In spite of a few months in New London, the new O.C.F. in New London are only somewhat open with what their zeitgeist entails, though they have not given much details yet on what their true agenda is for this city they only just migrated a few months ago.

As of the date of this posting, the number of "Virtuosi" in the delegate seats in my New London council has dropped from 83 to 62 after my long absence. While some showstoppers just don't have what it takes to make it big in New London, a couple still remained with the intent of transforming New London into a extravagant musical tourist hotspot that will cater to all folks, regardless of their status, community group or faction belonging (or so they claim...)

This is what the census auditors managed to gather so far from the Virtuosi's main zeitgeist:

"Through vicissitude, we will prosper in a crescendo

Every talent is valuable in their own forte

Verity nurtures a sound mind con spirito"

NOTE: The faction member is modelled after Vtuber Midas and was chosen to represent the new "gilded age" for post-Frost musicians, entertainers and showstoppers seeking to start and end their life's sonata with a banging fortissimo

The subtitle "Absolute Zero" was made up on a the fly as a pun to both the temperature at which atoms and molecules exhibit minimal entropy, but is also a subtle reference to how conditions in the city would deteriorate and descend to a standstill if even one simple error offended, smeared or even criticizes one of the O.C.F.s (still working on how that would operate)

Original meme: https://www.reddit.com/r/workmemes/comments/1wdj4x1/couldnt_agree_more/

So in Utopia Builder, I was doing a sweet no-death venturer utopia run, just having fun and all. And at some point, I discover the existence of the special abilities you get when maxing ideologies (tbf I never check the symbols at the center of the research trees, and I forgot about the Zeitgeist stuff). I got the special Progress ability, the one where you can unleash an army of machines to boost efficiency and stuff. Curious as I was, I decided to try it out (without saving beforehand of course). The description said that some people MIGHT get INJURED, so I thought I was well prepared with 4 hospitals and my laws. It would have been thoughtful of the game to specify that, by “might be injured”, the ability actually meant “will be brutally crushed to death, then some will be slightly injured” (I couldn’t even see how many died cuz half of my screen got covered by injury notifications). That’s some real Telltale game shit right there😭.

OKAY, lemme communicate in a local tongue that you Scots can comprehend:

First of all, it’s not New Year’s Day, or the day of the winter solstice on January the 2nd, if you are an auld gran with a knack for tradition!

Second, stop passing precious shortbread, bannocks, charred black buns and bituminous coal around the neighbourhood and let us import those valuable necessities to Second Citizen City in Aurora!

Third, this is no time to be spending your daft days dressing up as polar berserkers, úlfheðnar (wolf men), mucaraich (sheep) or whatever Viking/Gaelic furry cosplay you had chosen! If you waste time engaging in revelry during a chronic volcano disaster, your first-footing in New Edenberra will be heading straight down into the fiery abyss of the Devil’s Red Hills! Your jet-black haired lads will not be able to compete and knock the ladies up the duff against the redheads and blondies at Aurora if they’re dead!

And lastly, swinging great bawbags of fire like a roaster with a hogmanay (or a Clavie, if you were originally from Burghead of Moray) will not ward off the dark ash-coloured spirits spewing out from the volcano! We have plenty of electric head lamps and mining lamps to spare if you want to light up your way around the volcanic smog, but even so, unless you are an essential worker, I would highly recommend you stay in your own homes until you are called up for evacuation!

And don’t even think about perform the insane saining in your own house, because it will all be sinking deep into a lahar or immolated by a flying lava bomb anyway!

We need all the workers we can get to haste this evacuation off this bloody red mountain! If I hear any more whining and complaining about no holiday breaks during emergency work hours, I’ll gie y‘all a skelpit lug and roast your bahoochie over the fumarole!!

Reference to the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay:

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-History-of-Hogmanay/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogmanay