#steven accurately represents us

[belablue222]

me 🤝 steven

being really tired gift shoppists who want to go home

[manicpixieyandere]

The Genius Of Not Labeling Jinx

The Messiness Of Labels

Jinx from Arcane is known as the poster girl for borderline personality disorder, but today we wanted to talk about some of the other conditions she has symptoms of (but doesn't necessarily qualify for) and why it was smart to not label her.

Let's go over the different conditions Jinx could have:

Of course first we have BPD. Not gonna spend too much time on this one but she hits all nine of the diagnostic criteria!

Schizophrenia:

Jinx is seen to hallucinate many times in the show. She gets visual hallucinations of her family she has guilt over killing. She experiences overlays of child like drawings. She has auditory hallucinations and delusions as well.

BPD can come with hallucinations and delusions but it tends to more often be auditory hallucinations and delusions of grandeur than anything else. Schizophrenia and bipolar are the conditions more likely to cause the type of psychosis Jinx experiences.

DID/OSDD:

An argument could also be made for Jinx nearing a dissociative disorder. We haven't seen much of the show from the season two trailers, but they do seem to be hinting at Jinx embracing Powder a bit more.

It is common in BPD for the person to believe they are a completely different person than their past self. We think this is well represented in characters like Spinel from Steven Universe or Ashley Graves (Leyley) from The Coffin of Andy and Leyley. This is of course also shown in Jinx with Powder.

But Jinx and Powder's differences go a bit beyond the typical BPD self image issues. Their personalities while similar, are quite different. And instead of Powder staying purely in the past, Jinx switches between the two personalities. You can see her face change to be more soft like Powder in certain scenes. (They quite literally transform her face).

Some other differences are; Jinx is represented by pink, while Powder tends to be blue. Jinx is left handed while Powder is right handed (she uses her left to shoot, right for other stuff). Jinx is the daughter of Silco, Powder is the daughter of Vander. Both are the child of Zaun.

Jinx is of course also known to dissociate in many scenes. (As a side detail we just love how well animated the face acting is).

While Jinx fits BPD best it is also important to note that comorbidity is a real thing. While rare, all three of these conditions can be had at the same time. Personality disorders and dissociative disorders especially tend to be comorbid.

The most likely reason Jinx isn't diagnosed with anything is stigma. Giving a terrorist a mental illness may come off a demonizing. But Jinx is still loved by the neurodivergent community because her symptoms and trauma are treated with care. She's a fun relatable character. But we think another genius reason is because she's all encompassing. Saying she has BPD may make anyone who doesn't have BPD immediately think "oh, well then I won't find her relatable". But in an age where fandom likes relatability and kins the most, you cannot afford that. Instead really any neurodivergent can see themselves in her.

This is both a smart strategy but also just an accurate portrayal of how real life ends up looking. Medical conditions are technically social constructs. That's not to say they aren't real, but that they are labeled by humans. It's a list of behaviors the body or brain executes. But humans are messy! Who's to say one person is gonna nearly fit into that BPD box? Eventually you get to a point where you have someone diagnosed with 10 or so mental conditions! (Hi yes it's us, we have been diagnosed with 10). Humans were not made to fit into boxes. You see this pattern with queer identities all the time as well. The creation of microlabels has greatly helped people categorize and understand themselves, but at the end of the day the most accurate label is: you. You are you. Insert name here is Insert name here.

Thanks for listening to the ramblings of a mad Jinx kinnie. Here's to hoping season two is just as good as the first one! Still absolutely loving Jinx's new look!

[julissart]

Sanuso fusion AU - MEET TURQUOISE!

Thanks to @usoppinggg and @strawberrycamel for this request, I have to do it before the adrenaline wears off.

Explanation

So, I checked some SU fusions to make sure some things, obviously grabbing the most notorious features and then what are the most important characteristics for battle, at first I was going for a traditional body like Pearl and Rose, but then I remember Usopp uses his hands and Sanji not so it was impossible for them to have only a pair, therefore this design is more accurate to their particular skills.

Also, I want to represent the confidence with Usopp, they can use the suspenders or not, it's optional, but I wanted to give him the choice to show himself without fear you know, and Sanji is not complaining for that *coughs*

Finally the hair, I'm maybe not completely sure about it but I think works well with the mix, others Steven Universe characters when Fuse have hair color streaks and I needed to name sure it doesn't look entirely as Usopp.

