#so in a way the cycle has been completed
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oc name meaning tag
thanks @pluttskutt for the tag!
Rules: Put down an OC or more and tell what their name means
i look at the rules and i ignore the rules. this is a fun way to give examples of how i name my ocs and so i'll explain:
this name came to me in a dream and I have no idea what it means:
Eak: from the Ancient Greek “Aiakós (Αἰακός). Aiakos was one of three judges of the dead, underworld demi-god.
doesn't fit him at all lmao
chosen for the actual meaning:
Anuna: follower
basically what he is
scrambled a word in another language to get the name:
Raichta: from meabhlaireachta "decieve"
this is sher's noble name btw
chosen for symbolic reasons:
Hannah: graciousness
i chose hannah because it reads the same backwards. and you know. circular time
Ira: watchful of a city, watchful
fitting meaning, but she got her name from the word for rage in Spanish
honoring a fictional character:
Ely: ascension
fitting, even if i got it from Elyon (God Most High) from WITCH lol
Enzo: home ruler
doesn't fit my boy. got the name from The Young Elites
i grew attached to a pokemon during a playthrough and used the nickname for an oc (only in tfb)
Arion: greek mythology horse
Chimera: greek mythology animal
open tag + @my-cursed-prince @on-noon @k--havok @aquil-writes @mjjune and @sunset-a-story
#tag game#writblr tag game#i could write essays about how some character names came to be#i either don't think about it at all or spend days looking for the perfect name#fun fact: mcs usually have the least thought of names lol#shout out to arion the rapidash and chimera the luxray from my pokemon platinum playthrough from when i was 16 i think#another fun fact: in my current playthrough (which has been going for two years now ups) all nicknames come from my own ocs (from púlsar)#so in a way the cycle has been completed#sher the luxray the total mvp of the team i love him so much#look at me i half wrote the essay
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The strongest warriors are those that love botw but don't ship zelink (me its me I'm the strongest warrior)
#*points at botw link* the boy is aroace and theres nothing you could say or do that'll convince me otherwise#(boy in an incredibly nonbinary way btw. hes also nonbinary to me and i cant be convinced otherwise of that either)#tbh? I generally dont ship zelink lol idk its never appealed to me like i never *got* it?#with the exception of skyward sword zelink but thats becos ur invested from the start w/ those two#and link isnt a knight so he isnt bound by obligated--thats just his best friend!!!!#and maybe he didn't have feelings at first but after all that shit went down and theres the threat of him losing her#(and vice versa on Zelda's end) it puts things into perspective...they cant and dont want to fathom a world without the other#honestly i read it both as romance and transcending the confines of romance#(which i suppose suits two characters whose souls/spirits are doomed to reincarnate every cycle lol)#but anyways#maybe also spirit tracks zelink. sometimes! it depends on my mood#spirit tracks arguably (and i will argue) has the best developed zelda so that definitely contributes#becos as much as i love botw and like totk. they really pissed on zelda's character...especially in totk#spirit tracks zelda is much more fleshed out and complete im gonna be real w/ u#again w/ her and link theyve been through shit together and although they werent friends to start like ss link and zelda#they grow into it and eventually become incredibly close so sometimes i read it as romance#but otherwise yeah. not a huge zelink fan!#botw link is much more interested in food than romance and of that isn't the most stereotypical ace thing than idk what is#scout.txt
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Soooo what are y’all’s hcs on the Tweak family 🤔🤔🤔
#lowkey I like to hc it as a generational trauma type of thing for Mr Tweak#I feel like Richard was a LOT like Tweek when he was little#very anxious and unsure of himself#he mentions in the gnomes episode I believe that his business has been going on 30 years#and was passed down to him by his father by his father before him#growing up I think that he too was given a lot of this coffee by his father#and over the years he was conditioned and manipulated into accepting this as the norm#in hopes that he would one day take over the business#when he was finally old enough his father shared the family recipe with him and at that point he had pretty much been brainwashed#I think he sees a lot of his younger self in tweek which is why he’s so condescending towards him and so determined to steer him down the#same path. Repeating the cycle and all that#and when Tweek is old enough he plans on sharing the family’s secret as his father did with him#MRS Tweak on the other hand is an interesting one#we know so little about her but I feel like her personality also says a lot about her#she’s definitely better than Mr Tweak but she’s still very complacent and neglectful#I think what stands out to me the most about her though is the way her personality can completely switch up at times#most of the time she has this eerily calm almost docile personality#but other times she’s a LOT more attentive and caring#yk like a normal mom#COMPLETELY different from how she usually acts#but the episode that gets me the most is “Gnomes#where she actively goes against Richard’s attempt to manipulate the kids and use them for business ventures#yet this is the same mom that actively poisons her son? presumably for the business??#like it doesn’t make sense to me#I’ve seen someone suggest that Richard has been drugging her too#and BOY would that be a twist#definitely would explain the sudden shift in personality#i definitely think it would be interesting if she was in the dark about a lot of this too#not using this as an excuse as I still do think she is SOMEWHAT negligent on her own but I do think it could explain some things#south park
