#the Bart meme inspired this

[demigoddessqueens]

Watch this Lisa, you can actually pinpoint the second his heart rips in half

#tvedit #castlevania #castlevania mizrak #cv nocturne #cv nocturne spoilers #castlevania netflix #castlevania nocturne #Castlevania nocturne spoilers #netflixvania #cv olrox #olrox/mizrak #olrox x mizrak #castlevania olrox #olrox #mizrak #cv mizrak #c: nocturne spoilers #castlevania: nocturne #cv: nocturne #the Bart meme inspired this #mizrox

[dudethatsmyundeaduncle]

Tim is Kon's sugar daddy this, Tim is Kon's sugar daddy that TIM IS KON'S BABY DADDY!

Kon is cringe, a tik toker, and a 90s kid Tim's contact name in his phone is 'baby daddy 🐀' the rat emoji is cuz he thinks Tim looks like a wet rat.

Here is the incredible scientific evidence I have written to support this.

Exhibit one, it'd be funny as fuck

Exhibit two, depending on how u headcannon Kon's kryptonian reproductive organs it could be a true or facetious statement

Exhibit three, this fic snippet I wrote.

...........

" well how about you Kon?"

Cassie scoffed " you're gonna ask him for relationship advice"

Conner, who'd been engrossed with eating his way meticulously through a box of YinYan, looked up and flipped off Cassie.

" We're Gucci, you know how it is with me and Tim, he's my baby daddy and all that"

From the couch came a large hacking cough as Tim half sprayed half swallowed zesti. Most of the spray landed on Bart who, distracted with their Mario kart game, forgot to move and gave an ungodly screech at the rain of corn syrup and carbonation.

" No the fuck I am not." Tim choked out between coughs. The kryptonians face warped into comical insult and shock. He twisted around to face his boyfriend faster then a speeding bullet.

" Timothy Jackson Drake, I let you hit it RAW!"

" EW!" Bart exclaimed, nearly swerving his kart off of rainbow road.

Tim's face went thru the five stages of grief( and horny) before landing back on an 'I just choked on my zesti' expression.

Kon narrowed his eyes at him " So you're my what?"

Tim sighed his shoulders rolling forward like he'd truly lost it all " I'm your baby daddy" he muttered.

" DOUBLE EW!" Bart gagged.

"It's not ew imp, it's feminism." Kon said and turned back to his conversation with the girls.

Cassie's face was red from trying not to die laughing, she was gripping the table with effort "this- this is why you don't ask Kon, Cissy"

Cissy, whose face was red from mortification, put her hands over her mouth in silent shock.

.........

I rest my case.

#this is a meme #for the memes be cool about it #ALL INSPIRED CUZ I SAW A VIDEO OF A GIRL ANSWERING A CALL WITH A STRANGER BY CALLING HIM BABY DADDY AND IT SENT #DC #TimKon #Tim Drake #Conner Kent #Superboy #Red Robin #Bart allen #cassie sandsmark #cissy jones #young justice #just to keep the weirdos away wanna clarify that they are 20 somethings in this post! #itd be funny as fuck tho fr

[radioactive-earthshine]

It really is amazing how little of Bart's actual history is known of by even well read comic enjoyers; because while Bart is in a lot of comics outside of his own - much of what makes him him and events that are important to his own placement in the world are not really touched on in other comics like Young Justice.

You can read Young Justice in its entirety and not a whole lot about Bart's core character beyond his surface level personality (and some have argued it is ooc) is revealed with exception to one special where Carol guest stars in, the Sins of Youth Special, and his conversation with Cissie concerning Max.

This of course is true for basically everyone when they are in team-up books, but I find the depth and range of knowledge of Bart (and Kon too) to be strikingly not well known among fans of Young Justice, even those that love Bart and it is easy to love him when he guest stars in other comics.

It just reminds me of the ever popular iceberg meme.

What inspired this is casual conversations with Young Justice comic fans and discussing Bart as a character where some pretty basic things were unknown of. "What is he anyway? Where does he live? Is he an orphan or what? Who is Max?"

It's a delight to open the door for fans that have not read his series and I always get a little joy when the shock settles in that Bart does in fact live in Alabama during the Young Justice days, and is also technically an orphan and in a foster care/legal guardianship situation.

#bart allen #young justice #young justice 1998 #impulse #flashfam #this is not intended to shame anyone but it's just a reminder that there is a lot of depth you are missing #it's the same for any character really #you just can't get to know them entirely from a teamup book when they have a solo #now there are some characters that unfortunately only appear in teamup books or as a guest #and that is another thing altogether

[laufire]

april reading meme!