Yes the name, I searched for gems and between all of them I like Turquoise the most, suit the personality, the identity of THEY and the color combination in a way

Well, that's everything for now, tell me if you like it 🥰

My OP Fanart Masterlist here

[bbu-fan-blog]

Is there any kind of facts that you found about Aristotle?

I have some, yes!

Aristotle is Billie's mentor: decided to take up this task amazed on how much she is like her father, and out of the desire to relieve the glory days.

Aristotle goes by he/him and they/them, and is gay.

He and Arthur, for all intents and purposes, were married, just not in the traditional sense.

Aristotle's gem (yes, the purple brooch on his cape is one of the gems) is a magic booster.

This makes Aristotle REALLY powerful; but they're still an axolotl, which means that, despite their magic power, he gets easily hurt.

He's made a name for himself at Dutch's hotel, having tried so many ways to get the wolf's gem. That's why Dutch has wanted posters of the axolotl everywhere, making them enemies. Ari doesn't know which gem Dutch has.

Ironically, Ash ships them as an "enemies to lovers" kind of thing.

Katie and Ash want to include book extracts that Billie can collect during the game, and one of them is a book wrote by Aristotle and Arthur, titled "The ABCs of Magic Casting". This suggests the two of them wrote books about magic together.

And as you can see, they shared a last name together.

Aristotle likes eating worms.

The symbol on Ari's forehead is meant to be an infinity symbol. Specifically, it's meant to represent the iridophores that axolotls have on their skins, that create a sparkly effect when exposed to the light.

In the fandom he's officially known as "Rad Magic Dad"!

In the first concepts, Aristotle was supposed to be calmer and more reserved; the devs made him more akin to goofy yet fun dad since he came off as too boring. Also, apparently he used to be a crow before Ash officially made them an axolotl.

He also used to constantly float in a bubble.

On Mario Kart he'd choose Luigi because they'd feel sorry for him.

His favorite Halloween treat is chocolate covered crickets.

Aristotle is autistic, and he stims by swinging his hips from side to side while waddling the finger, and tends to walk by keeping his hands inwards.

When overwhelmed, he tucks at his gills as if they were hair.

Apparently one of the characters who inspired Aristotle was none other than Pikachu!

He's also inspired by game characters like E.Gadd from "Luigi's Mansion" and Toriel from "Undertale".

He's very talented in magic, and can make magic spheres he'll juggle with.

Apparently he's never met Barnaby.

He loves food and cooking; apparently the devs had in mind to have a cooking minigame with him, but I don't know if that's still going to happen.

Despite being powerful at magic, Katie believes he'd have slow reflexes.

He'd love ice skating!

He's also definitely ticklish!

Will happily recieve hugs, very soft and squishy!

Despite his calm and friendly nature, he's got flaws too: as in, he can be petty, overly confident and sometimes rash. He's been compared to Pearl from Steven Universe, and Ash thinks it's a pretty accurate comparison.

His name is a reference to Ace Attorney!

His go to instrument would be a concertina.

Would be friends with Glamrock Freddy, according to Ash!

He can stand on an orb made of magic, just like Raz from Psychonauts with his levitation orb.

If he owned Pok��mon, he'd mostly have a Fairy Type team.

He'd never swear; he's the kind that would go "LANGUAGE!" if he'd hear someone say a bad word.

His way of speech has some Weird Al elements to it.

This is what I have, for now! 💜

[clavidy]

ok clappity i've viewed the spotify (anderperry specifically. obviously) and i am Wondering. of those which r the top anderperry songs like they Were written for them

okay so. that playlist is like,, specific moment-centric and also Very articulated so I think all of them represent it very well but!! Here's some of my favorites that aren't on it :))

If we're going based mostly off of lyrics, javelin (to have and to hold), the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us, john my beloved, and a running start by sufjan stevens all remind me of anderperry pretty strongly, moreso than any other lyrical song, i think. tbh though all of sufjan's songs feel veery reminiscent of dps. if that man has not watched it at least once I will

If we're going by vibe, obviously I think all of the songs in my main anderperry playlist are top-tier in that matter, and I think a lot of hozier works too. Improvisation at heart mountain by kishi bashi tells a story of anderperry's growing relationship pretty accurately, and outro by emile mosseri and song at the beach/photograph by delialah el-atwi do a good job too. I'm still on the hunt for songs that perfectly cover their arcs!!!

also, if you want a beautiful spoken word poem that is SO dps coded PLEASE listen to keys to freedom by johnnytwentythree. please.