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hotd never fails to disappoint
#w h a t#t h e#f u c k#this fandom also really sucks :/#i’ll never understand how certain team green fans can claim to love alicent and helaena and yet unironically support the side of the war#that very much wants to continue perpetuating patriarchal violence and control#aka the very thing that’s made both these female characters so very miserable#why is it so difficult for people to understand that rhaenyra becoming queen and reigning in her own right for some good long years#would force an ideological shift and would open a discussion that had been closed for a long time in westeros#alicent has suffered from the patriarchy but she also continues the cycle w/ her treatment of her children#please just please understand that you do not have to like team black nor do you have to like team black characters#but trying to justify aegon usurping rhaenyra is nonsense and completely unjustifiable no matter how hard you try to twist the situation#and please don’t try to take some centrist ‘team smallfolk stance’ bc that stance is simply one ppl take to shift the topic away#from the patriarchy and how denying a woman her legal inheritance tore the realm apart#‘but andal tradition’ bleh ‘why should the targs be ruling’ bleh ‘the small folk suffer more’ bleh ‘the dragons are nukes’ bleh#these are all red herrings meant to divert away from the main topic & are usually used by ppl to justify their support of team green#supporting the team that wishes for the continuation of the cycle is wrong#i support team black bc this is a break in the cycle and opens a discussion that westeros has needed for thousands of years#the social change would be slow but at least there’d be change!#<-of course we know this discussion didn’t rly open bc rhaenyra didn’t have a peaceful transfer of power and later died way too early on#but even tho she died so early a character in the main books series is using the precedent she set to support her own claim! (arianne)#anti team green#asoiaf fandom critical#anti alicent stans#anti aegon ii stans#pro team black#pro rhaenyra targaryen#hotd#house of the dragon#anti hotd
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working with my period instead of against it has been so healing
#I think we’ve grown to just ignore the fact that our bodies have these functions and just keep working working working#and suppress our cycles with birth control#and power through our periods when we do get them#and then wonder why were so miserable#our bodies are different and should be treated as such#even the way society is constructed is built completely to the advantage of males and their hormonal cycles#we shouldn’t be fasting or working a 9-5 every single day or doing intense workouts everyday of the month#thoughts#when I started using herbs and teas to support my hormones increase my progesterone naturally meditating when I’m deep in luteal anxiousness#castor oil packs to support my uterus#I feel worlds better already and it’s only been 2 months#it’s crazy to think how much harder my life has been because of my period#sometimes I wish I could turn back time and do life healthy but everything in divine timing I guess
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being both a sparrow apologist and a normal enthusiast is so difficult sometimes I am sitting here imagining them bonding and crying over canon and so few people truly understand me
#kasey rambles#dndads#no you guys dont understand. sparrow is a good parent! to me!!!#which is highly ironic because i was FURIOUS at him on my first listen#BUT. theres a post that puts this into words somewhere. about how judging sparrow for saying something#when he was in a state of complete vulnerability#FEELS like thoughtshaming a bit. because like#i think sparrow has this mentality of. i dont have to be proud of someone to love them. and i will love them so hard in spite#because he gets too in his head and he worries and he doesnt want normal to be like him#and he feels like this about henry and lark too- hes not proud of them. in fact theyve both actively mistreated him. but he loves them#and that's enough#its like. we're not sitting here bashing on grant for the REALLY shitty way he inflicts his own self loathing onto link#because we know grant only says this when hes vaguely sauced#but sparrow gets SO much heat for saying hes not proud of normal when he was both drunk AND sauced simultaneously#and maybe like. if there were signs that sparrows let this mentality ruin their relationship in the past?#but theres not. the reason it hurts normal so much is because it was UNEXPECTED.#it made him doubt his own memories and his history but. as far as we know. its only doubts. sparrow loves normal so much#and sparrows always been the first one sitting there apologizing (which is another story: we love seeing him continue the oak cycle)#and loving. and accepting normals anger.#god this was such a rant im sorry for anyone actually reading my tags shdjfkdkkfvk#i just have such strong feelings about how like. in comparison? sparrow is NOT as bad of a parent as yall think he is#and i think the only reason we think otherwise is because we only see him through normal#if we got his own pov? youd forgive him just like we forgive henry#also i would kill for sparrow choosing normal over lark i feel like thats a decision hes gonna have to make pretty soon
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I’ve drawn a decent amount of isat au eternal gales but yknow what I haven’t drawn? Eternal gales au isat. Don’t look at me.