BOOKS

We Will Devour The Night by Camilla Andrew. The version I read is available in the author's ko-fi (aninkwellofnectar), and the final version will come during fall of this year. I've talked about this saga before (The Essence of the Equinox), and I still recommend it to those of us who like complex characters (especially female characters), gothic horror, and lush prose. This is a sequel, and I like it even more than the first instalment. It gets deeper into the darkness of the world and it's an amazing read. The third and final part has started been posted on ko-fi as well, for anyone interested.

Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft. I wish I could make everyone read this book. It wouldn't fix everything, because it runs against a lot of people's deep-seated belief systems, but maybe it would make SOME of them start second-guessing those beliefs... Anyway. A MUST read in terms of abuse and intimate partner violence.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I read the book for the first time about 15 years ago, and only reread it now. I loved it even more than the first time. The atmosphere, the revenge tale, the love story between Catherine and Heathcliff, all the ways these families' lives affect the others, how you have to parse through Nelly's account of events... I still wish I could hit Lockwood in the head with a stick lol. Just once. Not even too hard! But hit him in the head, I would xD

COMICS

Batman: Huntress/Spoiler - Blunt Trauma. One of those "it could've been so good if it was good" comics. It would've had to NOT been written by Dixon, of course. His ideas about these two characters are palpable here. He's met real women and girls, I know this, but he's completely failed to take anything from these meetings into account to understand them as people. And boy, does it show in his writing.

Green Lantern: Willworld. I've had this comic in my list for aeons and I moved it up when I found out its author would be writing Jason's upcoming ADITF "what if" story starting July. I really liked this one, and how it showcased Hal's character. It's not a guarantee I'll like his Robin Lives run, because comic writers have biases and blind spots and huge gaps in their knowlege regarding certain characters, but "he seems to be a good writer" is already a huuuuge leg up compared to most modern Jason content lol.

JLA: World Without Grown-ups. This was interesting because I've watched the Young Justice (cartoon) version of this premise, which is VERY different, from the villains to their goals to the handling of the crisis (since the cartoon had an established teen team), down to the emotional beats (the Zataras). They're too different to be compared, tbh. This one was quite fun though, and it made me feel very fond of Bart. Also Tim's parasocial relationship with Jason's memorial made an appearance LOL.

Colin Wilke's appearances. I am MOURNING this kid. He has like 9 appearances (and a couple of them are barely a few pages) but each one is gold. Bring him back. Make HIM Damian's best friend. Integrate him in the storyline!! His character and his dynamic with Damian had so so much potential. I am definitely going to include him in my fics.

Batman: Li'l Gotham. (plus the two stories introducing it in Batman Annual #27 and 'Tec Annual #11). A couple of things conspired (including me finding out there's a version of Colin in this lol) and I ended up reading it while I was sick. It's mostly fun fluff (as opposed to just corny fluff) and a quick read without much meat in it, but a few things nudged the inspiration muscle and Dustin Nguyen's art is adorable.

Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime. I liked this one more than the above! It follows in that universe (a Gotham where everything is smaller and cuter lol), mixing it with some fairy tale vibes. Pinocchio!Damian is A Concept. Although my favourite story was "The Snow Queen", with Mister Freeze. The art goes into a whole other level in all of these, but especially that one.

Batman: The Chalice. Bruce Wayne receives the Holy Grail. I read this one in my list of Talia appearances and hers is the part that interested me: Ra's wants the Grail to make her immortal, like him, and Talia tells him that she has no desire to live forever. Her words are "Having lived my life in your company, the prospect of eernal life is not the attraction for me it might be for another." There are A LOT of things you can read into that sentence, and one of them, to me, is the idea that death to Talia would be an escape from Ra's, which is... interesting. Sidenote: this one was written by Dixon, who once in a while gets his wired crossed and is not wholly terrible with female characters xD

Ghost/Batgirl. I hadn't heard of Ghost before but I'm kinda curious after reading this mini run. I found a lot of the concepts it worked on (resurrection, mind control, etc.) quite interesting, although I ended up feeling the execution didn't delve too deeply into them. It's an story I might want to reread and pick apart at some point, though.

JLA: Tower of Babel. Yeah, THAT arc lol (also part of my Talia-reading). I also read JLA Secret Files and Origins #3 (in May, though), which shows Talia's whole thoughts on it as she steals the plans + some of the consequences the whole thing has for the other bats whose teammates no longer trust them (Dick, Tim, Barbara) + the wording of Bruce's contingency plans (which btw includes acceptance of lethal methods against Clark lol)... he certainly got off easy after this añsdlkfjasdf. Honestly, imo, the most selfish, cowardly thing he did was walking out before the JLA could tell him they'd voted him out. I know he and the comics probably won't frame it like that afterwards, but that's how it felt to me. The very least he could've done is face his teammates.

