#Green Division Concrete

[hoodielord]

Green eyes in the fear fog.

For half a second, Steph thought today would be a decent day. But no, not in Gotham.

Steph's current events professor, who was also the head of student affairs, had offered extra credit to help give college tours. Look, she had to take the extra credit she had to, even if it meant that she had to be a tour guide. It wasn't hard, just annoying.

The group was small, only five people, but two of them stuck out. A brother and sister. The brother was the definition of adoption bait blue eyes, black hair, vigilante tendencies withholding. The sister was at least as tall as Jason. She had orange hair just like Babs, you'd think they were related.

Anyways, Steph's new mission was to make sure the kid and Dick never met. The kid would not stop making puns. Some of them earned him a laugh but some earned him a smack from his sister.

"Aw, come on, Jazz, it was funny."

"You can do better." she shrugged.

" Sounds like a challenge." A wicked smirk appeared on his face.

" Danny, please don't."

"Challenge accepted."

Yep, I'm definitely keeping him away from Dick.

But something was off about them other than looking at the crime capital's university. They could probably be metahumans. Their eyes seemed to slightly glow blue. They carried themselves as they had already expected danger. I mean, it pays to be prepared, especially in Gotham, but they aren't from here.

If the siblings weren't already on a list B has they should be now. Jazz had been almost ecstatic when we were moving through the psychology department. Danny was practically bouncing off the walls when it was time to go through the engineering and physics departments. Definitely should keep an eye on them.

It was reaching the end of the tour in the cafeteria. Another weird thing about the siblings was their reaction to food. They seemed to have this sort of optimistic curiosity like they were happy to have food to eat, but at the same time, they were poking to make sure it wouldn't attack or something.

Talking with the siblings was interesting too. Danny was buzzing about the engineering department. He went into a great rant about a project that Wayne Enterprises was working on in the aerospace engineering division. Maybe she should keep him away from Tim, too.

The conversation died quickly when a shriek rang out from down the hall. Steph turned quickly to see green fear toxin fill the cafeteria. Swarms of people ran for the exits knocking each over. She quickly dug through her bag and pulled out her gas masks, one for her and her backup.

"Jazz? Jazz, where did you go?" Danny called. They must have gotten separated.

Damn, she needed another one for the siblings. She shoved her spare into Danny's hands.

" Put the mask on and head for the exit."

"But I need to find Jazz."

"I'll find her. Put the mask on and go." Steph yelled as she went further into the fog. Quickly, she sent an alert to Oracle. Signal is on patrol right now, but more bats might show up.

It was dense she could barely see in front of her. There was some noise up ahead. Someone was screaming. The yelling grew louder as she rounded the corner.

"Stop! Get away!"

It was Jazz. She was practically growling. Her fist slammed into the concrete wall, leaving a deep impact. She was clearly affected by the Fear gas. A meta affected with fear gas, not good.

"Stop! Don't hurt him. He's not a monster! He's my little brother!" Jazz had gone from fury to sadness as she practically begged for her hallucination to stop haunting her.

If it wasn’t the meta thing it was whatever she was hallucinating that caught Steph’s attention. Definitely on B's list now.

"Isn't it interesting what fear does to the mind?"

Steph saw Scarecrow emerge from the fog.

"I saw you in the psychology department. Your eyes lit up like a fire. But now they are clouded with fear."

A chill went up Steph's spine. She quickly checked her mask for leaks but didn't have any. Turning her attention back to Jazz and Scarecrow, she saw something. Green eyes shifted inside the fog. They looked like a predator hunting its prey. For a second, they look like Jason's.

From behind Scarecrow, the eyes stopped, and a figure emerged. A baseball bat slammed into Scarecrow's face, knocking him to the floor. The figure came into full view now. It was Danny his eyes were glowing green.

He knelt down to Scarecrow.

"You really don't have any brains. Do you Scarecrow? If you did, you wouldn't have hurt my sister." His voice was downright, frigid.

He turned and rushed over to Jazz who was still trying to convince her hallucinations to stop.

"Jazz, it's okay. Come on, I'm fine. It's okay." His voice was soft and gentle as he helped her up. Jazz mumbled a little as she stumbled down the hall.

Steph quickly caught up to the siblings slinging Jazz's arm over her shoulder.

"Sorry, I couldn't help earlier," Steph spoke quietly.

"It's fine. Not everybody can be a hero."

Steph wanted to laugh at the irony of that statement, but she just nodded.

"Sorry about the tour too."

"It wasn't all bad."

" Oh, the rouge attack and poisoning wasn’t bad?" Steph asked sarcastically.

" Our hometown is haunted and our community college is funded by my godfather. And he is a rich fruit loop.”

‘Ghosts?’

“You know Gotham University is funded by Wayne Enterprises right?”

“Annoying crazy fruit loop or weird himbo? Hmmm. Yeah, I’m going to have to go with the himbo on this one.”

Steph laughed at that one. Bruce is going to want to hear about this but she’ll keep him away from these siblings for a little while.

[beardedmrbean]

Two families in East Germany, longing for freedom, built their own hot air balloon out of masses of taffeta, bought secretly in preparations that took more than a year.

They planned to flee and cross into West Germany in a daring plan put into action in September 1979.

They set out in their craft on a moonlit September night - after a failed attempt when they ran out of gas in the air and crashed into the bushes below.

However, they managed to reach the West in their second try, making it out of the country in a highly dramatic feat just before the East German police caught up with them.

The two families were dicing with death, as guards protecting the border in East Germany, then part of the Eastern Bloc, were ordered to use lethal force to prevent people defecting to the West.

The inner German border and the Berlin Wall were heavily fortified with watchtowers, land mines, armed soldiers and other measures to prevent illegal crossings.

"We didn't know anything about ballooning," says Günter Wetzel, 69, from one of the two families who managed to flee in their homemade balloon, who researched at length after a television programme provided inspiration.

When asked whether his dreams have been fulfilled in his new home, he replies soberly, "What do you mean by dreams?" Wetzel, who retrained as a car mechanic, was sure it would all work out.

His story was later made into several films. His character was played by US star Beau Bridges in the Disney film "Nightcrossing" and by David Kross in a German movie called "Balloon" (2018).

Sadly the films did not make him rich, however. "We were naive," he says, looking back.

Exploring the former death strip

A sign located on what used to be East Germany's infamous death strip now tells visitors about the balloon flight, known worldwide for its boldness.

Following World War II, Germany was divided for decades, separated by a lengthy border that can now be walked by hikers.

Where the death strip ran along the inner German border, there is now a green belt between the Saxon-Bavarian Vogtland region and the Baltic Sea.

Day trippers are drawn by the combination of forests, moorland, rivers, heathland and low mountain ranges.

Hiking journalist Thorsten Hoyer has covered 1,250 kilometres of the roughly 1,400-kilometre-long green belt in less than a month, but he does not recommend it, saying, "70% of it is over concrete and asphalt."

Nature is working on reclaiming the terrain, but has not yet managed completely.

The route is modelled on the Kolonnenweg on the east side, where the former East Germany border guards patrolled over perforated slabs.

Today, there is greenery everywhere along the path - though less in the way of tourist infrastructure and in places, there could be better signposting.

So it is better if cyclists and hikers focus on select routes, perhaps in the Franconian Forest where the states of Bavaria and Thuringia meet.

'Little Berlin'

The river Saale, once a border, flows leisurely along and builds up to a smooth surface near Hirschberg and is lined with trees and bushes, while canoeists rush over a weir. If you cycle along the colonnade path, watch out for the wide depressions in the concrete.

The situation eases on a forest path and the little road to Mödlareuth. Here, Americans used to call the village "Little Berlin."

Just like the German capital, Mödlareuth was divided by a wall and you can still visit the German-German Museum which has a memorial to the separation of the country. Visitors can also see a section of the Wall, and watchtowers and barbed wire fences bear witness to the painful division.

Britt Hornig, who is currently wandering through the museum grounds, is deeply moved and agitated. She used to work as a paediatric nurse in East Germany. "There can't be anything like this again. That was my childhood, my youth. It was absolute madness what they did to us."

"I went to the demonstrations in Leipzig every week and fought for freedom until the Wall came down."

