#August 9 1991

[matchingbatbites]

2112 Days | Ao3 link

tw: memory loss

When Steve wakes up in the morning, he doesn't know where he is. The last thing he remembers from the night before is the party all piled up in his living room, everyone too anxious to sleep, and now he's in a bedroom that he has absolutely no memory of.

He looks around the unfamiliar room, tries to get a sense of what the fuck is going on, and on the nightstand next to him, he finds a tape recorder sitting on top of a photo album. On the tape recorder is a sticky note, with the words 'play me' written across the yellow paper in scratchy handwriting.

Steve is so confused and frustrated, he doesn't have time for this, they have a plan to carry out. But something deep inside him keeps him in place. Tells him to play it. He picks up the device and sees another note on the album, this one reading 'open me', and he presses play on the tape recorder before grabbing the book. 

There's a little bit of sound fuzz before a voice says "Good morning, Stevie!" and Steve blinks, because that's Eddie's voice. 

"Today is Saturday, August 29th, 1992, and it's been 5 years, 9 months, and 12 days since we killed Vecna and closed the gates permanently." 

Steve's hand jerks out and stops the tape, his breathing picks up because what the fuck? That can't be right, they're supposed to fight Vecna today. That's why they all stayed at Steve's house. One more sleepover, one more chance to be there for each other before they have to split up, before they have to finish the job.

He takes a moment to just breathe, lets the words sink in as he opens the photo album. It takes him a second to realize it, but the first picture is of himself, in a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around his head and a tube down his throat. He looks bad, and he doesn't remember a single second of it. 

There's more of that scratchy writing just below it. ‘November 20, 1986. Taken by one of Owen’s guys.’ The next page has a doctor's report, and Steve sees the words 'brain injury' and 'short term memory loss' before he continues. 

He flips through the album, sees more pictures of himself that he doesn't remember being taken. Each one has a date next to it, and some have a little description to give him context. There are photos of him with the party, with Robin and Eddie and Nancy, and there are news articles scattered amongst them, important things he should remember, that make his head hurt when he tries too hard to do so.

There are pictures of Nancy and Robin's graduation from college, Wayne's wedding to some woman named Cynthia, the grand opening of Jonathan and Argyle's pizza shop.

A photo of him and Eddie, wearing tacky sweaters and kissing under mistletoe, with the description '1987, Our first Christmas together', and oh, that's something that sends tingles up his spine. He'd had more than a crush on Eddie before their second run in with Vecna, but he hadn't had the courage to do anything about it before they ran head first into danger, again.

Are he and Eddie together now? Like, together together? 

The answer seems to be yes, because the next few pages are just more photos of him and Eddie, most taken by Eddie himself, his arm stretching out to capture the moment. Pictures of their first apartment, multiple anniversaries, the day they got their cat (Lucy is written next to this one in Steve’s handwriting, along with a little heart).

And then a photo that makes Steve's heart stop. It's them again, standing on a beach, hand in hand as they face each other. They're both barefoot, wearing slacks and nice shirts, Eddie's a deep, wine red, and Steve's a soft baby blue, and the love on their faces is blinding.

The description says 'June 15, 1991, Our wedding. Not legal, but very, very real.'

And Steve looks at his hand, for the first time sees the gold ring on his finger, like it's perfectly happy at home there, and he thinks he might start crying.

On the bottom of the page is his own handwriting, a small addition that just says 'play the tape.' Steve glances over, presses play again with a shaky hand, and Eddie's voice starts up once more.

"You got pretty banged up during the fight, and your many knocks to the head finally caught up with you. You have some extensive brain trauma, and your short term memory is basically non-existent.

"It's okay, though. You're not alone, you've got tons of people that care about you, baby. The Upside Down stuff is all over, there haven't been any blips on the radar or anything. The kids are all okay - scattered to the wind, but okay.

"Robin's in town today, we're meeting her for lunch at noon, but you've got plenty of time before then. Finish looking through the album, and as soon as you're ready, come find me in the house. Just follow the sound of music, baby. I love you."

The tape ends, and Steve takes a minute to process. He flips through the rest of the album, pictures dated all the way up to a month ago, when he and Eddie had apparently visited Nancy in New York.

It hits him that this is real, this is his reality. He looks at the tape recorder, thinks that this must be an everyday thing for Eddie, and he's suddenly overcome with emotion for the other man.

He climbs out of bed and grabs the tape recorder before he heads out of the room, hears music coming from somewhere, and follows it to a kitchen. 

And there's Eddie, with his hair pulled up into a messy bun, wearing sweatpants and humming along to the tape that's playing on a nearby stereo. There are more tattoos inked into his skin, more piercings in his ears, and Steve can see that yeah, he has aged a little. 

"Eddie?" he says softly, and the older man turns to look at him with a bright smile. 

"Morning, Stevie. How are you feeling today?"

Overwhelmed, Steve thinks, but he swallows hard and holds up the tape recorder. "Do you record these for me every day?" 

Eddie's smile softens at the question and he motions Steve closer. "You ask me that too often, like you just can't believe I'd do something like that for you."

Steve goes over to him, sets the device on the counter as one of Eddie's hands settles on Steve's waist, the other moving up to cup his cheek. "I can't believe it, it's so-" Kind? Selfless? 

Steve doesn't have the proper word to describe it, and it only adds to that overwhelmed feeling. Eddie's thumb strokes over his cheekbone and he hums softly.

"It's worth it for you, sweetheart. After all the shit we’ve been though, that you’ve been through, you deserve a normal life, and I swore do everything in my fucking power to make sure that happens."

And Steve is definitely crying now. The fact that Eddie has been doing this for almost six years, that he's stayed by Steve through it and hasn't given up on him? The effort he’s put into helping Steve feel somewhat normal? It's too much for Steve to comprehend, and Eddie pulls him into a tight hug, mutters softly softly into his ear as he starts to sob.

"I know, baby. It's okay." 

They stay like that for a while, until Steve's tears slow, then stop, and he's able to breathe normally again. "Sorry," he mutters and scrubs a hand over his face, and Eddie shakes his head. 

"Don't apologize, Steve. This happens sometimes, and it's perfectly okay. It's a lot to process all at once, and we just take it a day at a time, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay," Steve says, and takes another deep breath. He thinks back to the album, to the photos of him and Eddie, and he knows exactly what he wants in this moment. "Will you kiss me, please?" 

And Eddie smiles, says "Of course, honey." 

It feels right when Eddie kisses him, and it's weird, because he doesn't remember ever kissing Eddie before now, but it's like his body does, like it knows all of the steps to this dance that his brain can't remember. 