#reading meme #books #comics #dc comics #my thoughts #dc thoughts #id in alt text #captioned #the essence of the equinox #why does he do that #wuthering heights #batman: li'l gotham #colin wilkes #jla: tower of babel

[leggywillow]

Fic Writer Interview

I was tagged by @feralkwe

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

10 🙈

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

170,541

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

He Thought Her Unsinkable (50)

Never Free (41)

Failed Attempts at Simpler Lives (24)

Ashes (12)

Torture Of Your Own Design (10)

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I really can’t overstate how much I love and value every comment and how they make my day and really keep me going when I worry that no one’s interested, lol. I want the commenters to know that, even if sometimes all I can say is “thanks!” Because I can’t grab them by the shoulders and just shriek right in their face.

People engaging with my characters and ships and little situations is like… the point for me. It’s the DREAM, for real.

5. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Technically it’s the short Ashes, since that ends with Hawke dead and Anders and Justice gone. The one that makes me the saddest, though, is Strange Bedfellows. That fic spends more time getting to know the characters before destroying them.

6. What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Never Free ends the most hopefully, I feel.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Nah.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, which is the good part of focusing on niche content with OCs, lol. I may not rack up numbers but I also don’t get attention from the meanies.

9. Do you write smut?

Not really, but god I want to. I’ve put a grand total of like 2.3 smut-esque scenes in my stories, because I just chicken the hell out. I get SO self-conscious, and it just feels so bad lmao. No idea how to overcome this.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, and I can’t imagine anyone has. Another benefit of creating niche content.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I’m aware of. That would be pretty cool though.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but it’s something I’d be open to if the right circumstances came up. It seems pretty unlikely at this point in my fandom life, but you never know.

13. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I feel like the Simpsons’ “SAY THE LINE, BART!” meme right now because it’s obviously Carver Hawke/my Surana. You know, the only ship I ever write and talk about.

The only other ship I’ve been both feral and inspired enough to write about is Hawke/Alistair, so that ship gets second place.

Mind you, this is strictly from a “writing fanfic” perspective. I love lots of different ships, including multishipping for the above characters.

14. What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I don’t post many things so the only unfinished WIP (besides the one I’m currently working on) is my Hawkistair fic, He Thought Her Unsinkable, that I last updated in 2016. Two years ago I would have said it would stay unfinished forever, but now I DO have intentions of coming back to it. (I got thoroughly stuck with progressing both the plot and the ship and I’ve since thought up solutions for both.)

I’ll probably rewrite the whole thing though. There was a lot of room for improvement, and I cringe looking back.

15. What are your writing strengths?

This is hard for me because I’m so riddled with imposter syndrome and anxiety, but I think I do character dialogue well. I can hear voices very clearly in my head and it’s one of the few things my memory holds onto, so I fiddle with my lines until I can hear the character saying them in their cadence.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle with descriptions for sure. Knowing how much or little to include, yes, but I also find myself just blanking out on descriptive words when I need them.

Me, desperately, to my own brain: We’ve seen a house before! I need words to describe a house!

Brain: I have never seen one of those before in my life.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

This is something where I try to stay pretty firmly in my lane, because I know it can be done poorly if you don’t know what you’re doing. And I do not, lol. If a character is speaking in another language, I just say that. I try to keep my usage of other languages to exclamations and terms of endearment if they come up naturally.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I wrote Animorphs fanfic on an old typewriter at my dad’s office when I had to be there after school as a kid and then later on some little word processor software for kids that looked like you were typing in a little book. (I’ve been desperately trying to figure out what 1990s software this could have been to no avail, for nostalgia’s sake.) I made some kind of human/Hork-Bajir hybrid OC that was basically like Wolverine with the badass retracting blades in her skin.

19. What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

I only like writing fic when I have BIG AND SPECIFIC IDEAS that grab me, and that only comes with being incredibly hyperfixated on the source material until I’m comfortable with the setting… so basically I’m very content in my Dragon Age sandbox and don’t have much desire to branch out. That said, I do love my Dark Urge from Baldur’s Gate 3 and am very tempted to write about her someday.

20. What's your favorite fic you've written?

I think I’ll have to go with Never Free. Failed Attempts at Simpler Lives has more character interactions that I deeply enjoyed writing, but I’m really proud of the plot I wove together in Never Free.

Tagging @theluckywizard @rakshadow @inquisimer @nirikeehan and anybody who thinks it looks fun!

#leggy writes #memes

[lokiinmediasideblog]

What Norse myth books have you read already? I need new recs x

I don't think any of these are particularly new. Trying to make a list of all I've read. And granted, my attention span has gotten worse over the years.

The first book featuring the norse pantheon in any form I read was Neil Gaiman's "American Gods".

There's Diana Wynne Jones' "Eight Days of Luke" which served as inspiration for "American Gods", according to Neil Gaiman. Children's book.

