#Europe vs America vs Australia

[birds-are-really-nice]

[tummy-hurts]

It seems like when people say 'the western world' they mean 'the colonial world' and that might make more sense than using the word 'west' because??? It's not exactly arranged that way

[orionsangel86]

Reading your tags on the travel poll - you're absolutely right. International travel *used* to be more common among USians, especially to nearby Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean where we used to be able to travel without a passport. But travel costs and restrictions on top of income inequity means fewer people traveling. Also? I've traveled over 4,000 miles/6,700km to a vacation destination (Hawai'i) and was still in the US. It's big here.

Yeah this is it exactly. I can be in France or Belgium in a few hours max for not a HUGE sum of money, and from there the rest of Europe is easy access. Its not even all that difficult to get from here to Africa or the Middle East in all honestly, I understand that a flight from NY to LA is only a bit shorter than a flight from London to Dubai. Insane!

And then wealth inequality and the cost of travel for people in the US is clearly also a huge factor. Its just so much more expensive for Americans to travel to the rest of the world, since you are separated from it by two huge oceans. Even South America is a bloody long trek for someone living in New York.

Though I do think its worth mentioning that when I was staying with a friend in Alabama once upon a time, it was really eye opening to me how so many of her fellow students at her uni had never even left the state let alone the country. I was treated with a mix of curiosity and fascination because I was doing a backpacking trip around the world (literally - I kept to one direction and ended up back where I started take THAT flat Earthers! Lol) and a lot of the comments I got were... why? One extremely patriotic dude was like "why would I leave? America is the greatest country on Earth". (He was also possibly the most idiotic person I've ever met in my life so there is that) so I did get the impression, certainly among certain areas, communities, states, etc... that they simply have no interest in travel either. Though I can't imagine that mindset is one that is popular among Americans who use Tumblr...

So basically there are many many factors as to why Americans don't seem to travel outside of America unlike most people from other countries. It was crazy to me back when I was there how few people had travelled, whereas here in the UK i can't think of a single person I know who hasnt travelled to multiple countries as its just the norm.

Its interesting seeing those differences of experience reflect in the polls though. Tumblr is so America orientated but honestly if that poll was done among only non Americans, I am certain the results would skew heavily in favour of 9+ countries. Over 50% for sure.

[summer-fruits-and-cream]

> I don't know a single country where swearing is as taboo as it is in America

why is so much commentary on america asia erasure

You know what really fucking Annoys Me about internet censorship is stuff like swear words being heavily censored because that's entirely an American cultural hangup being forced on the rest of us. I don't know a single country where swearing is as taboo as it is in America. In fact most languages have swear words that would have the same effect on an American as giving a Victorian chimney sweep a pepsi max cherry.

[dailytrendingtopics]

Revolutionize Your Work Setup: Desktop vs Laptop—Which Wins

[monmouthcastle]

The non-standardized continent models taught around the world are starting internet fights about nothing I'm losing my mind about this actually

[determinate-negation]

maybe I am wrong but I think there's an interesting paradox in zionism's denial of the diaspora and it's appropriation of the diaspora because it can't form a culture without taking from the diaspora itself

its a paradox of zionism in general, from its start its been a movement that took cultural and political influence from its surroundings– being 19th century europe– its a colonial and nationalist project modeled after other colonial and nationalist european projects, yet tries to portray itself as indigenous. part of this is from shifts in political atmosphere and self-perception of zionism over the past 100 years. but there is an 'israeli culture' you can point to that is not taken from the diaspora but rather an inversion of what it conceives the diaspora to be, for the diaspora to be seen as weak, sickly, overly intellectual, cosmopolitan and disconnected from the land, thus israeli culture is more militaristic, chauvinistic, with an emphasis on the masculine, fetishizing labor and agricultural work. the paradox is this cultural conception is basically lacking everything that made jewish diaspora culture interesting and leave a long lasting mark on western history, jewish culture as a minority culture in particular. i think the cultural output of colonial or imperial nations mostly interested in projecting strength and militarism is generally poor, chauvinistic, and easily forgotten because it lacks the qualities that make particular things significant historically artistically etc. like look at the cultural atmosphere of the weimar republic, or even imperial germany (after relative) jewish emancipation and the influence of minority cultures vs cultural production in the nazi period and afterwards, or american settler culture in the colonial period vs cultural forms created by oppressed people in america. if you are interested more specifically in israels conception of itself as like a negation of the diaspora the artist eli valley made a cartoon about this, israel man and diaspora boy. israeli society historically tried to erase diaspora culture within israel, like discouraging people from speaking yiddish and banning yiddish cultural production. but also needed to construct a positive cultural identity (i dont mean positive to mean good, just like as in creating something rather than negating or destroying) and appropriated palestinian culture, through taking indigenous names, food, etc. if you want to read about this process in israel as well as other settler colonies like australia and canada and the us the article settler colonialism and the elimination of the native by patrick wolfe is a pretty significant article. i would say as far as i can tell israeli culture today seems to be mostly predicated on this, not appropriation of diaspora jewish culture, which they seem to look down on generally. but theres not much interest in israeli literature or art worldwide, besides in germany (lol), and perhaps their failure to create anything worthwhile is part of why israeli archival and academic institutions seek to claim ownership of diaspora jewish culture. part of it is just to legitimize themselves and give themselves prestige as well i think