[breha]

if armand is representing his age accurately, he was born around 1508, so if he was turned in his mid-to-late 20s, that's sometime in the 1530s. slavery might not figure into his show backstory, but if it does, domestic slavery in renaissance italy by sally mckee and contested subjecthood: runaway slaves in early modern venice by e. natalie rothman are relevant articles. according to these sources, by the 16th century, the domestic slave trade in italy had significantly declined as the sale of human beings by europeans shifted to the transatlantic slave trade. peter ackroyd's book venice: pure city (p113) claims that there were 3000 slaves in the city of venice in 1580, which if we use the population estimate you can find for venice in 1581 on wikipedia comes to about .02% of the population. both mckee's article and the book speaking of slavery: color, ethnicity, and human bondage in italy by steven a. epstein (p30) mention that by the mid-1400s the vast majority of people enslaved in northern italy were young women. this doesn't mean it's unbelievable for a young man to have been enslaved in venice in the early 16th century – epstein specifically notes that nobles in venice were the most likely people to own male slaves, and rothman's case studies from even later include men – but it wasn't common. so we're talking about an experience that on top of everything else would have been very isolating.

[crowlysium]

Today I want to talk about how the psych ward from then later Moon Knight episodes represents both the Duat and the IW (Inner World)

We know from Tawaret outright stating it that the psych ward is the Duat, where souls are judged in the Egyptian afterlife. She states that the ship holds the memories of a person and that it takes the form of something comprehensive to the deceased.

In systems with an IW (Not all have one), it can be just about anything. For example, ours used to be various places from all of our introjects sources, but it has recently changed to be our original fantasy world from our wip. Some others could have a simple house, or a void with singular rooms. They could, such as with Marc’s system, have a mental health facility.

How is the psych ward both the afterlife and the IW?

Marc and Steven are able to interact in a physical manner and are also able to view memories, things that do happen in IW. They also go there when the body dies, which means neither of them would front.

For systems with IWs, it is where alters live when not fronting. In the episode where Steven isn’t fronting, where he says he is imprisoned, he is in their IW, though he (and Marc) may not have access to visualize that yet. It is also possible neither could visualize it as they were largely co-fronting during their time together and for some systems, when alters are cofronting this limits their connection to their IW

It is likely intentional that this place works as it does so that it involves the Egyptian mythology of Moon Knight and also subtly represents DID in a way that isn’t too far off from the realities some systems may experience. As a singlet, it is hard to accurately portray our experiences, but by putting it in with the afterlife, it does so very well. A system might be able to relate to some of the things in that psych ward, where singlets can simply enjoy a plot about escaping the afterlife.

Steven turning to stone represents dormancy, by the way, but that’s a topic for later.

-Steven Grant

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

it's really, really fun to write steven stone in pa3. reinterpreting his personality in-game (someone not particularly forthright but very polite and reliable) as something malicious has been really artistically fulfilling. I did it because I needed a villain that more accurately foiled Sicely than Maxie and Archie, and someone who'd be truly antagonistic compared to them. i was also inspired by the steven in hale's emerald nuzlocke run, and some of the comphet i experienced in my youth (when i was reading nuzlocke comics en masse, not incidentally) and a bit of N and Akio thrown in. i've taken a lot of his dialogue from the games to use because i don't want him to come across as a completely new character wearing his skin (though maybe that's the case anyways).

what does steven represent in PA3 for its themes? well, a big portion of conflict in the series is adults pushing and pulling sicely and anthea in different directions, trying to influence who the kids will grow into. the adults also depict their own strength in different ways, and enact that strength on each other and onto the protagonists. Usually this ends up getting people hurt. each of them are trying to impress upon others their idea of strength. maxie and archie believe in strength as a tool to manifest their vision of the world; a sort of ends justify the means philosophy. If, theoretically, they were not met with opposition, they would not feel the need to be an organized ecoterrorist group. but for steven strength is something different. it's self-fulfilling. the pursuit of strength is its own reward because nothing else is as rewarding. violence and domination are the only ways to get what you want, and he uses enough cognitive dissonance to avoid the feelings of guilt and conscience that come with it, focusing on the reward and the toxic positive associations. anthea is altruistic. through her, sicely learns that they want to be altruistic too. maxie and archie are also altruistic, in their own backwards ways. but steven stone's pursuit is inherently selfish.