Otto Oeder, a former border policeman and now 79 years old, also recalls the division. "I thought the world ended there," he says, describing his deployment on the Bavarian side of the Iron Curtain.

He wrote and published his book about those divided years, recalling refugees who made it through. "At our police station, we first dressed them in dry clothes, donated by us, not paid for by the state."

He also set up a regular meeting point in a pub for people who had crossed the border and could share their anecdotes. Anyone loyal to the East German regime was unwelcome.

Hiking through the past

Frankenwald-Steigla is the name of a network of circular hiking trails in the Franconian Forest, three of which illustrate the German-German past.

The Wetzsteinmacher trail, 5.3 kilometres long and starting below Lauenstein Castle, leads up to the Thüringer Warte. It is a viewing tower on the summit of the Ratzenberg and provides a fantastic vantage point to survey the area. Climb 117 steps and you can take in a view of the forests of the Thuringian-Franconian Slate Mountains.

Other climbs include the challenging Grenzer-Weg trail - 16.8 kilometres from Carlsgrün - and the moderate, recently inaugurated 10-kilometre Grünes Band trail, which starts in Mitwitz.

Along the way, a stream babbles and cuckoo calls echo through the forest. You can hear birdsong, while dewdrops sparkle like pearls on blades of grass. Dragonflies dance in the sun and it is so peaceful that you cannot imagine anything ever happened here.

[helpitsaskingmequestions]

Continuing the process of niche petty nitpicks of Wheel of TIme  there were some narrative choices for the  7 Ajah that make them (imo) uncertain in a way that I think could have been smoothed out in a way to make more narrative sense in terms of motivation, size and narrative framing. 

Reds - 

The Reds at least have a clear purpose in and out of the narrative as Aes Sedai that hunt male channelers & an antagonistic force against Moraine (Blue) and Rand (Male channeler). They’re problems largely come in how the text largely frames them as Narrative Heels but for Pevara & to some extent Teslyn and Silviana, all of whom are introduced fairly late. Even then, the Reds are largely characterised as 90s misandrists,n keeping with Alanna’s framing of the Reds as ‘hating men’ because that's what should define a group of women, how they relate to men. Then comes the size of the Reds - it’s been noted that there are less people who can channel being discovered, in part due to the Vileness and the culling of men who can channel by the Reds (and also Cansaune) yet the Reds are the largest Ajah. That the Reds have the strongest numbers is imo a very blunt object solution to 1) making the Blue’s more like an underdog and 2) have a large ground for Black Ajah. 

Changes that I think would have made the Reds more palatable from a worldbuild perspective 

Expand the purpose - the show did this, effectively making the Reds magic cops, which provides a more concrete cause for Reds to devote themselves to - hunting wayward Aes Sedai, men who can channel and Dark Friends. It would also help explain why there are so many Black Ajah in the Red - what better way to hide from the cops than to Be the cops?

Let them have Warders - there was no reason for them not to have warders, female or male or otherwise. 

Shrink their size - have the Reds be in the middle of the pack in terms of numbers, or else have them have a high casualty/fail rate that can be explained by difficult weaves & Black Ajah sisters etc. There is no logical reason for them to be that big. 

I mean ⅕ of all Aes Sedai Robert?

Don’t define them by ‘hating men’. Robert I am in your walls

Non-antagonist Reds early on - whether Pevara or Teslyn, just some calmer Reds, who do genuinely want to Hunt Dark-friends. Use the Wonder Girls time in the White Tower not just as a box tick, explore the Ajahs more.  

Show - on page - what a male channel who succumbed to the Taint looks like. The books give (imo) hints describing the Breaking but its not seen on page & I feel that this concrete example of why male channellers are cut off from the Source, why the Reds hunt them, and why people fear Rand/male channelers would be important considering we get a lot of on page stuff (Logain, Thom re his nephew) about the pain of gentling male channelers

Browns 

Ah the Browns. Clean direct purpose. Narrative letting them fulfil that function. Ajah of Verin, the Best Character in Wheel of Time (no arguments to be taken on this point. I am simply Correct). I find very little to be changed with the Browns, though I do think that there should have been an exploratory division if this is the Ajah of knowledge. 

Also not entirely certain why the White/Grey/see Ajah colours post is separate from the Brown beyond the fact RJ was a physics major 

Best Ajah - should have had an Indiana Jones Brown/Orange sister finding Age of Legends stuff

That the Browns get warders makes the fact the Reds, a physical division actively fighting people, not having Warders more insane. Robert WHY

Should have schools/ travelling schools as well 

Why no Browns in Rand’s nerd school Robert?

Yellow

Much like the Brown, a wonderfully defined Ajah, with a clear purpose in and out of universe.

Let them be nicer to Nynaeve

Black Yellows should have been allowed to go full Dr Moreau

Imagine fresh monsters

Green

The Green Ajah - the Battle Ajah. imo Robert Jordan’s favourite Ajah considering 2 out of 3 of the Wondergirls chose the Green (even though Egg should have been Ajahless its fine I’m calm so Calm) and the Green get to ‘love men’ because as the narrative has made clear, how these groups of women from this administrative magical institution feel about Men is what is important. Also a fun experiment - check to see what colours get positive associations in the books - generally it’s blue, green and white (listed as Lan’s favourite colours for instance). The Greens are also an unfortunate victim of the Gender Stuff in WoT- the Battle Ajah don’t get weapons, but they can have lots of Men who can have weapons. Because they Love Men. 

Changes

Let them have weapons Robert ffs 

Active preparation for the Last Battle; should have the third most number of advisors/relationships in nations as Greys(Purples) and Blues. 

Why are they ignoring the Borderlands? This is their Job 

I think the show made a good case for the Greens and the Reds going to nab Logain

So why are the Greens more allied with the Blues than the Reds - other than Author Caveat

Elayne and Egwene shouldn’t have been Green. Neither should Cadsuane.

More Black sisters in the Green - if the Green are going to be fighting in the last battle it should be chock full of enemy agents  

Blue

What do the Blue do? They Hunt After Causes - but what does the Mean? No Really what does it mean, apart from being Vague and because RJ couldn’t say ‘they’re the Good ajah’ even though they only ‘like men’. Other than their complete lack of purpose, the Blues get a good history, a good selection of the Good/Great (Moraine) to the bad (Sheriam). The Show made a good change in making the Blue’s the spies of the White Tower, giving them a quasi opposing ideological approach to the head-first reds, and making the Alliance of Greens and Blues make more sense considering how much they would need to work together. 

If Egg must have an Ajah she should have been Blue 

The fact that blues removed the 2 Red Amyrlin’s, there should have been more arguments amongst the Ajah’s about how justified they were/the justice of that 

Lean into the Reds being Cops and Blues being spies/activist/journalists/internal affairs with a habit of exposing/attempting to expose other sister’s misbehaviour 

Have Blue sisters attempting to uncover the Vileness in a way that actually sets it up as a mystery to be solved, not another plot thread among thousands

I have a Bee in my Bonnet about the Vileness  if you couldn’t tell 

Make the Blues less of an protagonist situation - oh they have the second smallest numbers But the Most Amyrlins and a lot of influence because they’re the opposite of the Reds 

Grey/Purple Ajah 

They have purpose If only the narrative would let them fulfil that purpose. Instead Elaida is a Red so political advisors can be any colour so why?

Also why are they always bad at their jobs

Should have been the largest Ajah change my mind 

White/Grey Ajah 

SO

I understand they have a purpose 

I just don’t understand why/how it is different to the Brown’s search for knowledge 

They’re apparently philosophers as well so it's not a STE(M) v Arts situation

Why Robert 

You didn’t have the Seven Ajahs have the Seven colours why are they Here? 

Because Alviarin being White and the Head Black was a fun twist? 

You did that colour twist with Lanfear already 

What this Ajah needed was a major character who wasn’t Black

Like Give Rand an advisor who is this Ajah during his spiral 

Or Give Egg some prominent sisters of this Ajah? 