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

So, why do people care so much about Cornish identity? Cornwall’s just a part of England right? Another county with some distinct foods and a funny accent, and they moan about the tourists- when they should be grateful for the money.

Except it’s not.

Whilst the rest of England was forming with a character influenced by Germanic and Norse cultures, Cornwall was holding itself separate as an independent Celtic kingdom, with strong links with Wales, Ireland and Brittany- as well as trading with the wider Mediterranean. For a long time, this kingdom included parts of Devon, but eventually the Celtic people were forced back past the Tamar, and at some point started referring to the land as Kernow, rather than Dumnonia (probably).

Even after the Norman conquest, in part because Cornwall came under the control of the Duke of Brittany, Cornwall retained elements of its unique culture, and certainly its language. There are existing works of literature written in the Cornish language (also called Kernewek) during the medieval period. Due to the active tin mining industry and the Stannary courts, they even had a separate legal system.

All of this continued until the start of the Tudor period, when Henry VII, desperate for money for his wars with Scotland, suspended the operation of the Cornish Stannaries, and imposed greater taxes. This ultimately led to the Cornish Rebellion of 1497. An army of as many as 15000 rebels marched towards Somerset, and ultimately to London, where the rebels met with Henry VII’s armies. Unfortunately, the Cornish lost the ensuing battle, and the rebel leaders were captured, killed and quartered, with their quarters being displayed in Cornwall and Devon. From 1497 to 1508, Cornwall was punished with monetary penalties, impoverishing the people, and land was given to the king’s (English) allies.

However, this wasn’t the death of Cornish culture or dreams of independence from England. Until 1548, Glasney college was still producing literature in Cornish- when it was destroyed in the dissolution of the monasteries, during the English reformation. The following year, 1549, the Cornish rose again- this time to demand a prayer book in their own language, which was still the first (and often only) language of most people in the region. The rebellion was also about the ordinary people vs the landowners, as shown by their slogan “kill all the gentlemen”.

Unfortunately, this rebellion failed too, and this time, it wasn’t just the leaders who were killed, but up to 5,500 Cornishmen- which would have been a significant proportion of the adult male population at the time. These factors combined are widely thought to have contributed to the decline of the Cornish language- although it was still widely in use centuries later.

Despite the failings of these rebellions, the Cornish retained a distinct language and their own culture, folklore and festivals. Mining, farming and fishing meant that the region itself wasn’t economically impoverished, as it was today. Even towards the end of the 1700s, there were still people who spoke Cornish fluently as a first language (including Dolly Pentreath, who definitely wasn’t the last Cornish speaker).

However, over time, the tin mines became less profitable, and Cornwall’s economy started to suffer. Especially in the latter part of the 19th century, many Cornish began to emigrate, especially to places like Australia, New Zealand (or Aotearoa), Canada and South America. Cornish miners were skilled, and were able to send pay back home, and along with the Welsh, influenced culture and sport in many of these places. Many mining terms also have their roots in Cornish language and dialect.

Throughout the 20th Century, Cornwall went through an economic decline- to the point where, when the UK was an EU member, Cornwall was receiving funding intended for only the most deprived regions in Europe. It was one of very few places in the UK to receive this funding- due to the levels of poverty and lack of infrastructure.