[slythepuffle]

Meet Cerulean Diamond! The Blue Diamond of the Spooky Month Steven Universe AU I made known as The Stars & Skid AU. She is also supposed to be the Eyes of The Universe (AKA Eyes) lol.

A look at my silly art style and a design for the character. It looks a lot better in my head but I did my best to portray her accurately. (I definitely could have done better on the mini model lol)

In the AU, she is very much like Blue in the sense that she is close to Pink (Violet here) and is the most emotional out of the four diamonds. Here, however, she is less likely to cry and have outbursts and more willing to listen. She also doesn't cause others to cry - Instead, she can hypnotize them using her eyes, once all of them are open. It's a very paralyzing effect on the people she uses it on and one that is very hard to exist.

In case my writing is hard to read:

No eyes on the face

Poofy hair - Lumpy head on Eyes (aka meant to represent his head)

Eyes in the hair (more circular than how I drew them)

Can cause hypnosis if looking at directly

Eyes are closed most of the time

Gem placed on left hand (I accidentally drew it as a right hand and needed to fix it lol)

Side-ways oval with light center (more eye imagery)

Outfit inspired by Carmen

Necklace based on cultist amulet

(Too lazy to finish arms lol)

[crystalelemental]

Alright, let’s take some wild guesses before the datamine drops hopefully later this week but maybe not until Monday.  Here are some ridiculous expectations I have.  You can guess instantly what it is I want.

Lorelei Grid Actually Good - Please.  Please, for the love of god, let her be good.  I know Candice and Ghetsis make it impossible for her to compete, I know this, but let her at least try.

Eevee Day Alts - What happened to Eevee Day?  I liked Eevee Day.  I like the protags with Eeeveelutions.  I love the format.  Give me more of that.  Give me Dawn and Glaceon.  I know they weren’t popular because of how they rolled out, but I expected the lack of EX and general oddball approach to mean this would be a frequent recurring thing, come on DeNA.

3* Ice Gear - I’m really hoping for Ice.  Ice is a rough type to shop for and I think they deserve it.  I don’t think they’ll get it.  But it’d be nice.

Clair EX - Let’s assume, hopefully, that a rerun of Johto VA, which is next in line, means Johto gets some stuff.  Clair EX.  Please.  She deserves it.

Still No Cresselia Gauntlet - I’ll be stunned if they break it now.

Jesse & James Rerun - Man, it is quite literally now or never.  Lorelei is the only common grid left, if they want to keep the whole three at a time thing going, they have to rerun these two now.  If they don’t, I take it as proof that the anime tie-ins will never recur.

Leaf Alt - Leaf deserves something.  I know there are protagonists who have it worse, but considering Blue has five alts, Red gets consistently bullshit strong alts, and Kanto is in need of support, I think it’s time to let Leaf have something.  Give her Ninetales.  I love that thing, it’d be great.  Give her Articuno, and tie in to what I hope is an Ice-themed month.  Give her Mewtwo X if you must.  Just something.

SS Cynthia Grid Expansion - I feel like it’s likely.  They clearly favor Cynthia, which is correct, and her Sygna Suit could use it.

Kantonian Lodge Unit - The surprise appearance of Morty this month implies they’re getting each region to two representatives in Lodge.  Meaning it has to be Kanto, Alola, or Hoenn.  Given the Alola VA is coming likely in two datamines, maybe three, that rules them out.  Hoenn would likely be Steven, but Anni Steven already exists, so slightly unlikely.  Most likely, it’s Kanto.  Please not Red.  I know I’m setting up the monkey’s paw, but anyone but Red.

Alolan Champions - I feel like this is really likely.  Kalos VA got Serena and Calem out of the way to do more interesting things with the alts, so my hope is they’ll do the same for Alola.  Not to be this way, but Selene and Elio are not exactly popular, so getting them out of the way ahead of time would likely go over well if it means more Aether Fam.

Ethan Grid Expansion - I can never guess the grid expansions accurately, but I’d like to believe they’re going to help out Ethan with like...real multipliers.

Johto VA Rerun - Almost a guarantee.

New Master Fair - Guaranteed for an Anniversary month.

Erika’s Dread Return - If it’s not Leaf, it’s Erika, mark my words.  Which...god, if we get Erika as the first to six, I’m going to cackle.  Reddit’s been wildly abuzz about her being DeNA’s favorite (which is staggering given the length of time since her last alt and her being behind compared to other popular picks, but since when has Reddit been sensible or fair?), and truth be told, Erika is popular and I wouldn’t be too surprised here.  Bellossom would be nice, too.

