#Rio city spies

[fishyupmywishy]

Rio and Sydney spar

Or

Rio sucks at fighting and Sydney got the job to help him

[random-fandom-chaos]

(Monty would be Caretaker and another would be Whumpee)

KK YOU THREE WONDERFUL PEOPLE.

HEAR ME OUT A CITY SPIES FIC WITH MOTHER (there’s so many Whump ideas that show…mother. help the poor boy-)

AFTER HE GOT RESCUED BY CAIRO, HE CRIED BUT AFTER THAT HE WAS QUIET, TO ALL THE KIDS. ALL. EVEN MONTY, AND TRU. UNTILL MONTY GETS CONCERNED…HE JUST MUMBLES IT AND NOW SHES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HE THOUGHT HE DID WRONG. WHAT HE BLAMED HIMSELF FOR.

I HAVE SO MUCH MOTIVATION AND EXCITEMENT RN

@needlesandnilbogs

@afunky-jester

@littengamer909

A whumpee who won't speak or communicate in any way after their rescue, and Caretaker doesn't know why. A few days/weeks in, and suddenly Whumpee whispers "I'm sorry."

They don't speak or look at Caretaker after that, those two words were all they said. Caretaker is left to try and figure out what is going on in Whumpee's mind.

[shades-potions-n-baseball]

HIII

Mother looks exactly like trust (silly)

that also im

Throwing city spies in your blog now :3

-One of the most known Mother fanatics in the whole community

like who? anyways yes I accept the city spies I love these silly guys!

also unrelated hc: kat is autistic and rio got adhd tho I feel like it’s basically canon

mother is so silly I love the bi british man trope!

[city-spies-incorrect-quotes]

These are from an incorrect quote generator so none of these are my writing, but I thought they were funny (no Cairo because these are super old+I just now found out you had this acc)

(Do I think Rio would eat non-food products? No. However, if it would be anyone, it would be Rio)

.

[the-amazing-encantado]

Hello, hello! Step right up and ask anything you’d like!

[to a certain extent, since he’s 13, but this fandom is chill

Run by @stellrsjay, she/he, feel free to send asks or rp!

Please don’t be disrespectful to my or other’s interpretations of characters, I’ll try to stick to canon but I’m not James Ponti, so I will be adding my own thoughts. Go with the flow, bro]

[yourtwistedlies]

NEW CITY SPIES BOOK COMING OUT FEBRUARY 6TH 2024 AHHH ITS CALLED MISSION MANHATTAN I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT.

adjsjdnwjqkakdnejwnakfurbtoamdkwkajdndiwlanebefakejwbfuegwlaoaoodkdbeebdgshososnsbegavadqdwxspbhfiscbaefyqaedtwvchcujgntoypwjslforngw

[ask-mother-city-spies]

I do actually have a question. Since Kat, Brooklyn, Paris, and Rio don't speak English as a first language, do they ever speak it to hide things from Mother or if they're sick or upset? Has Mother made an attempt to learn, like, Nepali or Portuguese?

(I’m not sure if you’re asking this to mods, or him but I’ll also answer! Yes, he’s totally tried to do that, and I know he’d have a translator opened at all times on his phone to know what they’re saying. Anyways here’s his response:)

“Well, Yes! I often try to learn the language, they’re very much confusing. And those kids are very much smart, they try to hide things like sickness, or sadness from me and Monty. That won’t happen, I will always be their father and I will always care for them! I will find a way to understand them and I’ve learned a few simple words in Spanish and Portuguese, French too, Nepali is the most confusing for me. Thank you for the question!”

He smiles, a sincere one at that. He really does care.

(Anyways I’m gonna tag you so you can see the answer if you ask more question lmk if you don’t wanna be tagged: @shadyflowerdonut also yaya City spies fan)

[city-spies-confessions]

Yo yo! (Mod pls share ur opinion)

But honestly, am I a BIG fan of Mother? Yes. Does this mean what I’m going to say it bias? No.

but we got a Brooklyn Centered book (book 1) Sydney centered book (book 2) Paris centered book (book 3) and Book 4 is about Kat book 5 is about Rio

I Don’t doubt the next book might be about Cairo or Annie. But if James ponti decides to extend the series (he said he hopes to make at least 7 books at least that’s why I’ve heard) since book 6 might be Cairo (or not since we saw how Cairo was found, and we had some of book 5 mixed in with centering him and the other for Rio) Or Annie (if she decides to join) but if not.

hear me out.

James Ponti should make a Mother centered one of Monty

Even if they’re such a parental figure character we don’t really have much information. It would be cool on having one of those flashback chapters talking about how they were recruited. Going back to where they grew up. It would be so heartwarming.

I hope for a Mother centered book, how his world is, maybe angst too

Monty would explore more on who her parents where as she grew up her hobbies, and maybe angst too

But If Ponti makes the next book about Cairo and if Annie joins [book 6] (maybe) book 7 is about her (maybe idk how much he’s gonna write for the series since he’s such a good author and focusing mainly on his other series, but really this is just an opinion of mine) if [Ponti] does do this then if he writes more book 8 and 9 could be Mother and Monty centered! Maybe as a bonus book 10 (could be the last book if he writes) could be about clementine!