Part of the decline was also linked to the decline of historic fish stocks, such as mackerel. In the 70s and 80s, there was a mackerel boom- and large fishing trawlers came from as far away as Scandinavia (as well as Scotland and the north of England) to fish in Cornish waters. The traditional way of fishing in Cornwall used small boats and line fishing. The local fishermen couldn’t compete, and ultimately stocks were decimated by the trawlers. Many more families had to give up their traditional way of life. One could draw parallels here with worldwide indigenous struggles over fishing rights.

Despite this, Cornish communities retained their traditional folklore and festivals, many of which are still celebrated to this day. And throughout the 20th Century, efforts were made to preserve the Cornish language. Although there may not be any first language Cornish speakers left, it is now believed that community knowledge of the language was never truly lost.

Cornwall has since become a popular tourist destination. This brings its own problems- many people want to stay in self-catering accommodation and, more recently, air bnbs. This, alongside second homes, has gutted many Cornish communities. The gap between house prices and average wages is one of the largest in the country. Land has become extremely expensive, which hurts already struggling farmers. Roads can’t cope with the level of traffic. The one (1) major hospital can’t cope with the population in the summer. All of last winter, most Cornish households faced a “hosepipe ban” due to lack of water- yet in the summer, campsites and hotels can fill their swimming pools and hot tubs for the benefit of tourists.

Does this benefit Cornwall? Only about 13% of Cornwall’s GDP comes from tourism. The jobs associated with tourism are often poorly paid and may only offer employment for part of the year. People who stay in Air BnBs may not spend that much money in the community, and the money they pay for accommodation often goes to landlords who live upcountry and aren’t Cornish. Many major hotels and caravan sites are also owned by companies that aren’t Cornish, taking money out of the local economy.

Match this with a housing crisis where it’s increasingly difficult to rent properties long term, and buying a flat or house in Cornwall is out of reach of someone on the average salary and it’s easy to see why people are having to leave communities where their family lived for generations. This damages the local culture, and means centuries-old traditions can come under threat.

All of this feeds into the current situation; it feels like middle class families from London see Cornwall as their playground, and moan about tractors on the road, or the lack of services when they visit. People talk about theme park Cornwall- a place that’s built for entertainment of outsiders, not functionality for those who live here. More widely, a lot of people around the UK have never heard of the Cornish language, or view it as something that’s “extinct” or not worth preserving.

The Cornish are one of Britain’s indigenous cultures, alongside Welsh, Gaelic, Scots, Manx and others. And it’s a culture that’s increasingly under threat economically and culturally. We’ve been clinging on to our homes for a long time, and even now it still feels like we might be forced from them (indeed some of us are). So yes, Cornish people can seem excessively defensive about our identity and our culture- but there’s good reason for it!

[olderthannetfic]

https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/751898325515665408/because-not-every-brown-person-is-black#notes

I think what gets me about BIPOC is that is doesn't just describe more Anglo/US race politics. But especially RECENT ones. I think POC is like from the 20's?

BIPOC/POC also explains different layers of systematic oppression and social issues that have been ongoing and are still happening. There are certain big difference between the oppression a Black/Indigenous person faces vs eg East Asians. But that doesn't mean that both don't experience some form of oppression in the American system, and some forms of oppression do still overlap. That is an oppression no actual white group in US faces in any comparable margin, and why the term BIPOC to make it clear it is about that unique oppression makes sense, because of American politics.

Europe has a really weird connection to race that isn't a 1:1 reflection of the US. I think you can also find this in Asia. Europe even used race the same way some people use nationality for some time. If you went by how the system fucks with people, you could definitely talk about black people are heavily oppressed in Europe like in the US, and anyone "Not european enough" but in Europe there's for example also heavy and recent oppression of the Irish, Saami, and Eastern Europeans in Western Europe. Do they face the SAME oppression as example black people in Europe? No historically there are large differences, but certain overlaps. There have been systemic issues in Europe that historically targeted Irish, Saami, and Slavic people. That's something unique to Europe, where white people oppressed other white people. But also oppressed Not white people. That's why BIPOC/POC makes very little sense and feels more like also trying to adopt US racial politics into Europe including the history, which just doesn't work. Maybe terms more unique to Europe should be created to both respect the racial issues of non-white groups in Europe, while also not forgetting that Europeans have for a long time also oppressed and keep oppressing "other" Europeans. And that's not even starting on the racial politics further of into Eastern Europe

BIPOC/POC isn't just about being "Not whites" it's also about the system these people live in. US/Canada has a very specific system that is very unique. I think maybe Australia and New Zealand come close? YOU CAN'T REMOVE THE SYSTEM FROM THAT TERM.

