#Arno is NOT used to the country

[thou-babbling-brook]

ConArno living the cottagecore life, they told me themselves

Yes, they absolutely are, but there was definitely a learning curve for city boy Arno out in middle-of-nowhere Massachusetts 🫡

[teecupangel]

The lack of connor content on ao3 is slowly killing me. Do you have any fic recs or headcanons to feed this poor soul?

I am drawing blank on the fic rec other than my own works hahahaha, sorry.

So let’s focus on headcanons:

Ratonhnhaké:ton visits where his village used to be once a month after Achilles’ death. He doesn’t necessary believe his people would return there but he had hoped that maybe, just maybe, someone had left a sign or a clue for him or someone was visiting the site that could help him find his people. Once he officially became the mentor of the American Brotherhood, he visits once every few months. When he passed the title of mentor to his successor he visits the site every year on the death of his mother, no longer wishing for something to change but to simply visit his childhood home and talk to his mother.

Ratonhnhaké:ton and Aveline grew close during the reestablishment of the American Brotherhood. Some people debated on who should be the mentor between them but Aveline never truly had any desire to be a mentor, preferring the freedom that comes from being a Master Assassin. She is considered the unofficial second in command and would take over mentor duties when Ratonhnhaké:ton is out of the country.

Speaking of which, Ratonhnhaké:ton tried to visit Jenny one more time after their first meeting but Jenny told him to leave and never come back. According to Jenny, it was better for Ratonhnhaké:ton to ignore the fact that he was a Kenway and let the Kenway name die with her. While it may seem cruel, she believes her father would have preferred that Ratonhnhaké:ton would not be chained by the legacy and infamy that comes with the Kenway name.

Ratonhnhaké:ton also visited France and stayed for a few months. He meets Arno Dorian there and they developed a friendship. When Ratonhnhaké:ton returned to America, he brought with him a guillotine gun as a souvenir.

This man was a virgin during the time of AC3 XD

He absolutely knew that Benjamin Franklin was in a sex club later on. He didn’t join said sex club but Benjamin Franklin did write him a few raunchy letters describing what he did there in an effort to lure him into joining.

Ratonhnhaké:ton burned all those letters (and any historians would have cried a river if they knew)

[mariacallous]

I’ve been thinking about a famously orange-skinned former presenter of trashy TV programmes, who lives on a luxurious coastal estate. He has a history of racist and Islamophobic remarks, of blaming asylum seekers for bringing disease into the country and ranting about the “supercilious metropolitan elite”. He swept into a rightwing political party and refashioned it in his image, presenting himself as the antidote to politics-as-usual, whipping up culture wars and using the platform to boost his planet-sized ego.

I am, of course, describing the British former politician Robert Kilroy-Silk.

After he was sacked from his presenting job by the BBC for a crudely racist rant in the Sunday Express in 2004, he joined Ukip (the forerunner of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK), energising it and captivating the media with his culture war polemics against the EU, immigrants and “the political establishment”. His unnatural hue inspired the viral video Mr Tangerine Man. But when Ukip could no longer contain his ego, he broke away and started his own political party in 2005, Veritas (widely dubbed Vanitas), which quickly crashed and burned. Thank goodness there are no such characters on the world stage today!

I could just as well have been thinking of Silvio Berlusconi, the satsuma-tinged TV presenter and culture warrior, who, like a certain other politician, went to extreme lengths to hide his baldness. He became the demagogic, rightwing Italian prime minister, seeking (successfully) to return to power after being ejected from office, despite a long series of sexual and financial scandals and criminal charges. Like Donald Trump’s, his loyal supporters somehow managed to overlook his moral repulsiveness, childish attention-seeking and love-in with Vladimir Putin, and saw him as the saviour who would make Italy great again.

Of course, there are differences between these people, but every time one of these characters emerges, we are nonplussed by them. We react as if we’re dealing with something new, and appear to have little idea how to respond. But there are patterns to the emergence of extreme-right demagogues: patterns that repeat themselves with remarkable fidelity. By learning and understanding them, we can better defend ourselves.

I’ve spent part of my summer reading Arno Mayer, the great historian who died in 2023. His book Dynamics of Counterrevolution in Europe, 1870-1956, published in 1971, could have been written about any of the rightwing populists we face today: Trump, Farage, Viktor Orbán, Benjamin Netanyahu, Narendra Modi, the leaders of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Germany, the National Rally in France, the Brothers of Italy and – lately – Jair Bolsonaro and Boris Johnson.

Mayer’s descriptions of the demagogues of his period are uncannily familiar. These leaders created the impression “that they seek fundamental changes in government, society, and community”. But in reality, because they relied on the patronage of “incumbent elites” to gain power (think, today, of media moguls like Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk and Paul Marshall, and various billionaire funders), they sought no major changes “in class structure and property relations”. In fact, they ensured these were shored up. “They need to revile incumbent elites and institutions without foreclosing cooperation with them.” So their project “is far more militant in rhetoric, style and conduct than in political, social and economic substance”.

For this reason, Mayer explains how rightwing populists expose and overstate the cracks in a crisis-torn society, but fail to “account for them in any coherent and systematic way”. They direct popular anger away from genuine elites and towards fictional conspiracies and minorities. They variously blame these minorities (whether it be Jews, Muslims, asylum seekers, immigrants, Black and Brown people) for the sense of inadequacy and powerlessness felt by their supporters; helping “humiliated individuals to salvage their self-esteem by attributing their predicament to a plot” and giving them immediate targets on which to vent their frustrations and hatreds.

