#but i think i get the gist

[probskay]

I dis some light reading on Chinese property law and the state of their property development. Be wary of my sources. While their information may be accurate, the opinions of China and its government are often less than charitable.

Communist movements in China caused extreme difference between property law in the United States compared to China. For starters, back in the 1930's the Chinese Communist Party worked on abolishing private property entirely, and private property was effectively in a state of limbo up until a constitutional amendment was passed in 2004 stating that private property rights were to be protected under all circumstances. In that same constitutional amendment, also put into place their own version of eminent domain, allowing them to purchase private property for government use if such a need arose.

However, while those protections for private property were created, Chinese land is still lawfully required to remain in the possession of either the Chinese state or a Chinese collective. No foreign investors allowed! If you want to own in China, you've gotta be a Chinese citizen.

(gleaned from insights from the Property Law in China Wikipedia page)

So, we get into Chinese development companies. I didn't do the research to figure out what legal precedent allows them to exist, so let's just not worry about that for now. They do exist and that's what matters.

Back in 2021, the biggest Chinese development company, Evergrande, announced that they were defaulting to the tune of $300 billion USD (which was still only half the debt of the 2008 Lehman Brothers). Other development companies were soon to follow.

After a history of high-risk borrowing and development, the companies' methods of attempting to generate profit just simply couldn't be kept up with. Back in 2016 there were reports of ghost towns built by developers and abandoned by citizens. (Inside China’s ghost towns: ‘Developers run out of money’, Aljazeera)

Evergrande had only existed since 1996 (China Evergrande’s Founder: From Rags to Riches to Under Investigation, New York Times), meaning that this era of development and collapse had been going on for around 25 years before it finally collapsed. Meanwhile, the U.S. has had development companies like The Durst Organization since 1915 (The Durst Organization, Wikipedia).

(source that also gave a bunch of info: A Peek into China’s Property Crisis: How It Happened and What It Suggests About China’s Domestic Economy & Xi’s Legitimacy, International Relations Review)

It seems to me that China has simply not had landlord companies and development for quite as long, they've had far less power to enact the kind of widespread housing exploitation we've had in the United States due to various power shifts thanks to Communist movements and laws, and lastly their developments were primarily focused on building new properties that were often abandoned rather than just recycling properties that already existed.

If any of these properties are from ghost towns, decay happens swiftly when a building is abandoned by humans. I've seen first hand how swiftly a home with shoddy architecture can fall to the elements. If these properties are not abandoned, then age paired with long term economic neglect may be to blame for the decay of the homes.

Either way, the struggles that the impoverished Chinese experience do not seem that much different than our own. Exploitation by rich landlord companies, a government that seems largely indifferent to their struggles, and a lack of savings to just put some cash into fixing things when they break. Neoliberal capitalist real estate dystopia hellscape

to be honest those all photos from china are just... so much of a different types of posts comparing to any other place you posted. why they live like this?

I'm not that familiar with China. It's pretty confronting to see how many people who have helped power the world's global consumer engine are forced to live (just as it has been confronting for me to see the circumstances in which many people in the US are forced to live). I might be reading too much into it, but I think you can see echoes of recent history and how, as late as the 80s, the majority of people in China lived in extreme poverty, and I guess much of what you see in these photos is the lingering infrastructure and grime from that period and the rapid transition away from it. There's also the fact that it's a massive and very complicated country, and that in the west we don't often have a clear window into that complexity. Jia Zhangke's film A Touch of Sin has some interesting insights.

[reyislikesotired]

maybe its the sleep deprivation but like-

klee: look brother albedo! theyre bat people!

albedo: klee, its not polite to point at people

klee: is there a place where klee can go fish blasting mr batman? *gasp* wait would u look to join klee to fish blast?!

robin: what is this fish blasting?

red robin: i think im a bit scared to find out

red hood: aw but shes such a cute kid *kneels in front of klee* how do we go fish blasting?

klee, with manic delight and pulling out a humpty dumpty: with this!

albedo, prepared to make shields: klee, dont set off bombs near people

nightwing, choking on his saliva: BOMBS?!

red hood, taking off his helmet and wiping fake tears: they grow up so fast

robin: you literally did not know of her existence till 30 minutes ago

batman: what am i even here for

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Here https://at.tumblr.com/meowscarada-time/hey-dont-support-minkpool-considering-they/84if2yexx2vf

Ok thanks

[cringefail-clown]

been thinking about no-sburb/alternia escapees au

[tim-per-tantrum]

What's my favorite pastime you ask? Absorbing the plot of a show I've never watched via fanfiction osmosis. You think I've watched that show? Wrong bitch.