Drasna & Malva Scouts - Please.  Please please please please please plea-

Lodge Leaf - If it’s a Leaf alt, it’s definitely her turn in Lodge.

Two-Part Datamine - Just like last year.  Initial showing of the first half of the month is fine, then a big reveal.

Reference to White Day - I want it clear that I couldn’t fit it neatly, but want to add “but no White Day alts.”  Kinda like last year.  They have a focus with reruns like Lance and Steven but aren’t actually doing anything with it.

Three 5* Grid Expansions - Supposing Jesse and James do not rerun, Masters Day needs to up its game to compensate for the lack of common grids.  And grid expansions are just the way to do it.  Three 5* grid expansions a month seems like the best next step, given how many of the older 5*s need serious help.

Interference Immunity Lucky Skill - There were other options but I didn’t want to tempt fate.  I’m playing safe.  I’m guessing Interference Immunity on lucky cookie from Gauntlet this time.

Unnecessary Legendary Pair - Someone will have a legendary Pokemon that has little real significance to them, and is just slapped on for funsies.  Probably a mythical!

Cynthia First to Six Alts - I just think it’d be hilarious.  No way does Alolan VA not do another Lillie alt, so the only way anyone beats her to that punch is right here.  Steven could do it but Anni Steven exists, and I don’t actually think Erika will get both things.  But Cynthia doesn’t have an official “Anniversary” alt.  And if they give me what I really want, and also a Cynthia alt?  Darach could fill in as the male representation, and I have the best month of my life.  This is, of course, too much to ask, but I’ll still put out the notion that it could be Cynthia.

Ice Zone - I feel like it’s overdue at this point.  Give me the Ice Zone.  Let me live.

SS Red Grid Expansion - He came out at a half anniversary, it makes sense to buff him during one too.  Especially since Leon just got his buff, and god forbid Red remain second fiddle to anyone for more than half a second.

Caitlin Alt - The thing I want most in this world.  Gothitelle please, thank you.  I really, really want to see this happen.  It would mean the world to me.  Especially if we do get that Cynthia alt.  I’m just saying, an anniversary spread of Cynthia, Caitlin, and Darach?  I don’t think I’d survive.

[ledenews]

W.Va. Senate President Blair: 'Transparency and Accountability Are Critical to Democracy'

There’s an old saying that goes, “with great freedom comes great responsibility.” In my mind, one of the best examples of that phrase is the relationship between the government and the media. It’s an adversarial relationship by nature because we co-exist in the same sphere of operating with great freedom and great responsibility. You don’t have to like what the media reports. I’ll be honest – I often don’t. However, there’s a very clear difference between not liking what the media reports and actively working to silence them. The actions this week by the DHHR and the management of West Virginia Public Broadcasting went too far, and it appears our Executive Branch has gone from largely refusing to cooperate with the media to actively undermining it. A government that serves its people must respect the critical role a free press plays in the process. With that critical role comes responsibility on behalf of the media to be accurate and to leave political bias at the door. While I cannot say that every reporter I have interacted with has been able to do that – and some have been downright dishonest in their reporting – I can say with confidence that was not the case here. In this case, a reporter did her job, did it fairly, told the truth, and seemed to pay a hefty price. West Virginia Public Broadcasting reporter Amelia Knisely wrote about my letter to Governor Jim Justice calling for an investigation into DHHR’s policies and management of treatment for patients with disabilities in their care. Before we received a response from either the Governor’s office or DHHR about my concerns, former Secretary Crouch had already sent a letter to the executive director of Public Broadcasting demanding the story be retracted. If those priorities sound a bit off to you, they are. West Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens are suffering, and they need our help. After what I’ve seen as this story unfolds, I continue to have the strong belief that the help they desperately need cannot come from the DHHR in its current form. Transparency and accountability are critical to democracy. Our citizens deserve to know how their government operates, and I am proud of the Senate for the tools we have in place to keep our citizens informed. We live stream and video archive every meeting. We allow testimony before our committees to occur remotely. Every month, our Finance Committee publishes a General Revenue Collections report that gives a detailed picture of our state’s finances. Through our official social media, we make sure to share agendas, amendments, floor votes, and other real-time information as it happens. We also communicate with the press, even when it makes us uncomfortable. Our staff fields numerous requests every week, sometimes taking hours to walk reporters through routine and complicated processes, explain bills, and help the media tell a fuller, more accurate story. This is not something you’ll see out of the Executive Branch. The Executive Branch operates in carefully constructed, made-for-TV media events where there is no give and take, and their agencies seldom respond to basic questions from the media. That behavior undermines the confidence in our government and our leaders. The job of the media isn’t to make us comfortable. It’s to make us accountable. In turn, it’s not the job of the media to be opponents to everything we do, either. Respect is a two-way street, and we strive to be respectful above all things. Steven Allen Adams’s reporting about DHHR’s interference in the Public Broadcasting news department and pressure on it to silence negative stories is disturbing, and that behavior would not be tolerated in the Senate. I hope the Executive Branch disavows this blatant abuse of the First Amendment and holds the management of West Virginia Public Broadcasting responsible for it. Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, represents the 15th Senatorial District, which includes part of Berkeley County, and Hampshire and Morgan counties. Read the full article