Thank you for reading I’m sorry for all the words I’ve had this in my head for two months and I got back into my city spies grind—

That'd be very cool, but I doubt it since city spies is already a bit different from his other books since it's third person, plus it's middle grade and most of those books stay in the main perspectives of children.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

ANDRÉ LEBLANC

@thealmightyemprex @themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @princesssarisa @piterelizabethdevries @themetropoliskonboy @a-roguish-gambit @knivxsanddespair @professorlehnsherr-almashy @gravedangerahead @softlytowardthesun

Early life André LeBlanc was born in 1921 in Haïti as the son of a French mother and Honduran father. LeBlanc's path of life led him through several countries, spending many years in the USA, Cuba and Brazil. In a March 1972 interview with O Pasquim magazine, LeBlanc said he had little memories of his time in Haiti. During the 1920s, the family already moved to the United States, where André LeBlanc spent the largest part of his childhood. In New York, he got his artistic training at the Art Students League, while debuting in the upcoming comic book industry.

American comic books In 1939, eighteen-year-old André LeBlanc got a job with the New York City-based comic production studio of Will Eisner and Jerry Iger. There, he was initially an assistant doing backgrounds and inking on the team's comic book production - largely for Quality Comics and Fiction House - while learning the trade from Will Eisner, Reed Crandall, Lou Fine and other associated artists. Among his other influences were the magazine illustrators Harold Von Schmidt, Matt Clark and Tom Lovell.

When Eisner-Iger was dissolved in 1940, LeBlanc worked for production studios led by Jerry Iger solo (S.M. Iger, founded in 1940) and Jack Binder (Binder Studio, founded in 1942), and also directly for publisher Everett M. "Busy" Arnold, who ran Quality Comics. At Binder, LeBlanc worked alongside Lee Ames and Dan Barry, who became lifelong friends of his. During these early years of his career, LeBlanc did pencil and/or inking duties on features like 'Sheena, Queen of the Jungle', 'Steve Brodie', 'Famous Fighters', 'Kayo Kirby' and 'Rip Carson' for comic books published by Fiction House Comics. At Fawcett Comics, he worked on superheroes like 'Bulletman', 'Captain Marvel', 'Golden Arrow' and 'Spy Smasher', while his Quality Comics contributions included work on 'Destroyer 171' in National Comics and 'P.T. Boat' in Military Comics. As an inker, he regularly worked with pencil artist John Spranger. During the 1940s, André LeBlanc also illustrated pulp magazines and occasional comic book stories for Street and Smith publishers.

Around 1943-1944, LeBlanc had to leave the USA for Cuba to take care of the estate of his recently deceased father, who was growing sugar and coffee on a piece of land. After wrapping up his father's businesses, he decided to stay and settled in Havana, which at the time, as he recalled in the O Pasquim interview, was a blossoming city populated by intellectual fugitives, spies of all nationalities and Spanish exiles.

Intellectual Amos While in Cuba, André LeBlanc got an idea for his own comic feature, and submitted it to his former boss in the USA, publisher Everett M. "Busy" Arnold. Intended as a protest against the superhero genre, 'Intellectual Amos' (1944-1945) was about a boy who was abandoned at the door of a library. Growing up there, he read everything and became an intellectual, who fought villains with his childlike innocence, unusual powerful memory and knowledge gained from reading. With four pages a week, 'Intellectual Amos' ran as a back-up feature in Will Eisner's Sunday newspaper supplement 'The Spirit Section' starting on 21 May 1944.

André LeBlanc continued to produce 'Intellectual Amos' when in 1944 he moved from Cuba to Brazil. There, he married his Brazilian wife Elvira Telles and settled in Niterói, a residential suburb of Rio de Janeiro. However, mailing his weekly comic pages to the USA eventually became problematic. The packages were intercepted by US customs and heavily taxed as works of art. Publisher Arnold was not prepared to pay the thousand dollar fine, and as a result the weekly 'Intellectual Amos' feature came to an accidental end on 29 April 1945. It was replaced by Al Stahl's 'Flatfood Burns'. Between February 1945 and August 1947, longer monthly stories with Amos and his sidekick Wilbur the Goblin appeared in Quality Comics titles like Police Comics and National Comics.

Work in Brazil With his regular assignment in the USA coming to an end, LeBlanc began exploring the Brazilian market. One of his first publications there was the cover for issue #1914 of the children's magazine O Tico-Tico (May 1945). He then also illustrated double-page short story spreads for the weekly magazine O Cruzeiro, and contributed to the cultural monthly A Cigarra.

He later also did commercial art assignments through the São Paulo branch of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency. For Editora Brasiliense, he made the interior illustrations for almost all the re-editions of the children's books by Monteiro Lobato (1882-1948); the cover drawings were by Augusto Mendes da Silva (AKA  Augustus/Avgvstvs).