They stay in the kitchen for a while just kissing and talking, Eddie answering all of Steve's questions with such patience, until it's time to go meet Robin.

-

Later that night, just as Steve is dozing off, he feels Eddie pull away before getting out of the bed. 

"Where 're you goin'?" he mutters, and Eddie cards a hand through his hair. 

"Gotta go record your tape for tomorrow. Just go back to sleep, baby." 

Steve hums his disapproval and hears Eddie chuckle, before a kiss is pressed to his forehead. "I'll see you in the morning, gorgeous."

-

When Steve wakes up in the morning, he doesn't know where he is.

[litafan4ever]

Happy 33rd Birthday Alexa Bliss (August 9, 1991)

[pridequest64]

Klarion The Witch Boy Reading Order

This is, based of my research the complete reading list in release order for all Klarion Comics as of September 24th 2024. Release dates were used when available but compromises were made with cover date when necessary. If you see anything that is wrong or needs new additions feel free to let me know!

(Comic Vine was a massive help with this project)

1. The Demon 7- March 1973

2. The Demon 14- November 1st 1973

3. The Demon 15- December 1st 1973

4. Wonder Woman 280- June 1981

5. Wonder Woman 281- March 5th 1981

6. Wonder Woman 282- August 1981

7. The Demon 3- September 1990

8. The Demon 4- October 1990

9. The Demon 5- November 1990

10. The Demon 7- Janurary 1991

11. The Demon 8- February 1991

12. The Demon 9- March 1991

13. Books Of Magic 4- March 1991

14. The Demon 10- April 1991

15. The Demon 11- May 1991

16. The Demon 12- June 1991

17. The Demon 13- July 1991

18. The Demon 14 August 1991

19. The Demon 15- September 1991

20. War of the Gods 1- September 1st 1991

21. The Demon 17- November 1991

22. Conjurors 1- April 1999

23. Conjurors 2- May 1999

24. Conjurors 3- June 1999

25. Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin- April 2000

26. Sins of Youth Secret Files- May 2000

27. Sins of Youth: The Secret/ Deadboy- May 2000

28. Sins of Youth: Aquaboy/Lagoon Man- May 2000

29. Young Justice: Sins of Youth 1- May 2000

30. Young Justice: Sins of Youth 2- May 2000

31. Young Justice 22- August 1st 2000

32. Seven Soldiers: Klarion 1- June 1st 2005

33. Seven Soldiers Klarion 2 August 1st 2005

34. Seven Soldiers Klarion 3- October 1st 2005

35. Seven Soldiers Klarion 4- December 1st 2005

36. Infinite Crisis 6- April 5th 2006

37. Infinite Crisis 7- May 3rd 2006

38. Robin 157- February 1st 2007

39. Robin 158- March 1st 2007

40. Countdown 34- September 5th 2007

41. Countdown 33- September 12th 2007

42. Countdown 32- September 19th 2007

43. Countdown 31- September 26th 2007

44. Countdown 30- October 3rd 2007

45. Justice League Of America 46- June 30th 2010

46. Justice League of America 47- July 28th 2010

47. DCU Halloween Special 2010- October 20th 2010

48. Batgirl 18- February 9th 2011

49. Superman/Batman 82- March 23rd 2011

50. Superman/Batman 83- April 20th 2011

51. Superman/Batman 84- May 18th 2011

52. The All New Batman: The Brave and the Bold 12- October 12th 2011

53. Batman: Li’l Gotham -8- September 8th 2013

54. Justice League Beyond 2.0 11- January 11th 2014

55. Batman Beyond Universe 6- January 22 2014

56. Justice League Beyond 2.0 12- January 25th 2014

57. Batman Beyond Universe 7- February 19th 2014

58. Justice League Beyond 2.0 13- February 8th 2014

59. Batman Beyond Universe 8- March 19th 2014

60. The Multiversity: The Society of super heroes: The conquerors of the counter world- September 17th 2014

61. Teen Titans: Futures End- September 17th 2014

62. Klarion 1- October 8th 2014

63. Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three 2- October 22nd 2014

64. The Multiversity: The Just- October 22nd 2014

65. Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three 3- November 5th 2014

66. Klarion 2- November 12th 2014

67. Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three 4- November 19th 2014

68. Klarion 3- December 10th 2014

69. Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three 6- December 24th 2014

70. Klarion 3- Janurary 14th 2015

71. The Multiversity Guidebook- January 28th 2015

72. Injustice: Gods Among Us Year three 9- February 11th 2015

73. Klarion 5- February 11th 2015

74. Klarion 6- March 11th 2015

75. Teen Titsns Annual 1- April 1st 2015

76. Multiversity 2- April 29th 2015

77. Teen Titans 9- June 24th 2015

78. Teen Titans 10- July 22nd 2015

79. Teen Titans 11- August 26th 2015

80. Secret Six 7- October 21st 2015

81. Teen Titans 13- November 11th 2015

82. Secret Six 8- November 18th 2015

83. Secret Six 10- January 20th 2016

84. Gotham Academy 17- April 13th 2016

85. Scooby-Doo Team-Up 19- October 26th 2016

86. Justice League 33 November 15th 2017

87. Justice League Dark 1- July 25th 2018

88. Sideways 7- August 8th 2018

89. Justice League Dark 2- August 22nd 2018

90. Catwoman/Tweety and Sylvester- August 29th 2018

91. Sideways 8- September 12th 2018

92. Raven: Daughter of Darkness 8- September 26th 2018

93. Raven: Daughter of Darkness 9- October 24th 2018

94. Sideways Annual- November 7th 2018

95. Suicide Squad Black Files 1- November 7th 2018

96. Raven: Daughter of Darkness 10- November 28th 2018

97. Sideways 10- November 21st 2018

98. Suicide Squad Black Files 2- December 5th 2018

99. Raven: Daughter of Darkness 11- January 2nd 2019

100. Suicide Squad Black Files- January 9th 2019

101. Raven: Daughter of Darkness 12- January 30th 2019

102. Suicide Squad Black Files 4- February 6th 2019

103. Justice League Dark 8- February 13th 2019

104. Suicide Squad Black Files 5- March 6th 2019

105. Justice League Dark 9- March 13th 2019

106. Suicide Squad Black Files 6- April 3rd 2019

107. Justice League Dark 10- April 24th 2019

108. DC’s Year of the Villain Special- May 1st 2019

109. Justice League Dark 11- May 22nd 2019

110. Justice League 26- June 19th 2019

111. Justice League Dark 14- August 28th 2019

112. Justice League 30- August 28th 2019

113. Justice League Dark 15- September 25th 2019

114. Justice League Dark 16- October 23rd 2019

115. Justice League Dark 17- November 27th 2019

116. Harley Quinn’s Villian of the year- December 11th 2019

117. Flash Forward 4- December 18th 2019

118. Justice League Dark 18- January 1st 2020

119. Justice League Dark 19-January 29th 2020

120. Zatana and the House of Secrets- February 2020

121. Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen 3- February 26th 2020

122. Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen 4- March 18th 2020

123. DC The Doomed and The Damned- October 13th 2020

124. DC’sVery Merry Multiverse- December 8th 2020

125. Wonder Woman Black & Gold 6- November 23rd 2021

126. Justice League Incarnate 2- December 21st 2021

127. DC VS Vampires 8- August 02 2022

128. The Flash 786- September 20th 2022

129. Batman VS Robin 2- October 11th 2022

130. Catwoman: Lonely City 4- October 25th 2022

131. Batman VS Robin 3- December 20th 2022

132. Lazarus Planet: Alpha- January 10 2023

133. Lazarus Planet: Omega- February 21st 2023

134. Superboy The Man Of Tomorrow 4- July 11th 2023

135. Speed Force 5- March 12th 2024

136. Outsiders 5- March 12th 2024

[realityrain]

shiftblr intro to me?!

she/her

1️⃣6️⃣!!

call me rain or lucid (other blog problucid , probablylucid = tt)

from : 🇺🇸

about my DRs!!

~like merging/mashing

~label all my DRs with angel numbers ^^

~no scripted face claims / s/o

~like having non-specific timelines

~have multiple pinterest section claims

main drs(4):

666 destined reality!!

basic info:

15 y/o, born june 6th 2006, gemini, live in gotham/nyc (merged) , go to gotham central high school, two sisters one brother,ENTP,

likes:

night time,cold things, wind, animals/plants, spicy food, fuzzy socks,cameras/ photography, space/ exploring

about the DR:

mains ; marvel, DC, etc. ,,

sides (?) ; men in black, starwars,, etc. ,,

888 destined reality !!

basic info:

19 y/o, born august 8th 1988, live all around (travel) , a federal agent from GISA (global intelligence service agency) + a liaison that moves around throughout other offices and agencies, fake identity(?), currently live in brooklyn.

likes:

books, vintage items, black clothes, stacked rings, messy hair, winter, fruits

about the DR:

mains: NCIS, brooklyn 99

side: criminal minds, 9-1–1 , bones, etc.

111 destined reality !!

basic info:

16 y/o, born january 1st 1991, god parents (?) , grew up around the world (s), capricorn, ravenclaw, 5th year, INTP

likes:

space, nighttime, astronomy, animals, keychains/ accessories, patterned tights, sour/ hot food, rain, fall

about the DR:

mains: hogwarts, monster high

side: owl house, lord of rings, adventure time, etc. (i ??)

thats pretty much it!!! i have about 10 DRs total but i like to focus on my mains,, any i hope you liked my intro and happy shifting!!

[coimbrabertone]

NASCAR Numerology: How NASCAR's Current Teams Got Their Numbers: Part Three.

Alright guys, we've done Trackhouse, Penske, Wood Brothers, RCR, and SHR, now we're gonna cover the numbers for Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, and Spire Motorsports. That's a grand total of nine cars to cover and some very historic numbers, so let's get on with the origins, the meaning, and some of the notable events in the history of some of the most significant numbers in modern day NASCAR.

We start with Hendrick Motorsports, which is a bit of a mess for two reasons:

The first is that Hendrick has like three different numbering schemes simultaneously: One built around the #5, one built around the #24, and a handful of car numbers that don't fit into either scheme.

The other is that Hendrick Motorsports has recently restructured, to the point where...the #5 is the #48, the #48 is the #88, the #9 is the #24, and the #24 is the #5.

Confused yet? Don't worry, I'll explain it all.

The Hendrick Motorsports story begins in 1984 with the All-Star Racing #5 of Geoff Bodine. This team initially had high aspirations, trying to sign the likes of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Tim Richmond, but after sponsorship and co-ownership deals fell through, Rick Hendrick was left holding the bag alone, he and Geoff Bodine would need to make do with each other.

Well...they won Martinsville, Nashville Fairgrounds, and the season finale at Riverside.

This was enough to keep the #5 team alive, and for 1985, they returned, now properly under the Hendrick Motorsports banner. The #5 didn't win in 1985, but improved results throughout the season moved them up from 9th in the standings to 5th.

This was enough to finally win over Tim Richmond, who came over to start a second team with Folgers sponsorship - this was the #25, and Rick Hendrick's dad, Papa Joe, co-owning this entry.

Tim Richmond took seven wins in 1985 and finished 3rd in the standings, but unknown to everyone else...he was suffering from AIDS all this time. This would keep him out of the car for most of 1987 - with Benny Parsons running a Folgers #35 car in his place - but he would return midseason and immediately win two in a row at Pocono and Riverside.

Unfortunately, Richmond's return would only last eight races. Tim Richmond would attempt to return to NASCAR for 1988, but the medications he was taking to manage his illness conflicted with NASCAR's drug testing policy. Richmond would die from AIDS complications in August 1989.

Hendrick Motorsports at this point ran three numbers built around the #5 - the #5, the #25, and the #35.

They were also running the first non-scheme numbers in the form of the #17 with Darrell Waltrip, however, DW would take his team and his number in 1991 to start his own team, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports. The split was amicable, and Rick Hendrick actually helped DW get the team setup.

The next team - and the next numbering scheme - came in 1993, when Hendrick Motorsports hired Jeff Gordon to drive the #24. Initially, the team had intended to run the #46 - because for the movie Days of Thunder, Hendrick Motorsports provided the car and had Greg Sacks race at Phoenix 1989, Atlanta 1990, and Darlington 1990 to acquire footage.

The City Chevrolet sponsorship on the $46 Days of Thunder car is actually modeled on a real Chevrolet dealership that Rick Hendrick owns in Charlotte.

Unfortunately, issues with Paramount - who distributed Days of Thunder - prevented Hendrick Motorsports from running the #46 for real. So instead, they picked the #24, because it had relatively little history in NASCAR prior to Gordon, it was available, and it came right before #25. Thus began the most dominant partnership of the 1990s.

Jeff Gordon would win 93 times and would win championships in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001.

Terry Labonte in the #5 would add to Hendrick's 1990s domination with a 1996 championship.