[love-takes-work]

You can like whatever you enjoy (and read/write AUs about them, if you want!) but . . . all of those theories are fundamentally busted as far as canon goes. (Though a couple of them made sense as theories before we had as much information as we do now.) Pearl was made for Pink Diamond and never belonged to White. No one comes back when Steven dies. Fusions don't measure their compatibility in how much like a human they look. Fusions choose their own names to represent who they are together, so "Rainbow Quartz" is just as accurate a name as any other even if neither of the components is actually a Quartz. Steven is Steven and there is no "going back" to Pink Diamond, and his emotions make sense as his own.

"Wouldn't it have been cool if it had been written differently?" is fun to think about, but that's not what I'm talking about here when I used these examples of concepts in SU discussion that I'm so very tired of seeing.

being in a fandom long term: urrrrrrrrrrgh not this shitty argument again we’ve covered this

[univellpvc]

Study Examines Corrosive Soil Conditions Behind Water Main Breaks

A recent academic study on water main failures in the United States and Canada reveals a 27% increase in water main break rates between 2012 and 2018, with corrosive soils identified as a significant contributor. The research was led by Steven Folkman, a professor at Utah State University (USU) in Logan, Utah, USA, who previously authored a similar report in 2012. USU hosts the Buried Structures Laboratory, which has a large-scale testing facility for pipes and underground structures, as well as the Utah Water Research Laboratory—the oldest university-based water research facility in the United States.

Survey Respondents

The 2018 survey gathered responses from over 300 utilities, representing approximately 200,000 miles (321,869 kilometers) of installed water mains. Respondent input was collected from 48 U.S. states and seven out of 10 Canadian provinces, resulting in a 49% increase in survey responses and a 45% increase in miles of pipe compared to the 2012 study. The survey documented 23,803 pipe failures requiring repairs, providing a substantial sample size for the study.

"This is one of the largest surveys conducted on water main breaks, and the results give an accurate representation of water pipe condition and operation in North America," says Folkman, a registered Professional Engineer and member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) in Denver, Colorado, USA. "The report can assist in revising pipe service life assumptions used in the past."

Key Findings

Among respondents who reported failures, the three most commonly cited modes were:

Circular cracks at 56%

Corrosion at 28%

Longitudinal cracks at 8%

Water main break rates are critical for assessing pipe performance and durability and are vital metrics used in water infrastructure asset management, as well as in pipe repair and replacement decision-making. According to Folkman, "This report provides greater insight into the drivers of the aging water infrastructure crisis and offers data which utilities can use to benchmark pipe material performance. It will be a valuable asset management planning tool for water utilities."

Implications for Water Utilities

The study's findings highlight the importance of understanding and addressing the corrosive soil conditions that contribute significantly to water main breaks. With data from a large and diverse sample, the report offers utilities valuable insights into the factors affecting pipe longevity and performance, aiding in more accurate service life predictions and better resource allocation for repairs and replacements.

Survey respondents specified the leading failure modes involved in reported water main breaks, emphasizing the role of corrosion and other structural issues in the degradation of water infrastructure. By leveraging these insights, utilities can improve their maintenance strategies, ultimately enhancing the reliability and safety of water distribution systems across North America. https://www.uni-bell.org/Portals/0/E-NEWS/MediaFiles/study-examines-corrosive-soil-conditions-behind-water-main-breaks.pdf

[oscarpiastriwdc]

Fic asks: 2, 4, and 18 (grmp - I know you’ve sketched out a lot of what happens to various people but what would you see yourself actually writing?)