Morena Flor One of LeBlanc's best-known Brazilian comic creations was 'Morena Flor' (1948-1951), a daily strip of 833 episodes, published in the newspaper Diario da Noite. Debuting on 16 August 1948, Morena was a Brazilian jungle girl who fought the despoilers of the Amazon. Through Luiz Rosemberg's Agência Periodista Latino-Americana, LeBlanc's ecologically-themed strip was also distributed to newspapers in Argentina, Chile and Mexico. In 1953, the stories were also reprinted as a back-up feature in Capitão Atlas, a comic book based on the radio serial created by Péricles do Amaral.

Edição Maravilhosa Between 1950 and 1954, LeBlanc was also a prominent artist for the comic book collection 'Edição Maravilhosa - Clássicos Ilustrados', published by Adolfo Aizen's publishing company EBAL (Edição Maravilhosa da Editora Brasil-América Limitada). The Brazilian answer to the American 'Classics Illustrated' series, the Edição Maravilhosa comic books adapted important titles of Brazilian literature into comics.

LeBlanc notably drew the installments with adaptations of works by the 19th-century Brazilian Romantic novelist José de Alencar ('O Guarani', 'Iracema', 'Ubirajara', 'O Tronco do Ipê') and the regionalist novelist José Lins do Rego ('O Menino de Engenho', 'Doidinho', 'Banguê', 'Cangaceiros').

He additionally adapted classic novels by Joaquim Manuel de Macedo ('A Moreninha'), Dinah Silveira de Queiroz ('A Muralha'), Gastão Cruls ('A Amazônia Misteriosa'), Maria Dezonne Pacheco Fernandes ('Sinhá Moça') and Herberto Sales ('Cascalho').

Among the other artists working for this collection were Manoel Victor Filho, Nico Rosso, Ramón Llampayas, Aylton Thomaz, Gil Coimbra, José Geraldo and Gutemberg Monteiro.

Traveling reporter During the 1950s, LeBlanc also worked as an illustrator-reporter for the Brazilian newspapers Correiro da Manha and O Globo. For the latter, he traveled to the East for a series of 36 illustrated reports, first visiting India (Bombay, Benares, Agra, Calcutta, Goa), then going through Pakistan and the region that is now Bangladesh. After six months, he returned home through Europe.

In 1956, LeBlanc moved back to New York, where his wife could undergo medical treatment for a complication in her spine.

The treatment lasted more than a year, and the LeBlanc family decided to stay. In 1969, they went back to Brazil once again, but returned to the States a couple of years later. In Brazil, LeBlanc was part of a select group of cutting-edge illustrators that flourished in the country, but the repression of the military dictatorship made life difficult. In interviews, he expressed concerns about raising his children in the country.

A polyglot himself, he preferred to have his children educated in English instead of Portuguese.

U.S. comic book work Already in the second half of the 1940s, LeBlanc had renewed his old contacts in the United States. Between 1947 and 1948, he assisted his old taskmaster Will Eisner on the inking of 'The Spirit'. In 1949, he also contributed to the single issue of Eisner's children's comic book Kewpies, drawing the 'Pito' feature. He was also back at Quality Comics, drawing the 'Poodle Mc Doodle' feature in Modern Comics. Between 1951 and 1953, LeBlanc drew stories for Quality's 'Plastic Man' comic book, following in the footsteps of the series' creator, fellow former Eisner co-worker Jack Cole. LeBlanc's closeness with Will Eisner persisted over the years. In 1983, he helped his old friend with the colorization of his graphic novel 'Signal from Space'.

During the 1950s, even before his return to the USA, LeBlanc continued to work for American comic book companies. In 1952-1953, he drew a couple of crime and horror stories for 'Authentic Police Cases' and 'Weird Horrors' by St. John Publishing.

A couple of years later, he was present at Dell Comics, drawing comic adaptations of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1957) and 'The Pride and the Passion' (1957) for the publisher's Four Color Comics line of one-shot books.

According to Jerry Bails' 'Who is Who' index, LeBlanc possibly drew episodes of features like 'My Paul, Alien', 'Spyman' and 'Super Surplus' for Harvey Comics in 1966. Between 1966 and 1968, he was working for Western Publishing, drawing about a dozen stories for the anthology titles 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not', 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery'.

For the 1967 'Wham-O Giant Comics' anthology - published by the Wham-O toy company - LeBlanc made the three-page World War I story about 'The Young Eagles'. Between 1966 and 1967, LeBlanc was a penciler and inker for the 'Mandrake the Magician' title of King Comics, the comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate. It was the first time he worked with one of Lee Falk's creations; more followed later in his career.

Ghost artist for newspaper comics For a large part of his career, André LeBlanc was happy to work in the service of others. Besides assisting Will Eisner, he spent long periods of time doing well-paid jobs as assistant and ghost artist for newspaper comics.

Between 1957 and 1959, he regularly helped his former Binder Studio colleague Dan Barry with the 'Flash Gordon' newspaper comic. During this same period, he ghosted for Dan's brother Sy Barry on large parts of the civil rights comic book 'Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story' (Fellowship of Reconciliation, 1958).

Around 1976, he replaced George Olesen as Sy Barry's regular assistant on the newspaper comic with Lee Falk's 'The Phantom'.

One notable sequence penciled and inked anonymously by LeBlanc were the 1977 daily strips and Sunday pages detailing the Phantom's marriage to Diana Palmer.