There's also "Odd and the Frost Giants" by Neil Gaiman and his "Norse Mythology" retelling. Children's book.

I LOVED Louie Stowell's Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good, if you have children or trouble getting through books, get this! It's hilarious and smart. I enjoyed it as an adult. Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Norse mythology.

I enjoyed the first two books by Joanne Harris as a teen, "Runemarks" and "Runelight." The first two (esp. the first) are fun and I love the Bart Simpson-esque portrayal of Loki. Unfortunately, the quality of later books focusing on Loki is terrible.

I unfortunately read Joanne Harris' "The Testament of Loki", first chapter is interesting, but he's unwillingly sharing a body with an annoying teen girl, and the way Harris deals with eating disorders is really bad. It's awful. Don't recommend.

I think Lyra Wolf's The Nine Worlds rising series are an easy read. I think she has a great comedic voice and the books are worth reading just for that, and I like the toxic Odin/Loki relationship. I do have complaints about them, such as the anachronistic language (e.g. Loki knowing what a Chihuahua is), and that Sigyn doesn't have flaws other than caring too much for her no-good brother. She also has the women are either saints or evil witches dichotomy going on in terms of portrayals of goddesses. I think the stakes are good in these books so that you keep reading them.

I enjoyed Cat Rector's "The Goddess of Nothing at All" A LOT. While it doesn't have my ideal morally gray portrayal of Sigyn yet, it did make Sigyn more complex than others have. I also like this book mainly because I am a sadist and I love whump and there's a lot of suffering on it. It's so sad you won't be laughing at the myth!Loki memes. I would avoid this book if you don't like whump. I do have criticisms about it, such as her Loki was a bit too nice for my taste and could have been worse (making him justified for cutting Sif's hair feels forced; he can still be a loveable and tragic asshole, you know?). But my tragedy-loving self loves this!

I was looking forward to Genevieve Gornichec's "The Witch's Heart", it has a cute start of Loki giving Angrboda her burnt heart, but she criminally made Angrboda and Loki boring as fuck. Angrboda conveniently doesn't remember anything and just fumbles her way inside a cave for a large portion of the book. And she is the POV we're following. WE ARE STUCK IN A CAVE SHE WON'T LEAVE. Loki's portrayal in this is one of the most cisheteronormative I've seen yet, and it's surprising the author managed this in a story where Loki is impregnated by a horse and wears a dress (he impatiently yanks off because he felt emasculated). The author thinks having a lean build and no beard=queer. Loki only shows interest in women and feels emasculated while wearing a dress. I also happen to hate Skadi and her weird castration fetish in this book. Bitch wouldn't shut up about it. The good thing about this book is that there's no anachronisms, and I liked Hel's portrayal.

So confession, I had Kindle Unlimited trial briefly, and I read a bunch of Loki books, such as Lyra Wolf's.

I think(?) I read A.B. Frost's "Father of Monsters". It was quite short, but has nice illustrations, and Loki's endearing, even if a little shit. That both takes one for the team and also endangers the team.

I read (partially) some book about Loki escaping his punishment early and rejoining the Aesir, but it was criminally boring (it never described how Loki got out of situations and the prose was incredibly VAGUE) and seemed geared towards Norse pagans(Which I AM NOT). Had a spiritual conflict-avoiding vibe. It was called "Loki" but forgot the author's name and I accessed for free by Kindle Unlimited. I also didn't like that it referred to cops as "Tyr's warriors". FUCK COPS.

I have not finished reading Mike Vasich's "Loki". I think the man thinks MCU Loki is accurate to Norse mythology, because that's the only Loki I could picture (and he was adopted by Odin). And man spent way too long describing sensing "power levels" that I ended up getting bored and stopped reading. I've also seen some amusing excerpt from another of his books I have not read. But, if you're an author, don't spend a lot of time describing power levels, FFS! You'll bore the fuck out of your readers.

#norse mythology #loki #myth!loki #myth!sigyn #myth!angrboda #neil gaiman #mike vasich #louie stowell #cat rector #lyra wolf #a.b. frost #joanne harris #genevieve gornichec #LokiBookClub

[newstfionline]

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Jackson Hole: Fed policy collides with reality in the most unequal county in America (CNN) Central bank officials from across the world have descended upon Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week to discuss policy decisions that will shape the economy for years to come. But as they talk about inflation and the economy in the abstract, residents of the popular vacation destination are very much feeling the realities of their policies. That’s because Jackson Hole is the most economically unequal place in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The snow kissed peaks and verdant valleys of Jackson Hole aren’t just awe-inspiring. They’re also symbolic. Among the top 1% in Teton County (where Jackson Hole is located), the average annual income is a jaw-dropping $22.5 million. The median household income in Teton County in 2021, meanwhile, was about $94,000, according to the US Census Bureau. The annual August symposium of global financial leaders and economic elites wouldn’t happen without the servers, cooks, drivers and hotel and event staff who make it function—the same people feeling the hard impact of elevated inflation, high interest rates and a softening economy the most. “If you look at income, Jackson Hole is really a microcosm of the nation’s wealth inequalities laid out across these dramatic landscapes of the Mountain West,” said Kenan Fikri, director of research at The Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan policy organization. “It’s a ground zero for understanding how inflation affects the budgets of lower-earning households when they’re already financially stressed.”

