep in the kitchen; even when all of their stuff was in boxes, Robin dug out a record and danced with Nancy in the kitchen of their new home. They dance together in the kitchen at least once a week

There’s books strewn about everywhere in their apartment, over flowing bookshelves and scattered on tables, with notes sticking out of them and annotations scribbled on the pages

Robin and Nancy love lazy days in bed every once in a while, cuddling or reading or talking or just existing with each other

#ronance #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #they’re so special to me #ronance <3 #stranger things #stranger things 4 #ronance headcanon #ronance headcanons #wildestflowrs does headcanoning #fruity four

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capybaracorn · 9 days

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‘We won’t stop’: How Columbia’s students etched a new Gaza protest legacy

Inside a movement that took over a university building and lost its encampment within 24 hours – yet refuses to die.

New York, United States — At about 10pm on Monday, April 29, I thought I would call it a night.

My student journalist colleagues and I had stayed late into the night on Columbia University’s campus the previous couple of days, reporting on a story that had grabbed the world’s attention: the pro-Palestine protests and encampment that had inspired similar campaigns in schools across the United States and globally.

As I slung my camera bag on my back and began to leave campus, walking by the camp, I got a tip from a passing protester: “I would stick around till about midnight,” they said. “Maybe go home first, though.”

Got it. I went home to charge backup camera batteries and grab spare memory cards before leaving for campus again.

Back at Columbia, it appeared that more than one of us had gotten the tip. Crowds of student journalists, all of us with matching paper badges and blue tape on our clothes, waited next to the encampment for whatever was to come. Our journalism faculty stood by our side, as they had been doing throughout.

Protesters grouped into “platoons”, and while we didn’t know what to expect, we kept eyes on different corners.

We split up to make sure different spots were covered; a few of us stuck by Pulitzer Hall, the home of Columbia Journalism School, where a small number of protesters had convened, while some others stood ready with cameras and recorders by the encampment.

That is when it all began. Campers began walking their tents off the lawn. One group began chanting. Another at the opposite end of the lawn sang protest hymns. I was with a small cohort of journalists who followed the tents to another small lawn, a clever decoy – whether intended or not – that meant many of us missed the moment, at the opposite end of campus, when protesters entered Hamilton Hall.

By the time we had run over, tens of student protesters had gathered to link arms outside the building, which their predecessors had taken over in 1968 to protest against the Vietnam War, and in 1985 to demand that Columbia divest from firms tied to apartheid South Africa.

Two of my colleagues were in the middle of the scrum, up against the doors watching two counter-protesters attempt to stop the occupation before being pushed out. Protesters rushed metal picnic tables, wooden chairs, trash cans, and planters to the doors where they were zip-tied together, effectively forming a barricade.

Two masked individuals appeared from a second-floor balcony to cheers and applause. They unfurled a hand-painted sign, “Hind’s Hall”, a reference to the six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed with her family in their car in January as they tried to escape Israel’s military assault in Gaza.

That night, I fell asleep on the floor of a sixth-storey classroom in Pulitzer Hall to the echoes of song, one lone voice amplified through a megaphone, coming from Hamilton Hall: “This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me … the world can’t take it away.”

Student protesters playing music at the Columbia University encampment in New York City [Yasmeen Altaji/Al Jazeera]

The final offer

The morning before had felt very different. Columbia University’s South Lawn was packed, and the little protest village in the heart of the campus – dozens of tents and tarps comprising the “Gaza solidarity encampment” – was bustling with life, two weeks since its erection.

The protest is rooted in a decades-long movement for Palestinian rights in their homeland, and to hold Israel accountable for its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. The current campaign against Israel’s war on Gaza – in which more than 34,000 people have been killed – also aims to pressure Columbia to divest from Israel-linked companies, just as the university did in the case of apartheid South Africa after similar protests four decades ago.

In my time covering the protest, the sounds at the encampment varied. Some days, you could hear the (Islamic) adhan, or the chants of (Jewish) Passover prayer. Or the sounds of the dumbek (drum) and sharp violins echoing microtonal hymns of Palestinian folk music and classical Andalusian muwashshah. Speakers amplified the melodies of iconic musicians like Abdel Halim Hafez and Fairuz.