LeBlanc continued to work with Sy Barry on an on-again off-again basis until the latter's retirement in 1994.

In the 1970s, LeBlanc also did some assistant work on the 'Mandrake the Magician' newspaper comic, another Lee Falk creation, drawn for King Features Syndicate by Fred Fredericks.

In August-September 1976 and August-October 1978, he additionally helped Alex Kotzky with the 'Apartment 3-G' strip and in the 1978-1979 period, he also ghosted on both Sunday and daily episodes of the 'Rex Morgan, M.D.' strip for Frank Edgington and Marvin Bradley.

Our Bible in Pictures LeBlanc's biggest claim to fame was arguably the Bible series he did for publisher David C. Cook. The origins of the project lay in the early 1950s, when Cook had Reverend David S. Piper write and Joseph Wirt Tillotson draw Bible stories in picture story format, added as "take home" supplements to Sunday Pix, a Christian comic book aimed at Sunday School pupils. By 1958, plans for a full Bible comic adaptation came about. Editor Iva Hoth was chosen to write the text to go with the pictures, while LeBlanc was hired as illustrator. Between October 1959 and 1964, 'Our Bible in Pictures' appeared as weekly installments of three to four pages in Sunday Pix. In 1964, selections of the feature were collected as the 'Life of Jesus' book, which appeared with editions in English, Dutch, Finnish, Indonesian, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.

In 1973, the first book version of the entire series appeared in black-and-white as the six-volume 'The Picture Bible for All Ages' collection. For reprints later that decade, LeBlanc was assigned to colorize the entire project. In 1978, a New Testament version appeared, followed in 1979 by 'The Picture Bible', containing both the Old and New Testaments in 750 full-color comic pages. Since then, the book has often been reprinted, becoming a worldwide hit. Interviewed in May 2001, the director of Cook Communications Ministries International, Ralph Gates, estimated that 75 million copies of the Picture Bible had been distributed around the world with translations in over 130 languages, including Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Romanian and Tagalog. In 2010, David C. Cook Publishing released a new and modernized version of 'The Picture Bible', entitled 'The Action Bible', with scripts by Doug Mauss and artwork by Sergio Cariello.

Other work Following the immense success of this ambitious Bible project for David C. Cook, LeBlanc became a sought-after illustrator for other Bible-related projects, including work for magazines and Sunday schools. In the mid-1980s, he was hired by Hanna-Barbera as character designer for the animated direct-to-video series 'The Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible' (1985-1992). Years earlier, he had already worked for Hanna-Barbera as an in-betweener on the animated TV show 'Space Ghost and Dino Boy' (1966-1968).

During the 1950s, LeBlanc also teamed up with former Binder Studio colleague Lee Ames to illustrate children's textbooks for publisher MacMillan. Represented by Ames' agent Mary Gerard, LeBlanc also landed jobs with other educational publishers, such as Allyn & Bacon. With Ames, he additionally collaborated on book projects like 'George Washington: Frontier Colonel' (Random House, 1957) and 'Draw 50 People from the Bible' (Watson-Guptill, 1995).

In 1959, LeBlanc was a contributing illustrator to the twelve-volume 'Picture World Encyclopedia' series, edited by Gene Fawcette. He illustrated paperback novels like 'Snow Treasure' by Marie McSwigan (Scholastic, 1958) as well as a mid-1980s sex manual, while doing commercial art assignments through the Ted Bates Advertising Agency. He was additionally an instructor at New York City's School of Visual Arts.

Recognition and legacy

In Brazil, André LeBlanc was awarded the prestigious "Southern Cross" - the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Brazilian citizen - for his illustrations for classical literature.

After a long and varied career, André LeBlanc died in the USA on 21 December 1998, at the age of 77. Dividing his time between the USA and Brazil, LeBlanc worked in many fields and genres.

From the blossoming American comic book market to Brazilian journalism and youth literature, and from religious publications to newspaper comics. In articles, LeBlanc was described as a person with a great curiosity and intellect.

During his lifetime, he learned how to speak six languages fluently. He was also known for his keen understanding of science, politics, history and arts. These character traits he shared with his signature creation, 'Intellectual Amos'.

This boy genius can be considered a forerunner to later comic book whiz kids like 'Génial Olivier' by Jacques Devos in the Belgian Spirou magazine (1963-1988), and Alan Moore and Kevin Nowlan's 'Jack B. Quick' (1999-2002) at DC Comics in the USA.

André LeBlanc was also cited as an influence on Flavio Colin. 

[needlesandnilbogs]

Topics of my classes this semester, as ranked by the likleyhood I use that information to write fanfic:

0) Portuguese. I write city spies fanfic and I would love to write more Rio fic

1) Number Theory. Applicable to city spies fic about Monty and probably useful in all spy related or mirrorverse fics wherein I use codes and encryption

2) Historical costume and dress. Self explanatory mostly (historical fanfic aus).

3) Analysis. I don’t see writing about functions that much but perhaps another new magic system and therefore a fic to match?

Infinity) Glee club. (sorry irls but there is really no easy way to work that into a fic directly)

[fishyupmywishy]

@needlesandnilbogs has gotten the Tumblr community for City Spies approved!