Trump’s Mug Shot, a Presidential First, Is a Merch Bonanza (WSJ) First came the mug shot. Then came the merch. Within hours of Donald Trump surrendering himself to authorities in Fulton County, Ga., items plastered with the glowering former president in his signature suit and cherry-red tie were all over Etsy, eBay and the custom-design site Redbubble. Trump’s own campaign got in on the action: On Thursday evening, it sent out an email, soliciting $47 donations in exchange for a T-shirt printed with the mug shot above the phrase “Never Surrender.” His campaign’s online merchandise storefront now includes shirts, beverage coozies and a bumper sticker featuring the booking photo. The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr. was also peddling a $30 T-shirt and a $16 coffee mug printed with the mug shot, saying that proceeds from the sales would go to his father’s legal defense fund. Etsy makers began listing T-shirts that said “Legend” and “NOT GUILTY” beneath Trump’s image. In near-record time, Trump’s mug shot has joined Che Guevara’s bereted visage, sneering Bart Simpson and the goofy Minions as a wearable meme—the sort of image that will be found in souvenir shops and thrift-store racks for years to come.

Ecuador election: As run-off looms, voters crave genuine change (Al Jazeera) From her small convenience store in northern Quito, Tanya Vazquez is consumed by fear. Her modest shop has been robbed three times in the last few years, she said; in one case, the perpetrator fired a gun towards her husband, although the bullet missed. One of their sons was also robbed and assaulted in the street. “I am very afraid, with all the crime that’s happening,” Vazquez told Al Jazeera from behind the shop counter in the Ecuadorian capital. “I just hope that whoever the new president is can at least give us some security and stability.” Indeed, as Ecuador grapples with rising crime and political violence, many in the country are craving change. Snap elections last Sunday were overshadowed by this month’s assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, a prominent anticorruption candidate. The election will head to a run-off on October 15. These elections represent a pivotal moment for the small Andean nation, but it remains an open question as to whether either candidate can deliver the change voters crave.

A miracle:’ Virginia man meets Chilean family 42 years after he was stolen as newborn (USA Today) It has been 42 years since María Angélica González saw her son. He was a newborn. A nurse told González he needed to be put in an incubator because he was premature. Not long after, she returned with devastating news: The baby was dead. For 42 years, that’s what González believed. For 42 years, it has been a lie. Gonzalez’s son, Jimmy Lippert Thyden, was stolen from González, adopted out to unwitting parents in the United States and raised in Arlington, Virginia. For 42 years, Thyden believed he had no living relatives in Chile, where he was born. Then one day in April, Thyden read a USA TODAY story about a California man who had learned he was stolen from his mother in Chile and illegally adopted out to an American couple. It got Thyden thinking: Could the same thing have happened to him? Within weeks, Thyden learned the truth. And last week, González finally got to hug her son. “It’s a miracle from God,” González, 69, told USA TODAY during a video chat in Spanish as she sat with Thyden on Saturday. “When I learned that he was alive, I couldn’t believe it.”

Legal Troubles for Sarkozy (Foreign Policy) It’s been an eventful week for former world leaders facing legal problems. On Friday, magistrates in Paris ordered former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial on charges that his 2007 election campaign received a $54 million illegal contribution from former Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi’s government. The one-term president has denied wrongdoing alongside 12 other co-defendants, including three of his former cabinet ministers. He will be tried in 2025. This is far from Sarkozy’s first indictment rodeo. The 68-year-old leader has been convicted twice for corruption and influence-peddling. In May, he lost his first appeal for a 2021 accusation alleging he tried to bribe a judge. His three-year prison term was brought down to just one trip around the sun, which Sarkozy can fulfill under house arrest. He still faces a second probe into allegations that he received a payment of $3.2 million by Russian insurance firm Reso-Garantia in 2019 while he was working as a consultant.