The fake firebrands often, Mayer remarks,also issued “rampant broadsides against science” (think of the climate science denial to which almost all today’s rightwing demagogues subscribe), and against innovation, modernism and cosmopolitanism. They combined “the glorification of traditional attitudes and behaviour patterns with the charge that these are being corrupted, subverted, and defiled by conspiratorial agents and influences”. Hello JD Vance and Ron DeSantis.

The demagogues of Mayer’s period adopted a purposely “ambiguous position”, when people who might have been inspired by their claims committed acts of violence – both inflaming the attacks and distancing themselves from them. This might trigger memories of Donald Trump during the January 6 assault on the Capitol, Modi during anti-Muslim pogroms and the video Farage made after the Southport murders, which is seen by many people as bearing some responsibility for last month’s racist riots.

But there is one major difference. In Mayer’s era, the development of what he called “crisis strata” of disillusioned, angry men to whom the demagogues appealed was a result of devastating war or state collapse.The rabble-rousers were able to appeal both to angry working-class men and to anxious elites by invoking the spectre of leftwing revolution. None of these conditions pertain today in countries like our own. So how does the current batch of populists succeed? I think they are responding to a crisis caused by a different force: 45 years of neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism simultaneously promises the world and snatches it away. It tells us that if you work hard enough, you too can be an alpha. But it also creates the conditions which ensure that, no matter how hard you work, you are likely to remain subordinate and exploited. It has enabled the formation of a new rentier class, that owns the essential assets and ruthlessly exploits younger and poorer people. Young men step into a world of promises – to find all the golden doors are locked, and someone else has the key.

It is in the vast gap between the promises of neoliberalism and their fulfilment that frustration, humiliation and a desire for vengeance grow: the same emotions that followed military defeat or state collapse in Mayer’s time. These impulses are then exploited by conflict entrepreneurs. Today, some of these entrepreneurs stand for office; others, using opportunities that weren’t available in previous eras, monetise the anger, making a fortune through their social media outlets.

Understanding the tradition these demagogues follow, which long predates the rise of fascism in the 20th century, should help us to develop a more effective response to them. We begin to see this in Kamala Harris’s intelligent campaign, which, in contrast to Joe Biden’s, is starting to land heavy blows on Trump and Vance,drawing attention to their creepy intrusions on people’s private lives and their attacks on fundamental freedoms. If we want to anticipate and stop rightwing authoritarian rule, we should seek to comprehend its eerie consistencies.

[assassinschaoticcreed]

If the assassin gig is secret in the modern au what's everyone's "normal / cover up" job then?

I'm not sure if I posted this before or not but this is what I picture!

Altaïr: is a professor at a Collge for Philosphy. (he has a doctorate degree in Astronomy he likes to flaunt)

Arno: Cafe Owner (has multiple branches in different countries) but also a part time author.

Connor: an Architect

Desmond: Bar & Club Owner (he also has multiple branches but only in the US)

Ezio: CEO at one of the branches of his father's banks (there's also multiple of them in different countries)

Edward: Marine Technician

Jacob: High School History Teacher

[greenlaut]

fuck it,

LIST OF INCENSES I THINK AC 1 - AC UNITY CHARACTERS WOULD LIKE

credentials: (1) incense is a big thing in my country both for daily and religious uses; (2) i have a shit ton of incenses bc i use them regularly

ALTAÏR IBN LA'AHAD — his most familiar scent is frankincense bcs either umar or rashid lit up a lot of frankincense (haha old man incense). BUT his favorite scent is jasmine because it's sweet and calming it's like a soothing balm to his running thoughts and worries. also the scent of jasmine here has supernatural connotations, so i think it's fitting for altaïr as the master assassin herald of death etc etc

MALIK AL SAYF — oud. definitely oud. very charismatic and heavy. definitely suits him bcs as soon u enter his space u will think he's someone not to be trifled with. it also has a family/brotherly connotation to it which suits malik. if u want combination; oud + sandalwood

KADAR AL SAYF — champaca. it's sweet and bright. reminds u of a singing bird maybe? if u catch a whiff of it in the wind it feels like napping in a hazy afternoon.

MARIA THORPE — jasmine with tuberose. almost woody? floral. probably reminds you of moonlit night with silk curtains blowing in the wind

EZIO AUDITORE DA FIRENZE — sandalwood. a classic. with frankincense and myrhh. this scent reminds me of church (our churches usually light these scented incenses). it's heady and heavy. if you smell it too much it can overwhelm you.