POC living in the Americas found a term that actually encompasses a lot of their unique experiences in this world, and a certain togherness that this caused in that system. That there are certain quirks that you need to understand to really get why the term is so specific to NOT white people living in the US, aka BIPOC, and why it's rooted in the American politics, race politics, and oppression of minorities. It's just weird to take a term that belongs to a very specific experience of racial/ethnic minorities in the US, and try and remove the very specific political and historical context of racial oppression.

Side tangent. In Asia, example China you could also compare their oppression of ethnic and racial minorities to how it's done in West European countries, say Germany. In China anyone not from the Han majority is oppressed by the system, the system is made to oppress anyone who's not part of the majority, which includes anyone now Chinese, which includes black people, and people are subjugated to a forced "conversion" and assimilation into the majority; this specifically includes indigenous Chinese people of minority ethnic groups, like the Yao people. In Germany there's a history of a system that oppresses people who're not white, and ethnic white minorities, like Slavic people, especially during the Germanization of the "country" during Germany's many shifts in borders, where minorities were forcefully assimilated in an attempt Germanize them. These are all people of the same "race" and this is a specific experience in parts of the world where ethnicity is a big factor rather than just race, if not a bigger factor. But again, that's not the experience from the US where race is one of the biggest factor of oppression, because that's how it just went historically in the US after the colonization and everything that followed.

BIPOC makes more sense for Americans because it's their word for their history.

--

[gx-gameon]

Thinking about Jaden as an adult and Seto in particular struggling to be okay with the fact that he's grown up makes me 🥹🥹😭 I love to torture myself so imagining his reaction to the news when (way down the line) Jesse and Jaden DO get engaged just makes me laugh maniacally 😭🤣

Here’s the thing. Seto likes Jesse. As much as he doesn’t like the fact that Jaden is growing up, or the trauma that Jaden is dealing with he does like Jesse.

Jesse is an incredible duelist. Has an ultra unique deck. Is a born leader. And has shown that he is willing to sacrifice himself for Jaden (Seto maybe don’t make “will die for _____” a dating requirement. It is a requirement for anyone who dates Jaden or Mokuba. It shouldn’t be but it is)

He could not have hand picked a better partner for his son. Jesse is loyal and kind and most importantly loves Jaden.

If Jaden ever wants to publicly come out as the Prince of Duels, Jesse isn’t a bad pattern to have. Heck the media would eat that up. The Prince and the Crystal beast duelist. (Seto does not care about this but the public is something he has to think about unfortunately)

Seto is just struggling with having to watch his son battle with PTSD and anxiety and losing all his joy for dueling and then instead of coming him he decides to go on a globe trotting adventure. Seto would far prefer Jaden staying where he can see him, just for a little bit. He just wants to protect his kid.

But he can’t blame Jaden for the way he is healing, he’s actually quite proud of him. But he’s got big complex emotions about everything that’s happened in the last year. And he’s missed so much of Jaden’s life in the past three years and now he’s missing more.

And suddenly this Rainbow boy is traveling with Jaden. It’s Jesse his “best friend” and all those negative emotions have a target now. Because Jesse is spending all this time with Jaden, and watching his back, and helping him grow and recover (they are helping each other a lot) and Seto’s happy for Jaden but also big dad feels at missing out on his sons milestones.

And it doesn’t help that he has Joey Tristian and Duke there making jokes about when the kids will get engaged/elope (even before the two are officially dating) and Seto just wants to break something.

Their complex emotions.

It gets better when Jaden and Jesse start visiting Domino more often. They’ll do work in Europe and then come back to the manor as a ‘home base. Then they’ll head off to America or Australia or any other country and spend some time helping people and duel spirits there and setting up a global community. But they always come home.

By the time they do finally get engaged Seto has grown used to Jaden being an adult and living his life. And he’s quite happy Jesse and Jaden are now a permanent team. (They have always been a permanent team the two of them just made it official)

Jesse does have to duel Seto for the right to marry Jaden (Yugi has already approved so it doesn’t matter if he wins, Seto just wants to test the kids resolve. A weakling can’t marry his son.) I will let you decide who wins that duel. Seto Kaiba in his mid 30’s vs Jesse Anderson in his early 20s.

Either way he makes Jesse WORK for it.

It’s a lot of growing pains especially in the early relationship.