I read a convoluted fanfic, looking up characters as I went and then binge read half of AO3 and determined the plot based on what stayed consistent.

I will join every fandom and not ever interact with the source material and nobody can stop me

[starry-bi-sky]

i need to get this out of my head before i continue clone^2 but danny being the first batkid. Like, standard procedure stuff: his parents and sister die, danny ends up with Vlad Masters. He drags him along to stereotypical galas and stuff; Danny is not having a good time.

He ends up going to one of the Wayne Galas being hosted ever since elusive Bruce Wayne has returned to Gotham. Vlad is crowing about having this opportunity as he's been wanting to sink his claws into the company for a long while now. Danny is too busy grieving to care what he wants.

And like most Galas, once Vlad is done showing him off to the other socialites and the like, he disappears. Off to a dark corner, or to one of the many balconies; doesn't matter. There he runs into said star of the show, Bruce who is still young, has been Batman for at least a year at this point, but still getting used to all these damn people and socializing. He's stepped off to hide for a few minutes before stepping back into the shark tank.

And he runs into a kid with circles under his eyes and a dull gleam in them. Familiar, like looking into a mirror.

Danny tries to excuse himself, he hasn't stopped crying since his parents died and it's been months. He rubs his eyes and stands up, and stumbles over a half-hearted apology to Mister Wayne. Some of Vlad's etiquette lessons kicking in.

Bruce is awkward, but he softens. "That's alright, lad," he says, pulling up some of that Brucie Wayne confidence, "I was just coming out here to get some fresh air."

There's a little pressing; Bruce asks who he's here with, Danny says, voice quiet and grief-stricken, that he's with his godfather Vlad Masters. Bruce asks him if he knows where he is, and Danny tells him he does. Bruce offers to leave, Danny tells him to do whatever he wants.

It ends with Bruce staying, standing off to the side with Danny in silence. Neither of them say a word, and Danny eventually leaves first in that same silence.

Bruce looks into Vlad Masters after everything is over, his interest piqued. He finds news about him taking in Danny Fenton: he looks into Danny Fenton. He finds news articles about his parents' deaths, their occupations, everything he can get his hands on.

At the next gala, he sees Danny again. And he looks the same as ever: quiet like a ghost, just as pale, and full of grief. Bruce sits in silence with him again for nearly ten minutes before he strikes a conversation.

"Do you like to do anything?"

Nothing. Just silence.

Bruce isn't quite sure what to do: comfort is not his forte, and Danny doesn't know him. He's smart enough to know that. So he starts talking about other things; anything he can think of that Brucie Wayne might say, that also wasn't inappropriate for a kid to hear.

Danny says nothing the entire time, and is again the first to leave.

Bruce watches from a distance as he intercts with Vlad Masters; how Vlad Masters interacts with him. He doesn't like what he sees: Vlad Masters keeps a hand on Danny's shoulder like one would hold onto the collar of a dog. He parades him around like a trophy he won.

And there are moments, when someone gets too close or when someone tries to shake Danny's hand, of deep possessiveness that flints over Vlad Masters' eyes. Like a dragon guarding a horde.

He plays the act of doting godfather well: but Bruce knows a liar when he sees one. Like recognizes like.

Danny is dull-eyed and blank faced the entire time; he looks miserable.

So Bruce tries to host more parties; if only so that he can talk to Danny alone. Vlad seems all too happy to attend, toting Danny along like a ribbon, and on the dot every hour, Danny slips away to somewhere to hide. Bruce appears twenty minutes later.

"I was looking into your godfather's company," he says one night, trying to think of more things to say. Some nights all they do is sit in silence. "Some of my shareholders were thinking of partnering up--"

"Don't."

He stops. Danny hardly says a word to him, he doesn't even look at him -- he's sitting on the ground, his head in his knees. Like he's trying to hide from the world. But he's looking, blue eyes piercing up at Bruce.

Bruce tilts his head, practiced puppy-like. "Pardon?"

"Don't." Danny says, strongly. "Don't make any deals with Vlad."

It's the most words Danny's spoken to him, and there's a look in his eyes like a candle finding its spark. Something hard. Bruce presses further, "And why is that?"

The spark flutters, and flushes out. Danny blinks like he's coming out of a trance, and slumps back into himself. "Just don't."

