#city limits

[cadmium-free]

the thing that is evil about tabletop games is only like five people in the whole world have to live with specific guys in their head. the essences of a little Matt Paint and Vista Smithsonian live inside me right now and i can’t make that everyone’s problem

[aglennco]

The Deputy Mayor is dead. But she was already fucking dead. She was just an animated corpse wasting away in a nightmare she called a city. And she thought she was untouchable so she spirited me away to the inner city to beg me to end your world, Milton.

Alternate version under the cut:

[jackalopearts]

the second blackout

[foxedthecards]

(@townofcadence continued from here)

Had to hand it to Jonas, even after that very observant comment of Artair's, Jonas's smile didn't falter in the slightest. Although he did get a very brief blink.

Then he folded his hands back behind his head and walked past Artair. " Eh. I dunno. I mean...if you're gonna get philosophical, can it really be a fake smile if you're just performing anyway? " He sat down on the bench, resting his arms over the back and let his head flop back as he crossed his legs. He was still smiling. " I just think, being as how we don't know each other from shit, you'd rather prefer a stranger's smile than a frown. Even if what's behind it is probably fake. Right? I still didn't get a name did I? Eh. It's OK. That's your business, then. And like you said who knows if we'll even cross paths again. "

One brown eye swerved over to look steadily at Artair." If you're not one already, you ought to look into counseling or something along those lines 'cause you're pretty good at it, y'know, " he remarked. " You've got a nice atmosphere around you that makes people comfortable. You could make some decent money getting people to unburden their souls. What do you do for a living if that's OK to ask? I'd like to hear it. "

[fieriframes]

[IT HAS NO CITY LIMITS, NO ZIP CODE. AND ALL THE BOOKS OUR FATHERS WROTE, AND ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I'VE BEEN ROLLIN' TO THIS PLACE FOR OVER 15 YEARS. WELCOME TO JAY BEE'S BAR-B-Q.]

[lovemeimaliberal]

Currently Reading

City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways - Megan Kimble (2024)

The Plague - Albert Camus (1948)

If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin (1974)

Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and The World - Malcolm Harris (2023)

[townofcadence]

@foxedthecards continued from here!

A bleak silence greeted Artair's voice with no reaction on the part of the sopping wet little redhead sprawled out in the road. Then with a pathetic little drawn-out whine, he toppled over, landing with a splat in the puddle beside him. Huh. Talk about predictive text.

" I'm fihhinnnneeeeeeee.... " he worbled out looking very much the opposite. " I'm good. Great even. Fan-fuckin'-tastic. 'Cause it's uh....one in the mornin'? And I’m here in this little shithole of a town hours outside of Vegas with a brunch gig tomorrow morning at the Silver Strand Casino and that...that was the last bus out of here for the night. The last bus."

He gestured with a dramatic flair worthy of a death scene on a stage." Look at it. There it goes. I'm fucked...I never should have come to Ass Springs or...whatever this wanna-be Little Vegas calls itself. "

He slowly sat back up, flipping his limp red hair out of his face. " God. I need to find a bar and drink myself stupid right now. You know any good places or do all the bars close here after 11? Or I dunno. Maybe at this rate I should just lay back down and hope a car runs me over. I could collect insurance at least. Maybe? I dunno. Uh...Who are you again? "

Oh this man was not fine. He's loathe to use a word like pathetic for anyone-- the connotations are just too negative, and everyone gets down on their luck now and again. But this man is doing his best impression of a wet gym sock on a locker-room floor, and the description crosses his mind before he shoves it away. The guy's gesticulating and flopping on the wet ground (maybe it had been raining earlier?), and he doesn't know what to do but stay where he is, and keep an eye out for cars in case he has to drag this man from the middle of the street to safety.

It kinda gives him the impression of a sopping puppy, when the guy raises himself from the puddle, hair limp in his face. Artair's mouth creases all the more as Jonah speaks. Clearly, the guy doesn't want to be here, though the idea of preferring Vegas and calling this place a 'shithole of a town' is-- nigh incomprehensible. If this place is barren to you, what the hell was Vegas like? He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

But either way, it seems the guy really needs a win. Jumping right to drinking or getting run over was... definitely a choice. It's hard to tell if the dramatic movements are theatrical or because he really is that miserable. But maybe he can.... at least nudge him, either way? Help some?