#keese draws#eternal gales#isat siffrin#that’s all I’m tagging I’m being a coward sorry#anyways! I mostly made this cause I thought it’d be funny but it was fun thinking abt how this hypothetical au would look#mostly because it gives me an excuse to think abt different stalien societies#also the basic plot of this au would be way closer to isat than eg just due to the nature of eg#I don’t even have enough characters to fill out just one half of the eg cast let alone both#but I don’t mind since it means I can say fuck it and give myself more creative freedom#plus I can’t just not put this fucker into another timeloop I can’t let them rest easy or I’ll die#it’s mostly just a setting and worldbuilding change so I can think abt my worldbuilding more <3#now alas au will have to make up smth completely new for sif in terms of his original herd but that’s fine#I’ve been wanting to fuck around with island herds anyways#the other four get to hang out in the ones I’ve already made#mira and isa are part of the desert herd that rotate between the surface and underground seasonally#odile is a part of the herd well known for having the longest migration cycle#and bonnie I’ll probably also stick in desert land but I might also have them be the token marsh herd rep#aka the society the main stalien cast from normal eternal gales are from#which would mean extremely bad things for bonnie and nille but I’d be mostly nicies to them#well. compared to the actual cast. which is a low bar.#now all of these herd names aren’t official and are bad descriptions but shhh#the desert one isn’t even a desert it has two dry seasons and two wet seasons with one of the dry seasons being cold as hell#oh the real hell has been deciding energy types for all of them#sif is red mostly because I wanted to fuck around with the logistics a bit#red energy will mimic other energy types it comes into contact with#the things on his fingers are basically a catalyst for that and they use them to create their weapons#they specifically mimic yellow energy for this purpose as it can temporarily create somewhat solid constructs#usually in yellow energy staliens this is used to create mandibles and wings#anyways ignore my insistence on associating isat with my ocs allow me to be cringe
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i haven't been this social & talkative in Years someone drag me out back
#rambling to myself in the tags just go ahead n pass by 🫡#u've been warned#i can feel the burnout(?) creeping up on me & its been. two days.#at least my friend is reassured i'm still in their life every few months 👍#even if i end up hating being dragged out places i know a little relief feels like a lot to other ppl#but i also just. hate being involved at all. esp if its pity but also when they genuinely want to talk with me. which sucks!#i hate thinking like that. however it just feels like the most logical path sometimes yk? after (gestures vaguely) everything?#i'm childishly obsessed with the aspect of destruction. me or them carrying it out it doesn't matter#any sort of socializing feels like grinding stone together whether or not their intentions seem as pure as possible#it feels like my socializing button is broken and my battery is locked at 2% 24/7#its not that i actively try to keep myself locked in self serving cycles to stay pitiful lord knows i hate being pathetic#i despise being miserable. it may not be Everything i know. it may be comfortable or familiar or whatever edgy shit#but it takes so much energy to have any emotion. i feel like i wrung myself dry in elementary school#ultimately i know i'm capable of Having Emotions. they're just all buried beneath 78 layers of static that don't seem to be there for other#i try to be social. even when i know Deep down i like them i end up hating every interaction. no matter how smooth or funny or whatever#i seem to have this blanket that makes everything heavier on me. i don't like being weighed down but sometimes i have to comply else#i know i'll just fucking crash out for the next however many years & end up being more hurt than i began with#<- metaphor doesn't make sense bc i ditched it half way thru but you get the point#be social to the complete detriment to my health & appease others or hurt other ppl (something i don't like doing bc i know how it feels) &#end up ''''saving'''' myself (trapping myself further. lose/lose). i wish i was completely exempt to people paying attention to me#i Hate wallowing in this fucking pity. this whole woe is me evvybody huwt me so now i feel nudding :( schtick makes me feel so weak#i like feeling strong by socializing. sometimes i get this litttlee inkling of maybe i should try & put myself out there More but it always#comes with the same results. one of these days surely it'll change (<- bearer of the curse) (<- but still has hope despite denying it)#yes i'm in therapy yes i'm working on my social capacity slowly instead of getting my boundaries ran over at top notch speed by my abusers#sometimes i need to say the self pitying shit out loud to knock me to my senses & be like 'if a friend said this i'd criticize them'#'if anybody else thought that you'd cringe so hard and be filled with That Specific Misery you feel & hate so much' ohhh right. my bad