Bruce stares at him, thoughtful, before looking away. "Alright. I won't."

And they fall back into silence.

Danny, when he leaves, turns to look at Bruce, "I mean it." He says; soft like he's telling a secret, "Don't make any deals with him. Don't be alone with him. Don't work with him."

He's scampered away before Bruce can question him further.

(He never planned on working with Vlad Masters and his company; he's done his research. He's seen the misfortune. But nothing ever leads back to him. There's no evidence of anything. But Danny knows something.)

At their next meeting, Danny starts the conversation. It's new, and it's welcomed. He says, cutting through their five minute quiet, that he likes stars. And he doesn't like that he can't see them in Gotham.

Bruce hums in interest, and Danny continues talking. It's as if floodgates had been opened, and as Bruce takes a sip of his wine, it tastes like victory.

("Tucker told me once--") ("Tucker?") ("Oh-- uh, one of my best friends. He's a tech geek. We haven't talked in a while.")

(Danny shut down in his grief -- his friends are worried, but can't reach him. When he goes back to the manor with Vlad, he fishes out his phone and sends them a message.)

(They are ecstatic to hear from him.)

It all culminates until one day, when Danny is leaving to go back inside, that Bruce speaks up. "You know," He says, leaning against the railing. "The manor has many rooms; plenty of space for a guest."

The implication there, hidden between the lines. And Danny is smart, he looks at Bruce with a sharp glean in his eyes, and he nods. "Good to know."

The next time they see each other, Danny has something in his hands. "Can you hold onto something for me?" He asks.

When Bruce agrees, Danny places a pearl into his palm. or, at least, it's something that looks like a pearl. Because it's cold to the touch; sinking into Bruce's white silk gloves with ease and shimmering like an opal. It moves a little as it settles into his hand, and the moves like its full of liquid.

Bruce has never seen anything like it before, but he does know this; it's not human. "What is it?" He asks, and Danny looks uncomfortable.

"I can't tell you that." He says, shifting on his foot like he's scared of someone seeing it. "But please be careful with it. Treat it like it's extremely fragile."

When Bruce gets home, he puts it in an empty ring box and hides the box in the cave. He tries researching into what it is. he can't find anything concrete.

Everything comes to a head one day when Danny appears at the manor's doorstep one evening, soaking wet in the rain, and bleeding from the side.

[nartml]

"This ship makes no sense—"

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It doesn't have to make sense. It's all vibes here

[mettywiththenotes]

When Touya woke up and his 13 year old voice was in his head but then he spoke and it was NOTICEABLY OLDER AND CHANGED and then went back to thinking in his child voice. wtf. Bones destroyed me wtf

[valc0]

Gotta be honest, on one hand I appreciate the thought that communities on Tumblr could help artists, writers and fans connect through shared interests. But I'm also worried it will create an insular structure where reaching more people will be near impossible.

Imo, one of the best experiences on Tumblr is seeing people you follow lose their shit over some random show you’ve never heard of and then checking out that show and discover “wow that’s pretty neat!”

I have the feeling this kind of experience will be likely lost if more people start isolating inside thematic communities.

[butterysalt]

Ahhh thoughts about Laios Touden who would love you regardless of who you were. Your species, your race, your gender, your sexuality, none of those things matter in his eyes. Because to him, what makes you so wonderful and easy to love is that you’re simply just you. And there’s no other combination like you.

I get especially sappy thinking about it if you’re a tallman, too. At first, it seems like Laios couldn’t care less about humans. He always talks about how boring he finds his own race in comparison to others but it’s all heavily influenced by his own experiences growing up and being ostracized and bullied by those around him.

But just think about what it’s like when he meets you, another tallman. Yes, you’re human, but when he realizes that you won’t treat him differently for the way he is, he sees you as so much more than that. So what if you’re a tallman? A little thing like that doesn’t matter to him.

It’s not just that you’re “different from other tallmen”… it’s because you’re you. And he’s him.

Nothing more than that.

In an odd unlikely twist of fate, it seems that this time, the mundanity of it all is what completely captured Laios’s heart.

Just… you.

[joinmeinjoy]

knight hob knight hob knight hob

[grandcovenant]

who's pulling the strings of the puppet king?

[poorlydrawnandroids]

…

Unfortunately they did not get burgers for Hank, but Connor at least learned a valuable lesson. I guess Nines suffers from Amelia Bedelia Syndrome.