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

the only tags i've used more than once are "angst" and "enemies to friends to lovers" ���� i don't think that's particularly representative? but maybe it is

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

my silly union side plot in standing at your door is very dear to my heart. collective action forever!

18. If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

If I ever wrote a standing at your door sequel, it'd focus on Max taking a hiatus from driving and spending time with Virginia while George races, and grappling with his ideas of parenthood and what it means to be a father and finding who he is outside of racing for the first time in his life. The vibe is Sufjan Stevens Romulus liner notes.

[kaelyn]

This photograph entitled “The Reign of Ethel Cain” was shot by Steven Klein, and published in V141 magazine on March 1st, 2023. This photograph depicts Ethel Cain in a style inspired by late 19th century Americana, twisted with a gothic edge. There is a large cross that hangs from Ethel’s neck, and she sits stately in a field, out of place in such a dull landscape. The only color is in the background, but still the emphasis is entirely on Ethel Cain, who lounges on the grass as if it’s a throne. The ground is littered and dirty. It doesn’t seem fit for the Elizabethan woman she takes on as a persona. The disparity between where she is, and who she is, is obvious, as well as the disparity between the person she truly is, and her persona for the photograph. For example, the tattoos all over her body are part of her true identity as Ethel Cain, but would not have been tolerated in late 1800s America, and as a trans woman, she would not have been allowed to dress in these clothes, let alone pose with pride and dignity. This dissonance is highlighted by contrasting her fictional identity with her real identity. It would have been heresy for her to dress in these clothes if Ethel really were living in her persona’s world. Elements of Ethel’s garb are references to Elizabethan England, which is the reason for the image’s title. The aspect of Elizabethan England is used to magnify the power of Ethel’s persona, even if in a stereotypical Americana story, she would not have had any of that power. Giving her character that power takes some of it away from the men in the narrative, even though it’s not historically accurately. Ethel is reclaiming it. These Elizabethan elements include her hair, makeup, and the cross. Her cowboy boots fit with the message, because she is reappropriating the archetype of the American gothic tale, and at the time, these boots would only have been worn by men, but she is wearing them to show how that is no longer the reality.

This image is analogical. Steven Klein isn’t saying that Ethel Cain is really from late 19th century America, or Elizabethan England. He’s not saying that her persona is, either. What he’s saying is that Ethel Cain is straddling two realities; the one in her personal, of-the-moment life, and the one that haunts her. The purpose of this photograph is to show how Ethel Cain is reappropriating historical narratives and taking pillars of Americana culture that have induced religious trauma to show how the ideals of America and Christianity are not equally achievable for everyone. Her use of gun imagery, and stories of generational pain in her work are used to resist the mainstream culture of her country by going back to its roots, and exposing how the United States has become what it is. She shows how the foundation it’s built on is harmful. Through Ethel Cain’s body, Klein shows that the repercussions of American history and religious ideologies are still present, but that they do not have to define us anymore. Ethel belongs in the Americana narrative, because women have always been there, even if they weren’t portrayed. Ethel Cain’s persona is like the women she is imitating, but the whole point is that she isn’t them. Her persona is unrealistic to the times it represents, and therefore it emphasizes why. The answer to that is because of repression. A woman in the 1800s couldn’t have dressed like Ethel Cain is dressed in this photograph- especially a trans woman. And so Ethel Cain is like them, but she isn’t them, because she can dress how she wants.

The cross around Ethel Cain’s neck is a sign that refers to Christianity, and holiness. In Christianity, there is the recurring ideology of purity versus sin. By wearing a cross (representing purity) and revealing so much of herself (representing sin), she is using her presentation to resist religious structures and the culture of her country. In this photograph, Ethel’s body is a sign for breaking free from the shame of sin, and reappropriating the Americana gothic narrative. Steven Klein’s objective is to rise against harmful ideologies that are perpetuated in organized religion, and to show freedom from Americana archetypes through the gothic elements of the image. This message is being communicated effectively, because it uses the cross, which is a simple sign to decipher. This religious symbol makes the audience reflect, because how it’s presented is unusual. The contrast between Ethel’s purity and her ‘sin’ would be shocking to someone who is religious, right-winged, or patriotic. Ethel succeeds in reclaiming the Americana narrative, and Steven Klein captures her in glory.

Klein, Steven. The Reign of Ethel Cain. 2023, V141. vmagazine.com/article/v141-the-reign-of-ethel-cain/.

