#city farm

[maureen-corpse]

extremely funny genre of post on this web site is when people forget about places with a population density below a few thousand per square mile and are extremely confident about everything

someone says "all right everyone if you need access to this particular thing here's how you can figure out how to find that thing in your area, step one do this" and then one or two reblogs later they reveal that there was actually a secret step one and secret step one is "live in a major city where tracking this down isn't actually that much of an issue for you in the first place"

[mrsthunderkin]

Pucker up, buttercup.

[avocadoraisin]

if im not making silly crossover aus then what am i doing

[qalrey]

this was supposed to be a small doodle!

flats+sketch below!!

[dragonpropaganda]

The Architecture of Rain World: Layers of History

A major theme in Rain World's world design that often goes overlooked is the theme of, as James Primate, the level designer, composer and writer calls it, "Layers of History." This is about how the places in the game feel lived-in, and as though they have been built over each other. Here's what he said on the matter as far back as 2014!

The best example of this is Subterranean, the final area of the base game and a climax of the theme. Subterranean is pretty cleanly slpit vertically, there's the modern subway built over the ancient ruins, which are themselves built over the primordial ruins of the depths. Piercing through these layers is Filtration System, a high tech intrusion that cuts through the ground and visibly drills through the ceiling of the depths.

Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets, the friendly local ghost, tells the player of the "bones of forgotten civilisations, heaped like so many sticks," highlighting this theme of layering as one of the first impressions the player gets of Subterranean. Barely minutes later, the player enters the room SB_H02, where the modern train lines crumble away into a cavern filled with older ruins, which themselves are invaded by the head machines seen prior in outskirts and farm arrays, some of which appear to have been installed destructively into the ruins, some breaking through floors.

These layers flow into each other, highlighting each other's decrepit state.

The filtration system, most likely the latest "layer," is always set apart from the spaces around it. At its top, the train tunnels give way to a vast chasm, where filtration system stands as a tower over the trains, while at the bottom in depths, it penetrates the ceiling of the temple, a destructive presence. (it's also a parallel to the way the leg does something similar in memory crypts, subterranean is full of callbacks like that!)

Filtration system is an interesting kind of transition, in that it is much later and more advanced than both of the areas it cuts between. This is a really interesting choice from James! It would be more "natural" to transition smoothly from the caves of upper subterranean to the depths, but by putting filtration system in between, the two are clearly demarcated as separate. The difference in era becomes palpable, the player has truly found something different and strange.

Depths itself is, obviously, the oldest layer not only of subterranean but of the game itself. The architecture of Depths has little to do with the rest of the game around it, it's a clear sign of the forgotten civilisations that our friend Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets showed us, there's not actually that much to say about it itself, it's mostly about how it interacts with the other layers of subterranean.

That said, Subterranean is far from the only case of the theme of layers of history. It's present as soon as the player starts the game!

The very first room of the game, SU_C04, is seemingly a cave. It is below the surface, the shapes of it are distinctly amorphous rather than geometric. (well. kind of, it doesn't do a very good job of hiding the tile grid with its 45 degree angles.)

But let's take a closer look, shall we?

See that ground? it's made of bricks. The entire cave area of outskirts is characterised by this, the "chaotic stone" masonry asset is mixed with brickwork, unlike the surface ruins which are mostly stone. This, seemingly, is an inversion of common sense! The caves are bricks and the buildings are stone. This is not, however, a strange and unique aspect but a recurring motif.

This occurs enough in the game for it to be clearly intentional, but why would materials such as bricks be used in otherwise natural looking terrain?

The answer lies in the "Layers of History" theme. This is in fact, something that happens in real life, and it's called a tell

To be specific, a tell is a kind of mound formed by settlements building over the ruins of previous iterations of themselves. Centuries of rubble and detritus form until a hill grows from the city. Cities such as Troy and Jericho are famous examples. The connections to the layers of history theme are pretty clear here, I think. Cities growing, then dying, then becoming the bedrock of the next city. The ground, then, is made of bricks, because the ground is the rubble of past buildings. The bones of forgotten civilisations, heaped like so many sticks!

[alpaca-clouds]

Solarpunk Cities vs Solarpunk Villages

One of those internal contradictions of Solarpunk is, that Solarpunk loves at ones a very urban aesthetic, while also kinda loving the idea of rural living - just without all the rural people out there right now.

