#Jack Ma English

[mymoneyepisodes]

English Skills: The Key to More Money and Happiness

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What you'll learn: How English skills are the key to more money and happiness The impact of English proficiency on career opportunities and income Practical tips to improve your English skills How mastering English can lead to greater happiness and fulfillment Real-life success stories of people who achieved more money and happiness through better English skills

0:00 Introduction 0:21 Career Opportunities: 1:56 Higher Earning Potential: 2:51 Networking and Communication: 3:44 Access to Resources and Information: 4:18 Enhanced Travel Experience: 4:42 Personal Growth and Confidence: 5:35 Cultural Enrichment: 5:56 Summary and Conclusion

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[maryleclerc]

𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞…

pairing: quinn hughes x reader

summary: quinn and y/n keep their relationship private (more like a lovestagram thingy) until fans found out. y/n’s not a celebrity, or public figure so y/n kept her ig private in this

warning: english is not my native language, i do not own any of these photos, social media au, smau!

au: hey hey mary’s back again with another social media au for quinny bear, and i wrote this for about 20-25 minutes soooo sorry about the typo and grammar!!. this smau! kida short so please let me know if you need a part 02 or maybe give me some idea too. btw wanna be moots on twitter follow me @/_43hughes. ok bye!! ENJOY! 🐻

yourusername 🔒

liked by _quinnhughes, q43hughes and others

yourusername summer with my bear cap

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user1 finally, finally y/n post something on her ig after so many months being so unactive 😭

user2 so i heard this is quinn hughes gf

user3 maybe not, maybe yea but whatever the truth is i still support them, idfc

user4 i think she only accept fl request from Quinn Hughes fanacc only

_quinnhughes

liked by jackhughes, lhughes_06 and others

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user2 Jack looking good yall

user3 HIS HAIRRRRRR

user4 who’s that girl? his girlfriend?

user5 his gf

user4 oh, what’s her ig user?

user5 it’s @/yourusername, but her ig is currently private so yo cannot see much other than her profile pic 🥴

user6 No that’s actually his childhood bestfriend you guys

yourusername 🔒

liked by ellenhughes and others

yourusername this literally my favorite photo so far, taken by ma bestie 💗📸

tagged: ellenhughes

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ellenhughes 💗💗

user1 omfg!!! that’s literally Quinn in this photo 😭 he’s taken for now all my Quinn lovers, are u okay?

user2 are you dating quinn hughes? please tell us

_quinnhughes & y/n ig story

spillthehughes4386

12,461 likes

spillthehughes4386 Sent by anonymously, it seems our Huggy Bear was spotted by fans having dinner with his secret girlfriend in his hometown of Michigan during a summer vacation with family and friends. According to the source sent by an anonymous character, Quinn's girlfriend's name is Y/n Y/l/n, and also Y/n’s family is also a close family friends with the Hughes family.

tagged: _quinnhughes, yourusername

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user1 noooo, just tell me this not true

user2 well i already knew it so not so surprise here :)))

user3 i mean she’s ✨CUTE✨ and pretty so i forgive you Quinn

user4 leave them alone guys!! stop stalking her, so creepy

[thetriggeredhappy]

I know we’re on spoiler lock down and you can respond at your pace but OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD THIS IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT IVE EVER GOTTEN! HOW IS THIS GOING TO EFFECT YOUR TAKING SHOTS CANON? ARE YOU GOING TO BE WRITING OTHER FICS IN LINE WITH THE FINALE CANON NOW???? Oh my god HOW ARE YOU FEELING?????

yeah i know right! this does mean i’m going to need to go back and edit taking shots a bit to be more canon-compliant, here’s some of my initial notes on it:

fixing scout’s last name to reflect “willis”.

fixing spy’s first and last name to reflect “eugene hinkle”.

adjusting to make room in dialogue for scout being definitively a brunette, as we saw near the end.

a few tweaks to better fill in the implications the comics seem to have for how the respawn system works.

in the same shot we saw the photo of scout and his mom, opposite that we see a picture that i believe is of scout and a doggy—i’ll need to add that into the story somewhere, maybe from his brothers telling a story or something similar.

already word on the street is that some of his kids seem close enough in age to probably be twins, which actually does imply that it’s likely some of his brothers are twins! this is good, but i should really lean in more—maybe more of his nieces are twins?