LEONARDO DA VINCI — citrus and agarwood. very playful and has creative vibes to it. it also smells very unique and reminds me of a warm person

CONNOR KENWAY — majegau. this one is very specific. majegau is a type of tree sacred to people in bali region (i'm from java so i dont know much). but the scent is very mountainous. it reminds me slightly of sandalwood but much lighter, and gives off a more foresty vibes. it has a very respectful but down-to-earth air to it that suits connor's person

AVELINE DE GRANPRE — citrus and vanilla. i'll be honest i never had this one, but i'm trusting what people said. it's apparently very unique and refreshing scent when burnt. kind of woody surprisingly with just a hint of sweetness to it. i also think aveline would like clove incense. it's sweet and has something underneath that feels like it's ready to strike

ADÉWALÉ — also an oud enjoyer methinks. maaybe oud + frankincense. i think smelling the incense will help settle down his thoughts and pain, bcs it's a very meditative and heady scent. charismatic vibes

EDWARD KENWAY — tobacco, clove, and cinnamon. it's smoky and heady. kind of pirate vibes. it's a very overwhelming scent to some people bcs of the tobacco

HAYTHAM KENWAY — i feel like he has a very old man taste so i'm chucking lotus OR frankincense. i think he'd like both bcs they're the most "classic" incense scents. definitely charismatic tbh

SHAY CORMAC — tobacco. smoky. just a classic "smokes and mirrors". it's kinda sad? it's a very lonely scent i think

ARNO VICTOR DORIAN — vanilla with sandalwood. it's heady and sweet with woody undertone to it. it has a european vibes to it that i personally dont like to light (vanilla doesnt smell good in humid weather to me), but definitely suits arno. it's sensitive yet strong, kind of tragic

ÉLISE DE LA SERRE — rose. definitely rose. cloying, floral, and sweet. has mixed receptions; it's a classic scent but i personally dont like it. i think it suits élise for her complicated nature. flitting and impossible to mistake

fin.

[galaxyofhair]

How Assassin's Creed's Imagery Created Limitations on Later Sequels

Thesis: A lot of the imagery that made the Assassins so unique and recognizable in AC, and that came to define the series identity, was imagery that made the most sense in the context in which that imagery was originally created. Later sequels in later eras of history had big problems trying to force the clothing or armor of that era to match the aesthetic of the Levantine assassins

This issue presents itself in a few of the series key items that almost every assassin has: The hidden blade gauntlet, the eagle-beaked hood, and the white robes. In AC1, these items made the most sense: The hidden blade was an advanced piece of technology built using 12th century tools: So naturally it makes sense (or at least its easy to suspend disbelief) and say that the blade definitely works, but its a little bulky and requires that entire gauntlet piece that Altair has.

Additionally, the white robes made the most sense in the context of the crusades: The combination of hood, red sash, and white surcoat makes Altair a strange cross between monk and knight, and he can blend into both circumstances. And it makes sense to wear white is a desert setting, so Altair's outfit ends up looking both western and eastern at the same time, which is pretty cool.

Ezio's outfit isn't completely out of step: Is it conceivable that his robes would white? Sure--and I think Ubisoft did a great job of matching Ezio's color scheme to the setting and the setting to Ezio so screw it, it works. I think with AC2 I really only take issue with the hidden blade gauntlet---which is super noticeable, and has an assassin symbol stamped on the top. Even worse, when Ezio gets his second blade, it's actually hidden under his clothes.

But that design choice illustrates the problem quite wonderfully: It was fine for Altair, who lived in a war torn country where armed soldiers of various allegiances were a common enough sight, and where the size of the hidden blade sort of demands the use of the gauntlet. It makes less sense on Ezio, who likely has greater motivation to actually hide the hidden blade---but he doesn't because what Ubisoft wanted to do was to romanticize the imagery of the hidden blade as the assassin's lightsaber equivalent.

Assassin's Creed 3 has a similar issue in which the white robes are suddenly a really odd choice given that virtually no one else is wearing white in the entire game except assassins. So Conner sticks out like a sore thumb, which again really undercuts your ability to feel anonymous, and incognito etc.

While later characters like Arno and Jacob Frye would challenge various aspects of the iconic assassin's outfit---the series still struggles with an issue that can be summed up in the joke: "How do you spot an assassin? Look for the white robed, fully armored jedi who sticks out of the crowd"

[peridot-tears]

I think a lot about how US-centrism is a really big thing, and something we USians commit whether we are conscious of it or not -- because, quite frankly, no matter how much we proclaim to dislike our country or want it to change, or straight up just want to leave it behind, it's already been deeply intertwined into our personalities.

But there's also that other factor where when it comes to fandom, we end up writing AUs set in the USA, because, well...that's still our home? That's what we're familiar with? So of course I want to play around and reimagine WangXian as diaspora Chinese growing up in New York, just like me. I think it'd be really funny to reimagine Arno as an exchange student who has to deal with NYU kids out here (I pity the man, NYU is an elitist nightmare). And if Tumblr is a US-based site, where most of us end up gathering, that's just math, right? There are going to be a lot of USians here writing about our experiences in this country, because they're the things that immediately affect us the most.

I don't think it's inherently bad to want to reimagine characters in the world we personally live in, but we do have to ask ourselves some hard questions about why we want to take these characters and put them in a setting that we are comfortable with. Would we appreciate them all the same if they were in a setting unfamiliar to us?

And if we were on a non-American site doing the same thing, and the people on that site got mad at us, how would we react? We have to be honest with ourselves.

Also, HUGE disclaimer:

This is not permission to whitewash characters.

If you're writing an AU with characters of non-American origin, do your research on their cultural norms.

Also, the USA is the "melting pot" or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, right. So is this character going to be an immigrant, a tourist, a tenth-generation American, or a second-generation American from another country's diaspora?

*Or are they Indigenous? In which case, what nation are they from, did they grow up on the rez, elsewhere, and what relationship do they have with their family and identity?

We should still think outside of our country. Realizing and acknowledging that we are raised to be ignorant of the world, and that our country holds a cultural Monopoly (i.e. our fucking media and entertainment are EVERYWHERE, and my roommate from Vietnam knows iCarly as well as I do, and I know someone from Nigeria who grew up on Johnny Bravo, just to name a few examples) are only the first step. We need to deprogram and see the rest of the world as a place that exists outside of us while still being affected by just how sprawling our influence is.