Seto Kaiba is a man who loves deeply and protects fiercely. His circle was so small for so long (just him and Mokuba) and he’s got walls made of titanium. Yugi slowly broke them down over the series and even then it took Seto a while to realize his feelings but once he did he pursued Yugi. Once he knew the feeling was mutual he opened his circle up to Yugi, Jaden, Atem, and eventually Solomon Muto. Over time other wormed their way in but he’s not someone who trust people easily.

Dating is an up hill battle for Mokuba. Seto is very particular on his partners, worried about his brother getting hurt. Early dating is a nightmare. And honestly we should salute him because he paved the way for Jaden.

So when Jesse rocks up to date Jaden it’s hard to trust him with the heart of his extremely traumatized son.

Adding Chazz or Aster to the family is one thing. He’s heard about Chazz for 3 years and Aster for /. He’s researched them, followed their careers, and Jaden has told him a lot about them. He had time to process them.

Jesse rocks up in season 3 they are quickly sent to another dimension, Jesse sacrifices himself. Jaden goes back after him, gets deeply traumatized. And once the return the transfer students are sent back to their schools for their ‘safety’ yes Jesse helped out in season 4 but how much is Jaden communicating with his family at that point? Seto didn’t have the same amount of time to get used to this kid/hear about him from Jaden. He doesn’t trust the kid. Not yet. They have a lot of growing pains.��

[pharma-tard]

Share thoughts!!!!

I'm hungry so this won't be the most eloquent explanation, but basically I think it's more likely for Trump to win than Kamala. Normally that's "who gives a shit" territory for me, because a pro-war and (by nowhere but America's standards) "anti-war" president both have to deal with their country's geopolitical reality/tragectory and (more importantly) what their oligarchy wants.

But this one is meaningful mostly because of what Trump represents on the world-stage -- which is a shift to East Asia away from Europe (whereas Kamala represents the current policy). "Away" is the keyword here. Before, the US could, in the analogy of a boxing match, just change who they're swinging at with their right vs their left. They can't anymore, they can try to dodge the guy who'd get their left normally, but they have to focus on one of them at a time.

I don't think the US elite wanted to admit that, a lot of them still don't. They have a lot invested in neocolonialism in the former Warsaw Pact/Yugoslavia, but as the mode of control has increasingly become the EU (vs directly), that vassalage-autonomy has come at the price of being more expendable in extreme cases such as we live in now.

Chinese disruption to US financial hegemony is more troubling to them than the EU taking L's and it fucking up their investments in the larger region, by a lot. Their elite want to (keep) own(ing) Ukraine, for example, but they need the world to run on dollars. Right now, China is the primary country enabling dedollarization, which means China is now the majority-accepted primary threat according to the American elite.

So what I predict happening is the EU will be left to deal with Europe on their own, and the EU establishment won't have nearly as much American support to keep them in power. NATO will still be there, and the US will still try to exert influence, but mostly within the "secured" areas and ones that are more directly chained to Washington than chained through Brussels. It's clear that the EU as a junior partner is seen as a mistake to the US, as well, so in a way everything since the end of 2021 can be spun advantageously for US geopolitics.

Meanwhile, the US' focus is going to be on China, with increasing diplomatic pressure on India & trying to further inflame their situation with Pakistan. Australia, Japan, Thailand, and New Zealand will become less autonomous within the American sphere, or at least that'll be the goal, while the main geopolitical battlegrounds will be around Taiwan*, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Korean peninsula, and Burma. Maybe Bangladesh also. I think the inevitable loss to Russia in Ukraine will solidify Mongolia in the Russian/Chinese sphere of influence though.

The Middle East situation won't fundamentally change, or at least its tragectory will continue in the way it has been since the failed attempt to destroy Syria.

Anyway, they know all this and that's why media coverage around Trump has become more in the tone of him winning next, even if it is in a "oh God oh fuck" tone. All of its about marketing, manufacturing consent, and reducing shock.

[lwh-writing]

Girl Genius Reaction #2

Hi, hey, been a hot second since I've done one of these but here we go!