Such was Jeff Gordon's success that, in 2001, Rick Hendrick allowed Jeff to become the co-owner of a new entry - the #48 of Jimmie Johnson. #48 was double #24, beginning the new numbering scheme. This would also see a part-time #84 car for Kyle Busch in 2004.

Jimmie would win the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2016 championships in the #48, equaling the 7 titles of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Then we get the #88 car, which was set up in 2008 for Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he moved to Hendrick Motorsports. Why #88? Well, his DEI number was #8, Dale Jr. had a rabid fanbase, and a lot of people already had #8 merch and #8 tattoos. How to keep those people invested in Dale Jr.? Simple, make his new number two 8s, hence #88.

Thus, come 2017, Hendrick Motorsports has the #5 of Kasey Kahne, the #24 of Chase Elliott, the #48 of Jimmie Johnson, and the #88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Then everything started to change.

For 2018, Chase Elliott moved to the #9, taking the number most associated with his famous father, Bill Elliott. Bill had run the #9 at his own team from 1975-1981, then continued running it at Melling from 1982 to 1991, and then ran the #9 again at Evernham Motorsports in 2001, 2002, and 2003 as he spearheaded Dodge's return to NASCAR.

Chase was in the #9, but he took his #24 team with him. Hence my joke about the #9 really being the #24.

Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne dropped out of Hendrick due to chronic dehydration issues impacting his ability to race. Kahne's #5 team became the #24 team for rookie William Byron.

Also in 2018, Alex Bowman took over the #88 for Dale Jr.

Fast forward to 2021, and Hendrick Motorsports shuffles things around again.

Kyle Larson started the 2020 season win Chip Ganassi Racing, however, during the COVID-19 hiatus, Kyle Larson used a racial slur on a hot mic during an iRacing event. McDonalds, Credit One Bank, and Chevrolet dropped him that day. This left Chip Ganassi no choice but to fire Larson the next day.

Kyle Larson was highly rumored to replace Jimmie Johnson in the #48 for 2021, but after the n-bomb incident, sponsor Ally didn't want to touch him.

Nevertheless, Larson dominated in dirt racing in 2020, completed a racial sensitivity course, and made outreaches to black communities to apologize for his actions, including a visit to the George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis.

All of this convinced Rick Hendrick that he should hire Kyle Larson after all, but he needed to shuffle things around to make it happen.

The flagship #5, Hendrick's original number, would return for the first time since 2017, with Kyle Larson running it, primarily sponsored by Hendrick Cars, but also Valvoline, Cincinnati Inc., and Tarlton. The team, however, would be the same as Jimmie Johnson's 2020 #48 team.

Alex Bowman's #88 team, however, would switch to the #48 plate and take on Ally as their sponsor.

Thus the #24 became the #9, the #5 became the #24, the #48 became the #5, and the #88 became the #48.

An awful lot for one team, huh?

Roush is thankfully a bit simpler.

The #6 is Roush's flagship car and has been ever since they were founded in 1988. Why the #6? Then sponsor Stroh's Light wanted a one-digit number to be instantly recognizable. Thus, Mark Martin's time with the #6 began.

Initially, Roush built around the #6 brand, with their second car being the #16 Family Channel Ford and them running the #60 Winn-Dixie car for Martin's Busch Series starts.

Their third car in in 1996 was the #99, which didn't really fit - other than the coincidental of 9 being 6 upside-down so #99 is kinda like two sixes, but Jack Roush says that was a coincidence. But Roush Racing went back to the sixes scheme in 1998 with the #26 car. They also bought the #97 John Deere Pontiac in 1997 and changed it over to a Ford for 1998, bringing it into the team for a five-car effort.

Roush had a couple of six car races in 1999 because Jack grew interested in Busch series racer Matt Kenseth, who was running a Chevrolet for Robbie Reiser. Jack didn't seem to mind too much, and by the time 2000 rolled around, he took Reiser, Kenseth, and their #17 car into the Cup series, running the DeWalt Ford.

Matt Kenseth won Roush's first Cup championship in 2003 with the DeWalt #17, and so in 2024, RFK Racing's two cars are the #6 and the #17.

The original Roush number, and their first championship winning number.

Now for Spire Motorsports real quick.

The #7 car in NASCAR became famous due to owner-driver Alan Kulwicki, who in the late 80s and early 90s, insisted on doing things himself even as NASCAR was starting to move towards bigger, multi-car teams. Alan winning the championship himself in his own equipment in 1992 would inspire a slew of drivers to follow his lead in this era, but for Alan himself...well, he died in a plane crash on the way to Bristol in 1993.

He never got the chance to defend his title.

The #7 AK Racing team was taken over by Geoff Bodine in 1993 - 'member him from Hendrick? - and ran as Geoff Bodine Racing for awhile, before selling to Ultra Motorsports for 2000. Ultra Motorsports and the #7 car of Jimmy Spencer had precisely one notable moment to their name.

At the 2003 MBNA America 300 at Dover International Speedway, the #7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge was a lap down when the caution came out, becoming the first car to benefit from NASCAR's new beneficiary rule - implemented to stop drivers from racing back to the line after the caution flag came out - which led to commentator Benny Parsons dubbing him the lucky dog.

Sirius' logo at this point included a little dog.

So yeah, that's where the term "Lucky Dog" in NASCAR comes from, the more you know.

The #7 then went through Robby Gordon Motorsports for awhile, followed by Tommy Baldwin Racing - in which Danica Patrick made her final NASCAR start in the 2018 Daytona 500 - before winding up at Spire Motorsports for the 2021 season.

Corey LaJoie has run the #7 from 2021 to 2024, accomplishing fuck all, and will be replaced for the 2025 season. It is currently unknown who will replace him. Justin Haley has been linked to the ride, and he actually won Spire's only Cup series victory in only his third start at a rain-shortened 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.

Spire then built out their numbering scheme off the #7, with Carson Hocevar running the #77 and Zane Smith running the #71 - though he is due to be replaced by Michael McDowell for 2025.

So yeah, that's Hendrick, Roush, and Spire down. We've done #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10 already, so next time we'll pick up with Joe Gibbs Racing and their #11 Toyota.

[san-demetrio-corone]

There is a theory that languages are related if one is understandable to a native speaker of the other. However, Ukrainian and Russian differ in many aspects, including lexical and phonetic.

In August 2023, 9% of Ukrainians spoke Russian on a daily basis, compared with 23% in 2022. A number of factors have contributed to the spread of Russian in Ukrainian society. During the Russian Empire and the USSR, and after 1991 with the restoration of Ukraine's independence (Ukraine had been independent since 1918 with the establishment of the Ukrainian People's Republic), Russian was widely used in the media, cinema, literature and music. Instead, Russians can only understand Ukrainian words that are similar to Russian.