My personal experience:

I'm an immigrants' kid who grew up among other immigrants' kids in New York (note, I say "immigrants' kid," meaning I am explicitly not saying we immigrated, only that our parents did. People assume I came here just because I'm not white, which is some racist bullshit).

I have lived on other continents.

MDZS is easy for me because it's my culture. I've written them as diaspora Gen Z kids, Chinese people who grew up in mainland cities I'm familiar with, and in the canon Ye Olde China (Tang-dynasty-ish, but also a Ming-dynasty AU) setting.

I write French Frye in modern-day Paris and London very easily because as a USian, we're taught that "world history" is just "Western and Central European history." We're a Eurocentric society. Also, I've been in those cities and know people from there.

I struggle with writing Ratohnhaké:ton even though he is literally Indigenous to the land I grew up on (Kanien'kéha:ka were from upstate New York, just a day's drive from me, before colonization forced them to move further north). As a USian, that means I was taught the colonizers' attitude towards Indigenous folks, and despite all my research and talks with Indigenous folks to learn to be better, I will eventually trip up and accidentally say something racist or culturally offensive.

This isn't going to stop me from writing fanfic about him, but I'm gonna do my due diligence and consider the circumstances he would be in in a modern AU.

Yes, I want to write a modern-day AU where he goes to China and trains with Shao Jun, because I'm Chinese and I think that would be neat.

When I read modern AU MDZS fanfiction, I can tell who's not Chinese when I read about WangXian living in a house in China. I cannot emphasize how different the apartment-to-house ratio in most major Chinese cities is from the USA. I don't find it offensive, it's just a really strong tell.

If you're writing an AU set in NYC and there isn't a single "yerrrr" in it, you've already outed yourself (this is a joke).

[thesoulprophecies]

On November the 4th 1966, the river Arno flooded into Florence burying hundreds of thousands of books, manuscripts and artwork beneath mud, debris and putrid water. Due to this massive cultural and historical devastation, countries responded quickly with financial aid and restoration research. It became imperative to combine modern science with historical book making techniques in order to save and restore the damaged antiquarian books and manuscripts. Experimental research was used from The Institute of Book Pathology in Rome, and The Imperial College of Science and Technology in association with The Royal College of Art in London.

Damaged books were given emergency washing and drying treatments and then sterilised against bacteria and mould. The edges of a lot of books were badly stuck with mud, gelatine and sawdust. The covers/boards, spines, headbands and everything surrounding the text block were removed and catalogued in envelopes. Once the spine was clear the sewing was cut from the spines and the sections separated carefully. Mud was scraped from the leaves of the book, and especially bad books were soaked in an alcohol and water mixture and then interwoven with wet strength paper and washed again. Coloured plates and prints were sprayed with a solution of soluble nylon in alcohol to preserve them. Any oil that may have damaged the books was removed with a solution of xylene and trichloroethylene. Fuller’s Earth was applied delicately and brushed off to remove excess chemical solution and oil.

Thermostatically controlled, stainless steel, sinks were used to wash the books leaf by leaf in a fungicide solution. Some particularly fragile leaves were resized. pH tests were conducted and if a book had too much acidity, it was deacidified. Bleach staining is not considered good practice, and was limited to the leaves that were so stained that the text was illegible. The individual leaves were dried at controlled temperatures in specially made drying cabinets. Once dry, the leaves were checked and put in order. (Plates and prints were handled separately to the main text blocks as extra care had to be taken due to the colours.)

Before sewing and binding could take place, repairs were made to the leaves caused by the flood and early binding techniques. Lens tissue was used for small tears, and Japanese tissue paper was used for serious tears and missing sections of leaves.

Books were sewn back together with thread and techniques dependent on their size and publication date. Appropriate bindings were also chosen depending on the use of the book and its time period. The majority of the damaged Antonio Magliabechi manuscripts and volumes from the National Library of Florence were bound in limp vellum. Other rare books required new leather bindings.

The restoration of books, manuscripts, art and historical artefacts from the 1966 flood is still an ongoing process today. Many people had to be trained specially to restore books on site in Florence, as shipping damaged books to experts across the world was deemed to be impractical and quality could not be controlled. There was also the risk that the books would be lost or damaged further in transit.

Floods and natural disasters cause widespread damage but are fortunately not that common. Some books are damaged over time due to use and age. Working in a second-hand bookshop, I see a lot of old books that are damaged; missing spines and boards, detached boards, bumped corners, missing labels and stained. Modern books are notoriously poor quality and tend to fall apart easily in comparison to their sewn, medieval ancestors. There is a genuine calling for restoration and book binding experts. Some old books are scarce, and some books have signatures or notes in their margins from historically important people which make them unique and irreplaceable. For the individual, books passed down through the generations hold significant sentimental value and may need repairs or complete new bindings. If history teaches us anything, it is that we need to continue to find methods and solutions to protect and save items of historical importance.

References:

The Restoration of Books: Florence – 1968. – YouTube

The Disaster that Deluged Florence’s Cultural Treasures – HISTORY

The great flood of Florence, 50 years on | Art and design | The Guardian

https://blog.outletpublishinggroup.com/2023/02/23/blog-156-the-importance-of-book-restoration/ 

[moonlitfirefly]

“PETERS PROJECTION MAP

Maps not only represent the world, they shape the way we see it. The revolutionary Peters Projection map presents countries in their true proportion to one another: it has been adopted by the UN, aid agencies, schools and businesses around the world.