If anyone wants to join, whether you read the books and want a fandom to participate in or if you haven’t and simply want to see what City Spies is like, please DM them or me, or reblog this and put it in the notes.

It would be nice to have some more people to interact with about the fandom than just us lol

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazilian cities with highest quality of life concentrated in southeastern São Paulo state, new study finds

A new study that utilizes the Social Progress Index (SPI) to evaluate the quality of life across all 5,570 municipalities in Brazil was released earlier this month. According to researchers, eight of the 10 highest-ranking municipalities are located in the southeastern São Paulo state, while the lowest-ranking municipalities are from the northern Amazon region. 

Brazil’s two largest and most well-known cities didn’t make the top of the list. São Paulo ranked 40th with low scores for social inclusion, and Rio de Janeiro ranked 229th thanks to high violence rates, poor education, and climate vulnerability.

Launched in 2014 by Professor Michael Porter of Harvard Business School, this indicator considers social and environmental aspects, rather than economic factors like gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita income, to measure cities’ quality of life.

Using over 300 different indicators provided by government agencies and research institutions, the index is based on three main pillars, including basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunities. It’s also divided into 12 categories, such as nutrition and medical care, water and sanitation, security, social inclusion, and environmental quality.

Continue reading.

[tmkutawrites]

A COMMON BOND - FREE SAMPLE!

This is a free sample of my debut lesbian romance novella, A Common Bond, which comes out November 7, 2023. Please enjoy :)

Note: There may/will be some typos in this sample. We like that, it confuses the Overlords of Zon so they don't strike me for contract infringement. I promise in the final, purchased version the typos have been fixed :)

Now, on with the sample!

RFI 1

To: Josie Basurto (May 3, 5:34PM)

From: Carneline Triana

Subject: Site Visit for Mobilization

Josie,

I will be on site with my management team most of Monday morning. I’m sure we will run into each other at some point.

Carneline

***

From: Josie Basurto (May 3, 5:39PM)

To: Carneline Triana

Subject: RE: Site Visit for Mobilization

Looking forward to it!

J

***

Carneline had known Clover Hill’s old town hall was in bad shape from the bid documents. On her walkthrough with Rio a few weeks ago, even more suspicions had been raised. But now, the disintegrating chunk of limestone that had fallen off the cornice and into her hand confirmed it: she was going to be spending a lot more time in Clover Hill than she had initially planned. “Jesus Christ.”

“I’ve never seen limestone this bad,” Bruno murmured. Oceanic’s chief masonry superintendent carefully set the piece of stone down on the scaffold. “This whole cornice is going to have to be checked.”

Checking the structural integrity of a city block’s worth of limestone was definitely not covered in their contract. Carneline chewed on the inside corner of her mouth as she ran a hand across the sugaring stone and watched millennia-old sand crumble into her palm. “Is this the only bad news?”

“Oh no,” Bruno said in a voice far too cheery for her liking as he pushed to his feet. “This mortar is definitely hot.”

Asbestos remediation was also definitely not in their contract.

She cast a desperate glance along the joints. “Are you sure?”

“Yup.” He pointed to an area where the mortar was exposed. “Look close. You can see the fibers.”

Carneline looked and, sure enough, there were the telltale threads amongst the cement, lime, and sand. Fuck. “Does Rio know?”

Bruno shook his head.

She snapped a couple of photos on her phone and turned for the scaffold stair. “Are xe still documenting in the lobby?”

“I think so.”

“Good. I’ll send xem up.”

The metal stairs squeaked as Carneline made her way down them, eyeing the brick and stone of the Romanesque Revival building with far more suspicion than before. The facade clearly hadn’t been washed in two decades. The window sills were covered in black atmospheric discoloration, and the blue-green haze of cupric staining streaked down major crevices. On the brick and stone walls, there were long stretches of jointing completely devoid of mortar and one of the brackets was missing entirely.

She stopped two decks down and took a moment to admire the town. This was Oceanic’s first project this far south. They mostly stuck to projects in Baymill, but her dad had wanted to expand into other markets, so here she was forty feet in the air above a town she could see the other side of from the scaffold. The five-story town hall towered over most of the rest of the buildings, but fit in perfectly amongst the clusters of various historic structures downtown. Its renovation was long overdue, but Carneline hoped Clover Hill would find it worth it in the end.

From her perch, she could see the expanse of the park, with its quaint little gazebo and beautifully kept grounds. A bit farther she spied the currently unlit marquee of an old movie theater and a neon sign belonging to local diner. It was a beautiful town, and as much as she could lean on the scaffold railing and look out over the little town covered in the fresh leaves of spring for hours, she had a job to do.

She tore herself away from the view and continued down the scaffold to the lobby. The first time she’d seen it, Carneline had been struck almost speechless by the beauty of its wrought iron doors, scagliola-clad pilasters, and massive crystal chandelier. Now it barely registered. She hurried through the plywood-covered lobby until she found her assistant project manager sprawled indelicately across the floor.

Rio was an acquired taste Carneline wasn’t quite sure she had acquired yet; mildly competent, incredibly anxious, and graced with the aggravating tendency to lose the plot at the slightest provocation. Still, xe tried, which was more than Carneline could say of half of Oceanic’s field staff.