———

Hi guys, this is actually a comic I drew and basically finished 11 months ago. And it’s been just about then since I’ve last really opened my iPad and did any drawing. There’s a ton of half-completed works on there and they’re pretty cute, so I’ll try to post them as I get the motivation. My therapist says posting to this blog will probably improve my mental health and he’s right but >:3c

So yeah! Let’s see what I can toss out this year, wooo!!

[cosmicaces]

something something rody has a crush on deku and is scared that it'll affect their friendship if he finds out

[cerealmonster15]

walks into the function wearing a tshirt that says ASK ME ABOUT MY TOXIC THIRD YEARS POLYCULE HEADCANONS

this map has been stewing in my mind for years i think and i finally wrote it down in the illegible spaghetti way that i always do let's GO

lilia is not in the polycule he's just playing his own game of collecting sons. everyone is his son. he's also going to watch the drama because who doesn't love a soap opera playing out in real life he's got front row seats to the divorce vortex.

cater/trey/rook/vil are the ultimate four way polycule but also oh god theres so much going on there.

cater and trey are a ride or die duo but also trey knows cater sometimes isnt completely open with him but trey has a very passive nature to him as we've seen in book 1 and when he mentions cater's wish to himself in the starsending event... but theyre still close and care for each other a lot and i will die defending them if i have to fjdklsjfds

rook and vil oh my god rook and vil. they are so married. and so dramatic. and so. sdkfjsdkljf a little divorced because rook is also in love with the biggest rival of vils life but that is NOT enough to break their marriage. love finds a way. somehow. fdskjfjksdlg

^ i could go much more into both those duos but we simply. we dont have time we are moving along we are walking

rook and trey beloved science weirdos oh my god every time theyre on screen together theyre so funny. i love odd friendships. science marriage real.

cater canonically flirted with vil even tho it got somewhat censored in engtwst and was partially probably for clout reasons HOWEVER, to ME it's also for bisexual reasons. vil is canonically very pretty and caters like yeah 🧡🧡🧡 vil can see through when cater's being more superficial BUT ALSO they have genuine moments of getting along!!! like in events, beanfest 2 and the puppet one that's not out in eng yet. no spoilers here but there is a bit in puppet event that has me so vindicated on how they really do work well together and respect each other!!!!!!! into the polycule you go.

vil and trey,,, gestures to vil's lab coat story klsdjflksd they get along and it's cute. everybody loves trey.

even leona wants trey in the divorce polycule. no spoilers but please see playful land puppet event / leona's card vignette for that event. and also i think treys platinum birthday card story sljdflksdjf

the extreme difference between how malleus reacts to cater bothering him vs rook bothering him or even just Talking To Lilia is so funny. like he gets along with rook sometimes but in those two pe scenes hes SO aggro he wants that twink OBLITERATED he is going to KILL ROOK HUNT. but he will play tag with cater :^)

leona is the king of divorce. he is divorced to everyone he touches . he invented divorce. he's turbo divorced with vil and malleus because he and vil are just sooooooo. fsdkjfskdlg when therye on screen together it's like passive aggressive but mostly just aggressive bitching and bullying. theyre so funny. they have this energy of like "we have Tension but also i am going to kill you. i begrudgingly respect your abilities but i will only say so with layered insults." like the way vil says "so leona's got a pretty face but that's ALL he has going for him" like. multiple times. why does he keep doing that.

and then whatever he has going on with malleus is so funny. like malleus seems like hes a smug little bitch having fun with the banter [again he wants to Destroy Rook in those PE stories, but leona's blatant insults i feel like he's more teehee you stupid bitch >:)] and leona's just so pissed mad angry forever he's like no i need this dragon fucker DEAD for EXISTING !!! but i think malleus' having fun with the fellow teen experience of stupid razzing

leona and cater are giving me subtle divorced vibes in that one scene in book 2. listen. i have headcanons. ive talked about it. moving on 🚶

rook. leona. i feel i do not need to elaborate jfklsjfkljsekljfkl

idia is so funny. why are his opinions about everyone around him either "oh god hes ultra tier scary" or "he's so sparkly dazzling handsome beautiful". he does this often with no filter and it's so funny. i like that he and leona played chess for like hours or whatever in that one birthday vignette but i forget which one lol i think it was idia's union bday or something

do i have more to say. ive been thinking about them for hours and also years. i can and will talk about them forever i think they are So funny. this is just a messy summary of it all i'm barely scratching the surface i simply cannot go into full detail or this post will Never End GOODBYE!!!!

[suntails]

surprise visitor to a gargoyle walk