WHAT IS THE PETERS MAP

The Peters World Map is an Equal Area cylindrical projection with standard parallels at 45 degrees thus resulting in a distortion of shape which is stretched about the equator and squashed towards the poles, but having the great advantage that all countries are correct in size in relation to each other. Widely used in educational and business circles as an icon of the modern concept of world equality.

THE HISTORY

Traditional map projections, of which the Mercator is one example, have tended to show countries incorrectly in proportion to one another, exaggerating the size of high latitude countries such as Canada and making tropical regions such as Africa appear much too small. Mercator’s projection was designed in the 16th century for navigational use but was adopted, inappropriately, for use as a world reference map. Most alternative projections now in use, such as Robinson, Van der Grinten, or Eckert IV, still do not preserve the quality of ‘equal area’. The Peters map, the work of the German historian Arno Peters, provides a helpful corrective to the distortions of traditional maps. While the Peters projection map is superior in its portrayal of proportions and sizes, its importance goes far beyond questions of cartographic accuracy – it challenges our view of the world.

CHARACTERISTICS

EQUAL AREA

The map shows all areas – whether countries, continents or oceans – according to their actual size. Accurate comparisons become possible.

EQUAL AXIS

All North-South lines run vertically on this map. Thus, geographic points can be seen in their correct geographical relationship – northwest, northeast, southwest or southeast.

EQUAL POSITIONS

All East-West lines run parallel. Thus the relationship of any point on the map to its distance from the Equator or to the angle of the sun can easily be determined.

FAIRNESS TO ALL PEOPLES

By setting forth all countries in their true size and location, this map allows each one its actual position in the world.

In this complex and interdependent world, all people deserve the most accurate possible portrayal of their place in the world. The Peters Projection Map is that map for our time!”

[der-nacht-falter]

Life is a collection of art

A vibrant museum of art, that's how I've been viewing my life through Rotterdam's rose-colored glasses.

Let me take you through my digital journey in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where every corner tells us a tale. I promise you it'd be re(mark)able.

As I meandered through the collection of exquisitely beautiful artworks in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen and marveled at its innovative design, I pictured myself as an independent artist at full liberty of sketching and sculpting every elements of my life however I see fit. Letting it come alive in their own lights.

#MarkeuNote:

- In reflecting Rotterdam's skyline in the soaring curved exterior, the idea is that as people look at The Depot, they see themselves.

- The Depot is equipped with an ultra-sustainable energy system and its own heat and cold storage. #HighTech #VeryCool

As I soar skywards in a glass elevator, an eclectic collection is visible from the six-storey atrium. Traversing, transparent staircases are meant to encourage visitors to explore beyond their comfort zones and discover new realms.

#MarkeuNote: Until 1984 Donald Judd limited his palette to the industrial colours of the materials he worked with. After he encountered the technique of enamelled aluminium in Switzerland, he made a series of coloured works like this (right pic). He sought combinations in the colours that were neither harmonious nor disharmonious. He looked for the multiple manifestations of the colour, without seeking to construct an aesthetic effect.

Wandering through the whimsical Cube Houses had me feeling like I was caught inside a living sculpture.

The whimsical architecture inspired me to embrace life’s unique shapes and dimensions, reminding me that I don’t have to fit into a fixed mold just to impress the passing eyes who cannot see past the shallow beauty.

#MarkeuNote: The Cube Houses (Piet Blom, 1978-1984) are part of the Blaakse Bos (Blaakse Wood) development which borders on the Laurenskwartier district and the Waterfront area. The architect wanted to design a kind of village within the city and saw the houses as trees and the whole area as a wood. The Cube Houses are tipped to one side as it were, making three sides face the ground and three face the sky.

I stood before the mirrored exterior of the Markthal and the Depot, and saw my own reflection amidst the beauty surrounding me. I took my own musings to heart: “Wander through life and adapt to every room you enter, but never forget who you truly are.”

My journey continued through the Horn of Plenty, a testament to the city’s artistic flair that left me in awe, and the Marten Toonder Monument, which connected me to the rich literary heritage woven into the urban landscape.

#MarkeuNote:

1. Horn of Plenty

When you wander amongst the market stands of Markthal, you have to look up to enjoy the massive artwork sprawled across the ceiling: the ‘Horn of Plenty’ by Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam. Boasted as a gigantic digital 'ceiling painting', the cornucopia is a colorful, but almost surreal still life, in which fruit, vegetables and flowers symbolize the enticements of paradise (and the Markthal itself).

2. Marten Toonder Monument

Created as a tribute to Dutch cartoonist Marten Toonder, the Toonder Monument is a whimsical commemoration of a legacy that continues to impact the culture of the Netherlands. Formally titled Homage Marten Toonder, the Toonder Monument honors the Rotterdam-born comic-book author who had a great influence on the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions. Numerous characters in Toonder’s comics have their own peculiar dialect of Dutch, impacting the culture of the region and country in a profound manner. He has been recognized as the most well-known Dutch cartoonist.