Nerve agents, poison and window falls. Over the years, Kremlin foes have been attacked or killed (AP) The attacks range from the exotic—poisoned by drinking polonium-laced tea or touching a deadly nerve agent—to the more mundane of getting shot at close range. Some take a fatal plunge from an open window. Over the years, Kremlin political critics, turncoat spies and investigative journalists have been killed or assaulted in a variety of ways. None, however, has been known to perish in an air accident. But on Wednesday, a private plane carrying a mercenary chief who staged a brief rebellion in Russia plummeted into a field from tens of thousands of feet after breaking apart. Assassination attempts against foes of President Vladimir Putin have been common during his nearly quarter century in power. Those close to the victims and the few survivors have blamed Russian authorities, but the Kremlin has routinely denied involvement—as it did on Friday by saying it was “a complete lie” it had anything to do with the jet crash. There also have been reports of prominent Russian executives dying under mysterious circumstances, including falling from windows, although whether they were deliberate killings or suicides is sometimes difficult to determine.

UNICEF says a year on from Pakistan’s catastrophic floods, millions of children still need support (AP) The United Nations children’s agency on Friday warned that a year on from Pakistan’s devastating floods, an estimated 4 million children continue to need humanitarian assistance and access to essential services as a shortage of funds remains a hurdle in recovery. The warning from UNICEF comes as authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province are racing against time to evacuate people from areas affected by the overflowing River Sutlej. Since Aug. 1, rescuers have evacuated over 100,000 people from marooned areas in the districts of Kasur and Bahawalpur. More than six months ago, dozens of countries and international institutions at a U.N.-backed conference in Geneva pledged more than $9 billion to help Pakistan recover and rebuild from last summer’s floods. But most of the pledges were in the form of loans for projects, which are still in the planning stages.

A Crisis of Confidence Is Gripping China’s Economy (NYT) Earlier this year, David Yang was brimming with confidence about the prospects for his perfume factory in eastern China. After nearly three years of paralyzing Covid lockdowns, China had lifted its restrictions in late 2022. The economy seemed destined to roar back to life. Mr. Yang and his two business partners invested more than $60,000 in March to expand production capacity at the factory, expecting a wave of growth. But the new business never materialized. In fact, it’s worse. People are not spending, he said, and orders are one-third of what they were five years ago. “It is disheartening,” Mr. Yang said. “The economy is really going downhill right now.” For much of the past four decades, China’s economy seemed like an unstoppable force, the engine behind the country’s rise to a global superpower. But the economy is now plagued by a series of crises. A real estate crisis born from years of overbuilding and excessive borrowing is running alongside a larger debt crisis, while young people are struggling with record joblessness. And amid the drip feed of bad economic news, a new crisis is emerging: a crisis of confidence. A growing lack of faith in the future of the Chinese economy is verging on despair. Consumers are holding back on spending. Businesses are reluctant to invest and create jobs. And would-be entrepreneurs are not starting new businesses. “Low confidence is a major issue in the Chinese economy now,” said Larry Hu, chief China economist for Macquarie Group, an Australian financial services firm.

Syria’s south rocked by protests amid anger over fuel hikes (Washington Post) Protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad have spread across southern Syria in the days following a government decision to slash fuel subsidies, amid growing desperation as hyperinflation sends prices soaring. As the relatively rare protests gained force under a government that has applied brutal tactics to keep its population in line through more than a decade of civil war, young activists crept through the streets of the southern city of Sweida at night, affixing makeshift fliers to shuttered storefronts, encouraging civil unrest. The protests began Aug. 20 at a central roundabout, with a chant of “Syria wants freedom.” A demonstrator spray-painted a message on the roundabout’s edge, giving the gathering point a new name: “Dignity Square.” The demonstrations have since spread, as have photos and videos of them, some evoking the protests that filled the country’s streets in 2011 as hopeful masses demanded the ouster of Assad. Years of conflict were to follow.

Power returns to most of Kenya after a 14-hour outage (AP) Electricity was being restored in most parts of Kenya on Saturday, 14 hours after the longest outage in recent memory, the majority government-owned power distributor said. There was still no clear explanation for the outage that hit on Friday night, shutting down the country’s main international airport, affecting major hospitals and even the president’s office compound. The outage came just weeks before Kenya’s government hosts the first Africa Climate Summit, where energy will be key on the agenda. Kenya gets almost all its energy from renewable sources, but infrastructure and alleged mismanagement remain an issue in the country of more than 50 million people.

#headlines #news

[teatitty]

hi this is the anon who was inspired by your bart x mori meme post. may i just say this is the most fun i had writing a ship in forever, thank you so much! i could not have written it w/o your meme. would it be ok to credit you?

You're welcome for the ship and I'm happy to see you having fun with it! And yeah sure if you wanna I don't mind

#Anonymous #asks

[calaisreno]

For thw writing meme, how about 2, 4, 7 for Synchronicity? Love that one!

@thetimemoves edited their question: I meant 11, not 7!

Thank you for the ask! This was a fun story to write 💕

2: What scene did you first put down?

My prompt was: What if John and Sherlock already knew each other that day at Barts when Mike Stamford introduced them?