”willis” is an english name, so i’ll need to slightly adjust some backstory to make them english-catholic or perhaps protestant, not irish-catholic.

obviously i’ll need to adjust to include the address of the house and a better approximate location, as well as adjust all timings mentioned to account for the correct distance and travel times.

scout seems to be big on rushing into marriages, so i’ll most likely need to rework the fic slightly to include a proposal within the first chapter or two.

since sniper knows how to fly a plane, it makes sense that they would probably just fly to boston rather than road-tripping, which means i’ll need to edit out most instances of driving that sniper does.

obviously, spy hadn’t come clean about being scout’s father, so i imagine that he probably never will, and instead that entire storyline will pivot, instead being about something else, perhaps that spy wants to romance and marry his ma, who he met some five or six years previously.

since there is apparently some kind of indoor public pool in the area they live in, all scenes outside of the home will be moved to take place in that pool.

it seems like sniper’s reaction to scout’s rambling to miss pauling about his courting would imply he is aware of scout’s crush, so the story and dialogue will be altered to instead have sniper suggest they be a throuple of some kind. this will lead to complications in which Benny and Terry are irritated that they’re being copied so blatantly.

speaking of which, scout gave two of his kids names that start with “t”, which to me implies they perhaps have some kind of naming convention in their family involving repeating first consonants. to reflect this, some of scout’s brothers will be renamed, meaning his brothers (oldest to youngest) will be named Jack, Jenry, Jarcher (Jarchie for short), Jolin, Jenjamin and Jerrence (Jenny and Jerry for short), and Jony.

while going over these changes, i realized that i’d completely forgotten to account for spy’s cyanide tooth, and written a moment where he’s gritting his teeth. unfortunately, that means that in my rewrite, spy will need to die during that scene when the cyanide tooth most certainly pops mistakenly. this will be inconvenient, but a gifted writer knows how to play with the cards dealt.

since unfortunately we now know that scout is terrible at marriage, i will most likely need to write a scene where scout finds out he is pregnant and sniper immediately leaves him. i find this difficult because i’m unsure how sniper will be able to get into a plane quickly enough to escape in the pre-established suburb, but i will make do.

i will have to kill scout’s mom.

oh and happy belated birthday!

[furiarossa]

| So, we're actually doing this thing now. Gonna translate it in English later (and also color and finish this cover!), for now it's only in Italian :) |

+ PUOI LEGGERLO QUI +

A Madison, tra le aule affollate e i vivaci corridoi della University of Wisconsin, Vlad e Maddie condividono una passione inarrestabile per il paranormale e la scienza. Sotto le stelle, tra racconti di spiriti e leggende metropolitane, il loro amore giovanile sboccia con la forza di un'apparizione notturna.

Ma le cose prendono una piega inaspettata quando un "incidente" orchestrato dal loro comune amico Jack li separa, lasciando Vlad intrappolato in un limbo tra la vita e la morte, trasformato in un'entità non-umana. Vent'anni dopo, il destino li riporta insieme, in un incontro carico di tensione e nostalgia. Maddie, ora una cacciatrice di fantasmi, è decisa a scoprire i segreti che abitano nel suo passato. Vlad, d'altro canto, si nasconde dietro una maschera di apparente normalità, temendo di svelare la verità sulla sua natura non-umana.

Man mano che si rincorrono tra la nebbia e le ombre del loro passato, Vlad e Maddie dovranno affrontare le paure e i demoni che tormentano entrambi. Riusciranno a ritrovare il loro amore, sfidando le leggi del paranormale e le cicatrici del tempo? "Fantasma d'Amore" è una storia di passione, segreti e redenzione, dove ogni spirito ha una storia da raccontare.

Chiudete gli occhi e immergetevi in un mondo dove l'amore supera ogni barriera, persino la morte stessa.

[Un capitolo al giorno, tutti i giorni, finché la storia non sarà finita! Questo è il nostro primo esperimento nella scrittura di un romanzo rosa "leggero"... e ovviamente è paranormale!]

+ PUOI LEGGERLO QUI +

★ Instagram|Facebook|FurAffinity|Deviantart|Commission prices★

[sansaorgana]

— WELCOME HOME, DADDY

🚨 This fanfic is a repost from 22 Apr 2022 from my different blog. I kept the Author's Note and everything from the fic the same as it was back then.

PAIRING — Jack Nelson x fem!Reader

SUMMARY — Little Maggie Nelson can’t wait for her daddy to come back home from his business London trip.

AUTHOR’S NOTE [22 Apr 2022] — Maggie Nelson is absolutely made up by me and she absolutely lives in my head rent free, I have like 100 headcanons with her at this point and I’m going to make it everybody else’s problem! Here's a smutty one-shot that can be treated as Part Two!

WORD COUNT — 2,160

ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE.

WELCOME HOME, DADDY

It was no secret that Jack wanted a boy. When you were pregnant, he was often patting your belly and smirking while commenting on the fact that it had been his son growing there. He seemed to be so fixated on the idea of having a male heir that you started to believe it would be a boy as well – you didn’t even want to imagine not having a son.