Rotterdam, that was a blast. I'll wait for you to ring me back home. 📞

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.4 (after 1960)

1960 – At the Kasakela Chimpanzee Community in Tanzania, Dr. Jane Goodall observes chimpanzees creating tools, the first-ever observation in non-human animals. 1962 – The United States concludes Operation Fishbowl, its final above-ground nuclear weapons testing series, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. 1966 – The Arno River floods Florence, Italy, to a maximum depth of 6.7 m (22 ft), leaving thousands homeless and destroying millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. Venice is also submerged on the same day at its record all-time acqua alta of 194 cm (76 in). 1967 – Iberia Flight 062 crashes in Blackdown, West Sussex, killing all 37 people on board including British actress June Thorburn. 1970 – Vietnam War: The United States turns over control of the air base at Bình Thủy in the Mekong Delta to South Vietnam. 1970 – Salvador Allende takes office as President of Chile, the first Marxist to become president of a Latin American country through open elections. 1973 – The Netherlands experiences the first car-free Sunday caused by the 1973 oil crisis. Highways are used only by cyclists and roller skaters. 1979 – Iran hostage crisis: A group of Iranian college students overruns the U.S. embassy in Tehran and takes 90 hostages. 1980 – Ronald Reagan is elected as the 40th President of the United States, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter. 1993 – China Airlines Flight 605, a brand-new 747-400, overruns the runway at Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport. 1995 – Israel-Palestinian conflict: Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by an extremist Israeli. 2002 – Chinese authorities arrest cyber-dissident He Depu for signing a pro-democracy letter to the 16th Communist Party Congress. 2008 – Barack Obama becomes the first person of biracial or African-American descent to be elected as President of the United States. 2010 – Aero Caribbean Flight 883 crashes into Guasimal, Sancti Spíritus; all 68 passengers and crew are killed. 2010 – Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380, suffers an uncontained engine failure over Indonesia shortly after taking off from Singapore, crippling the jet. The crew manage to safely return to Singapore, saving all 469 passengers and crew. 2015 – A cargo plane crashes shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport in Juba, South Sudan, killing at least 37 people. 2015 – A building collapses in the Pakistani city of Lahore resulting in at least 45 deaths and at least 100 injuries. 2020 – The Tigray War begins with Tigrayan rebels launching attacks on Ethiopian command centers.

[teecupangel]

Hey, so, assassins creed x Idols (Kpop?). From the comments of the other post I remember the band "Now United" where every member is from a different country, maybe it can be used as a concept for the band?, idk I'm just giving ideas but I really want to continue the idea of them as group bc I found it hilarious lmao.

I tried looking for the post where we talk about this but I can’t find it anymore TTATT

(Also, it’s kinda funny that I’m answering this ask now the same day I watched the last Hololive concert with my friend. What a coincidence lol)

So, first things first, since my idol era happened during the early 2000s with Jpop, I’m going to borrow the setup of Debut or Die for this one to make it feel more Kpop XD

First things first, we’ll set up what we need in the idol group:

Lead Vocalist

Sub Vocalist

Main Dancer

Lead Rapper

(there are other parts like “Face of the Group” or “Main Visual”… aka the most photogenic one, maybe even something like the group’s composer/lyricist if we want that)

Anyway, we’re focusing on those 4 because this is the formation for Desmond, Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton.

Okay, let’s be honest. We’re going to put Desmond in the lead vocalist part because it’s me XD

But, putting him as sub vocalist would be a random reference to the fact that Desmond’s voice actor, Nolan North, sang the sub vocalist part of Saint Row IV’s Opposite Attract singalong scene

(this also help show how high Nolan North can sing I guess?)

Also, also, Ratonhnhaké:ton has to be the lead vocalist. His voice actor, Noah Watts, has a 13+ min video showing why Ratonhnhaké:ton should be the lead vocalist.

Altaïr would be the main dancer because I like the idea of Ezio being the main rapper and Altaïr’s body build would make him a good dancer.

So our final setup would be

Ratonhnhaké:ton – Lead Vocalist and Maknae (the youngest by one year)

Desmond – Sub Vocalist and the reluctant leader

Altaïr – Main Dancer and maybe their dance coordinator?

Ezio – Lead Rapper and Face of the Group + Main Visual

Now, I think you asked what Edward’s part will be?

Normally I would say Edward can a retired idol turned into this group’s manager but let’s fuck with the timeline and make everyone around the same ages and turn this into…

ACB48

hehehehe

(for those wondering, this is a reference to one of the longest idol group in Japan, AKB48)

So Desmond’s group would be part of ACB48 together.

Other groups include:

A group composed of Edward, Arno, Evie and Jacob (fans jokingly calls them the Hundred Years War Group)

A group composed of Shao Jun, Arbaaz Mir, Nikolai Orelov and Aguilar de Nerha.

A group composed of Kassandra, Alexios, and the twins Eivor and Havi.

A group composed of Bayek, Aya and Basim.

(Modern Assassins will be assistants or managers. Other historical Assassins can have their own group: like maybe Malik and Federico with their own group??? An all girls group of Claudia, Mary Read, Anne Bonny (even if she's not really an Assassin), María, Rebekah and Roshan)

And, of course, one of their rival idol group is made of Haytham Kenway, Shay Cormac (who was once part of ACB48), Daniel Cross and Maria Thorpe. (The CEO of their company is Warren Vidic)

Since they’re all of similar ages (around late teens early to mid twenties), Edward and Haytham are brothers and Ratonhnhaké:ton is their half-brother. Whether they’re cousins with Ezio is up to you.