“Good morning, Rio.”

Rio startled, and practically levitated off the floor in a cloud of dust almost definitely from the plaster demo. Xe was absolutely covered in the stuff, and Rio hurriedly stuffed xemself back into xyr gloves and sheepishly brushed down xyr front. “Good—good morning, Carneline. I—I didn’t know you were on site.”

“I was walking the cornice with Bruno.”

“Oh.”

“How is it going down here?”

Xe grimaced and gestured at the ground. “It’s—uh. The stone’s really cracked.”

Bits of torn painter’s tape crawled across the marble below them like blown blue cherry blossom petals. Carneline crouched, and Rio angled the beam of xyr flashlight so she could see the spidery lines coursing through. Great. “These are going to shatter the second Bruno tries to take them out.”

“That’s what he said, too.”

Another expensive change order for the growing pile, I suppose. She stood, dreading the prospect of the unending raft of paperwork in her future. “I’ll speak with the NCK team. Have you been up to the cornice yet?”

Rio shook xyr head.

“When you are done down here, I need you to go up and document everything before we touch it. Do you have your profile gauges with you?”

“They’re in my car.”

“Good. Bruno will be up there for a little bit. Find…” She hedged, thinking of the worn-down status of the cornice. “Find the least broken stone and take a profile.”

 Xe nodded. “Okay.”

“And wear an N95. The mortar is hot and everything up there is crumbling.”

Rio’s dark eyes got comically wide behind xyr safety glasses. “Oh shit.”

Her sentiments exactly. “Do you have any questions?” Xe shook xyr head again. “Alright. Call me if something comes up.”

“Will do!”

Carneline left Rio to xyr marble documentation and slipped out the west entrance to find the jobsite trailer. When she pulled the door open, she found Josie bent over the conference table—which was really just four folding tables pushed together in the center of the room—studying the reference drawings.

“Good morning,” she greeted as the door snapped shut behind her.

“Good morning,” Josie replied as she turned the page of the drawings. “Headed out? Help yourself to some coffee before you leave.”

Carneline startled at the kind, but unexpected offer. “Oh. Thank you.”

“To-go cups are on top of the fridge.”

“I actually don’t drink hot coffee,” she replied sheepishly.

“Don’t drink hot coffee?” Josie asked, looking up from her drawings with a grin that Carneline had discovered seemed permanently glued to her face. “Don’t tell me…you’re like Baylee and only drink cold brew.”

Carneline gave an awkward little laugh, not liking the familiarity with which Josie talked to her about her sister. People always did that, acted like they knew her because they knew her sister or father. Another one of the ‘perks’ of a family business. “Guilty as charged.”

 “Well, I’m one step ahead of you. There’s cold brew in the fridge.”

The offer was tempting. Carneline considered for a moment, but finally decided against it. If she got caught in traffic, which was likely considering the time, she would definitely have to stop and pee. “Not today. I have to drive back to Baymill after this, but thank you.”

“Any time.”

Josie finally straightened up fully and leaned casually on the white plastic folding table, hooking her thumbs into her jeans. She was an unreasonably attractive figure, taller than Carneline, with kind brown eyes and a sharp fade that put every short-haired worker on the site to shame. In some universe she might have been Carneline’s type—if Josie hadn’t worked for the general contractor paying them to fix Clover Hill’s historic town hall.

Carneline hedged. “I…actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Josie’s voice remained impressively neutral. “Oh?”

“Yes…” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “We have some problems.”

“Define ‘problems.’”

“That depends, do you want the least expensive issue or most expensive issue first?”

“Least expensive.” Josie flashed a luminous smile. “Warm me up.”

Carneline pulled up the photos she had taken of the floor and passed her phone over for her to see. “The marble in the foyer is full of cracks. It’s going to shatter when we try to take it out.”

“Architects were ridiculous to think we could salvage the whole floor,” Josie said with a disbelieving scoff. “A-hundred-and-twenty-year-old marble doesn’t come up like that.”

“No, it does not,” Carneline confirmed.

Josie handed her phone back, her face suddenly all business. The shift was jarring, to say the least. “How much is this going to cost?”

“I can’t say for certain, but it will be a decent amount.”

Josie sighed. “Great. You submitted replacement marble, right?”

“A few weeks ago.”

Josie ran a hand through her hair. “Submit an RFI and we’ll see what the architects have to say.”

“Was planning to.”

“Thanks.” She took a sip from a nearby thermos. “What’s the bigger, badder bill?”

Carneline gave Josie a significant look. “Have you been up to the cornice?”

“Recently?”

“Yes.”

“I walked it at the beginning,” she replied with a frown. “Is there something wrong with it?”

If only. “The mortar’s full of asbestos and the stone is crumbling. A piece fell off in my hand.”

Josie inhaled in shock. “Oh fuck.”

“I don’t want anyone from my crew touching it until the town knows.”

 “Understandable. Do you think it’s going to need to be replaced?”

Carneline glanced around the trailer to make sure they were alone. “Off the record, I think you might want to figure out where Clover Hill has a million dollars stashed for a rainy day.”