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I still very loathe the Media Trope of ‘’cold genius man doesn’t feel emotions and never has relationships... UNTIL.. one random relatively bland Preddy Woman comes along and warps his entire personality and ability to think, his heart has grown and his seeming asexuality has evaporated, he is now Normal :)” or whatever like... AS a walking generic hermit archetype myself.. we would NOT act like that .... just let people be detached weirdos in peace, you cowards .. OR, don’t bother to write one in the first place if you find us too boring to exist realistically in our natural state lol.. pathetic
#the only exception to this is its okay if he develops some pesudo-romantic psychologial fixation on one of his long suffering male sidekicks#or assistants or whatever (since this character acrhetype ALWAYS has some sort of like Straight Man Every Man helper to follow#him around and be an audience stand in. sometimes multiple like a whole team of assistants. sometimes just one etc.)#like a strange not-entirely-romance-but-mutualy-unhealthy-comedic-codependence w someone you worked w 25+ yrs COULD be in character. sure.#ASIDE from that one exception though..... just keep them aromantic and asexual.. why would someone who has been that way for their#entire fucking life suddenly be like ''well I've known this woman three weeks but she's really hot! whoops!''#''guess I'm going to act completely out of character! sometimes booba so booby it fundametally alters the dna of me personality. you know ho#w it is'' .. like shut up.. explode#It's not that I project personally onto these characters (writers are bad at writing them and they're generally annoying as shit) BUT just#like... coming FROM the perspective OF a cold detached ''robot'' seeming hermit freak.. like textbook scholar wizard man locked#away in a tower somewhere type personality... You just watch shows sometimes and you can SEE that the writers are trying to write#the Character Archetype that is your actual realworld personality and you're just like 'we do NOT fucking act like that!!!' lol#you know ? like .. i don't actually care about the characters themselves but more just.. the principle of the thing. staying true to what#has been set up. You can't be like ''oh yeah this is your typical cold detached hermit weirdo with zero interest in human relationships for#the most part blah blah blah'' and then 5 minutes later be like ''WAIT GUYS!! LOOK! they're still NORMAL! look they love booba#too!!! haha hashtag Relatable!!'' .. what have you done to him.. you've massacred the archtype.. cowardly fool#Also I'm referencing them as male because this character archtetype is usually male but the same thing can apply for other gendered versions#of the archetype. it's ALWAYS annoying. no matter what it is lol. GOD AND IT'S even worse when they're supposed to be like hundreds or thous#ands of years old like.. some sort of supernatural being who's ''above it all'' because they've seen the world's cycles for so long#and blah blah and then it's like ''omg.. suddenly into romance.. for some reason all 900 years of my life nobody has ever been good#enough but YOU.. random ass person who I met 30 minutes ago and are completely average in every way or maybe you have like one#special power or are smart or something but apparently somehow I've lived 900 years without ever meeting a single other smart person#or whatever but WOW.. you... instant soulamtes.. I am no longer aromantic and asexual. I am also no longer smart.''#at least if it's a human with a normal lifespan you can be like 'well they were only 30. maybe they genuinely did just have their first#sexul awakening' or something but.. you're telling me like.. 900 years??? 1000 years?? and NOW they're like 'whooa!!' lol#Which obviously all aroace people are different.. all people with autism or schizoid pd or any other mental illnesses that can sometimes#lend people towards that type of 'weird hermit' archetype are all different. plenty of these people WILL have relationships and sex and desi#re those things. but it's like.. if you are OBVIOUSLY setting out to write that one VERY specific archetype within the broader archetype#then GO ALL THE WAY!! you cant have someone be like HALF-detached partial-hemrit sometimes-maybe-genuis or whatever#or I guess you can but like. it should be that way from the beginning. it's the random sudden shift in personality thats jarring
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the thing about Aelwyn that I think about a lot is that there's a lot to the notion that she, to a certain extent, was so abrasive with Adaine because of how obstinate Adaine is with their parents. If you have based a chunk of your personality on the precept of "The only way to protect myself is to meet my parents' expectations and obey them at all costs", then every time Adaine pushes back against them, there is almost unquestionably a fear-response -- even if you aren't the one who set your parent off, their stress/frustration can fill a room to the point of becoming smothering anyway. And if you don't feel safe getting mad at your parents for being a source of stress/fear in your life, then invariably the only thing you can do is begin to resent the third-party who you perceive as setting them off for no reason instead of playing it safe, like you do.