[darkmaga-returns]

German carmaker Volkswagen has been forced to consider plant closures, termination of employee protections agreed with unions, and other cost-cutting measures amid surging energy prices, increasingly stiff competition from China, and European Union policy decisions that have stripped the company of its competitive advantage.

Battered by shrinking sales, Volkswagen is asking its workers to agree to a 10% pay cut and revised bonus system.

The beleaguered German automotive giant contends that such drastic cost-cutting measures are the only way to avoid shutting down factories and retain competitive status.

The carmaker’s proposals were hailed as a “first small signal” of progress in negotiations by Daniela Cavallo, the automaker’s top labor leader. However, she added that shuttering plants isn’t completely off the table.

Volkswagen eyes plant closures in Germany as country’s economy sabotaged by US Volkswagen is considering its first ever German plant closures in the company’s 87-year history as the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline and US-backed sanctions on Russian gas continue to wreak… pic.twitter.com/dzRYLHEgWQ— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) September 3, 2024

Overall, VW is considering more than 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) in cost cuts, according to its finance chief Arno Antlitz.

Volkswagen’s next round of talks with labor unions is set for November 21. Failing further breakthroughs, strikes are likely from December 1.

[mariacallous]

Thousands of mourners gathered in Moscow on Friday for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, despite an ominous warning from the Kremlin that anyone participating in unsanctioned gatherings could face arrest. 

Crowds of people, many clutching red carnations, gathered amid a heavy police presence to pay their respects to the Kremlin foe, with some chanting “Putin is a killer” and “you weren’t afraid, we aren’t afraid.” 

More than 400 people have been detained in dozens of cities across Russia for participating in memorials in the two weeks since Navalny’s sudden and still unexplained death in a Russian penal colony in the Arctic Circle, according to OVD-Info, which monitors politically motivated arrests in Russia. At least 115 people were detained on Friday, according to the group. 

Navalny, who was 47 years old, was buried in Borisovo cemetery in his childhood neighborhood in southeast Moscow. The casket of the Putin critic, who was known for his irreverent sense of humor, was lowered into the ground to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” followed by the theme tune from his favorite film, Terminator 2.

Navalny’s sudden death has fueled concerns about the well-being of hundreds of other prisoners in Russia.

“If they could kill Navalny, they could kill anybody else,” said Grigory Vaypan, a senior lawyer at Memorial, Russia’s oldest human rights group. 

There are currently 679 people serving sentences on politically motivated charges, according to Memorial, although the actual number is likely much higher, Vaypan said.

“This number is the absolute minimum. It’s the most conservative assessment that we can get,” he said. 

Despite the international outcry over Navalny’s death, Moscow’s crackdown on dissent shows little sign of abating.

On Feb. 27, Oleg Orlov, chairman of Memorial, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine. Two days later, a court in Sverdlovsk rejected the appeal of a Russian American, Ksenia Karelina, who was detained on treason charges earlier this year for donating just over $50 to a Ukrainian charity.

The Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent has gathered pace throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 24 years in power, escalating dramatically in the wake of the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The number of people in prison on politically motivated charges has increased 15-fold over the past decade, Vaypan said, with arrests surging further still since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

In 2022, more than 21,000 people were penalized for publicly opposing the war and faced detention and heavy fines, according to Amnesty International. 

Shortly after the invasion, Putin signed a new law that prohibits the “discreditation” of the Russian Armed Forces and the dissemination of so-called fake news about the country’s military. The law has been used widely to target critics of the war. 

Last year, a court in Moscow sentenced 63-year-old railway worker Mikhail Simonov to seven years in prison for making anti-war statements on the Russian social media platform VKontakte. “While killing children and women, we sing songs on Channel One [Russian state TV],” Simonov wrote. “We, Russia, have become godless. Forgive us, Lord,” Simonov wrote in a post.

“The approach is to target one person to create a chilling effect for another 1,000 or 10,000 people,” Vaypan said, of the haphazard way the law has been applied. “No one ever knows who is going to be targeted for what and who is going to be let off the hook,” he said. 

The length of sentences has also increased dramatically in recent years. In 2023, dissident and Washington Post columnist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison for condemning the war in Ukraine. Natalia Arno, president of the Free Russia Foundation, described the sentence as reminiscent of those handed down to dissidents in the Stalin era. 

With Navalny dead, Kara-Murza, a dual British-Russian citizen, is now the most prominent Kremlin critic imprisoned in Russia. “We understand that Kara-Murza is next, and he is very high on Putin’s target list,” said Arno, a friend of the jailed Putin foe.

Kara-Murza has survived two near-fatal poisoning attempts that have left him with lingering health issues and amplified concerns about his well-being in the Russian prison system, where health care is notoriously poor. 

Conditions in Russian prisons are equally grim. A 2021 State Department report described the country’s detention centers and penal colonies as “often harsh and life threatening,” noting that food and sanitation standards were low while overcrowding and abuse were rife.

A striking number of Russia’s political prisoners have been convicted on religious grounds. Their cases receive significantly less attention both within Russia and abroad. Almost two-thirds of the people considered political prisoners by Memorial have been persecuted because of their religious beliefs. 

Many are adherents of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international Islamist political organization that Russia deemed a terror group in 2003. 