Have their theoretical magic that they do have an impact

Or give them the prophecies / religious theorisation - aka a reason for them to be in this story at all 

Black Ajah

There is no Black Ajah what are you talking about 

[watcheraurora]

I just wanted you to know that I have developed so many short story continuations of like, all of your fanfics its not even funny. Like, I gave sheriff jimmy a whole ARC where he ends up in conflicts with Joel and then flees the division. BRUH!! you've given me brain rot, I demand compensation, I'm loosing actual sleep over these AU'S XD

Oh my goodness! I'm so honored that I've inspired you so much! <3

You're actually Dangerously Close to Tango's history with Joel when he left the division. Because they did end up in major conflicts around the time Tango left! But I'm very happy that you've created more based on something I made!

May I offer you a piece of the as-yet-untitled Even Ice Walls Fall Down Role Swap I'm working on as compensation? XD

For context: When I first thought of the idea of "superhero and villain AU for the Ranchers" I really loved Deepfrost and Sheriff as a villain and a hero respectively, but my friend who I ranted to about it (@soemthingsparkly who also did Deepfrost and Sheriff art in the fic :-D) really loved the idea of hero!Tango and villain!Jimmy instead. And I promised them I'd work on a version where Tango is the superhero Blaze and Jimmy is the villain Canary because as Ice Walls demonstrates, I am Not Creative™ at coming up with hero or villain aliases. And I'm still working on it but I do enjoy it

AKA the version of the story where if they manifested different powers, they might have taken different paths?

—

"Blaze, watch out! There are civilians nearby!" Joel barked in Blaze's earpiece as he loosed a wheel of fire. Canary squawked in alarm as Poultry Man tackled him out of the way of the wheel. The two hurtled to one side in a tangle of white and yellow feathers.

"I know that," Blaze ground out as he focused on conjuring another wheel. He liked wheels of fire more than fireballs, due to being a little more precise and effective, in his opinion. "So maybe step off my back a little."

"I will when you stop acting like you're out of control!" Joel snapped.

Blaze's whole body went rigid, the fire wheel spinning around his fist. "Out of control?" he demanded, his other hand holding the earpiece firmer in his ear as he ducked behind a concrete barrier to hide. "I am never out of control, and I resent the implication otherwise." An animalistic growl built in his throat. "Do you understand how much I work to remain in control with powers like mine?"

"Blaze—"

"N-n-n-n-no. Between the two of us, only one of us has the one-hundred-and-sixty IQ. And that would be me. So don't you dare lecture me about not knowing how to use my own powers. I'm not you, Lore. I'm not a danger to myself and others because I don't know how to leash myself. So shut up and let me do my work." He ripped his earpiece out of his ear and vaulted the concrete barrier to throw himself back into the fight, hurling the fire wheel in Poultry Man's general direction. The villain squawked like a chicken and dodged out of the way.

"Blaze! What are you doing?!" HoTGuY shouted as Blaze lowered his head a little and charged forward. His Blaze Rods appeared around his head, orbiting fast. They lifted him off the ground and he was flying, his gold-blond hair turning into pure flame. It would return to normal later.

Canary saw him in the air and snapped out his wings—enormous and vibrant, rich yellow. They beat the air once and shot him up to be almost level with Blaze. "Look who we pissed off!" Canary teased, voice singsong and high-pitched. "You here to play games, Fire Boy?"

Blaze's eyes were entirely the same shade of red while his fire powers were active and his Blaze Rods orbited his head. Iris, sclera, pupil—all the same. It was why he didn't bother wearing a mask. No one expected the green-eyed nerd to be Blaze because everyone assumed Blaze was red-eyed all the time.

Blaze bared his teeth in a frustrated snarl, sparks shooting between the gaps. He spun two fire wheels into existence. One spinning around each hand. "Let's see how playful you are when your flight feathers are ash, birdie," he spat. The inside of his mouth glowed like there was fire in his throat, its light reflecting outward.

Blaze had a temper. Blaze knew he had a temper. A bad one. One with a short fuse and a big explosion. He knew it was a side-effect of his powers. He didn't used to be so easy to set off. He used to be a lot more patient with people and situations.

But here he was, eleven years after his powers manifested, ready to burn a whole city block down and trying to stop himself from actually doing so.

But man did Canary piss him off. Even more than Poultry Man. Poultry Man was a pain in the neck. He was chaotic and antagonistically playful. He took nothing seriously. But Canary—Canary was little more than Poultry Man's lackey. But he targeted Blaze like it was his life goal to see how much fire he could withstand.

Canary's eyes widened behind his mask.

"Take the shot, you idiot!" Poultry Man shouted.

Canary moved to aim his crossbow, but Blaze's fire wheel spun into existence faster. He hurled it across the distance like a chakram. Canary's wings flapped hard to go over it and avoid it. Blaze rushed after.

[goodluckclove]

The Best Scrambled Eggs in the World

Katy made the mistake of telling me that she thinks leeks are superfluous as a vegetable, and so I'm writing this here as concrete evidence of her being wrong and bad on both a factual, ethical, and philosophical level.

Leeks are fantastic. They're like kinder onions. Here's a recipe I make a lot, as it happens to be one of the only things I can do with eggs that doesn't end up terrible.

You'll need:

One bunch leeks

Maybe like two bunches of green onion? I like green onion

Crumbled goat cheese

Bunch of eggs, amount depending on how much scramble you want

Brown sugar

Red wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Butter (For sautéing!)

So what you do first is clean and chop the leeks. You only need the whites of the leeks, not the long leafy parts. I like to cut my trunks (I call them trunks, I think that's funny) into halves so I can slice them better into sort of half-moons. People say you only need the whites of the green onions too, but I use all of them. As I said before, I really like green onion.

So you want to sauté that your leeks and green onions in a pan with some butter. Just an amount of butter. The goal is to get them nice and soft, and while that's happening you should go ahead and salt and pepper them. You should salt and pepper all vegetables as you cook them, just on principle. I go ahead and add some garlic powder and onion powder. You could technically substitute this by adding minced garlic and actual sliced onion, but I tend to stick with what works for me as soon as I figure it out, and it was this.

The thing that makes it special for me is the brown sugar and the red wine vinegar. It sounds crazy, but adding what I feel amounts to making most of a tablespoon of brown sugar (or like three medium pinches) sprinkled over your veggies, as well as a splash of red wine vinegar, adds a really unique depth that I always love.

Once your leeks are sweaty (gross phrasing, but true), you can lower the heat and crack in your eggs. I think six usually makes a good serving for two people if you're particularly hungry or drunk. People are divisive on how they make their scrambled eggs, but I like to crack them in a bowl ahead of time and just pour the whole mixture in for even cooking. That's just what I do.

You don't need to add a fat if you sauteed in enough butter. Mix until cooked to your liking, and then take it fully off the heat and add in as much goat cheese as you want. You could just top it on the plate, but I enjoy mixing a lot in and letting the heat of the eggs melt it.

After that you can just scoop it in a bowl and eat it up. You can also use this as filling with pastry cups or served with croissants. It's super filling and reheats pretty well - but be aware that microwaving it will further cook the eggs.

Enjoy, I guess!

-Edgar

who is this? why is this happening? check out the pinned post on my blog to learn more!

[tomwambsgans]

for the hell of it i've assigned succession characters halloween(esque) albums

logan: timber timbre - hot dreams / lemon demon - spirit phone

shiv: the cure - seventeen seconds / concrete blonde - bloodletting

roman: pink turns blue - meta / depeche mode - violator

kendall: nick cave - let love in / radiohead - hail to the thief

connor: echo & the bunneymen - ocean rain / joy division - unknown pleasures

greg: the green pajamas - happy halloween / the mountain goats - goths

tom: blue oyster cult - spectres / dead man's bones - dead man's bones

marcia: siouxsie and the banshees - juju / jill tracy - diabolical streak

gerri: bauhaus - mask

stewy: honus honus - use your delusion

mencken: miracle musical - hawaii: part ii

[gardenvarietygay]

I’m having a heck of a time deciding what to do with this giant pot.

I initially bought it to put on my porch but it’s just too shady with the huge overhang, even hellebores were stretching for light. I decided to move it to the walkway directly in front of my porch which gets blazing hot sun all day long and lots of light and heat reflected from the concrete.

I debated buying a red banana for this pot but they were absurdly expensive. While I was at the nursery I saw this trumpetbush (Tecoma stans) for $6.99 and was so perplexed by it that I bought it. The tag says that it gets 18” tall (46cm) but I’m hoping more for the 3-4’ (1m) promised by the internet. If the trumpet bush is lackluster, I’m thinking next year I’ll do an elephant ear (Colocasia esculenta).