 “It’s that bad?”

“The building is a hundred and twenty years old,” she said with a shrug. “I’m surprised it lasted this long.”

Josie’s face went grim. “Got it. Thanks for the heads up.”

“Not a problem.” She hesitated, not sure if Josie could handle a third thing on her plate. “There is…one more thing?”

“If there’s a massive structural issue that means we need to evacuate the building, please turn around and leave now,” Josie joked weakly. “Let me die in the collapsed building in peaceful ignorance.”

Carneline gave a dismissive snort. “Nothing so drastic.”

Josie brightened considerably. “Great! What’s up?”

“You need to have someone go into the main hall and put down sweeping compound. Rio’s rolling around on the floor in there looking like the Ghost of Christmas Past. To say nothing of the silica hazard.”

Josie was already grabbing her hard hat off the table. “I’ll do it myself.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“See you then!” Josie trotted off out the door, Carneline close behind her.

She checked her watch: three-o’clock.  Plenty of time to make it back to the city without hitting traffic. She pulled her hard hat off the second she hit the parking lot, shaking her curly red hair out so she could tie it back up once in the car. She’d get out of town, update her dad on the way home, then spend a quiet night with her plants before she had to go to bed.

Her phone rang. The song barely got four notes in before she picked up. “You’re psychic. I was just about to call you.”

“Are you done at Clover Hill?” Warren Triana asked gruffly.

“About to head home now, just have to throw my stuff in the ba—” She stopped dead a few paces from her trunk, eyes taking in the noticeable sink to her right rear bumper. “Fuck.”

Her father’s business tone instantly switched to fatherly concern. “What? What is it?”

She scowled and threw her hard hat in the back a tad more aggressively than was necessary. “It’s nothing,” she sighed. “I just have a flat.”

[END RFI 1]

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[oaryra]

What major historical events do you remember? What started as a drop in the pond in some small towns in Nigeria, rippled into a full blown protest across major cities in the country, with the hashtag #EndSars trending at number across all major social media platforms with the hashtag garnering 28 million tweets on Twitter; now X, alone. The protest was so huge that Nigerians in the diaspora and foreigners alike joined the trend, not only on the social media but also on the streets; in front of the Nigerian embassy, with celebrities such as Ex England and Manchester United footballer, Rio Ferdinand, Jamaican singer Sean Kingston, British actor John Boyega and American singer Trey Songz and gospel artiste Kirk Franklin all lending their support to the movement. BACKGROUND The Special Anti Robbery Squad was established in 1992 to tackle incidences of robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes. Unfortunately, as with almost everything in Nigeria, this outfit would soon begin to morph into the very thing it was created to tackle. Over the years since its creation, it had been accused of high handedness, extortion, extra-judicial killings, kidnapping and various forms of human rights violation. In 2016 Amnesty International indicted the group of human rights abuse and other degrading practises. THE PROTEST(S) The 2016 Amnesty International report “shook” the barrel, a petition was signed by over 10000 people asking for the disbandment of the unit and submitted to the National Assembly, who in turn instead of disbandment, called for a total reform of the unit. You see why I used the word shook because, all these were perfunctory, as not soon after, SARS were back to their normal routine, if anything, they got worse and more daring. The Second EndSars protests Two separate incidences sparked what would be the biggest protest ever held in Nigeria, bigger even than the Aba Women’s Protest. On Saturday 3 October 2020, a video showing a SARS police officer shooting a young Nigerian in front of Westown Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, trended on the Internet. It was alleged that the police officers took away the young man’s vehicle – a Lexus SUV The trending video caused public outcry on social media, especially on Twitter, with the #ENDSARS hashtag trending. Just as the ENDSARS began to trend on Twitter, on Monday 5 October 2020, another report surfaced of SARS officers killing a 20-year-old up-and-coming musician named Daniel Chibuike, popularly called ‘Sleek’ in his neighbourhood. According to eyewitnesses, Sleek was sitting in front of a hotel with a friend when some SARS officers approached them, prompting them to flee. The officers chased after the pair, shouting “thief”, before shooting Sleek as they ran through a supermarket. His friend was then arrested. These were the sparks needed to ignite the nation as soon the streets were filled with protesters; many of them youths who were the major targets of these vile humans under the SARS umbrella. I must state that these protests were for the most part, peaceful, in fact, it was so peaceful that protesters were photographed giving food and water to police officers who were there to control them. There was one story where a police officer on seeing the mammoth crowd took to his heels but was caught up with and reassured that his life was not in danger. The police officer looked scared out of his skin in the pictures that trended online. These protests would soon start to deteriorate as state operators started to inject their spies into these crowds, these spies would wreak havoc, loot and attack other protesters. This guy is a political appointee today Various famous sites in the various cities were  the location of these protests, slowly all of Lagos State was abuzz with the EndSars movement, soon not only the youths came out to protest, but the adults too; parents who themselves have suffered police brutality or had some suffer it. The Lagos protest was massive, they moved like a snowball growing in size till they reached the tollgate where they pi...

[umwmun-blog]

Brazilian Ascendancy

King John VI of Portugal has announced the abolition of Portugal, crowning himself the Emperor of Brazil.