I wrote the meeting at Barts (which I stuck with), but hadn't originally planned on enemies to friends to lovers. I was thinking that they'd been boyfriends and had broken up over some misunderstanding (e.g. Sherlock thinking nobody can love him, breaking up with John "for his own good." But the idea didn't interest me enough to write it when I wrote the first scene.

A year later I had a brainstorm: What if they already hated each other when Mike introduced them?

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

My favorite scene to write was Chapter 3, where John gets so drunk he doesn't even realise Sherlock is seeing him home and thinks he's hallucinating the entire conversation. My favorite line is when John asks Sherlock if he's poisoned him, and Sherlock replies:

“No, you did that. Your liver is not happy about it, either. It takes no leave of you. It sends no compliments to your mother, or father, or brother. You do not deserve such attentions. It is most seriously displeased.” (This is actually a paraphrase of what Lady Catherine DeBourgh says to Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.)

And in that same scene when John asks him why he's talking so much and Sherlock replies:

“Well, you’re not doing so well holding up your side of the conversation. I’ve remarked on vomiting, and mentioned the deplorable dwelling we are now attempting to ascend. You might say something about the carpet, since you were down there on the last landing. That’s having a conversation, Watson. Give and take. I talk, you talk. Though I suspect you were raised by wolves and have no concept of such things. Your manners are tragic. Do make an attempt, though. It’s only civil.” (I guess you can tell that P&P is one of my favorite stories; this was inspired by Elizabeth Bennett's instructions to Mr Darcy on how to have a conversation while dancing.)

There were a lot of Sherlock lines in this story that I cackled over as I wrote them, but this scene in particular.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

Sherlock's character. He's more talkative than most Sherlocks I've written, and funnier. He's desperately trying to get John to like him but hasn't a clue how to do it. His humorous snark turns out to be a survival skill, cultivated at school to keep the popular boys from bullying him.

This Sherlock forced me to write a more assertive, less pathetic John than originally planned, which turned out well, too. John has a lot of biases and is not easily won, and doesn't actually realise when he has fallen for Sherlock. His character grows a lot in the story, from self-loathing to self-confidence.

What worked was these two characters: they are close enough to canon to be believable and feel familiar, but different enough to feel fresh and interesting. I enjoyed writing their dynamic.

#my fics #synchronicity #writer asks #thank you for asking!

[chaosmultiverse]

Spooky Pinned Recap: ETC Muses, RP Memes & Universal AUs

(This is not a starter call, go to the post in the source for that, any replies for starters here will be ignored.)

Okay so since my pinned starter call is very long here is a recap for what's in the title under the cut.

Muses:

Anthy Himemiya (Test & request only)

Clavis

Paper Star

The Shancter

Stargazer (oc)

Verses/AUs:

Plotted 'bad end friend' type aus, depending on the muse they have ended up in a befiting bad fate villainous/victim role. Pre-existing example is my vr-Bart verse where he still thinks he is in a game and doesn't value life due to that.

Vampire aus, depending on the fandom I might have more fleshed out such as for Horror muses or twists to the formual like dc vs vampires inspired for dc vamp verses.

Ghost aus for my canonly dead muses.

Demon au, one muse is a human/witch or whatever, the other a demon. I will say depending on the muse or fandom things might be different, I'll probably end up with multiple demon aus for different fandoms at least.

Selectively post-Zombie aus, I will default to modern day settings unless told otherwise and I will use a Walking dead setup minus the walker name, zombie media would still have existed. I might be low muse or drop these as zombies are a horror I am sensitive to.

Spooky MEMES

Here are some spooky memes to send to any of my muses if you want a ice breaker. Please copy thr whole meme, especially for emojis otherwise I will likely get mixed up with other rp memes:

horror themed sentence starters.

SPOOKY AUTUMN PROMPTS

THINGS TO DO IN AUTUMN: STARTERS

Find My Muse Covered In Blood!

Find Out How My Muse Would Kill Yours

Victorian Horror symbol starters

for the ghosty muses … sentence starters

#ChaosHalloween2023 #OOC ☆The Void Calls☆ ☆ETC Call☆

[bar-torr]

this is their dynamic

#dylan talks #my art #dc #wally west #(yes ik thats his rebirth costume i like it better) #bart allen #max mercury #flashfam #inspired by that one jjk comic #cant find the post but will link it if i do #bart n wally r doing the same post bc its like that spiderverse meme

[unknownunseenunheard]

Tim: Am I the only straight one around here?

Cassie:

Bart:

Tim: ... What?

Cassie: Tim

Bart: We’ve seen the way you look at Kon

Cassie and Bart: There is no way you’re straight

#dc comics #my memes #tim drake #timkon #kontim #superobin #conner kent #kon el #superboy #robin #cassie sandsmark #bart allen #wonder girl #impulse #inspired bu that one scene in young avengers #you know the one ;p

[granddjinni]

"I just made Nathaniel a 'get better soon' card. He's not sick. I just think he could get better."