In front of it I planted some purple sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas) of unknown cultivar, they were tagged as “accent plant.” My in-laws have HUGE pots of shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) that they’ve overwintered for years and years, I’m hoping to get some divisions of those to plant in this pot toward the back.

I’m a softy and hate to let plants, even “annuals” die if they’re technically able to be overwintered. However, I don’t enjoy keeping half-dead plants hanging around my windows all winter. With that in mind, when it comes to potted plants I’m really trying to only grow things I can either overwinter bare root or that are true annuals and I won’t feel bad letting them die. So the long-term plan for this pot is ornamental sweet potatoes (I’m not exactly set on this color, I might swap them for a bright green next year), shell ginger, and elephant ear, all of which very conveniently produce tubers. I could throw in some dahlias or something I guess too.

If you have better ideas please let me know, I am very obviously winging it.

[chiyoda-division2]

“The taste of death is upon my lips... I feel something, that is not of this earth.” -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Introduction🩸

Fusao Ise(異世フサオ)、 a.k.a. Revenan† on rap battles, is a CEO and leader of Chiyoda Division’s 狂音INC., he is the CEO of the successful audio equipment company ‘Wonder⇓anD Sound Systems’, he is a man shrouded in mystery to the masses, especially with how he sprung back into his job like he did not just stop appearing to the public 8 years ago.

He was forced to join the DRB after the Party of Words found out that he kept ‘something’ someone that should’ve been disposed of years ago.

Link to picrew used

Appearance

Despite his old age, he has a well kept appearance, Fusao is a middle-aged man albeit taller than average. He has neck-length brown hair that he preferred to dye in dirty blonde and he has pistachio green eyes with visible wrinkles underneath them.

At work, he is usually seen in a black dress shirt, a white suit jacket in pinstripe pattern, a red tie hidden by a scarf of a similar color, black pants and black dress shoes. He is often seen clutching on a black service cap rather than actually wearing it.

He doesn’t really look that different outside work, save for changing his white suit jacket with a black trench coat.

Name Meaning

Fusao(フサオ) - no concrete meaning as it’s written in katakana

Ise(異世) - Different world (literally just one character away from ‘isekai’)

Nicknames and Aliases

Revenan† - MC Name

Boss, Sir, etc. - employees

Hun - his wife Ageha

Papa - his children

Pops, Sao - Nayomi

“The Living Dead” - himself

"Mad Hatter" - Eiji

Hazumu

Biographical Info

Gender - Male

Age - 52

Birthday - March 3

Star Sign - Pisces

Ethnicity - Japanese

Hair Colour - Dirty blonde (dyed), Brown (natural)

Eye Colour - Green

Height - 6'3"

Markings - Scars at the back, stab wounds on his stomach

Piercings - Lobe

Family - 

??? (deceased)

??? (deceased)

??? (deceased)

Wife

Stepdaughter

Biological daughter

Triplets

Voice Claim: Ryotaro Okiayu (speaking); SymaG(singing/rapping) 

Fun Facts 

Occupation - CEO of Wonder⇓anD Sound Systems

Division - Chiyoda

Team - 狂音INC.

Position - Leader

Favourite Food - Rum chocolate

Least Favourite Food - anything with too many bones

Likes - His children, profit, drinking with his business partners, stories about the undead(mainly zombies)

Dislikes - Raiden’s antics, his in-laws, the authorities, those who try to look into his past

Image color - Dried Blood (#4B0101)

Hypnosis Microphone

Fusao’s Hypnosis Microphone takes the form of a silver ribbon mic on a black stand, the stand is wrapped with thorny vines of white roses, the roses contain dripping red paint painted on, as if to hide the fact that it’s white, the stand’s lower section has a large splatter of red paint.

Fusao’s speakers take the form of a large black coffin with gold linings and red paint splatters, the coffin opens to reveal a bunch of roses the same as his mic’s with a large black speaker with gold lining resembling shaped a lot like himself laid on top, the cofffin’s lid contains a gold relief carving of a cat’s head with its left eye replaced with roses on the outside and the inside reveals 4 small speakers of varying sizes. Black, thorny vines stained with red take the shape of a hand as it holds the lid open.

Whenever he activates his mic, he is contained inside of his speakers and comes out of it as if he’s a vampire.

Fusao’s rap ability, Rabbit Hole—[REDACTED] “Tch, I won’t let you know that yet.”

Most of Fusao’s rap themes revolve around the concept of life and death, that he is phasing in and out of both of them and how he is a dead man in the world of the living and a living man in the world of the dead. He occasionally slips in references to the children’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, this is often paired with him telling the listeners to just for once, throw away logic and common sense out of the window.

Personality

Fusao likes to joke around a lot despite his position inside work and is quite easygoing compared to the typical boss, yet at the same time, he comes off as a complete enigma for he is very secretive, not easy to reveal his intentions and things like his personal life especially the days before he met his wife or how he got the position as CEO of his company.

Fusao has a petty side toward people he see as enemies, he will act out against them without any explanation whatsoever, mainly doing so just to see their reactions.

People say that he has a twisted view on the concept of ‘second chances’ for he has a history of employing people with… not the best records. He says that he does have a limit but it’s quite hard to believe…

Background

<???>

Trivia

His birthday is also Alexander Graham Bell’s birthday, not only is Bell credited for the telephone but he also is one of the first people to have patented a loudspeaker

He bites his thumb whenever he gets mad

He’s the only older member in the Ise family that Nayomi gets along with nowadays

He was pissed off when he found out all of his social media accounts were memorialized (not like he’s gonna make new ones anyway :p)

Wonder⇓anD Sound Systems is not at the same level as E.L. Medical or Arakawa Tech Industries though his company is quite popular amongst audiophiles

Though Wonder⇓anD is a competitor against Arakawa Tech, he seems to be in neutral terms with Misa herself

He was acquaintances with Reika Aichi’s mother, Minako time before her death

He is very fond of the series Handead Anthem, even though it was long discontinued

He has quite the dislike against Eiji Noguchi for… some reason

[ladymorghul]

i agree with most of things that previous anan said but the one thing i find amusing is how this person said it's bullshit they adapted daeron into aemond. like read the book and then speak of it. maybe you'll find secret pages of aemond being more than one dimensional villain on the pages. and send me photos if you find it. i often find it amusing that people who are happy that aemond isn't like in the books tend to turn around and say hey, they never gave ANY daeron's personality traits to him even after there were leaks of scripts where Sapochnik clearly cut him out of the show and how George stepped in just after Sapochnik was fired and reassured fans daeron will be included. it's clear they wanted to cut him out and any person who is fine with daeron being out of the show is no green stan at all. daeron is too important to toss him aside but how could people who haven't read the books know it, they needed to see George behaviour and then they finally understood that maybe daeron is someone essential to greens and not Sapochnik weird fantasies

i do agree that aemond was humanized, i don't know if they did it with daeron on their minds and, frankly anon, im tired of not any concrete proof that miguel is THE ONLY evil behind all decisions greens don't like. want something that's hard to swallow? unlike the majority of team black stans, at least half of green stans are rhaenicents. personally i am not interested in this ship at all beyond episode 7, but ryan likes it. he said about rhaenicent:

“I think there’s actually still hope, even with Luke’s death,” Condal said on the House of the Dragon podcast. “The problem moving forward is it’s only so much in Alicent and Rhaenyra’s control anymore. Now we’re dealing with their sons and what we know from history is that war is often fought by the young 16-22 year old angry, testosterone loaded sons of the people that are trying to hold onto their power.”

it is my solid belief that while there have definitely been things that have set ryan and miguel apart, that ryan is not you friend as a green stan and neither is grrm. grrm said he liked the show, he said he liked show viserys better, he is a daemon fan first and foremost. he's not here to save the greens lol and i don't think he's here to save anyone

also... about daeron: ryan announced before miguel left or grrm was gonna be involved that daeron exists and that there just wasn't space for him in s1. could this be a lie madeup on the spot bc people were calling it out? maybe. but how much of the fandom do you think are greens compared to team black and how much of those greens have read the books that they'd make such noise that somehow it was actually them that reminded the showmakers of daeron?

anyway yeah aemond WAS humanized and that's good. that's what you want from a weird, one dimensional history told by 3 sources. whether that means that they consciously took from daeron or not, it's not something we can know for sure. but imo the point of the show is to make all of the characters more nuanced and give them depth so imo there shouldn't be just one character that gets to play a role that's the "good one" as daeron is in the books, and i hope they do it with aegon too. however, to your credit, and i understand the frustration, aemond has been given some of aegon's stuff so it's possible.

this is what i'm saying though. i also don't agree with everything the prev anon said in terms of characters, but this type of talk is also what has started some division in the fandom of aegon vs aemond vs daeron vs whatever. like that one anon i had who called me gross names and were calling aemond "wallmart daeron" bc they were somehow both mad that i shipped helaemond and mad at aemond and helaena separately iirc.