He immediately marches on Uruguay, but finds no army to oppose him, as the Uruguayans have launched an invasion of Paraguay. Pursuing them there, he annihilates them at the Battle of Cerro Cora, where Artigas is killed by a Brazilian lancer. Uruguay is annexed by Brazil.

The Republic of Nariñia

Upper Peru, now renamed to Nariñia, successfully fends off two simultaneous Spanish and Brazilian invasions, leading to de Sucre being proclaimed "the most popular man in the Americas."

Chile and the Rio de la Plata

A diplomatic ship sails out of Valparaiso harbor, destination unknown.

In the Rio de la Plata, de Liniers and San Martin have their final showdown. After a protracted siege of Buenos Aires, in which thousands of men, women, and children take part in the defense, de Liniers takes the city after French blockade runners deliver heavy artillery guns to the royalist army. After marching triumphantly into Buenos Aires, de Liniers proclaims the independence of the Rio de la Plata, and formally enters into an alliance with Napoleonic France.

The Conquest of America

After rapidly attacking and annexing Panama, Iturbide begins the construction of the Panama Canal. Next, Iturbide occupies the British Pacific Northwest, before moving against Burr's flailing army. Destroying Burr's command to a man, the People's Liberation Army crosses the border in force to invade the United States of America.

As the British burn Washington, Iturbide waters his horse in Saint Louis, Missouri. Then, in a march across the Deep South, PLA general Guillermo Moctezuma Sherman frees millions of slaves, burns every city in his path, and reclaims Florida for the PRA.

Iturbide, after signing a treaty with Britain to divide the conquered United States along the Mississippi River, marries his beloved secretary Telepe in the smoldering ruins of New Orleans.

The Most Hated Man in the Americas

Following the series of harrowing engagements with the Spanish, Narino retreats to the Andes mountains, joining with many other important revolutionary leaders. Santander, Moreno, Rondon, and Cordoba all join Narino in this last stand. To the surprise of many, the Spanish do not attack the rebels, instead consolidating their position on the coast. After that, Ferdinand focuses solely on the defense, and lets Narino consolidate. Ambitious and petty, Bolivar crosses from Venezuela, believing Narino to be on their last ropes, and hoping to score a quick victory against both sides. This does not go as planned, however. Narino's spies warn him ahead of time, and the defense pivots. All the while, Bolivar is plagued with desertions. When the final battle comes, Narino destroys Bolivar, and sweeps through New Granada and pushes into Venezuela, conquering the whole region. Bolivar flees to Madrid, as effigies of him are burned throughout the Americas. From Chile With Love

The diplomatic ship from Valparaiso arrives in Lima, Spain. As Ferdinand returns from the battlefield, content that the past years of hell are finally over, a Chilean lights a fuse on the ship and jumps overboard.

A minute later, the vessel explodes, flattening Lima, and leaving no trace of the Spanish royal family.

[gildedreign]

"Your Majesty," Nairo greeted with a nod of appreciation, his voice carrying a blend of familiarity and deference befitting their close relationship. "It's always a pleasure to be in Egypt court and to witness firsthand the grandeur of events like the Mysteries of Osiris Gala. Your hospitality is as legendary as ever." He paused, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he reflected on his time in Rio de Janeiro. "Rio de Janeiro has been a delight, Your Majesty," he replied warmly. "Its vibrant culture and warm hospitality have left a lasting impression. Amidst our diplomatic endeavors, I've had the opportunity to explore its charms and forge meaningful connections."

"I'm curious to hear about your experiences in Rio de Janeiro. How have you found the city's charm and culture during your visit?" Their shared commitment to Egypt's global diplomacy had forged a strong foundation of trust and mutual respect, making Ramses not just a monarch to Nairo, but a confidant and a cherished friend. Yet, amidst the warmth of their friendship, a subtle unease lingered in Nairo's mind. Reports from his spies had hinted at Ramses spending time with his sister, Haspira, during their stay in Brazil. While Nairo trusted Ramses and valued their friendship deeply, the protective instinct he felt towards his family stirred a quiet concern. He wondered about the nature of their interactions—whether they were purely diplomatic or if there was a deeper connection forming between them.

The ambassador's familiarity and diplomatic grace were a testament to their longstanding friendship and shared commitment to Egypt's global diplomacy. "Ambassador Singh," King Ramses greeted warmly, reciprocating the ambassador's polished demeanor with his own regal bearing. "It is a delight to see you here amidst the splendor of the Mysteries of Osiris Gala. Your presence adds a distinguished touch to this auspicious occasion."

He accepted the invitation with a nod of gratitude, appreciating Nairo's gesture to engage in conversation away from the lively dance floor. "I would be honored," King Ramses replied, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness. Over the years, their relationship had evolved beyond mere diplomatic courtesy; Nairo had become a trusted confidant and a close friend, akin to family. Ramses admired Nairo's diplomatic finesse and the effortless grace with which he navigated international circles. "Nairo," King Ramses began with a congenial smile, "how have you been finding Rio de Janeiro? I trust you've had a chance to explore its charms amidst our diplomatic engagements."