As with other politically motivated cases, Hizb ut-Tahrir followers were previously sentenced to two- to three-year prison terms, said Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the Sova Center, a Moscow-based think tank that studies nationalism and racism, but in recent years they have been handed down sentences of up to 24 years. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses, which Russia labeled an extremist group in 2017, have also borne the brunt of an inexplicable and punishing crackdown.

Since 2017, there have been over 2,000 raids on Jehovah’s Witnesses, with 794 people facing charges, according to Jarrod Lopes, a spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States. Many of those facing charges are older adults; the trial of the oldest, 85-year-old Yuriy Yuskov, began in January.

On Thursday, a 52-year-old man in the Russian city of Tolyatti, Aleksandr Chagan, was handed an eight-year sentence for his membership in the church.

“We’ve noticed that the Russian authorities haven’t slowed down in religious persecutions. If anything, lately, things have continued to escalate,” Lopes said.

[assassinschaoticcreed]

Ok, we got the modern Au

But do you have any other aus? If you do, I would love to hear them!

oooooo~

• I love a good fantasy AU: but like not all of them are humans. (these aren't specific to any games just a heads up)

I see Arno as a High Elf and Connor as a Woodland Elf.

Ezio and Desmond as Dragon Shapshifters: they tend to use their human appearance in public but if they are with friends, family or just relaxing they take on their Dragon forms. Ezio is a Giant Fire Dragon and Desmond is a Large Wyvern, hes got White and Red colors.

Altaïr is a Demon Shapshifter: he also prefers his human form if there are other humans around other than that he couldn't care less what people think of him.

Jacob & Evie are half elves, their father is human and their mother was a High Elf (I HC that it was frowned upon for humans and elves to be in a relationship let alone have kids so she was killed, and their father didnt want to raise them especially if it would make his image look bad). they tend to flock to Arno and Connor due to the elven blood in them. they both take the twins in, and when the twins ask specifically about High Elves, Arno is MORE than happy to educate them of their lineage.

Edward is a Zora-like Shapshifter: he's got gold and blue colors to him in his Zora-like form. this man doesn't come to shore often and even when he does he doesn't care what form hes in. if he's lazy it's the Zora-like, if he's looking for a lady friend he's human.

• I like an AU of the boys being Prince's of their respected countries.

• the boys with Modern Day Jobs:

Arno is a Cafe owner and writes storylines for plays & movies, also has a Masters Degree in Archaeology. (has several branches in different countries)

Ezio is a Banker like his dad (CEO) and a part time Model.

Desmond owns his own bar, and be bartends there. he also has a few different branches in the U.S. he has a Bachelors in Accounting though, was going to work for the Auditores but changed careers.

Altaïr has a doctrate degree in Astronomy and Philosophy. he's a Professor for both at a University.

Edward is a Marine Technician.

Connor is an Architect, he builds what he comes up with too. the jack of all trades.

Jacob is a High School History Teacher, I just think that it suits him for some reason.

Evie was a kindergarten teacher, she ended up transferring later on to a first grade teacher though since she felt like she got to spend more time with the kids and teach them more.

• I also like the idea of the boys being streamers, Altaïr & Connor are the ones always having Scuffs. it makes me laugh thinking of all the content they make together or in pairs, depending on who's up for it at the time.

[head-post]

Volkswagen defends German plant closures due to falling sales

Volkswagen AG defended plans to consider unprecedented plant closures in Germany, saying falling car sales left the company with two plants, according to Bloomberg.

Demand in Europe hasn’t recovered from the pandemic and vehicle deliveries in the region across the industry are about 2 million below peak, Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz said at an employee meeting in Wolfsburg.

According to prepared remarks, Volkswagen lost sales by about “500,000 cars, the equivalent of around two plants.”

We need to increase productivity and reduce costs.

Europe’s biggest carmaker announced this week that it was considering whether to close plants in Germany for the first time and terminate job security agreements after years of ignoring overcapacity and falling competitiveness. The move triggers a clash with powerful labour unions as the country’s most important industry fights for its future.

VW’s main target is its eponymous passenger car brand, whose profit margins are shrinking amid an uncertain shift to electric vehicles and slowing consumer spending. Automakers in Europe are also struggling to compete with Tesla Inc. and new players from China.

Coping with reduced demand

VW employees received the support of German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil. He urged company executives to keep plants open, avoid layoffs and find “sensible” ways forward in negotiations with unions.

Daniela Cavallo, VW’s chief employee representative and member of the supervisory board, said at the same meeting that she would fight any plant closures.

Volkswagen isn’t ailing because of its German sites and German personnel costs. Volkswagen’s problem is that the board of management is not doing its job.

Volkswagen shares were down 1.6 per cent as of 4:11 p.m. in Frankfurt. The stock is down about 15 per cent this year.

Europe is at the centre of a global slowdown in the shift to electric vehicles after a number of countries including Germany and Sweden reduced or cancelled incentives. Manufacturers including VW, Stellantis NV, and Renault SA are operating plants at levels that analysts consider unprofitable, according to Just Auto.

Volvo Car AB abandoned electrification on Wednesday, dropping a plan to sell only all-electric vehicles by the end of this decade amid disappointing demand. Volkswagen last year produced about 9 million vehicles at a total capacity of 14 million. It became harder to boost profits at VW’s core brand due to rising logistics, energy, and labour costs.

Antlitz said the companies must work together to make the eponymous brand competitive again and ensure it could offer high-quality vehicles at affordable prices.

We still have a year, maybe two years, to turn things around. But we have to make use of this time.

Read more HERE