#city in love

[mysimsloveaffair]

Part 1 (Collaboration with @igglemouse)

Drake swims a few laps in the pool. He’s glad that Dub invited him on this trip. Traveling and seeing more of the Sim world has always been on his to-do list, but a big part of him wishes he had more time to prepare.

Drake steps out of the pool to take a new selfie for his Cupid’s Corner profile. If Dub’s invitation wasn’t at the last minute, he could have made an appointment with his stylist to add some color to his hair - a bold purple this time and perhaps that same purple for his nails. Instead, he has to begin this vacation looking…regular.

But Dub has invited him here to serve as a glorified babysitter anyway, so none of that matters. This trip isn’t about him. He’s here to help his brother out. So that’s what he’ll do. While Dub and Maia are upstairs getting ready for their big date, Drake takes his niece Tambara to the nearby park. At least he’ll be able to see some of the city that way. 

The park is pleasant and seems a favorite among the locals and tourists. Several couples sit on the benches chatting, eating lunch, or staring at the clouds. Drake ignores them all and takes Tami to the toddler slides, which she seems to enjoy. After a few times down the slide, Tami comes up with another suggestion.

Tambara: We make caso, Unco Da. 

Drake: *chuckles* It’s uncle Dray…not Da. 

Tambara: *insistent tone* Unco Da, caso!

Drake: Caso? What’s a caso?

Tambara: San caso! We make san caso! 

It takes a minute, but when Drake thinks about it, he realizes what Tami is trying to say. 

Drake: You want to build a sandcastle? 

Tami nods with enthusiasm, practically banging her chin on her chest.

Drake: Okay, but you’d better hope we find some sand.

Dub didn’t warn him that Tami doesn’t like to be carried. Drake learns that the hard way when he picks her up and transports her in his arms around the park in search of a sandpit while she whines and struggles to be put down. 

Eventually, Drake takes the hint and puts her back on her feet in the sand. Tami is in her happy place and quickly forgives him. She grabs a bucket and uses a shovel to fill it, only to dump it all out again after it’s about half full. 

Tambara: *giggling* You build caso too! 

Tami isn’t content with him just watching. He’s going to have to get down in the sand with her. Maybe it’s a good thing he didn’t get his nails done after all.

[nothorses]

there is a judge in Seattle who does the weekly name change hearings, and who says it's her favorite part of the week. she says she doesn't read out previous names, or ask about the reasons why people want to change them. she says it's a beautiful moment, and a celebration; a claiming of a new identity, or a reclamation of an old identity. she encourages the room to clap for folks. then she welcomes everyone up, one by one, by last name and with warmth; she shows them the court order where nobody else can see, asks them to double check the spelling, and then they're done! do they want a picture? do they want their friends and loved ones who came with them to be in it too? do they want the court order in the photo? she helps everyone pose, shakes hands and stands with them for as long as they need to take it, recruits the clerk for help taking photos of the folks who came alone. then she tells them where to go next, congratulates them, and claps along with the rest of the room.

probably three quarters of the people there were trans, and she centered their experience quietly, with love and joy.

I think I'll be thinking about her a lot this January, and for a long time after. it's good to know she's there.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Dog Meshi.

[kodasea]

Son of Gondor

[violent138]

While I'm sure bad guys in Gotham have learned over time that the Bats don't kill, that even after bashing your teeth in they'll flag down an ambulance or dump you unceremoniously at the ER, it's still a shaky trust.

One that is easily shaken seeing a child wielding a sword in the dead of night; nobody wants to learn how that is handled nonlethally. Or bad guys just surrendering one late night after running into an alley and Nightwing's standing over their unconscious buddy, holding the gun he wrestled away. They watch Red Hood break into the place they're robbing with a crowbar in hand and just decide they'd rather not chance it. They see a shadow that could be Black Bat and-- you get it.

[sunlitsoil]

there is always tomorrow

[reasonsforhope]

Sometimes you just have one of those moments where the progress we've made as a culture get thrown into stark relief. You look at something and go "Holy shit, that would never have happened when I was a kid."

Today, I had one of those moments when I realized that the teenage boys I'm working with are just. genuinely, openly enthusiastic about going to Build-a-Bear for their outing.

These are sixteen and seventeen year old boys! They just had a whole conversation about what to name their "cute", mostly new squishmallows! They're genuinely excited that they're going to Build-a-Bear this weekend and asking other kids to pick up specific accessories for them!!

Holy shit, that never would've happened when I was 16. None of the boys would have dared to be visibly interested - and neither would most of the girls! There would have been a million gay jokes and "Haha, you're a girl" jokes and "What are you, a baby?" jokes. Teenagers weren't even supposed to care about anything back then!

Less than 15 years later, and I'm watching three 17 year old boys treat all that as not even worthy of comment.

So let's call that a reason for hope. Even when the kids aren't alright, in some ways apparently they are alright. Go Gen Z, honestly. It's so lovely to watch you guys just openly doing and saying stuff that, when I was a teen, would've been a social death sentence.

[ylissebian]

WOMEN ARE MY FAVORITE GUY 💥

[rrat-king]

fig feath, archdevil of rebellion, adjacent to lucifer or close enough

[dungeonclown]

ye murph spectrum

(he who makes my favorite characters. and cody is there)

[mysimsloveaffair]

Part 2 of the Banks Dynasty Interlude, City in Love, will be posted today in five parts. This time, @igglemouse, one of my favorite gameplay sim storytellers, writes it all from Mariana's point of view.

If you don't want to wait, you can read it now on my WordPress website: City in Love - Part 2

[happyheidi]

𝖼𝗈𝗓𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗂𝗍𝗒

𝗑 - 𝗑 / 𝗑 - 𝗑

[mielplante]

late night stroll ✨

[elbiotipo]

What's funny about this is that both SimCity and Cities Skylines are simulators, so they could allow you to simulate different economic and urbanist models. This could create really fun gameplay and challenges too.

However that would mean introducing POLITICS like actual classes with interests as well as citizens participating (both by regular 'politics' and by acting by themselves) in the construction of a city, instead of being an almighty mayor who rules undisputed over their lives.

And many city builder fans aren't really interested on that, they just want a green empty field which has never existed anywhere in history so they can build a city and get to the real thing: Solving Traffic.