Protesters shared donated hot meals – pizzas and samosas, bagels and eggs, sacks of mandarins and tubs of crackers, muffins and cookies spread on a tarp aptly called the “cornucopia”.

One camper had set up a makeshift nail parlour, painting red, white, black and green manicures matching the Palestinian flag. Cardboard “street signs” named the tight spaces between rows of tents “Walid Daqqa Road”, after the Palestinian novelist and activist who died of cancer in April, while in Israeli custody.

In the lawn’s centre, organisers routinely updated a whiteboard to reflect the day’s programmed activities: Dhuhr prayer and Shabbat dinner, with jazz in the mix, too.

In a corner of the lawn near the main campus walk, an “art guild” was buzzing with protesters painting signs, drawing patterns of the keffiyeh, decorating and personalising tent spaces.

But that Monday, campers received a final offer from the university administration under President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik: evacuate now, and evade suspension. Campers defied the order.

And by Monday night, the morning’s bustle had died down to a hum, then a whisper, before the eruption that culminated in the takeover of Hamilton Hall. At the encampment site, the zipper flap doors of empty tents billowed in the breeze. Blankets lay crumpled beside pillows still dented from a nap; a sole LED lantern left lit on the ground, a paintbrush crusted with dried red and green acrylic lay stuck on a paper plate.

It’s a community that student journalists like myself at the Columbia Journalism School had closely observed for days at a stretch, unlike the “outside media” who were only allowed on to campus in daily two-hour windows since the encampment went up. Joining us were undergraduate peers at student publications including WKCR and the Columbia Daily Spectator.

A community that, through the intensifying attention on its members, had been trying to emphasise that they weren’t the story. Signs planted across the lawn read: “All eyes on Gaza.”

But in the 24 hours that would follow, the world’s gaze on Columbia would only sharpen.

Students were trapped inside the entrance vestibule at John Jay Hall in Columbia University in New York on Tuesday, April 30, 2023 [Yasmeen Altaji/Al Jazeera]

The raid

Tuesday morning started eerily quiet. The camp was empty, save for a few protesters, and Hamilton Hall was sleepy, the only movement coming from a banner reading “INTIFADA” hanging off the side of the building.

Just a few days prior, far before the occupation of Hamilton Hall, the Columbia administration had sent a notice arguing that “to bring back the NYPD at this time would be counterproductive, further inflaming what is happening on campus, and drawing thousands to our doorstep who would threaten our community”.

The note was met with mistrust by protesters: After all, the university had already called the police to campus for the first time in more than 50 years in April to try to clear the encampment. More than 100 students had been arrested.

Instead, I heard organisers advise campers to pack their belongings in trash bags and write phone numbers on their arms in case of arrest.

By Tuesday night, their apprehension would turn into reality. The NYPD entered Columbia’s campus shortly after 9pm on Tuesday (01:00 GMT on Wednesday).

Students linked arms and sang together in anticipation before the harmonies of “We shall not be moved” merged with the march of hundreds of police officers making their way, in formation, to Hamilton Hall.

Calls through long-range acoustic devices (LRAD) to disperse or face arrest, echoed across the campus square, all the time weaving in and out of the floating tunes of the protest hymns, earworms that anyone who’d been on campus had likely come to memorise.

Protesters outside of Hamilton braced for arrest. But officers turned away from them upon arrival, and instead turned towards us – onlookers and press.

Officers instructed us to vacate the area. We walked backwards to get everything on video. “It’s easier if you face forward,” one officer said. “Turn around so you don’t fall,” another yelled repeatedly in a collective command. “Time to go inside,” another said. “Back to your dorms.”

While our backs were against the door of a building at the end of the courtyard where Hamilton was, the doors opened, and officers raised their batons, giving one final push until we were all inside. There was a moment of disorientation before we realised where we were: inside an undergraduate dormitory called John Jay Hall.

It’s where the student health centre, a dining hall, and a late-night campus eatery are. But we couldn’t see any of that. While police guarded the doors into the entry vestibule of the building in front of us, campus security guarded the rest of the building behind us, restricting access to dorm residents.

With about 30 or 40 of us squeezed into the small entry vestibule, ventilation was poor. We wouldn’t reach the bathroom. Red arrows pointed towards the emergency exit but the doors were blocked by officers. Phone batteries were dying. And most pressing, for the journalists among us: we couldn’t see Hamilton beyond the bodies of officers standing at John Jay’s glass doors.