I love that the Heterodyne boys have been elevated to this almost folklore-like state where everyone's got a story about them that ranges from "mostly true" to "entirely made up"

Also, Gil's Dad was adventure buddies with the Heterodynes???? I know Theo said he made the story up, but considering it was shown to us like a flashback, I assume there is at least a few kernels of truth to it all

I think I clocked the possible Von Pinn connection. As all the students claim Von Pinn is modeled off of and/or secretly Lucrezia Mongfish (whoever the hell that is), and Lucrezia was name-dropped in Theo's story/flashback and on the receiving end of one of the Heterodyne's love confessions, I'm assuming Von Pinn is thus modeled off of and/or secretly Agatha's mother or aunt. I wonder if that'll ever come up later. Either way, it's nice to know I'm not crazy for thinking Von Pinn and Agatha looked way too similar

Also, I know Agatha probably took the chance to change out of the pants and into a more comfortable skirt while Theo had everyone distracted, but I kind of like the idea that she can just randomly and inexpensively modify her clothes at will with no one noticing

The Baron being concerned about the hive engine being "eighteen years old or brand new?" really caught my attention. Larger scope villain entering the chat? 👀

Theo & co. running into Gil and there's an obvious disconnect about whom hasn't kept in touch with whom, re: Gil saying they'd only ever come to him if they need something vs. Theo saying Gil hasn't answered any of their letters. Betting money that the Baron has been withholding Gil's mail and trying to isolate him for whatever reason.

Whomst is Othar Tryggvassen? Hello? Random man just suspended over the void, every limb chained, giant green globe on his head? WTF???

I do love Agatha's reaction though. "Is it right to leave a fellow sentient strung up like this?" "Well, that depends upon the nature of the experiment..." I love this mad scientist so much

I'm also really loving the Jaegers (Jaegerkin? Jaegermonsters?). They're all so full of personality. And the tension with the Lackya is very delicious

Love the Jaegerkin generals inviting Agatha to supper, saying "It's good, no bugs!" only for another general to say in the most dejected voice "...no bugs?" 🥺

Also, it looks like the Jaegers are officially figuring out that Agatha's a Heterodyne! Gil may believe/know Agatha is a Spark (has the Spark?), but the Jaegers are the only ones connecting the dots to the Heterodyne question. Wonder if they'll tell someone or keep it to themselves.

Also, Jaegers playing matchmaker? "What do you think of the young master?" "What kind of question is that?" "Well it would make things really simple if--" What's their angle there? Hm....

Speaking of ships, I am sending Andre the Jaegermonster to horny jail. I'm with Agatha; Von Pinn doesn't sound interested

Flashback with Uncle Barry was very cute. He obviously didn't want to repress Agatha's powers, but it was probably a matter of safety

Agatha sleep-inventing is very cool, but why's her little sentient robot(s) hiding from her?

Von Zinzer is giving some insight on the larger world. Apparently, there's a series of wars going on? I know the Baron is a ruler and is keeping the school kids as hostages, but I didn't know it's a continuous conquest of what seems to be Europe.

Also, side note, do we ever see the rest of the world? Africa, Asia, Australia, North & South America? I know deep in my bones that this world's version of China would fuck severely.

Dr. Dim and his bears are also very cute. Loved the moment between him and Agatha

The fight between Von Zinzer & Agatha was very fun. As was Gil hiring Agatha on the spot. The friendship is growing!

And finally, the talking cat! My oh my, how will this go from here? It's very obviously sentient, and based on the website's banner, a main character to boot. But what is it? A chimera? A rogue experiment? Someone trapped in a cat's body? Guess I'll find out

Overall: Still really liking the story! It's got me hooked so far and it's building really well on the premise. The story is still obviously finding its footing, but it's still good!

Continued 7.5/10

[flagwars]

Video Game Flag Wars: Round 1

Now that the National Pride Fusion Flag Wars has ended, we can return to the Video Game Flag Wars! The prelims decided which flag would represent each series, so now the tournament contains one flag per series. This does not include mods and fangames, as there are multiple flags from Hearts of Iron mods and Roblox games in the tournament. As there are so many flags even after the prelims, there will be 32 polls in the first round rather than the usual 16. Let me know what flag you want to win! See the brackets below.