If you look at Solarpunk art, yes, you will see some art with skyscrapers overgrown with trees (that again, would not be happy on that skyscraper, do not do that to the poor tree!), a lot of art also shows small settlements surrounded by fields and such. Classical rural settings.

Now, when I posted a while ago about including rural living people into leftist causes, a lot of folks got quite angry with me over it. Because according to quite a lot of tumblrites, obviously everyone who lives rurally is inherently racist, sexist, and queerphobic, other than the queer people who had the bad luck being born rurally and cannot move. But everyone else! And because a lot of leftists have not quite understood the entire "class solidarity" thing, the general thought in those cases is not to talk to people, but to just "fuck them and leave them to die".

I will leave my disagreement with this on: "Yeah, actually, class solidarity is super important. Read up on it" for now, because I want to talk about mainly the advantages and disadvantages on either form of building a solarpunk society.

Cities have one major advantage: In a lot of ways they are a whole lot more sustainable. Which makes sense, if you think about it. Basically, in a city, a whole lot of people are living closer together, so building the infrastructure is just so much easier. You need so much less of everything to provide people who live in multi-household buildings with water, eletrcitity, heating and internet. Because you basically just need one accesspoint for everything to the building. And general in a city you will have a lot more multi-household buildings.

Even without those though: Population density is a lot stronger in cities. Duh. So even if everyone was living in a single-household home (which is not really the Solarpunk ideal) those are closer together and hence you still need less material and power to provide those things.

It is also easier to provide other types of infrastructure, such as schools, markets, and hospitals. Even stuff just like abilities to connect with other folks... It is just easier to do in a city than in a rural area.

However, a lot of Solarpunk is also about empowering people to grow their own food and such and be more self-sufficient. And this, obviously, becomes a lot easier if the people live in a less densely populated area.

Generally: Once you go out of the city - no matter how much you design the city planning around creating enough green spaces and such - you just will be closer to nature. It is a simple fact. You can more easily interact with nature, can more easily put out stuff like animals. And obviously it is easier to grow and cultivate all sorts of produce.

Don't get me wrong: Yes, we absolutely can create food forests in cities - but still, there is a lot more room in rural areas to cultivate food.

See, the main thing with Solarpunk cities is, that they still will not be fully self-sustainable. Yes, absolutely, we can cultivate some food in greenhouses, on rooftops and in foodforests - but it will not be enough to feed an entire city. Meaning: There will be people in rural areas, to grow and cultivate food.

Mind you, ideally we will absolutely bring down meat consumption. While I am not a big fan of the idea of a fully vegan future (for reasons I went into multiple times: some people can for chronic sicknesses, or disabilities not go fully vegan, and yes, I personally also see value in cultural stuff that involves meat), I do think we will eventually reduce meat consumption a lot. So we will need a lot less room to grow stuff - because right now a lot of vegetables (especially corn) are consumed by livestock. So reducing livestock will reduce the need for produce in many regards.

We can because of this rewild a lot of area that currently is used to grow corn and such.

Still. One way or another: some people will need to farm. The question is just how many. Because yes, we can automate a whole lot of stuff - but that brings us back to the good old question of us being alienated from our food. Sure, if we cultivate some food where people are, this might be better... But we definitely can philosophically discuss whether it would not be better for us as a species to always cultivate our own food. Especially as we know that food that is grown in mixed fields and under concepts of permacultre are a lot harder to harvest automatically - but much better for the environment.

So, some people will need to be out there for farmwork. The question just remains: How many?

Because exiling some folks from society to grow food and isolate them seems to be rather bad in taste too, right?

And there definitely is some arguments for some people living more rurally. It just is harder to create as a context.

And sure, if we ever got to the Solarpunk future, chances are, things will come to be naturally. However, it is still worth thinking about it and evaluating it.

[emerald-worldsfinest]

State Farm Insurance Batman commercial

Holy shit, these are some of the best costumes/makeup we ever had in live action for Batman and his rogues. Gotham City and the Batmobile looks insanely good too. The photography and VFX are cinema worthy. This looks ripped out of a comic book. I really hope Gunn will take inspiration from this when he will build his Batmanverse.