#Inspired by the meme #I just thought it was something Bart could do #Because he's an ass #the bartimaeus sequence #bartseq #the bartimaeus trilogy #bartimaeus sequence #Bartimaeus trilogy #Bart speaks #Ic #In character

[thesoberbitch]

When you’re in detox

#simpsons #bart simpson #recovery meme #recovery inspiration #gif #funny gif #sober gif #rehab life #sober life #lol #new gif #memes #inspirational quotes #good luck #im dying #detox #therapy #therapist #aa #hey cool im dead

[cheetahleopard]

38. “You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

@silver-snow-writes requested 38 for the prompt meme I’m doing jaytimkon (& variations) of on discord

Soul meetings are supposed to be wonderful, awe-inspiring. A gentle tug and a rush of rightness.

Jason’s soul was torn up and haphazardly pieced back together with patches of green where the edges didn’t quite line up. Nothing about his soul meeting with Tim was gentle.

And he still was unprepared for Kon. Tim promised he’d talk to their third before they met, but Tim’s passed out in the medbay and Bart’s space shuttle just landed and Jason can already feel his soul pulling against green stitches, reaching-

“You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

The first thing Jason notices when he comes to is the amused awe in Kon’s voice. The second is warm, strong arms holding him in a bridal carry. Then he processes what Kon said.

“So long ‘s I‌’ve got your attention,” he licks his lips, works his suddenly dry throat, “it’s worth it.”

#jaytimkon #soulmates #prompt meme #ask meme #my writing

[flashfuture]

I read the Hal Jordan traits post and really enjoyed it. Can we have one for Barry Allen?

Yes absolutely I’m so glad you asked.

Firstly Barry Allen is nice

Bart has an excellent quote “he might be quiet or distant or awkward but he’s never mean”

I think Ollie is really the only person who never really got along with Barry yet they still call each other friend so their main beef was over politics and Hal lol.

But everyone else loves Barry. Bruce and Barry are very good friends. As well as Barry and Clark get along quite well. Arthur is friends with Barry and Dinah is very good friends as well. When Barry died it was devastating because he was a beacon of light of hope

Barry is the type of guy who helps you carry your groceries and you can always crash on his couch.

He’s endlessly patient and forgiving. He believes there is good inside each and every person.

He genuinely believes everyone deserves a chance to be better.

Barry never gives up on anyone ever. His dad wanted him to but it’s just not in Barry’s nature.

Barry is devoted to Justice. He’s devoted to helping people and keeping people safe. He wants people to feel safe which is why he’s always smiling.

Barry is very genuine he doesn’t have a lot to hide. He’s a very disciplined person as well he’s not overly emotional. He is actually a pretty shy person yet we generally only see him with family because he’s a family man.

Barry can get lost in thought he’s gotta analyze everything. Have an explanation for everything, an answer to every question. As opposed to Wally who is more willing to take things on faith.

Barry has Iris, Hal, and Wally to be his lightning rods. They help keep him grounded. Because Barry can have his angry moments but their usually covering grief.

Barry is very loving in his actions. He helped raise Wally and trained him to be a hero. But he always believed his nephew would surpass him.

Barry’s childhood sweetheart Daphne Dean used to show up a lot and he was always willing to help her out she was down to help him with schemes too.

There was a family friend who passed away and Barry and Iris took in his daughter Stacy while she went to college. They loved her like their own and were more than happy to open their home.

Barry also kept an eye on his neighbors son who they neglected quite a bit. Barry made sure the boy was okay and happy and encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Flashpoint nonsense aside Barry’s thing is always about moving forward and living in the present while eagerly awaiting the future.

Barry is a big inspiration to a lot of other heroes but he himself pushes against hero worship and says that being a hero isn’t about living up to anyone but about protecting the people.

Another thing that’s fun and a lot of people miss is that Barry Allen is incapable of turning down a dare. Iris and Hal both know it and use it fully to their advantage.

Barry is a dork and he drops random Flash Facts into conversations to the point it’s basically a meme in universe.

As a kid Barry wore his bow ties and it never stops. Even if Hal teases him over it.

Barry can also take charge very quickly. He’s a strong leader who led the Justice League and during the Blackest Night event was basically calling the shots.

He’d never cause a fight over being in charge however because he doesn’t care about the position just about getting things done quickly and efficiently.

Barry is the bright shiny Silver Age Knight and I’ve told some peeps before no one embodies the Silver Age like Barry Allen does.

I hope this is a good break down of Barry. Anyone else who knows him well feel free to hop in.

#dc comics #ask #Barry Allen #Flash