[the-august-one]

A discussion was being had on my friend's FB post about the Orcas who are currently engaging in direct action against rich, captialist assholes by attacking their yachts in the Strait of Gibraltar. Now, that is one of *the* most metal sentences of all time, but thats not important. What is important is that someone in the comments shared this absolutely stellar review of the 1977 film, Orca, which I need all of you to stop and read immediately.

Orca (1977) 10/10 - Greatest movie of all time - Reviewer: DroogAlexK, 8/7/03

Warning: Spoilers

Orca is the greatest movie of all time. I'm sure most people say that their favorite movie is the greatest of all time, but they are all wrong.

Orca brings together some of the finest actors. Richard Harris, who unfortunately will be remembered for some trivial movie about a boy wizard and a throwaway musical about King Arthur, does his finest work in Orca. His portrayal of Captain Nolan, an emotionally torn fisherman coming to terms with the fact the marine animals have feelings, deserved the Oscar. Did he win? No, that is not a strike against this fine film. Charlotte Rampling brings texture to the marine biologist in love with a whale baby killer. The romance between the two is subtle. While most modern Hollywood movies would just throw in a gratuitous sex scene, Rampling accomplishes just as much with confused looks and having her shirt zipped down in one scene. Will Sampson, who is sadly better known for some movie about flying over a cuckoo's nest, also does a fantastic job of playing the Native American guy who says cryptic things and has ice fall on him. Robert Carradine, famous for Revenge of the Nerds, shows great range in not being around much and then being eaten by the whale. Bo Derek never equaled her success in this film elsewhere. I really believed her leg was bit off. She sold me.

The effects were great for the time. Many forget what special effects were like in those days, myself included because I was not born yet, but the point remains. The strange fisheye lens used to represent the whales point of view was genius. And I challenge everyone to find a more realistic looking whale fetus in a movie. You can't, you just can't. The dramatic fight between Captain Nolan and the whale could have easily become silly, but it doesn't. The Arctic Circle is accurately represented as a cold place with many iceberg, some of which whales can thwack themselves upon catapulting middle-aged Irishmen forty feet in the air. Keep in mind, also, this was done without the use of computer graphics. Steven Spielberg did not even put the shark in Jaws until over halfway through the film. Why? To hide a machine so fake that I can only assume one of his children made it at camp. The mechanical killer whale in Orca is almost indistinguishable from the stock footage of killer whales continually played throughout the movie.

In 1977, how many directors were brave enough to shoot a killer whale jumping from one side of the boat, eating actor Robert Carradine, and landing on the other side? Just one, Michael Anderson. His bold choices along with screenwriters Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Donati (who both show an above average command of the English languages for native-born Italian speakers) make the film a statement not only about whale hunting and whale forgiveness seeking, but also about humanity. Charlotte Rampling's appeal to Nolan not to go fight the whale just because the whale wants revenge is not just about social protocols of how to make it up to the father of a whale baby you accidentally killed but also an argument against the death penalty. Will Sampson's pointless death is an indictment of the senseless slaughter of tens of millions of Native Americans. When the whale knocks down Captain Nolan's house without any explanation of this whale became such a genius that he can not only knows to knock down structural supports but also can look up addresses in the phone book, it directly shows how our incursion into the world of nature is two-fold. Robert Carradine's tragic death in the film is social commentary on the probability of being eaten if you stand around on a boat being followed by a crazed killer whale. And probably also something about Vietnam, I assume.

And while most in Hollywood choose not to admit it, many have ripped off Orca. The dead baby scene in Trainspotting is suspiciously reminiscent of the dead whale fetus scene in Orca. The creepy quasi-romance between an intelligent female and a somewhat crazy violent child murderer is directly stolen by George Lucas for Star Wars: Episode II. The use of icebergs is blatantly co-opted by Titanic, and I have never heard James Cameron so much as thank Michael Anderson. And don't even get me started on Free Willy. Orca is a complicated story. If you only enjoy movies with obvious heroes and villains, this is not for you. The characters are conflicted. Very conflicted. Take for instance how the killer whale jumps for joy after biting off Bo Derek's leg. The whale shows both glee in his jumps, but also the pain of having lost his family and never being able to bring them back no matter how hard he fights those who took them from him. Like Batman. You see, the only thing black and white in this movie is the killer whale itself. While Orca does not now get the respect it deserves, in time people will realize its genius. Just as people did not understand gravity or continental drift, in time they will come to recognize Orca as the greatest cinematic achievement of all time.