#N posts stuff#NOT saying this in a 'oh poor aelwyn; adaine's such a Problematic Asshole' way lmfao -- that wouldn't make Any sense#but just sort of in an idle 'what Were Aelwyn's motivations and reasonings for her role in things?' musing#i think that Aelwyn was like. to an Extent was kind of drinking the kool-aid in a way that only really got destabilized after being torture#of like 'Adaine is treated badly bc she behaves badly. i am a good daughter so my parents treat me better' being completely shaken#when Aelwyn has been completely destroyed by torture - even if she doesn't remember the mental effects she's still Physically#affected - and her parents continue to push her and refuse to allow her to rest and blatantly could Not care less about her health#and that triggering an 'Oh. I wasn't Earning any real love/respect; I'm just an easier Tool to use than Adaine is' realization#but Brennan does also make it clear that Aelwyn was Afraid of their parents in a way that I'm not sure Adaine was#which is interesting to think about. Adaine blatantly Dislikes their parents and knows that she's being mistreated and resents that#but with how freely she talks back to them - I don't think they Scare her? at least up until her dad makes more overt attempts to harm her#and even then she seems to shift into 'well I just need to Defeat them then' mentality instead of a 'that's Scary' kind of feeling#i DO NOT think that Adaine is like. better off or better adjusted or anything; i think she's just dysfunctional in a different way#anyway i am just interested in the notion that Adaine and Aelwyn both kind of saw each other as 'Aggressor' and resented each other for it#until Aelwyn was able to have that final realization about the like. full-scope of their parents' cruelty and like.#was able to sever that cycle enough to See Adaine fully and allowed them to reach out to one another finally
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i think what i ultimately came away with when it comes to jaime’s feast arc is that yeah it mainly focuses on jaime’s internal development and it was necessary in beginning to address all the huge flaws we are left with in asos (he wanted revenge, he wanted the golden hand, he is still stuck on perception and has a flawed #cope outlook on honor, he wants glory (tie to his family), he is still w cersei and the lannisters) so he is made to revisit his asos journey in a new context, with a new partner. it is not with the idealistic brienne, but ilyn, who is in some ways identical to jaime himself. his first journey is with what he used to be when he was a boy (naive idealist), and then he revisits that journey with the man he eventually became (an executioner of the lannister regime). and it is emphasized that what he is doing is not enough and that many of his pursuits are inherently flawed or a dead end. and he is aware deep down. u cant really make the vows, and whatever deeper and more abstract meaning they hold, compromise is what is in the conclusion of the subtext imo. adwd is so full of such contradictions. his choices in it keep unwittingly contradicting tywin’s dogma in every way. i think it puts him in the ideal place to be forced into confronting stoneheart and all the baggage that comes with that. that is what i really hope will happen. and then i want him to make a grueling effort in addressing things and pivoting. winds will not be easy, it will be 10x worse than feast: stoneheart and all his sins, potential brienne conflict, his children that he also doomed by choosing the oath, cersei, etc. it is all gonna be pretty brutal. i just think the set up is pretty clear atp
#jaime lannister#asoiaf#valyrianscrolls#i was really like im gonna take a break from thinking about this#me when i lie#im like an addict fr#alright gn#goldenhand the just has been deconstructed completely symbolically as well as thru his methods#i reread the adwd chapter#we were back at kingslayer#so much talk of turncloaks#betrayal#never ending cycles#and how tywin believes the way to end war is to end otherbloodlines entirely#the village could hold info about the brotherhood#the way jaime unwittingly contradicts every single dogma of tywin’s in this chapter in some way despite what he says and thinks
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boston2 anniversary is kind of crazy