For about three hours, students kicked at the front doors, slouched on the ground against the wall, and slept with their backpacks as pillows. One student sat cross-legged on the floor, sobbing softly while her friend comforted her.

Three hours passed in that hall before we were let out, officers directing us to dorms and buildings they did not know the names or locations of. “We know you want to get out of here. We’re doing you a favour,” one said.

As I left campus at about 1:30am, I walked past a crew hauling the tents off the South Lawn and into a garbage truck that crushed them on the spot.

[See embedded video in the article]

The remains

On Wednesday, the tension wasn’t palpable, only disappointment. The campus was quiet, but not calm. It was completely empty. No one, aside from residents and essential staff – which the journalism faculty ensured we were viewed as, as student journalists – were allowed past campus gates.

Where the encampment once stood, there were only marks of discoloured grass in the shape of rectangular tent bases.

But the movement seems anything but a ghost; on Wednesday, protesters hosted a “light show” beside the campus, projecting titles onto the public-facing side of Hamilton Hall that read “Hind’s Hall forever.”

Every year, on the eve of exams, students gather to let out what is known as a “primal scream” on campus. On Thursday, they took that tradition to Shafik’s house, shouting outside her door.

On Friday, protesters again lined the street outside of Columbia’s gate. And the words still rang through the neighbourhood: “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”

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latalpavolante · 2 months

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Modern Komorebi Home

A home in the more modern part of Mt. Komorebi which combines contemporary architecture with Japanese inspired design and eco elements. It works well as a residential or a holiday rental for a single sim or a couple and offers space for skill building, relaxing and inviting friends over.

One Bedroom - 1.5 Bathrooms

Special Features: the side porch comes with a grill, a picnic table and a telescope; the balcony includes two loungers, three planters and a bonsai tree

Lot Type: Residential (probably would also work well as a Holiday Rental though)

Lot: 2-4-1 Wakabamori, 20x15, Wakaba, Mt. Komorebi

Lot Traits: Homey, Fast Internet

Price: § 60,284

Packs: SnowyEscape | DineOut | FitnessStuff | DesertLuxe

noCC

MoveObjectsOn cheat required

Playtested (There was one weird issue I couldn't completely solve, more info under the cut)

Available on the Sims 4 gallery!

Gallery ID: LaTalpaVolante

You can watch the speed build on my YouTube channel:

youtube

For some small tweaks TwistedMexi’s T.O.O.L. mod was used, but you don’t need the mod in your game for this to show up the way I built it.

Floorplan and more info under the cut!

Known issue: While I was playtesting, my sim sometimes couldn't wash any dishes in the kitchen sink. Any other interactions with the sink would work without problems though (like taking a glass of water or washing their hands). Deleting the lamp above the sink seems to be the easiest way to fix this. Alternatively, you'd just have to drag the dishes into the sink manually. Sorry for this inconvenice, everything else should work fine though.

(I know I could have swapped out the lamp right away before uploading the build, but the whole issue was somewhat confusing (as I sometimes got the sink to function without having to delete the lamp, so I wasn't sure what was actually causing the issue). I'm also trying to explain it in the video, but yeah, at some point I just gave up and left the lamp where it was... Sorry again...)

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viric-dreams · 2 months

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I may have lost this painting when I quit my drawing programme, but I can offer a small writing snippet to accompany the WIP screenshot, so it's not all gone to waste:

“What are you painting?”

Tamara hadn’t heard Ockham come in, but the way the corners of her vision shift around her, harsh lines of light softening to a dreamy blur, she should’ve realised it much sooner.

“It’s the view from my bedroom balcony. In Varchas,” she says, choosing her words carefully in a tongue that still feels foreign and clunky.

Ockham squints, studying the painting with a furrowed brow, and the expression suddenly reminds her of her auntie. Tamara shakes her head, dismissing the illogical comparison. They clearly look nothing alike. They shouldn’t, at least.

Ockham’s hand traces along the line of a wall of mirrors, where it intersects with a planter containing long dead greenery, careful not to touch the still wet paint. She’s suddenly aware that the perspective on the planter is off, and makes a mental note to fix it as soon as she’s able.