This article describes the history of the two languages, their differences and the spread of Russian after the restoration of Ukrainian independence.

[charlotte-of-wales]

Happy 23rd birthday to Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant!

Born October 25th 2001, Princess Elisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène is the heir apparent to the Belgian throne as the eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Princess Elisabeth received her International Baccalaureate diploma from the UWC Atlantic College in Llantwit Major, Wales in May 2020. She went on to obtain her Bachelor of Arts degree with upper second class honours in July 2024. In May 2024, the Belgian Royal Court announced that Elisabeth was admitted into Harvard Kennedy School to study for a two year master's degree in public policy; she started her studies at Harvard in September 2024.

On 31 August 2020, Elisabeth entered the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, studying social and military sciences, completing her one-year military training on 9 July 2021. For the next two years, she attended the Royal Military Academy's annual three-week summer camps and other practical and theoretical military classes. Elisabeth had one of the highest grades among her class.

Ten years prior to Elisabeth's birth, a new 1991 amendment of the succession line was implemented which introduced absolute primogeniture, defining her as the first in the line of succession since she is the eldest child. Should she ascend as expected, Elisabeth shall become Belgium's first female monarch.

[ganyulover123]

How old the choir kids are from oldest to youngest

I had my dad help me calculate the choir kids birthday and also figure out what year they were born, it took hours because I don't understand math and dates because it's to confusing, hopefully it's right cuz I went over them way to many times.

Oldest to youngest

Mischa: Born Sunday, August 18, 1991, on September 14, 2009, (which was the day they went on the cyclone) age was 18 years, 0 months, and 27 days

2. Constance: Born Thursday, November 14, 1991, on September 14, 2009, age was 17 years, 10 months, and 0 days

3. Ocean: Born Sunday, December 22, 1991, on September 14, 2009, age was 17 years, 8 months, and 23 days

4. Noel: Born Thursday, March 5, 1992, on September 14, 2009, age was 17 years, 6 months, and 9 days

5. Penny/Jane: Born Tuesday, April 7, 1992, on September 14, 2009, age was 17 years, 5 months, and 7 days

6. Ricky: Born Friday, June 5, 1992, on September 14, 2009, age was 17 years, 3 months, and 9 days

This is for the people who have been wanting to figure out what year they were born and who was oldest and all that

[hyperfixingfr]

Random fun fact: the start date for the headcanon ages is the date of the show's airing, up to the year. December 6th, 2002. This would mean that their birthdays as of that point to correlate with their ages ARE

Nigel: December 5th, 1991. Just turned 11 one day prior.

Hoagie: February 27th, 1991. The oldest of the group. I wanted to make Abby the oldest, but I felt it'd be better to make him the oldest and hold him back from school to make it lore accurate.

Kuki: December 21st, 1992. She's the youngest, and her 10th birthday would be in almost 2 weeks. I labeled her as 10 because her birthday was so close that "9" felt deceptive in that case lol. In universe, she almost instantly turned 10.

Wally: August 19th, 1992.

Abby: October 23rd, 1991.

The age gap between the oldest and youngest is 1 year and 9 months.

HOWEVER, the headcanon date in-universe for INTERVIEWS is January 29th 2004. Technology advances a bit faster in their universe so the first test trials of smartphones are going on at this time in their universe, lol. This would make their ages, by interviews, WITH MONTHS for extra clarification...

Nigel: 12 years, 1 month.

Hoagie: 12 years, 11 months. Don't worry, he becomes TND!

Kuki: 11 years, 1 month.

Wally: 11 years, 5 months.

Abby: 12 years, 3 months.

"How are they in the same classes?" Simple! Hoagie was held back in 1st because of learning difficulties. Kuki was pushed up in 2nd because her parents had the chance to do that. "No child left behind" does not exist in this universe, which is why Hoagie was held back so easily.

In my AU/fanfiction Dwindling Future, they actually go off a specific date. The date of chapter one is December 15th, 2006. This would make Nigel, Hoagie and Abby all 15 years old. Kuki is about to turn 14. Very, VERY soon, actually. I don't have a set date for the headcanon teen designs, but they start in their late teens. Take a guess yourself, because those designs last up until their early thirties. Feels weird to call them "teen designs" in that context.

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

Bat Family Ages (with Sources & Panels)

Notes: I'm NOT using a "year zero"; the calendar year before "Batman: Year One" is "1 Year Before Batman".

TLDR

Ages at the end of Preboot (Batman: Year Twenty)- Bruce (45), Renee (37-38), Kate (33), Babs (27-28), Helena (26-27), Dick (26), Cass (21), Jason (20-21), Steph (19), Tim (17 18), Damian (10-11).

D.O.B.-

Bruce Wayne- 26 Years Before Batman

Renee Montoya- 7th September, 19 Years Before Batman

Kate Kane- 14 Years Before Batman

Barbara Gordon- 8-9 Years Before Batman

Helena Bertinelli- 8 Years Before Batman

Dick Grayson- 1st Day of Spring™, 7 Years Before Batman

Cassandra Cain-Wayne- 26th January, 2 Years Before Batman

Jason Todd- 16th August, 2 Years Before Batman

Stephanie Brown- 1 Year Before Batman

Tim Drake-Wayne- Batman: Year One

Damian Wayne- Batman: Year Nine

Long Version

Bruce Wayne- 26 Years Before Batman

On the 4th of January, Year One, a 25 year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after 12 years abroad on 4th January, months before his first outing as Batman (Batman: Year One #1). Unless his birthday is between Jan 1-4, Bruce turns 26 the year Batman is born.

Dick Grayson- 1st Day of Spring, 7 Years Before Batman

Dick Grayson's origin story is appears in the tail end of Batman: Dark Victory, which takes place in the 4th and 5th years of Batman's career.

In its sequel, Robin: Year One, Dick begins attending Bristol Middle School. And in Batman & Robin (2009) #13, Dick, as Batman, tells the Joker he had already figured him out at 12 but The Joker doesn't appear in Robin: Year One. So, Dick is probably 11 when he becomes Robin, in Year Five (Dark Victory). Dick is 19 years younger than Bruce.

Important for later, Dick becomes Nightwing, aged 19 (Nightwing: Year One and Batman #116) in Year Thirteen.