#kind of was the start of the worst miserable downfall of my entire life#but also was kind of the only surface break in a full year of drowning#so mixed feelings bc i feel like were it not for the post concert crash i feel like my sophomore slump would’ve been much better#but in a way if i hadn’t had mcr or boston2 that year i would have probably died#i was shocked when i saw it had been a year#bc i feel like that felt so far into the school year and my depression last year#and this year it’s only the first week of school!#but emotionally it feels like it’s been 2 or 3 years#like my soul has aged like 5 years since then#i am making no sense bc im high but idk i feel like i need to commemorate it#one of the saddest and most special moments of my life and triggered so much feeling in me#like i was the weirdest worst person in the world for not fitting there or here#it sounds like im ragging on it but i really needed the change in my worldview and my thought about my place in the world and at harvard#it was my lifesaver. it was the best day of my life last year. it was the first and last time I felt beautiful in 2022#my hair is like that again after a year of growing out. I feel like I’ve completed a cycle & a rebirth or something since then#and famous last words was a religious experience to me that I assume is how a born again feels in a Baptist tent#thank you for being there those of you who went you have no idea how much you changed my life
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aghhh min was so genuinely happy when ryan came back ;;w;;
#f/o:💙hide in your shell🎹#tape entry circa 1980#cause they show how miserable and just unhappy min was while ryan was gone#working his shit job that he hates and having this boring day to day cycle while trying to please his parents#and he was only ever happy when he played music#but he still was trying not to do that cause thats not what his parents wanted him to do#and then when ryan comes back and hes sitting in their booth they always sat in growing up he just has this smile...#when he hasnt been smiling since ryan left#SOBBING AND WAILING#and when he makes that dumpty kingdom joke abt the keys the way he laughs along w ryan WAHHH#THE WAY HE SMILESSSS#and the awkward trying to catch up convo he had w ryan bwahh just how he was smiling but clearly also not sure what to say#idk he seemed so excited to be around ryan again but not sure completely how to compose himself#buh i love my min sm#sidenote but transgender min REAL
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#Every night without fucking fail my negative self talk gets worse and worse which has been affecting my productivity. When I finally give up#and go to bed I feel completely fine in the morning. The conclusion I should logically come to here is that I should be finishing all of my#assignments when the sun is still up- however#I find myself just straight up not doing my assignments when I have to#leading to me having#to finish them at night. The cycle continues forth and I will learn absolutely nothing.#I have nowhere else to vent my frustrations without feeling like I'm ruining the vibe so this is where I choose to vent. I will very likely#regret this in the morning.#I would like to just run into the woods or something now#but I have promised myself that I will do nothing of the sort until I get to play Half Life 3#This does nothing to make me feel better.#The obvious solution here would be to seek professional help- unfortunately I am still financially dependent on my parents and I really do n#ot like the idea of them finding out I've been feeling this way for a long time. I don't want to get a job either; which I am aware is an ab#solute dogshit excuse on my part and I should be ashamed. Despite this#I will continue doing fuck all.#This'll probably be deleted in the morning. Don't try to call anyone on me; I'm not going anywhere.
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"With “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, the Colombian city is driving down temperatures — and could become five degrees cooler over the next few decades.
In the face of a rapidly heating planet, the City of Eternal Spring — nicknamed so thanks to its year-round temperate climate — has found a way to keep its cool.
Previously, Medellín had undergone years of rapid urban expansion, which led to a severe urban heat island effect — raising temperatures in the city to significantly higher than in the surrounding suburban and rural areas. Roads and other concrete infrastructure absorb and maintain the sun’s heat for much longer than green infrastructure.
“Medellín grew at the expense of green spaces and vegetation,” says Pilar Vargas, a forest engineer working for City Hall. “We built and built and built. There wasn’t a lot of thought about the impact on the climate. It became obvious that had to change.”
Efforts began in 2016 under Medellín’s then mayor, Federico Gutiérrez (who, after completing one term in 2019, was re-elected at the end of 2023). The city launched a new approach to its urban development — one that focused on people and plants.
The $16.3 million initiative led to the creation of 30 Green Corridors along the city’s roads and waterways, improving or producing more than 70 hectares of green space, which includes 20 kilometers of shaded routes with cycle lanes and pedestrian paths.