“It is not a very nice view,” Ockham finally says.

Although it’s a somewhat rude thing to say, it’s not entirely wrong. There was nothing special or aesthetically pleasing about the view. She’d barely paid it any mind herself, in all of the years she’d lived and slept in that room. The part of her brain that had been slowly developing since she’d picked up this new hobby urged her to move some elements, give the piece stronger tones than the monotonous muddy yellow characteristic of Varchaasi evenings. But that would go against the aim of painting it in the first place.

“It is not a very nice view, no. But it’s the one I had, and if I don’t paint it how it was, I fear one day I won’t remember how it really looked like anymore.”

Ockham’s studying her now, and she wishes, not for the first time, that she had any insight into her flatmate and companion’s mind, whether it even worked the same way as a real person’s would. If Ockham would find her thought offensive.

“Ok.”

“Ok?” she repeats, confused.

“Ok,” Ockham nods, then moves away from the painting towards the door, “I go now to the market. Is there something not on the list that we need?”

She nods no, then catches herself and changes the motion.

“No, nothing.”

“Ok.”

Ockham is gone again. This time she hears the door click closed. With a sigh, she draws her brush across the canvas, determined to fix that planter before it cements itself as warped in her memories.

#tamara #ockham #my art #and they were roommates #oh my god they were roommates #this is set in early days after tamara's arrival in london #when she is still picking up english (though honestly speaks it much better than ockham by this point)#and has just picked up drawing/painting in her free time #and ockham is still recovering from an identity crisis after learning heshethey is a parabolan reflection #ockham isn't in the flat very often and they only recently overcame a language barrier #so they haven't really gotten to know each other all that well #but it will come #especially when tamara starts to learn flemish because she feels it would make ockham more comfortable than using english #but for now a bit of 'what is wrong with my bizarre flatmate' slice of life #how i approach ockham's pronouns in non-meta settings is a whole other writing piece #and i couldn't introduce it here without derailing from a short piece #so that's for the future

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misasimagines · 2 years

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little things the jjk characters would do for their s/o or crush! pt 2

included characters: Gojo, Nanami, Choso pt 1 included Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, and Maki rating: sfw warnings: none Gojo:

Gift. Giver. He buys you so many things. Not even just expensive things but still expect designer and luxury brands especially if you’ve shown an interest. Even when he’s not having a hundred roses delivered to your place, or a one of a kind necklace that costs more than your rent for the next, uh, year, he’s getting you silly little knickknacks. Like capsule toy machine things or handmade friendship bracelets. He just loves getting you things!

He travels a lot and often can’t take you with him (something that he laments loudly and frequently) so he sends you a ton of pictures and wants to video chat with you so he can “take you along” even when you’re not actually there.

He is allegedly good at everything so he will try to cook for you if he has something abroad that he thinks you would like. This man would go through several recipes (if he can’t just talk his way into the original recipe that is) to perfect it before letting you taste test it.

No shame about his status and resources, he will pull strings in the background to get you that promotion or internship or tickets to a sold out show or limited edition things. He lets you know how he helped you for certain things, but for other things he’ll keep quiet. He doesn’t want you to feel like he’s just going to do Everything for you, but if he thinks your boss is being unfair to you? Yeah, he’s gonna step in and make sure you get a fair chance.

Also he’s just a big cuddly teddy bear and will always be holding on to you in some way. It’s especially comforting if you’re feeling anxious or scared because you know he’s there!

Nanami:

This is low hanging fruit as a Nanami related hc but he cooks for you. If you hate cooking, have a busy schedule, can’t cook, have dietary restrictions, etc, he’s packing you lunches for the week so you eat healthy. He also would be so patient in teaching you to cook things for yourself and especially if you have dietary restrictions, he’s going to learn how to make things for you so you can help teach him! He might not be able to give up gluten as a bread lover, but he will help make gluten free bread-adjacent things for you.

He’s a very good listener. He’ll let you vent for as long as you need and not just try to solve anything unless you ask for it. He’s really holding back, honestly, but he respects that sometimes all you need is to complain.