I think they got inspired, other than from comics, by various live action media, for example:

•Gotham City gives me off Matt Reeves vibes

•The Batmobile reminds me of Zack Snyder’s

•The Batsuit looks similar to the latest Kevin Porter’s

•Joker’s look and actor’s face are perfect and a mix between comics and Jack Nicholson

•Selina’s costume is one of her best and maybe the most comic accurate, like an advanced version of the young and adult versions of Camden Bicondova/Lili Simmons

•Riddler’s outfit is a perfect mix between Frank Gorshin and Cory Michael Smith

•Ivy’s costume is a better made mixed version of Uma Thurman and Bridget Regan’s ones

•Two-Face’s costume and hair are simple but accurate while the makeup is a balance between a cartoonish and realistic look, a grounded Tommy Lee Jones version

It’s crazy (and kinda shameful for DC) that a damn insurance company managed to make a better job in 1:55min commercial than a film/television production company with millions dollar budget. Hats off to State Farm for the creativity and work.

[mikyapixie]

𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠:

๏ 𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧

๏ 𝐒𝐙𝐀 𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

๏ 𝐊𝐚𝐢 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐊𝐚𝐢 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭

๏ 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐧

𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚜 𝙲𝚁𝙰𝚉𝚈!!! 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝚆𝙰𝚂 𝚂𝙾 𝙷𝙸𝙻𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙾𝚄𝚂 & 𝙸 𝚆𝙰𝙽𝚃 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙴!!!🤣🤣🤣

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙱𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝙱𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚝!!!🤣🤣🤣

𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘈𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦!

[freakartack]

"...Hello? Ma! I told you not to call me today, I'm making a movie!" -Wario, Mario Power Tennis

The most important lesson from Ma that Wario took to heart was the endless pursuit of cold, hard cash. Unfortunately, the one lesson she could never teach him was the importance of hard work to get it.  It wasn't for lack of trying; Wario's Ma is the hardest worker this side of the Mushroom Kingdom.  Raising Baby Wario was a herculean enough task on its own, but ever the enterprising spirit, she had also set out to grow one of the most profitable crops: garlic.

Her backyard business quickly expanded into a veritable garlic empire. Wario's mother toiled away tirelessly each day from sunrise to sunset to grow and harvest as much garlic as she could possibly achieve.  Much of Wario's current strength and endurance can be attributed to helping his mom on the farm as a child, although the teeth-pulling task of getting him to actually work was almost as difficult as preventing him from eating all the garlic straight out of the ground.  Wario's nose for instant gratification has always been a thorn in his mother's side, but try as she might to instill a solid work ethic into the boy, her "get-rich-slow" schemes could never appeal to him.  Still, Wario enjoyed his surprisingly agrarian upbringing. Along with garlic, his mother also raised chickens for eggs, inspiring in Wario a lifelong soft spot for poultry.  (He also had a pet hamster named Fluffy, who sadly passed away in 1986.)

Today, Wario is still on good terms with his mother despite their physical distance, and frequent phone calls keep her updated on all of Wario's business successes.  Of course, being Wario, he heavily embellishes the amount of work he actually does at his company.  If she only knew...

[rosegoldthorns]

So I had to help back up a large trailer so, naturally I realized how Bruce would not do this with his kids under any circumstances. And for Bruce, a rich city kid none the less with probably no idea how to back up a trailer, would need a few spotters.

To clarify, I mean Bruce asking any of his kids to help him would end a little like this.

Jason: You are too close. You are going to hit something.

Bruce stopping the car and getting out to check: I have two feet of clearance.

Jason: I know. that is too close. you are going to hit Alfred's roses. Do you want to deal with the consequences of that?

Damian: Todd you are wrong. This is enough distance to clear it passably. You just want to insult Father, you heathen.

Tim: Actually you are both wrong. If you looked on the other side you would know that you have about two more inched until you run over a tree.

Bruce: And why did you not say this earlier?

Tim: eh closer calls have come out fine.

Bruce: ... Dick can you help?

Dick: Personally I just think we should call Clark. I said this when we started.

.....they called Clark Kent, Superman, and urgently called him from work to ...help back up a trailer. (I mean it could have ended worse due to the nature of the bat family but Clark was certainly amused)

[cupidgnome]

yeehaw!!