These plant and tree-filled spaces — which connect all sorts of green areas such as the curb strips, squares, parks, vertical gardens, sidewalks, and even some of the seven hills that surround the city — produce fresh, cooling air in the face of urban heat. The corridors are also designed to mimic a natural forest with levels of low, medium and high plants, including native and tropical plants, bamboo grasses and palm trees.
Heat-trapping infrastructure like metro stations and bridges has also been greened as part of the project and government buildings have been adorned with green roofs and vertical gardens to beat the heat. The first of those was installed at Medellín’s City Hall, where nearly 100,000 plants and 12 species span the 1,810 square meter surface.
“It’s like urban acupuncture,” says Paula Zapata, advisor for Medellín at C40 Cities, a global network of about 100 of the world’s leading mayors. “The city is making these small interventions that together act to make a big impact.”
At the launch of the project, 120,000 individual plants and 12,500 trees were added to roads and parks across the city. By 2021, the figure had reached 2.5 million plants and 880,000 trees. Each has been carefully chosen to maximize their impact.
“The technical team thought a lot about the species used. They selected endemic ones that have a functional use,” explains Zapata.
The 72 species of plants and trees selected provide food for wildlife, help biodiversity to spread and fight air pollution. A study, for example, identified Mangifera indica as the best among six plant species found in Medellín at absorbing PM2.5 pollution — particulate matter that can cause asthma, bronchitis and heart disease — and surviving in polluted areas due to its “biochemical and biological mechanisms.”
And the urban planting continues to this day.
The groundwork is carried out by 150 citizen-gardeners like Pineda, who come from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds, with the support of 15 specialized forest engineers. Pineda is now the leader of a team of seven other gardeners who attend to corridors all across the city, shifting depending on the current priorities...
“I’m completely in favor of the corridors,” says [Victoria Perez, another citizen-gardener], who grew up in a poor suburb in the city of 2.5 million people. “It really improves the quality of life here.”
Wilmar Jesus, a 48-year-old Afro-Colombian farmer on his first day of the job, is pleased about the project’s possibilities for his own future. “I want to learn more and become better,” he says. “This gives me the opportunity to advance myself.”
The project’s wider impacts are like a breath of fresh air. Medellín’s temperatures fell by 2°C in the first three years of the program, and officials expect a further decrease of 4 to 5C over the next few decades, even taking into account climate change. In turn, City Hall says this will minimize the need for energy-intensive air conditioning...
In addition, the project has had a significant impact on air pollution. Between 2016 and 2019, the level of PM2.5 fell significantly, and in turn the city’s morbidity rate from acute respiratory infections decreased from 159.8 to 95.3 per 1,000 people [Note: That means the city's rate of people getting sick with lung/throat/respiratory infections.]
There’s also been a 34.6 percent rise in cycling in the city, likely due to the new bike paths built for the project, and biodiversity studies show that wildlife is coming back — one sample of five Green Corridors identified 30 different species of butterfly.
Other cities are already taking note. Bogotá and Barranquilla have adopted similar plans, among other Colombian cities, and last year São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America, began expanding its corridors after launching them in 2022.
“For sure, Green Corridors could work in many other places,” says Zapata."
-via Reasons to Be Cheerful, March 4, 2024
#colombia#brazil#urban#urban landscape#urban planning#cities#civil engineering#green architecture#green spaces#urban heat#urban heat island effect#weather#meteorology#global warming#climate change#climate hope#climate optimism#climate emergency#climate action#environment#environmental news#city architecture#bicycling#native plants#biodiversity#good news#hope#solarpunk#ecopunk#hopepunk
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THE GENERATIONAL TRAUMA OF IT ALL BRO
#I hate seeing my mom build so much resentment towards my sister#And it's 100% bc she can't stand seeing herself reflected back#I see it all happening and idk how to stop it#I was somehow able to break that cycle between me and my sister by going back to therapy and facing my own guilt#But... Mom has been going to intens therapy for YEARS now and I don't fucking know how to get reality into her dense skull#Like that's also part of the problem. I constantly see how far removed from reality she is#Mom's so often completely lost in her trauma#And i know that's part of cptds therapy (afaik.. Idk I don't know if this therapy is better than the last one if I'm honest)#But good GOD woman your daughter is struggling and you keep being fucking angry at her as if she's doing it on purpose#Sometimes i just wanna grab her by the shoulders and fucking shake her awake#I just wish someone had been my mom's mom... That way I shouldn't have to feel like i have to raise mom emotionally :/
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