Also a gift giver but not over the top like Gojo is. He’ll get you a few small things here and there that he thought you’d like or like a bigger thing he knows you’d like and there’s always an occasion attached (of course people celebrate their 8.5 month anniversary smh that’s what this gift is for)

He will carve out time into his schedule for you. Specifically for you. If all he can manage for the week is a lunch date, that is time that is dedicated to seeing you. You are getting that full lunch hour with him. He prefers having more time and prefers it to not be so regimented, but he takes what he can get.

Choso:

He’s very protective of you, not in a “i’m gonna fist fight anyone who looks at you” way but like, he’s smushed up against you at all times. He’s holding your hand. He’s pulling you into a different section of the store because someone’s vibes were off and he doesn’t trust them. He’s not some toxic brute, but he’s very aware of potential threats to you and just can’t turn that off.

He will send you pictures of random things that he thinks you’ll like. Like you’ll get a picture of a flower or a cloud or a dog and there’s no context, no comment. Maybe the cloud was just particularly fluffy or maybe he thought it looked like a sheep and you would think it’s cute. You just do not know.

When he’s away from you, he’s gathering Info on places you might like to see. They might even be super insignificant like looking up at someone’s balcony planters or like there was a deer walking at the edge of the woods here, maybe if we wait we’ll see it again... This cafe sells a drink in your favorite color, this place had a singular pair of socks that would keep you warm-

He also tells you all about his brothers and he doesn’t say it, but he’s very warm inside at the idea of you meeting them one day.

#jjk #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #choso #nanami #gojo #choso fluff #nanami fluff #gojo fluff #gojo jjk #nanami jjk #choso jjk #jjk headcanons #gojo x reader #nanami x reader #choso x reader

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luthsthings · 5 months

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From me, on the Gallery: Umbrage Manor Flats

Umbrage Manor has been converted into genteel flats aimed at the downsizing genteel elder market. Three one-bedroom flats and one studio flat (but with plenty of privacy), all with cooking facilities and one with a fireplace, have shared access to genteel balconies and a few planters to garden in. The small cellar houses utilities. Lot Type: Residential Rental Unit Count: 4

GalleryID: luthienrising

#ts4 build #sims 4 build #the sims 4 build #ts4 gallery #sims 4 gallery #the sims 4 gallery #ts4 for rent #sims 4 for rent #the sims 4 for rent

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omniblades-and-stars · 4 months

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WIP Whenever I Don't Care You're Not My Real Dad

I got tagged by @korblez for this. So I'm gonna post something that is 100% absolutely his fault. I haven't written a ton this week, so this is what I have to offer today.

I'm brain dead for real after the week I've had work. So you, if you're reading this, I have tagged you. Yes, you! Go forth, share with us.

Without further ado snippet of the thing I'm working on (sorry, not sorry):

BLOOD & GRENADINE

The pair walked casually to a small table set in a corner. It gave them a good view of the entire ballroom. And the view of the ballroom?

It was like someone watched far too many ancient vids about old Hollywood parties, with the old art deco style with the dark walls and solid line accents to break it up, but instead of stylish gold, they embedded weak cyan lights into the wall. The effect was like looking at old computer chips except it gave you a migraine if you stared at it too long. The lights cast strange shadows.

Across the room on the far side were rows of floor to ceiling windows and glass doors that led to high balconies with large ferns planted in cement planters cast with thick, angled lines to further ape a time long since passed. Those Zaeed couldn't find any faults with. Maybe a drink or two in, he might have been willing to even say that he liked them. Three or four and maybe he'd put on a trilby and start talking like an old school mobster for shits and giggles, schee?

“Too many goddamn windows,” Zaeed muttered.

“We'd be sitting ducks if there was a sniper out there,” said Garrus at the same time.

Negative one.

They sat across from each other and Massani wasted no time in perusing the drink menu. Fancy wines, over-priced liquor, cocktails that cost enough to feed a family for one night. Ah well, when in Rome and all that. He was going to get a drink. Just add it to the tab for Red to reimburse him for.

“Are you really going to drink tonight?”

Zaeed raised his eyes only scooch off of the menu to respond with a wink, “You want people to believe this is a dinner date, or what?” Usually, he just drank his liquor straight, whiskey, bourbon, vodka - shit, it didn't really matter. That burn as it went down was what reminded him that he was still breathing. Taste didn't really matter when you were often scraping the bottom of the galaxy's barrel running hither and yon chasing down assholes for credits. Didn't mean he was a man without taste, he just knew how to turn it off, measure his expectations. “'Sides, one drink isn't gonna do anything to me except cost me enough credits to buy a new scope for the old Mattock.”