Jason Todd- August 16th, 2 Years Before Batman

According to his death certificate, Jason Todd was 15 years and 8 months old when he died on the 27th of April (Batman Files). His birthday is August 16th (Detective Comics #790). At this time, Dick Grayson was 21, having left the Robin mantle 2 years earlier; at 19 (Batman #436). Jason is around 5 years younger than Dick. He was hence Robin for less than 2 years, from when he was 13 going on 14 in Year Thirteen up to 27th April, Year Fifteen.

Stephanie Brown- 2 Years Before Batman

Steph is 15 when she debuts as Spoiler (Secret Origin 80-Page Giant). At the same time as her debut comic, Deathstroke (1991) Annual 1 has Dick saying he, one of the oldest Titans, is no older than 21 (the age he was when Jason died). Dick is 6 years older than Steph. So Steph debuts in Year Fifteen; the same year Jason dies and Tim becomes Robin.

Steph becomes Batgirl right before her freshman year of university, aged 18, going on 19 (Batgirl 2009 #1). This is in Year Nineteen. Which means that Preboot ends in Batman: Year Twenty as Steph has not yet entered sophomore year. Convergence takes place after of course.

Barbara Gordon- 8-9 Years Before Batman

Batgirl (2000) #45 shows that Babs was already Batgirl at 18. As an adult, Babs is 5'11" and yet she did not meet the minimum height requirements for the GCPD or FBI during Batgirl: Year One. She must have become Batgirl before she stopped growing, and so was at most 16 during Batgirl: Year One. She also says that she is older than Dick in Batgirl: Year One but they must be close enough in age for them to go to prom together (Detective Comics #871). My theory is that Babs didn't go to her own prom because she skipped grades and was or felt too young so her high school prom was actually when she went with Dick to his. Babs is somewhere between 1-2 years older than Dick.

There's more evidence for this. Dick is already a Teen Titan during Batgirl: Year One and in New Titans #89 said that he knew Donna Troy since they were both 13. So Babs likely became Batgirl between Year Seven and Year Eight, when she was 15-16 and Dick was 13-14. Also, Dick and Babs have a picnic as friends 12 years before The Black Mirror, in Year Twenty, so these ages are pretty perfect.

Important for later, Babs is shot by the Joker just before Jason is killed and becomes Oracle before Tim becomes Robin. This is in Year Fifteen; she is roughly 22 here given that Dick is 20-21 at the time. No panels just math :P

Cassandra Cain-Wayne- January 26th, 2 Years Before Batman

Cassandra Cain debuts in No Man's Land aged 17 (Batgirl 2000 #1) and turns 18 on the 26th of January the following year, though she only learns this after it has passed (Batgirl 2000 #33). Later that year, Bruce brings her to Jason's grave on the 16th of August, the day he would have turned 18 (Detective Comics #790). She is 7 months older than Jason.

Helena Bertinelli- 8 Years Before Batman

Helena Bertinelli was 8 when her family was murdered and the events of Huntress: Cry for Blood takes place 15 years after, following directly after No-Man's Land. Huntress is hence 23 following No-Man's Land. Cass turns 18 soon after No-Man's land, so Helena is around 5 years older than Cass.

But, Cass is born in January and Helena could be born later in the year. Helena Bertinelli is 21 years-old during Huntress: Year One; when she becomes the Huntress. She soon moves back to Gotham after Carvinal in Venice (late Jan-early Feb), and encounters Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Babs is at most 22 here so Babs is close to 1 year older than Helena and Helena is slightly older than Dick. Huntress debuts at the tail end of Year Fourteen.

Damian Wayne- Batman: Year Nine

Dick and Stephanie call Damian a 10 year old in Batman and Robin #2 and Batgirl #17. One takes place before Steph starts uni (since Damian appears in Batgirl 2009 #1) and the other takes place during Steph's second semester of freshman year (Batgirl #13). So Damian is 9 years younger than Stephanie. He first appears aged 9 at the start of Year Nineteen and becomes Robin later that year, aged 10.

Renee Montoya- 7th September, 19 Years Before Batman

In 52 #14, published in 2006, we see Renee's passport and date of birth: 9/7/1970. It is the 14th week of the year so she would be 35 going on 36. 52 takes place in Year Eighteen, the calendar year Damian turns 9, so Renee is 27 years older than Damian.

She debuts as the second Question in 52 #48 the same year, aged 36.

Kate Kane- 14 Years Before Batman

Kate Kane is 32 at the time of Batwoman: Elegy, in Year Nineteen, since she was in the same class at West Point as the real-life activist Dan Choi, which means that she was part of the US Military Academy Class of 2003. Damian is 10 at the time so Kate is 22 years older than Damian.

Tim Drake-Wayne- Batman: Year One

Tim's age is THE weird one because DC are hellbent on keeping him at 17. It's too much for my brain, like how is he still 17 in Red Robin?? Let's say he seems to be only a year younger than Stephanie Brown a la Secret Origins 80-Page Giant or that he was bitten by a strange vampire bat during the One Year Later time skip. Your pick.

Fun fact: Dick permanently becomes Batman at 25 (in Year Nineteen), which is possibly the same age Bruce was when he became Batman.

[todays-just-a-daydream]

some important oasis math to consider:

the first oasis album definitely maybe was released 29 august 1994.

and they split 28 august 2009.

that’s just 1 day shy of 15 years that oasis was an active band with an album on the shelves.

(if you count it from their first single release, they were together for 15 years 4 months as an active band. and if you count since the start of the band in 1991, it’s 18 years. but we're using the first album metric so stick with me here.)

in the runup to the definitely maybe 30th anniversary, another looming milestone was discussed among fans: that on 28 august, oasis would officially be disbanded for longer than they were an active band with an album on the shelves. a somber moment for fans to consider.

however the reunion announcement happened 1 day before the 15th anniversary of the band split on 28 august 2009. so the official time oasis has been disbanded is just short of 15 years. by 1 day.

the time oasis is together as an active band with an album on the shelves: just shy of 15 years by ~1 day.

the time oasis is split up: also just shy of 15 years by ~1 day.

so we have to go down to the hours here to complete the comparison. this gets a bit complicated, so i'm checking my work with timeanddate.com's duration calculator.

looking at it by hour, the reunion announcement was 8 am gmt. the split was after a fight just before the paris gig (rock en seine 2009). from this schedule of the festival, oasis was set to go on at 22:00 (or 10 pm) paris time:

reports say bloc party announced the fight/cancellation onstage just moments before oasis was set to go onstage. noel announces the end of the band via oasisinet statement 2 hours later, so let's say the split is official a few minutes before midnight. paris is ahead an hour from gmt, so let's use 22:55 or 10:55 pm. this means the split would have reached 15 years on the night of august 28; 1 day shy of that exactly would be the night of august 27. by announcing the reunion in the morning instead, it's about 9 hours less than 2 days shy of 15 years.