[probablyasocialecologist]

As urban populations boom, urban agriculture is increasingly looked to as a local food source and a way to help combat inequitable food access. But little is known about how productive urban agriculture is compared to conventional, rural farming. A new study digs in, finding urban gardeners and hydroponics can meet and sometimes exceed the yields of rural farms. “Despite its growing popularity, there’s still quite a lot we don’t know about urban agriculture, like whether the yields are similar to conventional agriculture, or even what crops are commonly grown,” says Florian Payen, an environmental scientist at Lancaster University and lead author of the study, published today in AGU’s journal Earth’s Future. The new study compiles studies on urban agriculture from 53 countries to find out which crops grow well in cities, what growing methods are most effective, and what spaces can be utilized for growing. The researchers find that urban yields for some crops, like cucumbers, tubers and lettuces, are two to four times higher than conventional farming. Many other urban crops studied are produced at similar or higher rates than in rural settings. Cost efficiency remains an open but important question. Most studies on urban agriculture have focused on green spaces, such as private and community gardens, parks and field growing operations. Payen’s work includes “gray” spaces — places in cities that are already built but could be used for growing, such as rooftops and building facades. In both green and gray spaces, the study examines a suite of crops grown in soils versus hydroponics, horizontal versus vertical farming, and natural versus controlled conditions. “Surprisingly, there were few differences between overall yields in indoor spaces and outdoor green spaces, but there were clear differences in the suitability of crop types to different gray spaces,” Payen says. Certain crops like lettuces, kale and broccoli are more naturally suited to be grown vertically in indoor spaces than others. “You can’t exactly stack up apple trees in a five- or ten-layer high growth chamber,” he says, “though we did find one study that managed to grow wheat stacked up like that.” Other crops, like watery vegetables (e.g., tomatoes) and leafy greens, performed well in hydroponic environments. And crops grown in fully controlled environments can be grown throughout the year, allowing harvests to happen more times per year than in open-air environments, which leads to higher annual yields. But scientists will need to keep studying these systems to plan cost-effective agriculture solutions. The finding that urban agriculture can have similar or greater yields to conventional agriculture “is exactly what we have been waiting for in the urban agriculture research community,” says Erica Dorr, an environmental scientist at AgroParisTech who was not involved in the study.

[robobrainmurdermysterytheatre]

Around The Commonwealth during Act 1

[aka-indulgence]

I’m a very city girl and now I’m imagining going to the country side and meeting farmtale Sans…

You moved there for some reason and need a place to stay, Sans was kind enough to give you somewhere to stay with some chores to do to lower your rent. You’re not experienced and you’re not that good with the chores- sometimes farm animals freak you out (cows are big, theres so many chickens, what iS THAT GIANT SPIDER?!), you can’t move heavy stuff around, even the tools are heavy for you.

And… Sans thinks you’re cute. He can do the work you do much faster than you could, but he likes your company. Every time you drop a stack of hay and panic he can’t help but chuckle and throw it on top of the pile in his arms. He likes how you’re impressed by his skill with tools and the fact that he can drive tractors. You may not be good at your job, but he likes that you want to learn anyway. You like the animals when he teaches you how to read their behavior better.

He really likes it when he saves you from a giant bug and you give him “my hero” eyes…

“those darn eyes are gonna be the death of me.”

[reportsofagrandfuture]

[razzek]

While I'm on a tear... It has always bothered me that the dragons just explode out of their shells like that. Nothing that hatches does that (except maybe some insects or fish). Like, watch chicks hatch; they take about an hour to really get out of there. I get where it's more narratively dramatic to just have your little dragon bomb pop out of the egg, and Anne was a horse girl, not general farm girl. But how cool would it be to have to patiently wait while the dragonets are sorting themselves out? Maybe a candidate or two get called on early, but most are just wandering in and out of the hatching grounds all day to see who's out of their shell yet.

Also! Why don't the dragons ever reach out to potential life partners while they're in the egg? Breathing air is a pretty arbitrary starting point for sapience. We know they can hear through their shells, that the queens talk to them, and that they talk back after a point. I just don't buy that no candidates don't hear little wisps of thought or have weird dreams that are these questing alien minds investigating potential connections.

Anyway. Been meaning to talk about these two things for ages.