Garrus' mandibles fluttered briefly as he considered the wisdom of Zaeed's defense. Or more accurately, considering just how often he'd seen him with a tumbler of some brown liquor or another during the years that they'd been working together now. Given the truly unbelievable number of bottles left over as evidence of Shepard and Zaeed's contest (the number of which could have killed a krogan), it was within the scope of belief that drinking one cocktail wouldn't make a dent in the man's sobriety.

Having decided that Zaeed was correct, Garrus picked up the menu to peruse it himself. The offerings of dextro safe wines and liquors were unsurprisingly small, and included dual-chirality options that were just right out. Those were never good. He'd be better off chugging a bottle of rubbing alcohol based on taste alone.

“Good evening, gentlemen. I'll be your server tonight,” a chipper young woman with curly hair interrupted their ponderance of booze and its variations with a broad smile on rosy cheeks. “Dinner will be served in about fifteen minutes. May I get you something to drink while you wait?” She was a pretty girl, with masses of curly brown hair that were barely wrangled into a braid, and doeish, brown eyes that looked far too happy to be living on Earth post-near-apocalypse.

Zaeed heard a rumble in Garrus' chest, that same one that always came before he made a bad joke. And coupled with the daring glint in those baby blues of his, Zaeed knew that it was on. “Hm, I don't know. Darling, what looks good to you?”

Even.

“For you, love, the Brandy Alexandrus. You have quite a sweet tooth,” Zaeed practically purred without looking up from his menu. Blue was going to have to try a lot harder than that if he wanted the merc to crack. He sat through Shepard's god awful speech before hitting the Collector base without so much as cracking a grin. Besides, he'd definitely been to dinner with a helluva lot worse than the likes of the smug turian across from him. At least he was reasonably certain that Vakarian wouldn't try to kill him by the end of the night.

#daisy screaming into the void

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cinnamon-syrup · 2 months

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i drew a layout of the ninth house for a friend, and they thought it might be useful to someone else, so here it is. the layout may not be completely accurate. it’s based on chapter 1 of gideon the ninth; the lines i referenced are under the readmore

Leaving her cell and swinging her pack over one shoulder, she took the time to walk down five flights to her mother’s nameless catacomb niche.

Then came the long hike up twenty-two flights the back way, not one light relieving the greasy dark, heading to the splitoff shaft and the pit where her ride would arrive:

Out here, you had an unimpeded view up to a pocket of Ninth sky. It was soupy white where the atmosphere was pumped in thickest, and thin and navy where it wasn’t. The bright bead of Dominicus winked benignly down from the mouth of the long vertical tunnel. In the dark, she made an opening amble of the field’s perimeter, and she pressed her hands up hard against the cold and oily rock of the cave walls.

She took a turn around the vast landing site just for a change of pace, kicking absently at an untidy drift of grit as she went. She moved out to the balcony tier and looked down at the central cavern

After a while, there was the faraway upward clatter of the skeletons going to pick mindlessly at the snow leeks in the planter fields.

Gideon peered down at the bottom where shadows gathered over the cold white doors of Castle Drearburh, stately in the dirt, set into the rock three bodies wide and six bodies tall. Two braziers stood on either side of the door and perpetually burned fatty, crappy smoke.

More activity in the lowest tiers now. The light had settled into visibility. The Ninth would be coming out of their cells after morning contemplation,

They streamed down the tiers in an angular current,

Aiglamene dragged herself into the small light of the landing field.

The Ninth House was an enormous hole cracked vertically into the planet’s core, and the prison a bubble installation set halfway up into the atmosphere

#the locked tomb #the ninth house

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samkat10423 · 4 months

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So, here's how she decorated the inside of her science center.

This is the ground floor. At the back on the left, is an inventor's bench. Across - on the right back - she had a chemistry set. I switched it out for 2 by Sandy from her 4to3 hospital set. In the front on the left is another inventor's set, but I may switch it out for an alchemy thingie. Across on the other side, she had another chemistry set, but I switched it out for 2 computer desks from Sandy's space center set. Outside, she used those chest sets from ITF.