[patcon]

[viskarenvisla]

Thirst - Chapter 1: Her Quiet Revolution There can be no real affection for the Damned, and the ravening Moon Beasts are doomed to tear the world apart around them...this is especially true for such forbidden things as romance between vampire and werewolf - both of them, predators after the same prey, respective boogeymen for the other...but what happens when they look past these things? Can there truly be love, or can monsters only descend into perversion and eventual bloodshed?

This tale is a semi-AU for my character Yusuf Mizrah, who features in Law of Blood. I decided to depart from Forsaken and use my own werewolf universe, but fill in the spaces for Vampire lore from Vampire: the Requiem...

Chapter One

Four nights ago, down at the river

By the standards of the normally rowdy syndicate, It had been a rather orderly gathering. Nobody showed up openly brandishing weapons or anything of that nature - both officially and within their still-beating hearts, Kindred blood shed on the balmy concrete, or bodies turning to ash were the last things anybody desired. She knew better, however, than to trust in the members’ individual senses of propriety, and that was why they’d concentrated their petty hopes and dreams onto Monroe Carter as their representative. Not that she was complaining.

The thirty or so Kindred who'd come together on this night were as motley and differentiated a band as could be expected from those whose only real ties were death and servitude. Despite the segregation and censorship imposed by their ‘betters’, their hunting grounds ‘leased’ to them at the edges of their masters’ domains and the loathsome blood tax they were forced to pay, they’d become a cohesive thing. The Cause had grown from little more than a whisper of rebellion, shared in near silence among those who lined up weekly to give Communion unto their dread rulers. Slowly it’d turned into secretive meetings where resistance to their individual vincula was slowly built among the gathered. Debates and lectures about "the Natural Rights of the Unnatural" stretching into the night forming the mental cornerstone that would become the fortress of their resistance.

Finally, it had come to this.

The bonds of servitude and death were surprisingly strong, enough to overcome divisions that had, more often than not, been purposefully placed there by their own Overseers. Vorath the Thricefold’s old rivalry with Manny Vaull was once fierce enough to set their teeth gnashing in the other’s presence; now they stood side by side. It was the same with Corra Wilson and Nettletongue; an unlikely jealousy between the two over a shared blood doll, given the scarcity of appropriate prey, had been replaced by something nearing as close to comity as could be found among the Dead.

Monroe stood at the head of the silent gathering of eclectic individuals, pulled from The City’s rusted shadows here to meet the Overseer Committee as they returned from conclave with their own elders. The Red River, flowing like a fat, wriggling worm through downtown, out to Ashland Port and into the wine-dark, thrashing waters of the Gulf, was usually reserved for shipping liners carrying refined gas, steel, and other byproducts of the state’s industrial blight. Such was the pull of the Overseers, however, that the waterways were cleared for their entry.

She was like a cold-forged, steel torch in the night, beat bright and unyielding against an icy anvil. A black bandana was tied around her forehead - something the syndicate's members all shared, whether worn on their arms or looped through a belt - holding her many-colored, gold clasped braids back in a complex knot. The dark green, midriff-length jacket worn over her torso was weighed down by the fire-hatchet within, her tool of choice in the regrettable event that negotiations failed and this became a violent confrontation; more than likely, given the difference in age between the Overseer Committee’s members and their own, it would be a savage rout. Still, seven against thirty was good odds, and they’d surely pull at least half the elders’ number down with them.

Monroe was confident in herself, in the strength of the Cause. It was a crossbow bolt with a red-hot iron head, pointed threateningly at the hearts of their oppressors; their message would be heard, and their demands met. 

For now, they were silent, waiting patiently. It wasn’t your typical protest or picket like she was used to, with marching and signs, slogans shouted for cameras…that sort of thing wouldn’t get through to the Elder Dead, who were beings of an earlier time. They intimately understood the balance of power, however, and the message would be entirely clear when the Overseers laid their eyes upon their servant-livestock, staring them down and wearing black, with Monroe leading them.

“Look,” breathed Harlowe, pointing down toward the bay when the first glimmers of the luxury yacht’s fog lights cut through the springtime haze of pollution and condensation. Although the gathered Dead barely moved, everyone felt it…that anxious pressure that preceded a confrontation with authority. That terror was understandable, though quieted by their unity and a certain understanding shared among The City’s common vampires: if anyone was going to take the blame and end up an example, it was Monroe Carter. Rhymes with martyr . An old lover, long lost to the years, had once said that, and that’s what she remembered instead of his (or her?) face.

To Monroe’s Spartan sensibilities, the garish festoons of the superyacht showed how the Overseers, in their vast view of time, laid the trappings of the new over the old and familiar; while the massive boat was smooth and white, sleek and covered with blaring, soulless lights, their servants had gone through the trouble of carefully interweaving Tatarian Honeysuckle across the decks in bright, purple petaled magnificence. Bright red silk ribbon was intertwined among the railing. By its streamlined form, it was the most modern boat that old, musty money could buy; its spirit was that of the old pleasure barges of nobility whose largesse had, since the time of the Egyptian Old Dynasties and the Kings of Xia, been supported on the backs of the masses.

Now…for the grand act. “William,” she called in her alto voice, muffled by the warm, foggy air. “You’re up.” She congratulated herself at resisting her inward giddiness; never had she sent a message of defiance such as this.

The hairless, fishy-fleshed man that hunched beneath his long, concealing coat obliged silently, stepping from the gathering and leaping into the river, barely disturbing it. When he emerged, he’d coiled one big, dripping end of the cold-forged iron chain fitted in Harlowe's Machine Shop around his torso. Its bright-green links were the size of a small box television, and in William’s skinny, yet stunningly powerful arms, they dripped with the chemical-rich flow of the Red Rock River. Little John, towering over everyone present with his gentle voice and boyish face; Melinda Arsanova, always dressed proper and presentable no matter the event; and Sherman, his arms thick like tree-trunks from feeding on this very dock’s workers. They stepped forward and pulled hard on the chain, secured on other side of the river with a great iron stake Harlowe had shaped himself, and soon there was a neon-green painted barrier of links presented before the superyacht. One might look here and see an impossibility, four bedraggled oddities attempting to cut off the passage of a yacht, but Monroe knew them as some of the strongest Kindred in the city.

She waited with baited breath. Here, based on the whim of a dead thing hundreds of years her elder, the Brujah’s whole plan could come tumbling apart…but there came the booming sound of a foghorn, and the yacht’s forward wake churned a crimson foam in the Red Rock River as it slowed its ponderous, floating bulk to a halt. Another shaking, drawn out howl from the foghorn, like an indignant cry whale’s cry.

The chain remained stretched taut across the river.

Minutes rolled by…nearly an hour, testing their resolve before the first of the Overseers deigned to make an appearance upon the deck. Monroe knew who it would be, before his over-long, pale fingers curled around the steel bar struck into the deckposts, fingernails clicking odiously against the side of the yacht. Vasco Isidoro was, in her view, the weakest of the Seven, and he reminded her of the guy from the insane asylum in Beauty and the Beast…you know the one. The man with the tonsure and stooped posture, the furry eyebrows. Vasco was also well dressed in his black, pinstripe suit, but he still looked like a bag of bones and spiders supported by its own conniving will.

His eyes were green like pea soup, and his voice had a similar wet quality. “A fine evening indeed to you, Siervos ,” Vasco called in a disarmingly cheerful tone, accented by his native Curitiba. His smile was entirely like that of some predatory lake fish’s, concealing hundreds of needle-sharp teeth. “You all seem to have misplaced your charming, green chain, directly in our path…perhaps you require assistance recovering said chain, that your betters might be on their way?”