here's the entire length of time between the split and the reunion announcement:

to compare with definitely maybe release to the band split, i need the opening hours of record stores in 94. i'm not quite sure about that. going from current shop hours, it’s definitely by noon; but record shops aren't what they once where either. maybe a big store like virgin megastore was open by 8am in 1994 for new releases. i’m not quite sure. using 8 am makes it longer and using noon makes it shorter but not by enough to change the outcome. let’s just use 8 am for an easy comparison. by this metric, the band would have made it to 15 years from definitely maybe's release on 29 august 2009 at 8am. by splitting at just before midnight 28 august, they missed that milestone by 9 hours or so. much less than 1 day shy of 15 years.

here's the entire length of time from the first album release to the split:

by announcing a reunion on 27 august 8am, oasis just barely makes it so the time they have been disbanded doesn’t surpass the time they were a fully active band selling a full LP of music.

let me repeat that:

the length of time oasis was together as an active band with an album on the shelves is officially greater than the length of the time they spent split apart.

by a bit longer than a 1 day.

about 30 hours to be exact.

unreal.

[just-another-obsessed-fangirl]

OKAY I JUST FINISHED CHALICE OF THE GODS IN ABOUT 3 HOURS AND IVE HAD A SLIGHT REVELATION

[slight Chalice of the Gods spoilers, but I don't think it's that relevant to the plot at large]

So, in The Lightning Thief, Sally tells Percy that she and his dad were only together for a summer, and he left before he was born, but that he knew that Sally was pregnant.

Photographs of Textual Evidence:

In The Last Olympian, we find out that Percy's exact birthday is August 18th.

Now. I don't know if it was just me. But I had figured that Rick meant that the summer Sally and Poseidon had their torrid love affair was the same year Percy was born - for the sake of this post, let's say 1992, based off the idea that the setting starts the same year the first book TLT came out, which is 2005, and he is 12 in June of that year, meaning he turned 13 in August 2005, ergo Percy Jackson was born in 1992 (let's ignore other timeline discrepancies and pop culture references in the books for now)

If we are being generous and include May as part of the summer, and say that is when Sally and Poseidon met and she immediately got pregnant at the start, that would still mean she was only about 4 months pregnant when she had Percy in August.

And I accepted that. I accepted that this was probably a Bella-in-Twilight-accelerated-pregnancy situation. I didn't think Rick intentionally meant to write it that way, but it felt like a canon-typical explanation. By the time we know for sure that Percy's birthday is in August, we find out that Annabeth and all the other children of Athena are born from Athena's divine thoughts after meeting the minds of incredibly intelligent mortals, and those children appear in a golden cradle on their mortal parent's doorstep. The idea that getting pregnant by a god could lead to pregnancy that takes half the time and still leads to a fully viable baby being born is not wilder than that. And I had already accepted that.

But in Chalice of the Gods, Sally says that Percy came much later than expected.

Photographs of Textual Evidence:

So.

Instead of Sally conceiving Percy in May 1992 and him being born in August 1992, Sally could've conceived Percy as late as September 1991 and he was born in August 1992, a pregnancy lasting a minimum of 11 months, but more likely lasting at least A FULL CALENDAR YEAR!?!?!?!? THIS IS CANON

And this is not wilder than if it really was an accelerated pregnancy situation, considering the canon. It might actually be more realistic. I've heard stories of human babies taking longer than 9 months to get out and they're alright, and I might not have had enough interest in them to check out if they were true or not, but I cannot even think of a story of someone seriously claiming they had a completely healthy and viable baby after only a trimester of pregnancy done. But it is just the opposite direction of what I had assumed and now I can't stop thinking about it. And now I'm also debating in my head whether an accelerated pregnancy or being pregnant for over a year would be scarier.

[jaimemes]

oh before i forget. heres that timeline i compiled regarding cedric and adeline. keep in mind that THIS TIMELINE ASSUMES ALL DOCUMENTS ARE REAL AND CORRECT. which. tbh. i dont think they are.

Timeline

1979

March 27, 1979 — Adeline Hargrove was born in Spikemuth to Mavis and Arthur Hargrove

1981

January 5, 1981 — Cedric Smith was born in Wyndon to Emily and Abraham Smith.

1982

1983

1984

Fall 1984 — Adeline Hargrove enrolled at Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd as a Year 1 student

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

Fall 1990 — Adeline Hargrove enrolled at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen as a Year 7 student.

1991

1992

1993

Summer 1993 — Adeline Hargrove begins receiving paychecks from a local pub in Spikemuth.

1994

1995

May 25, 1995 — Adeline Hargrove finishes compulsory education and graduates from Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen.

1996

1997

Sometime in 1997 — Adeline Hargrove moved to Hulbury to live with Desmond Morris

1998

April 30, 1998 — Adeline Hargrove married to Desmond Morris

1999

2000

August 24, 2000 — William Hargrove was born in Hulbury to Adeline and Desmond Hargrove

2001

2002

2003

2004

February 11, 2004 — Kaitlyn Hargrove was born in Hulbury to Adeline and Desmond Hargrove

2005

2006

2007

January 5, 2007 — Flynn Hargrove was born in Wyndon to Adeline Hargrove and Cedric Smith

2008

May 4, 2008 — Adeline Hargrove filed for divorce from Desmond Hargrove

June 2008 — Adeline Hargrove moved to 534 Sanford Streets, Apt. 203, JM17 3RQ, Spikemuth, Galar

2009

October 11, 2009 — Cedric Smith married Adeline Hargrove

July 9, 2009 — Adeline Hargrove boarded one-way flight to Anistar City, Kalos.

2010

April 17, 2010 — Adeline Hargrove boarded one-way flight to Spikemuth, Galar.

November 23, 2010 — Esper Hargrove was born in Wyndon to Adeline and Cedric Hargrove.

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Late 2017 — Cedric Hargrove was added to the lease agreement of 534 Sanford Streets, Apt. 203, JM17 3RQ, Spikemuth, Galar

2018

June 28, 2018 — Dental operation for Flynn Hargrove

Fall 2018 — Esper Hargrove enrolled in Milton Primary School as a Year 4 student

Fall 2018 — Flynn Hargrove enrolled in Spikemuth High School as a Year 7 student

2021

Fall 2021 — Esper Hargrove enrolled in Spikemuth High School as a Year 7 student

2022

November 15, 2022 — The Second Darkest Day occurs. Flynn Hargrove is missing, presumed dead. Juno Myers is confirmed dead.