On the 2nd floor, she placed some stuff from Uni. Then, made a small cafeteria. I was going to place some telescopes on the balcony, but the stadium blocks the view, On the back balcony, she put another 2 sets of tables and chairs like the ones in the cafeteria.

On the 3rd floor she had 2 of those white boards from Uni and some regular tables. I made a platform for the podium and the remaining white board, then added 3 tables and chairs so sims have someplace to sit and take notes during lectures. I used those planetary lamps by cyclonesue on the tables.

In the front, I switched out the tables and chairs she had and used the ones from Sandy's science set - complete with microscopes. Then outside I added the planters with the ITF plants. I may go back in and change the flooring, since it's driving me nuts.

This was a small building she had on the side. It had stairs down to a basement, where she placed the science rabbithole building. Since I use doors and rugs, I eliminated all that crap, slapped down my rug and in the back room placed that time-travel thingie.

I did eliminate all the rugs she had under every single item. I love Jenba to death, but the girl has a serious clutter problem. I tend to think more about routing issues, so I try to be a bit stingy when it comes to clutter.

And then I went and redid a house down on Meadow Beach Drive.

#sims 3 #Hidden Springs #a HUGE thank you to Sandy over on Around the Sims 3 - I love you!

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kokujin-josei-simmer · 6 months

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I've been into decorating some of the apartment buildings I've grabbed from the gallery for the upcoming EP, this is a Korean apartment building and I'm having way too much fun decorating this Korean style single room apartment. I didn't take a pic but I added a window on the kitchen side because this apartment only has a window in the bathroom (wooden door) and I wanted her living space to get some sunlight.

Roof access for the tenants to gather when/if they want to, it has a grill, 2 planters and some clotheslines for the tenants who don't have balconies (1st floor and top floor apartments) to dry their laundry.

Already have plans on how many people are gonna live in the building (4 apartments, gonna leave 1 empty: a family of 5 with 2 adults and 2 teens and a pet, 3 young adult male roommates, and a single young adult female sim in the apartment I'm decorating), I'm glad I can now turn this part of Newcrest into Koreatown, the other residential neighborhood is Osaka Village.

Used a lot of CC created by @kkbsmm

Thinking about redoing my shopping street too, not sure yet though.

Last 2 pics are examples of small apartments in Korea, the left is an apartment for overseas English teachers and the right is a more upscale apartment by architecture firm, Studio GAON, in Seoul.

#Sims 4 #Sims 4 decor #Newcrest #Black Simmer #Black Simblr #Sims 4 For Rent #kokujin josei simmer

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angustully · 3 months

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last year i wanted to sign up for a plot at the community garden a few blocks from my apartment but i was desperately broke and depressed so i did not apply but i think this year i will.... i mean the thing that sucks is i might not get one at all bc its a small area and its first come first serve but im considering starting some seeds in my apartment anyway and just maybe having a little flower and herb planter on our balcony this year. i need something to take care of that isnt myself

#sometimes i really do wish i could just live at my moms house for the summer so i could have her huge yard and garden back lol

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adventures-on-foster-island · 10 months

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A wave of sweet smelling humidity washes over you as you step into the green house. The loud hum of large fans fills the building, though they seem to do little to lower the temperature. Ellisa and her Sceptile stand between a large table and a tall, narrow rack. The table is covered in plants, ranging from tiny seedling, to leafy bush, to draping vine. Terracotta pots, square plastic containers, and fabric grow bags line the shelves of the rack. Ellisa is already elbow deep in a wheelbarrow full of dirt as students begin to gather around.

Gardening in Small Spaces

Whether you live in a tiny studio apartment or on acres of land, everyone can grow something. With a little planning and patience, you can turn a windowsill, shelf, corner, or closet into a functional green space. Lets break it down into a few simple parts:

Location and Lighting

You should choose your location based mostly on the kind of light it will receive. Although most fruiting plants prefer bright, direct light, even a less than optimally placed window can provide enough light for some herbs and leafy greens. If you want to grow more than that, or have no good natural light source, you can find reasonably priced grow lights at your local berry shop or growers outlet. Install the lights to where it will reach the maximum space possible. If you are converting a closet, the ceiling light may not be enough, and you may need to use strip lights along the inside of the door. If you have a patio or balcony, make sure your plants are positioned to receive the most light in the morning rather than the hot afternoon sun if possible.