Isidoro’s words were like a slow-falling, poisonous net; it was only after you looked behind his lips and saw the anxious malice squirming beneath that one felt uneasy. Monroe could feel the syndicate’s members stirring uneasily in the line…authority had been so beaten into them by blood-bond and fear that each defiance was an act of desperate will on their parts. Stretching a harbor chain across the path of the barge along the river was more than a mere defiance.

 “You ain’t wrong,” she answered, acting as their courage. Monroe Carter was loud enough to be heard above the din of The City’s night hum, as well as the idling of the barge’s engines. “We require your assistance but I’m afraid the chain stays until we’re done here.” She didn’t flinch or even squint as one of the ship’s lights swiveled down to shine upon her; if it was meant to intimidate and separate her, the spotlight had the opposite effect. Always had.

Vasco’s thin, shiny lips drew wider across his long face, splitting to reveal where his fangs had grown in place of his incisors. She knew he was enraged, a creature set a whole class above and apart from them, but the lowest of his kind - and now, facing disobedience called siervos ? Monroe could empathize, she also liked things to be orderly, and for that to happen all the moving parts had to work and obey . “My dear wards, certainly you understand the value of our time. Each moment’s value eclipses your combined years as we work to keep you safe…protect your posthumous rights. To waste such a valuable vintage as ours, surely you can see both the folly and danger inherent in such a thing. Now…Would you care to release your chain?”

To drive the point home, Monroe took note of the ten or so men that stepped up to join him at the edge of the deck, pointing loaded M4s their way; clad in faceless, visored black helms, moving in perfect unison, these humans - maybe even ghouls - were the preferred servant for the Overseer Committee. Unquestioningly obedient, tied by their own addictions and contracts, they still didn’t have what old vampires like Vasco and his ilk required: Kindred blood. That, of course, was their bargaining chip…if not her own trump card. “‘Fraid not Mister Isidoro.”

She smiled internally as he bristled; these older, dead things, they demanded the honor of titles even in this day and age from their Childer. “We tried your ‘official channels’; we were stonewalled. We wrote to y'all, we signed petitions, and we even sent y'all messengers that you returned to us in them little wooden boxes. ‘Member that?”

Behind her, Tucker growled under his breath. His best and only friend, the oldest member of his coterie, had been among those messengers returned to them as little more than finely ground ashes and bright, gleaming fangs. The icy lake of their fear cracked, thawed by memories of their own old resentments. Suddenly they weren’t quite as afraid of those white-phosphorous bullets.

“A regrettable misunderstanding and little more of course. We would all hate for similar misunderstandings to happen over the matter of a mere green chain, especially since, as you know, the Oversee Committee dutifully handles petitions - ” 

“Yes yes, on individual basis, we have heard before,” Old Vlacha gruffly complained.

“Yeah…you can think of this as somethin’ more like us filing a class-action suit,” Monroe put it out there in words that would disturb the corporatist in Isidoro. “That’s why I’m speaking for everyone here with one voice, make sure there ain’t no more ‘misunderstandings’ like there was, Mister Isidoro.” The young Brujah got a kick out of the way his face shivered under that smile every time she called him that.

She didn’t really need to say more for him to infer precisely what she meant; that they were prepared to enforce a blood picket, if their demands weren’t met. That’s what the consequence of ‘misunderstanding’ meant on their end, since they couldn’t really challenge the Overseers with force and hope to succeed. The Overseers were old enough that the blood sustaining them had become a concentrated, unnatural thing of arcane fusions reliant on the unliving force of other Kindred; human blood, though a heady draught for any vampire, no longer sated them. That’s why they kept the common Lick chained. Los Siervos . 

To Monroe, who’d always chafed at being born at the bottom and struggling against the weight of those saw fit to keep her there, the irony of their unlives was how the clock was turned back at the leisure of older, more powerful Kindred…as if the liberties people had fought and died for were illusions, like the ones they’d woven to keep the Kine ignorant of the monsters drinking deep from their veins and souls. She was as unable to keep her mouth shut in death as she was in life, and the unfairness had become simply intolerable.

Isidoro’s smile changed, leaving his eyes; the corners of his lips slackened. It gave him this leering, wild aspect, like a villain from a children’s tale in her eyes. Monroe expected fear from those gathered, or for the wiley old Nosferatu to turn the power of the Blood against them, but nobody broke from the picket and the chain remained taut. 

All according to plan . 

“Miss Carter, I would like to suggest once more…that Mister William, Mister Jonathon, Miss Arsanova and Master Sherman release their grip on their misplaced chain and make way.”

Isidoro raised a hand and the safeties were simultaneously clicked off on the pale-flame rounds pointed their way; international language of terror. A few gasps of reticence and sounds of hesitation rose unbidden from the gathered Dead, and they wavered. The seconds seemed to drag on during the standoff, just as Monroe planned, and at just the right time, before everyone’s eyes, she broke the tension.

“We’re tired of being your serfs,” she said, blunter than creatures like Isidoro were used to.

The phosphorus-loaded M4s remained pointed their way; she could feel one of the Overseers’ soldiers, looking down his reticle and pointing right at her heart, and although the Beast’s instinctive aversion to Final Death clawed echoing and squealing in the back of her throat, she continued. “We’re tired of you drainin’ us to the bone while we can barely get by on the dry, over-policed barrens you expect us to trough in.”

“I almost fell into torpor last week after Lady Shira took her tithe,” called little Samara Green, bedraggled and rain soaked slip of a thing. “You think it’s easy for someone like me to hunt out there ?” She pointed upriver, far back toward the smokestacks still working into the night. “They barely have enough people working third shift for me to feed on, and there’s something crawling in the gutters .”

“Yeah!” shouted Tucker, a fellow Brujah who had a loose grip on his Beast than she. “When you’re not ashing us for trying to talk to you, you aren’t even protecting us from the stuff in our hunting grounds!”

Monroe didn’t let herself smile, but victory stirred in her heart as their complaints filled the air, overcoming their collective dread for the Nosferatu. 

“Your friends shipped my job to Mexico and I got evicted!”

“I still haven’t gotten compensated for the storm damage to my haven, the roof is caving in - there’s a fucking beam of sunlight shining in the middle of my living room!”

“A pack of Lupines moved into my turf!”

Soon their voices were raised in a cacophony of rising anger, indignance at their lot channeled through Monroe and upward above the smog. The traditions of the syndicate were born during the French Revolution, when many pale lords and ladies the Overseers had once known personally were put to the stake just as readily as the guillotine; their fear was born from personal experience. Isidoro himself had come close to having his head stuck through a little window, and based on his better judgment lowered his hand.

Without a word he disappeared from the deck. The rifles were still pointed their way as the syndicate’s voice rose, a cacophony that signaled clear as the murderous light of day: there were only two choices here as Monroe had presented them.

The first, the most tried and true and obvious, was to simply fire upon the syndicate’s members and scatter the survivors back to their corners and miserable little havens. The truly, finally dead would be annihilated by burning rounds, atrophied organs turning to ash and scattering before sunrise. Bloody monsters’ tears would be shed both for their loss and out of despair for their unchanged state. 

The second was, of course, a far harder pill to swallow: to step down from the pedestal of exclusivity, of elite entitlement, and negotiate with lessers, for in the end Monroe held one truth over the elders’ heads:

The greater parasites required the lesser ones for sustenance, while the lesser ones required the protection of the hoarier, longer-toothed Kindred. Some of them were even their Sires, having sung the first notes of their Requiems in the wind. A great, dysfunctional family devouring itself from head to toe like a grotesque, rotten snake, dressed up in faded silks and tarnished ornaments. 

As before, the Overseers made them wait, this time under the threatening rifle barrels of their gendarmes. All eyes were on Monroe, waiting for her to flinch, but she simply stood her ground. Waited.

The minutes passed, tension dilating them into hours before, with a sound of grinding metal, a ramp was slowly lowered from the superyacht toward the concrete levies upon which Monroe stood. Isidoro reappeared, and with a wordless gesture, split his palm open. The red of his blood spilled into the river - a universally recognized guarantee of safety.