"Uh. Just a guy who saw you laying in the street." Artair finally answers the question Jonah had levied at him, after a beat of consideration. "I thought something might be wrong. I guess it was?" He shrugs, mouth all the thinner and brows creased with an upward slide near the bridge of his nose. He scratches at his chin and then his cheek, looking skyward with a hum. The drizzle is still gentle, and the occasional drop makes the spikes of his hair bounce when they collide. Neon highlights the drops and the wet tips of his hair alike, but it's only a background thought to the current predicament of the wet guy's plight.

His gaze breaks away from the overhead clouds, and he slips his phone from his pocket, shielding it with a hand from any raindrops. His free hand taps against the screen to unlock it. "Sorry, don't hink I can help on that front, I'm just visiting and I've never been here before. But.....mmmm. Honestly, I can't tell you what to do, and we don't know each other. But I might--- personally, I might put drinking on the back-burner? I mean that was the last bus, but there's gotta be other options if you're just looking for transport."

He pulls up firefox, and starts tapping in a search. "You gotta get there tomorrow, right? What about using one of those driving services? Like Uber or Lyft or whatever. They're not as cheap as a bus, but they might get you where you want to go, if it's not crazy far from here." And Vegas was a huge city, so if they were close enough to the outskirts, there's probably someone looking to play taxi. Or hell, maybe there'd even be a actual taxi service around.

[noisyhumanfishfestival-blog]

[cadmium-free]

no context papa bombarello, enjoy

[jackalopearts]

Symbiotic Apotheosis, the Final Rejection of Kings.

[detroitography]

Map: Census 2020 Boundaries Muddle Detroit Data

The U.S. Census Bureau publishes updated boundary files every year. The most consequential years are those that fall on the decennial Census: 2000, 2010, 2020. For at least the last 70 years Census Tract boundaries have fallen within the city’s municipal boundary until Census 2020. Census tracts are typically drawn to include between 1,200 to 8,000 people with the optimal goal being around 4,000…

[musictomyremember]

Coast Arcade - City Limits (Official Music Video)

[mst3kgifs]

This was CNN.

Okay, one more “This is CNN” for the road.

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Afforestation Great Canadian Giving Challenge

[townofcadence]

“Where are my tickets?!? Fuckfuckfuck...HEY WAIT NO...AAAAAA! " As the bus pulled off, Jonas took off after it, wildly waving his arms. He finally skidded to a halt, watching the bus go further into the distance. " Shit..." He sat down dejectedly in the middle of the road.

He isn't in a space he knows; Cadence is a very, very different place from one so urbanized and--barren. His home is cut from the wilderness and tucked away, but even while taking space, it had found a way to let those same wilds flourish, and share the space as much as possible. Green loved to bloom in Cadence, and the town did have a lot of protective laws to allow it to flourish, and to keep things sustainable as best they could.

Which tells him that either this Cadence is unlike his in every way, or when he used his traveling portal, it had shifted his location as well.

This place is paved with concrete and glowing neon. It's warmer than he likes. A few droplets patter from the sky, and the buildings feel like they disappear into the clouds relinquishing them. The drizzle is almost imperceptible, as he moves, but it adds humidity to the warmth, and leaves coils of fog along the streets where overhead lamps illuminate the sidewalks.

His shoulders loosen though; the late hour and threat of rain seems to have cleared the streets by more than a fair margin, even since he arrived. It's quiet, and while he's been to cities before (even if it always felt like whiplash to visit), the crowds were often so much that being wedged in them made him want to remove his skin.

This, though? This was doable, atmospheric. Pretty in its own way. He kept a wary eye out for any trouble since he doesn't know the place, but mostly, his head tilts up to enjoy the sparse drizzle and he ambles.

And with the streets so quiet and empty, it's easy enough to see some guy sitting in the middle of the road.

The vibes he's emanating are... notably bleak. They seem heavy even from the sidewalks, and Artair's own speed slows down. Movement feels like he's pressing against thickened air, permeated with this-- he doesn't know. Luckless despair? It seemed to fit, since he's just...sitting there. Right in the middle of the road. He's gonna start getting wet if he keeps it up. And honestly, he looks like if he stays there much longer, he's just gonna lay down on the pavement.

"Hey uh....man." Artair calls, though he stays on the sidewalk for the moment. "You good? Seem a little uh. Not so good."