Containers and soil

Plants take up space, both above and below the soil. In fact, most traditional crops take up about as much space underground as they do on the surface. The container you choose should be roughly two inches bigger than the adult plant will eventually get. Additionally, plants in larger containers are more susceptible to water logging and root rot. Because of this, gardeners in small spaces often need to get creative with their potting choices. High quality potting soil can help combat these issues by providing enough nutrients to feed the plant even in a smaller container and enough drainage to direct water away from the roots until they fill the container. Soil for crop plants in containers should mostly consist of organic matter such as compost, manuer, and worm castings, as well as lots of small gravel or perlite for drainage. Another excellent option for some plants is to grow them upside down. I'm sure you are all familiar with the "Topsy-turvy" tamato berry planters, however any vining plant can be grown in this fashion, and you can make the containers yourself with materials you may already have lying around. These containers make use of vertical space and help plants thrive in a less than optimal amount of soil. Stacking pots or vertical grow towers are also efficient ways to grow several crops at once in a small space, though they can be more expensive and harder to maintain.

Water

Of course plants need water to live, however over watering can cause major problems in container grown crops. Rather than watering on a schedule, your can stick your finger down to the second knuckle in the soil, being careful not to break any roots. If it feels moist, check again tomorrow and leave your plant alone. For most plants, wait until the soil completely dries up before watering deeply. How do you know you have watered deeply? Sometimes when soil is very dry, it may become hydrophobic. Water will pool on the surface, never absorbing, or drain straight through the bottom without reaching the roots. Any container you can lift that has drainage holes at the bottom can be bottom watered, which allows the soil to slowly absorb water. Fill a bowl or other solid container about halfway with water, and place your pot right-side up in the water. Wait twenty minutes and come check on your plant. You will know that it worked if the top of the soil is damp and there is less water in the bowl. For larger pots or upside down planters that can't be lifted, try poking holes in the soil with a small stick or chopsticks and spraying the surface to wet it slowly and provide pathways for the water to enter.

What to grow

So you have everything you need to get started, what should you plant? Well, start with things you know you will eat. Tomatoes, beans, and lettuces are some of the fastest growing crops, but not everyone likes them. Start small, and consider variables such as how much time and energy you have to spare. If all you can manage to begin with are a few herbs then it's still a great place to start. Rosemary, mint, basil, and thyme are great beginner herbs. They are relatively hard to kill and smell wonderful, plus they add that extra touch to anything you cook.

Succession sowing and other helpful hints

Growing indoors means you can grow year 'round with a little timing. When you purchase seed or nursery plants, there will always be a tag that tells you how many weeks until sprouting and then until harvest. Subtract the weeks 'till sprouting from the weeks 'till harvest to get how far out you should begin the next round of seed to ensure you always have fresh produce.

Quality potting soil can be expensive, or you can compost your kitchen scraps to add to cheap potting soil. Food waste makes up a huge percentage of landfills, but you can easily combat this with a few simple items. You'll need three buckets at five gallons each, holes drilled in the bottom of two of them. Stack the buckets with the solid one on the bottom. Fill the middle bucket with kitchen scraps and paper waste, then add worms. Over the next few weeks, put all of your kitchen scraps in the top bucket. When the worms have processed everything in the middle bucket, you will see them move up to the top. The middle bucket is now organic compost that you can add to your soil! Empty the middle bucket, replace it on top of the full bucket, and repeat forever! The bottom bucket will fill with a concentrated liquid fertilizer that is also great for your fruit bearing plants. Mix your compost with cheap potting soil and perlite or small gravel, and now you have premium potting soil for a fraction of the price.

By the end of the class, Ellisa has filled the rack with various herbs and lettuces, with cucumbers, beans, and tomatoes hanging from the sides . Sceptile helps her roll it towards a closet within the greenhouse, which has been lined with grow lights, and push it inside. Campers can see how even in a very small space, they can grow enough to at least lower their grocery bill.

#pokemon #pokeblogging #pokemon irl #rotumblr #foster island summer camp #open rp

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