[pridequest64]

Anarky Reading Order

This is, based of my research the complete reading list in release order for all Anarly Comics as of October 1st 2024. Release dates were used when available but compromises were made with cover date when necessary. If you see anything that is wrong or needs new additions feel free to let me know!

(Comic Vine was a massive help in this Project!)

1. Detective Comics #608 November 1989

2. Detective Comics #609 December 1989

3. Detective Comics #620 August 1990

4. Batman #456 September 18th 1990

5. Detective Comics #627 March 1991

6. Batman Annual #15 April 18th 1991

7. Robin Annual #1 July 23rd 1992

8. Superman & Batman Magazine #1 Q3 1993

9. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16

10. September 1993

11. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #17 September 1993

12. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #18 October 1993

13. Green Arrow #89 August 1994

14. Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #2 September 1994

15. The Batman Adventures #31 April 1995

16. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #40 May 16th 1995

17. The Batman Chronicles #1 May 30th 1995

18. The Batman Adventures #36 October 1st 1995

19. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #41 June 20th 1996

20. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #50 May 1st 1996

21. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #66 September 1st 1997

22. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #67 October 1st 1997

23. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73 April 1998

24. DCU Heroes Secret Files February 1999

25. Anarky #1 May 1999

26. Anarky #2 June 1999

27. Anarky #3 July 1999

28. Anarky #4 August 1999

29. Anarky #5 September 1999

30. Anarky #6 October 1999

31. Anarky #7 November 1999

32. Anarky #8 December 1999

33. Sins of Youth: JLA, Jr. May 2000

34. Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1 May 2000

35. Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2 May 2000

36. Green Arrow #51 August 2005

37. Robin #181 December 17th 2008

38. Robin #182 January 21st 2009

39. Robin #183 April 1st 2009

40. Red Robin #3 August 12th 2009

41. Red Robin #13 June 3rd 2010

42. Red Robin #15 August 4th 2010

43. Red Robin #16 September 9th 2010

44. Red Robin #17 November 10th 2010

45. Red Robin #18 December 8th 2010

46. Red Robin #19 January 12th 2011

47. Red Robin #20 February 9th 2011

48. Red Robin #21 March 16th 2011

49. Red Robin #22 April 13th 2011

50. Red Robin #23 May 11th 2011

51. Red Robin #24 June 8th 2011

52. Beware the Batman #1 October 23rd 2013

53. Green Lantern Corps #25 November 13th 2013

54. Detective Comics #38 Janurary 7th 2015

55. Detective Comics #39 February 4th 2015

56. Detective Comics #40 March 4th 2015

57. Detective Comics: Endgame March 11th 2015

58. Detective Comics #957 May 24th 2017

59. Detective Comics #963 August 23rd 2017

60. Detective Comics #964 September 13th 2017

61. Detective Comics #966 October 11th 2017

62. Detective Comics #968 November 22nd 2017

63. Detective Comics #970 December 13th 2017

64. Detective Comics #971 December 27th 2017

65. Detective Comics #972 January 10th 2018

66. Detective Comics #973 January 24th 2018

67. Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Red Hood vs. Anarky June 20th 2018

68. Harley Quinn #61 May 1st 2019

69. Harley Quinn #62 June 5th 2019

70. The Imfected: The Commissioner December 18th 2019

71. DC Nation Presents DC Future State November 24th 2020

72. Future State: The Next Batman #1 Janurary 5th 2021

73. I Am Batman #1 September 14th 2021

74. I Am Batman #2 October 12th 2021

75. Robins #4 February 15th 2022

76. Detective Comics #1054 February 22nd 2022

77. Batman: Urban Legends #22 December 20th 2022

[centrally-unplanned]

I don’t remember you doing Gorbachev’s VOR (apologies if you already did), so, if you are willing: Gorbachev, middling VORcel or negative VOR?

I didn't! He is hard because essentially you need like a third axis for people like Gorbachev - someone who was hugely impactful but in a 'fuck up' sort of way. It seems wrong to mark Gorbachev and like Rudy Guiliani during 9/11 as the same tier, right? The latter just did nothing and took media credit, the former made massive, bold plays that blew up in his face. So yeah, lets use negative VOR for that.

I tend to be on the team of "the USSR was not in crisis" in 1985; it had reached the limits of its model for growth, and was definitely going to go through a budget crunch and stuff, but that isn't terminal for a lot of societies. The reformist faction in the CPSU was not the majority, and even dissident groups at this time were overwhelmingly looking at marginal changes. Gorbachev himself was elected by his supporters as a younger, status-quo 'tinkerer' - he by no means outlined a revolutionary agenda to get in power.

Gorbachev's killer talent was playing the party system - he played the long game, essentially coming up the ranks as a quintessential moderate and then revealing himself as a radical to break the illusion of consensus in CPSU thinking. Its a rare talent and I think he deserves credit for that; iterated over dozens of major events, he broke precedent policy and reigned in the conservative faction to back his new way. He does a *lot* of political gamesmanship in this period which is generally underappreciated, which he does to stack the deck against halting reform. I think there are very high odds the USSR does not embark on Glasnot & Perestroika in 1987 without him, and the nature of those reforms is really critical.

They are critical because they are complete cock-ups, and went far into imploding the Soviet economy & system of governance. At this point he deserves less credit; the fall of Eastern Europe was probably not a coup of Gorbachev's political daring, but instead a system moving into freefall and trying to cut its losses; it is in fact amazing how little opposition it got inside the USSR (they also did not see it coming at the speed and scale it did). And by 1990 Gorbachev is out of ideas, desperately begging for aid abroad to 'transition' the economy while others like Yeltsin are building parallel state structures and people like Yavlinsky are building the 500 Days Economic Programme. He is clearly out of his depth; he knew how to manipulate the party system to obtain power, but was inadequate to the task of what to do with that power once he had it.

Though while he was never in the drivers seat on the later reforms, something he did do was serve as a block on the CPSU getting better leadership in power; even during the August 1991 coup they had no intention or plan to replace him as GenSec. In this way he has (negative) VOR value as well - how well he stacked the deck came back to haunt the USSR, and not many others could have done it like he did.

There are deep structural forces at play here too, just don't have time to get into those. Overall I say essentially [B+], with the understanding that its pointing into the 'failure' direction of the 'impact' chart compared to his fellow B-tiers.

[litafan4ever]

Happy Birthday Alexa Bliss (August 9, 1991)