Although she never showed it, striding up the ramp, her converses clanking with each step, a relief greater than any she’d known drained the tension from her unliving muscles. I win…this first battle, anyway .

When she walked free, it would be carrying the prize she’d set her attentions upon, unwaveringly. Greater rights and freedoms…fuller bellies and warmer beds during the daytime. A revolution that would be won without spilling a drop of blood.

None that would be seen, anyway.

[nerdyphantomprince]

Hardscaping Essentials: Enhancing Your Phoenix Outdoor Space

Introduction

When it comes to creating an outdoor paradise in Phoenix, homeowners often focus heavily on lush green lawns and vibrant flowerbeds. While these elements are essential for a beautiful landscape, hardscaping is equally crucial in enhancing the functionality and aesthetic appeal of your outdoor space. But what exactly is hardscaping? Simply put, it involves the use of non-plant materials like stones, bricks, concrete, and wood to create structures and layouts that complement nature rather than compete with it.

In this comprehensive guide titled Hardscaping Essentials: Enhancing Your Phoenix Outdoor Space, we will delve into the various aspects of hardscaping, its benefits, design principles, and how to integrate it seamlessly with landscaping elements like lawn care and irrigation systems. Whether you're looking to improve your yard's functionality or boost its curb appeal, this article will provide you with the information you need to transform your outdoor space into a stunning retreat.

Hardscaping Essentials: Enhancing Your Phoenix Outdoor Space

Phoenix's unique climate presents both challenges and opportunities for homeowners looking to enhance their outdoor spaces. Hardscaping can help address some of these challenges while also providing a stylish touch. From patios that extend living spaces to retaining walls that prevent soil erosion, hardscaping can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

Understanding Hardscaping What Is Hardscaping?

Hardscaping refers to the part of landscaping that utilizes non-living elements—think pathways, walls, terraces, and water features. These features not only add character but also serve practical purposes such as drainage management and space division.

The Role of Hardscape Elements in Landscaping Visual Appeal: Hardscape elements can break up large expanses of grass or dirt. Functional Spaces: Patios or decks provide places for socializing. Soil Erosion Prevention: Retaining walls help maintain soil structure. Water Management: Effective drainage systems direct water away from homes. Benefits of Hardscaping in Phoenix Durability Against Extreme Weather Conditions

Given Phoenix's hot summers and mild winters, investing in hardscape materials that can withstand these conditions is crucial. Materials like stone or concrete do not require the same levels of maintenance as plants do.

Low Maintenance Requirements

Unlike lawns and gardens that need regular mowing and watering (think Lawn Care Phoenix), hardscape installations generally require minimal upkeep.

Enhanced Property Value

A well-designed landscape incorporating hardscape features can significantly boost property value—something every homeowner appreciates!

Popular Hardscape Features for Your Phoenix Yard Patios: The Heart of Outdoor Living Spaces

A patio serves as an excellent focal point for gatherings. You could opt for materials like Phoenix pro landscaping LLC pavers or stamped concrete for a creative flair.

Walkways That Guide the Eye

Creating walkways

[roomchailimited]

Berlin Bound: Discovering Germany’s Capital Through History and Culture

Berlin is a city where history and modernity blend seamlessly, creating a rich tapestry of culture, art, and unforgettable landmarks. As I arrived in Germany’s capital, I was immediately struck by the vibrancy of the city—a place where every corner holds a story, and every street invites you to explore. My journey through Berlin was an eye-opening experience, one that took me from the remnants of a divided city to the heart of contemporary culture.

Day 1: A Walk Through History

Berlin’s history is impossible to overlook, and I began my exploration at one of the city’s most iconic landmarks: the Brandenburg Gate. Once a symbol of division, it now represents unity and peace, standing tall as a reminder of Germany’s tumultuous past. As I walked through Pariser Platz, the grandeur of the gate was overwhelming, and it set the tone for the rest of my journey.

Just a short distance away is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a solemn and moving site that pays tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. Walking among the massive concrete slabs, I felt a deep sense of reflection and sorrow, a reminder of the importance of remembering the past.

Next, I headed to the Reichstag Building, where German political history comes alive. The building’s glass dome offers panoramic views of the city, symbolizing transparency in government. The Reichstag is not only a place for learning about Germany’s democratic institutions but also a striking example of how Berlin has embraced its complex history.

Day 2: From the Berlin Wall to Modern Culture

No visit to Berlin would be complete without a visit to the Berlin Wall. I began at the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining stretch of the wall, now transformed into a vibrant canvas of street art. Each mural tells a different story—some hopeful, others a stark reminder of the city’s divided past.

From there, I made my way to Checkpoint Charlie, one of the most famous border crossings during the Cold War. The museum nearby provides a fascinating look at life during the division of East and West Berlin, including daring escape attempts and the political tension that once gripped the city.

After immersing myself in Berlin’s past, I ventured into its contemporary cultural scene. The neighborhood of Kreuzberg was my next stop, known for its eclectic mix of cultures, cuisines, and art. Street art lines the walls, and the energy of the neighborhood is palpable. I stopped for a bite at a local café, enjoying a fusion of German and Turkish flavors—a perfect reflection of Berlin’s multicultural identity.

Day 3: Art, Architecture, and Innovation

Berlin’s Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a treasure trove of art and culture. I spent the morning wandering through the Pergamon Museum, home to stunning ancient artifacts, including the famous Pergamon Altar. The collections here span civilizations, and I felt transported to another time as I marveled at the grandeur of these historical relics.

In contrast, the afternoon took me to Potsdamer Platz, a modern symbol of Berlin’s reinvention. Once a desolate no-man’s land, today it’s a bustling hub of skyscrapers, shopping, and entertainment. The sleek architecture of the Sony Center stands in stark contrast to the city’s older buildings, symbolizing Berlin’s rapid growth and transformation.

I ended my day in the Tiergarten, Berlin’s expansive central park, where locals and tourists alike gather to enjoy the green space. As I strolled through the park, passing the Victory Column, I could feel the city’s pulse slow down—a peaceful reprieve from the urban hustle.

Day 4: Departure and Reflections

On my final day, I visited the Berlin Cathedral, an architectural marvel that dominates the city’s skyline. The interior was just as breathtaking as its exterior, with its grand dome and intricate detailing. Climbing to the top of the dome provided a final, sweeping view of the city—a fitting way to end my journey.

Before leaving Berlin, I took one last walk along Unter den Linden, the city’s historic boulevard. The mix of old and new, the scars of history alongside the vibrancy of today, made Berlin feel alive in a way few cities do. It’s a place where the past is ever-present, but where the future feels full of possibilities.

Traveling with the Right Agency

My Berlin adventure was made even more memorable by the expert planning of Roomchai Limited. Their deep knowledge of the city’s history and culture ensured that every detail of my trip was perfectly curated. From booking seamless tours to recommending the best local spots for authentic experiences, Roomchai’s service was impeccable.

Other Bangladeshi travel agencies, such as Obokash and ShareTrip, offer great services for European destinations, but Roomchai’s personalized approach stood out. Whether you’re exploring Berlin’s historic landmarks or diving into its vibrant culture, having the right agency can make all the difference. With Roomchai, you can be sure your trip will be a memorable one, allowing you to fully embrace the spirit of Berlin.

[babakahteshamipour]

Scavenging the Abject is a lab developed by Selina Hammer, Ramona Gomez and Babak Ahteshamipour in the context of the Chapters I and II of Queering Nature: The Quest, an Art and Game Design Research Residency by Random Kingdom. The lab explores the concept of abjection [1], the horror and banishment of decay, rot and collapse from anthropocentric-technocratic discourses that seek immortality through non-human beings and the non-organic that embody abjection, addressed as scavengers in the context of the lab. Scavengers eat the rotten flesh, collecting abjected matter — what is rejected and cast aside. Through this act, they nurture, restore, and reintroduce it into the cycle of life, where all things grow, bloom, wither, and fade.

The scavengers introduces us into the realm of blackened ecology and the world-without-us: "the world-without-us is the subtraction of the human from the world. [...] the world-without-us lies somewhere in between, in a nebulous zone that is at once impersonal and horrific."[2]; there is no meaning, intention or linear narratives with ends in nature [3]. Nature that does not recognize a division between a human and non-human world. In fact there is no such thing as nature. Nature is a construct, an other, created by extractivist discourses with the intention of conquering it. The world can exist without us; anthropocentrism finds that depressive. It is not about us.