Round 1:

1. Crimson Cult Banner (Thaumcraft) vs. Flag (Roblox BedWars) vs. Salmon Run Flag (Splatoon)

2. Unnamed Flag (Lego City Undercover) vs. Atlantic Federation (Valkyria Chronicles) vs. Homestead Banner (Palia)

3. Middle Eastern Alliance (Squad) vs. Shadowkin (Raid: Shadow Legends) vs Bilge Rat Adventures Flag (Sea of Thieves)

4. Saker’s Flag (Fable) vs. Novistrana (Republic: The Revolution) vs. Arstotzka (Papers, Please)

5. San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) vs. Kirin Tor Offensive Banner (World of Warcraft) vs. Alliance of Galactic Travelers (No Man’s Sky)

6. Black Revolt (Kaiserredux) vs. Aquileian Republic (Supremacy) (Equestria at War) vs. Rescue Corps Flag (Pikmin 4)

7. Tropico (Tropico) vs. Sons of Liberty (Metal Gear Solid 2) vs. Commune of Revachol (Disco Elysium)

8. Mawkin Flag (Metroid: Dread) vs. Calchaqui (Europa Universalis 4) vs. Kazan Military Okrug (Thousand-Week Reich)

9. King Dedede’s Flag (Kirby: Triple Deluxe) vs. Meat Flag (Slime Rancher) vs. Flag of the Crown (Cult of the Lamb)

10. Communist Australia (Victoria II) vs. Delian League (Imperator: Rome) vs. Ominous Banner/Illager Banner (Minecraft)

11. Patagonian Worker’s Front (Kaiserreich) vs. Castle Siege (Super Smash Bros.) vs. Yara (Far Cry 6)

12. Stag Beetle Flag (Animal Crossing: New Leaf) vs. Fortnite (Fortnite) vs. Livonia (Arma)

13. Gaul Úr (Red Flood) vs. Strong Badia (Homestar Runner) vs. Super Earth (Helldivers)

14. Alam Melayu (Rise of Nations (Roblox)) vs. Tiki Tak Tribe (Donkey Kong Country Returns) vs. Sea Slide Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy)

15. Great Lakes Government (Kalterkrieg: Shadow of the Weltkrieg) vs. Principality of Kemerovo (The New Order: Last Days of Europe) vs. Joker Banner (Balatro)

16. Shadow Isles Clash Banner (League of Legends) vs. Rebel Corps, Phantom Thieves Version (Persona 5 Tactica) vs. Antarctica (3D Atlas (1996))

17. Generic Flag (Roblox) vs. Standing Flag (Dragon Blade RPG (Roblox)) vs. Zhu Xi's Legacy (Age of Empires 4)

18. Kitakami (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet) vs. South California (Cyberpunk 2077) vs. Watchers (Overwatch)

19. Avalar (Spyro the Dragon) vs. Union of American People's Republics (Red World) vs. Grey Warden Heraldry (Dragon Age: Inquisition)

20. Eusan Nation (Signalis) vs. Aurelia (Ace Combat) vs. Outer Wilds Ventures (Outer Wilds)

21. Columbia (Bioshock Infinite) vs. Sickle Moon Flag (Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) vs. Eggmanland (Sonic Unleashed)

22. The Allied Nations (Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3) vs. The Rebellion (Just Cause 3) vs. Federation of the Americas (Call of Duty: Ghosts)

23. Great Lake Revolutionary Council (Extremis Ultimis) vs. Courland (Empire: Total War) vs. Columbia (Crimson Skies)

24. Pontiac Province (Judgement Day: Aftermath of the Red Flood) vs. Communist Iberia (Hearts of Iron IV) vs. International Workers' Armed Forces (Krasnacht: Twilight of the Gods)

25. New California Republic (Fallout) vs. Deep Hollow Valley (Night in the Woods) vs. Victory Flag (Fall Guys)

26. Zheng Fa (Ace Attorney) vs. Golden Deer Banner (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) vs. Warbanner (Risk of Rain 2)

27. Blue Flag (Halo: Combat Evolved) vs. Wario’s House (WarioWare) vs. American Collective (Twilight of the Anthropocene)

28. Niflheim (Final Fantasy XV) vs. Republic of America (Dustborn) vs. American Empire (Pax Britannica)

29. Corvus (Dead Ahead (Roblox)) vs. Banner of the First Fleet (Monster Hunter)

30. Fillydelphia Contingent (Balefire Blues) vs. Federation of Anrakan Isles (Suzerain)

31. Yartar (Baldur’s Gate 3) vs. Hurons (American Conquest)

32. Falkreath Hold (Skyrim) vs. Assassin Jolly Roger (Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag)

[eyeswaitingfortuesdaynight]

i've changed my mind, i don't want the sydney dome to fall first, i want it to be the london dome

top performing domes at the constellation banquet were seoul, washington, moscow, and new delhi. japan is mentioned a lot due to the peaceland arc, china has their own incarnation that ends up on the final battlefield, the uk and italy are both mentioned in passing in the early parts of the novel.