Blackened ecology re-examines the non-human and redefines it, perceiving it as autonomous and indifferent to the human species, as a world-in-itself. It doesn't aim to contain it, interpret it or simulate it for the benefit of anthropological discourse; but most importantly it doesn't profit from it. Blackened ecology additionally aligns with queer ecology's values of non-binary and rhizomatic approach towards the universe: as a singular totality that is made up of an assemblage of beings that coexist with each other in non-hierarchical structures.

To understand the world-in-itself [4] we need to imagine the world-without-us. We exist in the world but perceive it as not-us, as an other. Despite this separation, we cannot exist outside of the world, we embody it. Since the world-in-itself refuses to be contained within anthropocentric discourse, it becomes abjected, as something occulted, horrifying and untamed. Catastrophic geophysical and organic phenomenons such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes, pandemics, organ dysfunctions, wound infections and rotting corpses are manifestations of this occulted world. [5]

The broken sidewalks, abandoned buildings, contaminated sewers, discarded electronics, the flora and fauna that blooms from cracks of concrete, the insects, bacteria and fungi that feed on the urban wastes are all manifestations of the occulted world. Utilizing these unassuming resources can help us reconsider what ecology stands for by re-integrating decay to provide a more universal and inclusive perspective for healing, nourishment, compassion and comprehension. Watch the grimoire animation here.

Watch the cards animation here.

Notes:

[1] "[...] what is abject, on the contrary, the jettisoned object, is radically excluded and draws me the place where meaning collapses", Julia Kristeva, Powers of Horror, 1941, Columbia University Press, New York, Guildford, Surrey, p. 2

[2] Eugene Thacker, In The Dust of the Planet, 2011, Zero Books, John Hunt Publishing Ltd., Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK, p. 10

[3] "Blackening embraces the purposelessness thoroughly: there is no purpose, no goal nor end in nature; there is not even negation, there is nothing, only a final endstille. The obliteration of the observer leads to the removal of purpose, with no mind present to intend.", Niall Scott, Blackening the Green, Scott Wilson, Melancology: Black Metal Theory and Ecology, 2013, Zero Books, John Hunt Publishing Ltd., Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK, p. 75

[4] "The hiddenness of the world is not just the world-in-itself, for the world-in-itself is, by definition, absolutely cut off from us as human beings in the world (the world-for-us). When the world-in-itself becomes occulted, or “hidden,” a strange and paradoxical movement takes place whereby the world-in-itself presents itself to us, but without ever becoming fully accessible or completely knowable. The world-in-itself presents itself to us, but without simply becoming the world-for-us; it is, to borrow from Schopenhauer, “the world-in-itself-for-us.”, Eugene Thacker, In The Dust of the Planet, 2011, Zero Books, John Hunt Publishing Ltd., Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK, p. 48

[5] "The corpse (or cadaver: cadere, to fall), that which has irremediably come a cropper, is cesspool, and death; it upsets even more violently the one who confronts it as a fragile and fallacious chance. A wound with blood and pus, or the sickly, acrid smell of sweat, of decay, does not signify death. In the presence of signified death-a flat encephalograph, for instance-I would, understand, react, or accept. No, as in true theater, without makeup or masks, refuse and corpses show me what I permanently thrust aside in order to live. These body fluids, this defilement, this shit are what life withstands, hardly and with difficulty, on the part of death. There, I am at the border of my condition as a living being. My body extricates itself, as being alive, from that border. Such wastes drop so that I might live, until, from loss to loss, nothing remains in me and my entire body falls beyond the limit — cadere, cadaver.", Julia Kristeva, Powers of Horror, 1941, Columbia University Press, New York, Guildford, Surrey, p. 3

[eyssant]

Berlin: A Journey Through History, Exploration, and Climate

Berlin, the capital city of Germany, boasts a rich and complex history that stretches back over seven centuries. Founded in the 13th century, Berlin has been at the heart of many significant historical events that have shaped not only the city but also the entire world.

The origins of Berlin trace back to the merging of two towns, Cölln and Berlin, located on either side of the River Spree. By the 15th century, Berlin became the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and later the Kingdom of Prussia. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Berlin evolved into a major European metropolis, reflecting the city's growing political, economic, and cultural significance.

The 20th century brought dramatic changes to Berlin. After World War I, Berlin became the capital of the Weimar Republic, experiencing a period of cultural flourishing. However, the rise of the Nazi regime in the 1930s plunged the city into darkness, leading to World War II and the subsequent division of Berlin into East and West during the Cold War. The Berlin Wall, erected in 1961, became a powerful symbol of the division between the communist East and the capitalist West.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the beginning of a new era for Berlin. Reunification brought about significant changes, transforming Berlin into a dynamic and vibrant city. Today, Berlin is known for its eclectic mix of historical landmarks, modern architecture, and a thriving cultural scene.

Places to Explore in Berlin

Berlin is a city that offers a plethora of attractions, catering to a wide range of interests. Here are some must-visit places in Berlin:

Brandenburg Gate: One of Berlin's most iconic landmarks, the Brandenburg Gate is a neoclassical monument that has witnessed many historical events. It stands as a symbol of unity and peace.

Berlin Wall Memorial: This memorial preserves a section of the Berlin Wall and provides insights into the city's divided past. It serves as a poignant reminder of the Cold War era.

Museum Island: Located on the Spree River, Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site that houses five world-renowned museums, including the Pergamon Museum and the Altes Museum.

Reichstag Building: The seat of the German parliament, the Reichstag Building is an architectural marvel. Visitors can tour the building and enjoy panoramic views of the city from its glass dome.

Checkpoint Charlie: This former border crossing point between East and West Berlin is now a popular tourist attraction, offering a glimpse into the city's Cold War history.

East Side Gallery: This open-air gallery features murals painted on a remaining section of the Berlin Wall. It is the longest outdoor gallery in the world and showcases the work of artists from around the globe.

Charlottenburg Palace: A stunning example of baroque architecture, Charlottenburg Palace is Berlin's largest palace. Visitors can explore its lavishly decorated rooms and beautiful gardens.

Alexanderplatz: A bustling square in the heart of Berlin, Alexanderplatz is home to the iconic TV Tower (Fernsehturm), which offers breathtaking views of the city.

Holocaust Memorial: Officially known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, this powerful memorial consists of 2,711 concrete slabs and serves as a somber reminder of the Holocaust.

Tiergarten: Berlin's largest park, Tiergarten, is a green oasis in the city. It is perfect for leisurely strolls, picnics, and outdoor activities.

Best Time to Visit Berlin

Berlin is a year-round destination, but the best time to visit depends on your preferences and the type of experience you seek.

Spring (March to May): Spring is a lovely time to visit Berlin, as the city begins to bloom with flowers and greenery. The weather is mild, and outdoor activities become more enjoyable. It's also a great time for cultural events and festivals.

Summer (June to August): Summer is the peak tourist season in Berlin. The weather is warm and sunny, making it ideal for outdoor exploration, festivals, and open-air events. However, this is also the busiest time, so expect larger crowds and higher prices.

Autumn (September to November): Autumn in Berlin is characterized by colorful foliage and mild temperatures. It's a great time for sightseeing, as the crowds thin out, and the city's parks and gardens are particularly beautiful.

Winter (December to February): Winter in Berlin can be cold, with temperatures often dropping below freezing. However, the city comes alive with Christmas markets, festive decorations, and cultural events. It's a magical time to experience Berlin's holiday spirit.

Conclusion

Berlin is a city that seamlessly blends its rich history with modern vibrancy. From historical landmarks and museums to green parks and cultural festivals, Berlin offers a diverse range of experiences for visitors. Whether you're exploring the remnants of the Berlin Wall, admiring the architecture of the Reichstag Building, or simply strolling through the picturesque streets, Berlin is a city that captivates and inspires.

With its varied climate, Berlin can be visited year-round, each season offering a unique charm. Whether you prefer the blooming beauty of spring, the lively summer festivals, the colorful autumn foliage, or the festive winter markets, Berlin has something special to offer every traveler. Additionally, check holidays in Germany prior to travel to improve your overall tour experience.