while the domes may have sprung up over the current capitals of their respective countries, the fact that europe has at least three confirmed domes and japan has their own dome tells me the dome placement is not about population or proximity, but rather culture.

all the countries noted in the novel to have domes have very distinct cultures - it's even mentioned in the novel that the early scenarios are specifically for historical constellations, which would mostly be in the dome. afaik, there's no mention of domes in what can be considered the global south (south and central america, africa, oceania) plus the middle east? (save for the existence of papyrus as a nebula, but no actual domes or incarnations afaik) this might be an indication of unconcious authorial bias (irl or in-canon - both can apply, i've noticed most asian authors, when not focusing on their own countries, focus on asia, america and europe, in order) and might also be an indication of just how difficult the scenarios are in general. i suspect earth might have more domes than average due to the diversity of cultures or maybe even due to the large population. other planets/worlds i'm aware of existing in the novel don't have domes, so we have a sample size of one on this (as usual for astrobiology lol)

focus on culture indicates the domes might cover the culture of several countries or an entire region, just as they may have multiple in one region (america vs europe). i can't imagine canada has a seperate dome due to the shared history and culture with the usa. ditto korea - north korea has only existed for 70-ish years? can't imagine justifying splitting the korean penninsula constellations between seoul dome and a hypothetical pyongyang dome.

(side note: the fact that north korea hasn't started shit while the literal apocalypse is happening indicates to me that, on top of assassinating the top brass of every country, the dokkaebi probably stole all the nukes too. star stream seems in general very set on having either it or incarnations decide the fate of planets - non-incarnations are not allowed to sway things in major ways or they get their heads blown up)

....anyway, australia and new zealand probably have a consolidated cultural dome in sydney. but australia in general has a reputation for being badass and scary af. rather than having sydney fall, it would be much funnier to have london fall first. a new version of the rhyme can happen lol

🎶 london dome is falling down, falling down, falling down~ 🎶

[supremebirdbracket]

Two birds with unusual feeding methods face off!

Parasitic jaegers, or Arctic skuas, are named for their habit of kleptoparasitism, or stealing food from other animals. They acquire most of their food this way, but will also eat eggs, chicks, rodents, and insects during the breeding season. They breed on the tundra and fells of the Arctic (and northern Scotland), and spend the rest of the year off the coasts of Australia, southern Africa, and South America. While considered Least Concern worldwide, they are classified as Endangered in Europe.

Black skimmers are found in much of South America and on the southeastern coast of North America. Not only do these birds have those distinct, extra-long lower mandibles, but are also unique among birds (even other skimmers) by being the only bird to have a slit-shaped pupil like a cat! As their name suggests, they feed by dragging their lower mandible through the water as they fly over the ocean, grabbing fish. Since they feed by touch, they can even hunt at night.

[galactichelium]

Living in Australia can be so complicated when it comes to websites and devices and other such things trying to accommodate for people around the world. Because, depending on how they feel, Australians could either be grouped in Europe (when it's NTSC vs PAL), grouped in with North America (when grouped by "culture" and they put the UK with Europe), grouped in with the UK (either when it's commonwealth vs US or "UK English" vs "US English"), or grouped in with Asia (when they're basing it off of timezones/closest geographic region). Because we just don't have enough people to justify our own regions LMFAO.

But there is unfortunately just no perfect option. Unless they were to let us have more customisation and say, for servers I want to be with Asia, but I want to use UK English, but I want to use 12-hour time instead of 24-hour, but I want access to the North American content rather than the Europe one, etc etc. These are just examples of course. I also think it would be good if everyone had these options because there are other reasons why you might prefer one of these things to another but don't want ALL the things associated with that region. Weirdly enough, Splatoon 3 has been the best with this. But they also all use US English afaik.

But yeah what got me thinking about this is how Discord decides to approach "US English" vs "UK English" on desktop. You wanna know what the differences are between the two options? 12-hour time for "US English", 24-hour time for "UK English". They use the SAME spellings. The UK language option will in fact tell you that "colour" is wrong. Which is just so fucking ridiculous. Like that isn't a fucking language option if the only difference I'm aware of is time formatting 😭. But it'd still be a problem even if they did change the spellings because then I'd have to sacrifice either the spellings or the time format. I know on my Switch I'm forced to use 24-hour time based on my region alone, which doesn't make sense as 12-hour is vastly more popular here (though both are officially accepted).