When you were giving birth, Jack was in another room, drinking whiskey nervously in an old-fashioned manner while your screams and groans filled the whole house. And then you pushed the baby out and one more voice joined your cries. You sighed with relief when…

“Go tell Mr. Nelson that he’s got a daughter,” the Doctor told the midwife. She nodded and left the room.

You were petrified. He handed you a crying baby still covered in blood and put her on your chest. You looked down with widened eyes and swallowed thickly. She was beautiful – she was your baby girl and you already knew you would die to protect her but… But the sound of Jack’s footsteps made you flinch.

He stormed inside the room rapidly as his eyes immediately found yours. It was difficult to read his facial expression but he was even paler than usual.

“I-I-I’m so sorry, Jack,” you sobbed, instinctively pressing the baby closer to your chest and staining your nightgown even further with blood.

But he looked like he wasn’t even listening to you. Instead, he approached the bed and leaned over your shoulder to take a look at his crying daughter.

“Aw, baby, don’t you cry, daddy’s gotcha,” he cooed to her and his big hands reached out for her. You let him do that, watching him carefully. His steel eyes were set on the newborn girl, though, and on her only. He was mesmerized, didn’t even care about getting his suit dirty.

And she stopped crying the moment she was set in his arms. The midwife approached him to show him how to hold her properly and he adjusted his hands without looking away even for a second.

“Jack, the next one will be a boy,” you whispered.

“Look at you, so beautiful,” he ignored you and cooed to the baby. “My little Princess. Daddy will give you a world, I promise, my little lady.”

You shut your mouth and sighed. That was the day when you lost your husband but you weren't even mad about it.

For now, there wasn’t any other yet, there was still only her – four years old Margaret but everyone called her Maggie. Little Maggie Nelson was a sensation all over Boston and anywhere she’d go, really.

Spoiled but sweet, in her neat dresses and pretty bows in her hair, she looked like a real-life doll. Jack was not the type who would spend all his days at home but whenever he was there, she would occupy his lap. She was so charming that all his business partners adored her and Jack was of course taking advantage of it.

But he hadn’t taken you two to London. He had gone there to buy import licenses but also to do a job for President Roosevelt himself. A job you had no idea of but you didn’t really want to know either. You stayed in Boston with Maggie and waited for your husband’s return, hoping he wouldn’t catch anything contagious while fucking all the whores in London.

That was the way Jack had been but you loved him nevertheless. And you knew that he had loved you, too. When you’re married to a man like Jack, there are some things you just have to accept.

“Mrs. Nelson,” the maid walked inside the living room where you had been laying on the sofa and reading a magazine.

“Yes?” you didn’t even look up.

“It’s about Miss Nelson… She’s throwing a tantrum over the color of the bow in her hair,” she sighed and you chuckled before putting the magazine down and standing up.

“She’s just excited. Jack comes back today,” you reminded the maid with a smile.

“She doesn’t know which color Mr. Nelson would like the most.”

“Oh, silly little Maggie,” you shook your head and went upstairs to her room.

Maggie was sitting on the edge of her bed, her little legs dangling above the floor cutely. Her arms were crossed and she was pouting.

“Maggie, Maggie, Maggie…” you started with a chuckle while leaning on the doorway and she huffed. “Don’t you know, my little dollie, that daddy would love every color on you?”

“And what are you wearing for daddy’s return, mommy?” she asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing special, to be honest…” you admitted and looked down at the dress you were wearing. “Just it, I think.”

“But daddy’s coming back home today!” Maggie gasped. “You have to dress up for him real nice!”

“Alright then, I will,” you smiled kindly and approached the wardrobe to take out the box with all her ribbons. “I’ll wear a blue one, okay?” you handed her a blue ribbon.

“No, not that one,” she shook her head.

“Pink?” you handed her another.

“You’ll wear a pink dress for daddy?”

“Well, if I have to,” you chuckled. “Pink is a pretty color and before you were born I used to wear it more often.”

“Why not anymore?” Maggie asked out of curiosity as the maid approached you to take the pink ribbon out of your hand.

“Because it’s your color now, Maggie.”

“Oh, mommy, I can share!” she gasped and you chuckled before leaning in to peck her cheek.

“Alright, dollie, we will share.”

You left her alone with the maid again and went to your own bedroom to change the dress as you had promised.

Jack was back right before dinner. You were waiting in the hall, squeezing your little girl’s hand. For her those two weeks were like two years and when she heard the sound of Jack’s car parking on the driveway, she ran out of the house.

“Maggie, be careful!” you rushed after her.

She was running and jumping at the same time to be faster, which had been a terrible idea to do while going down the stairs. Thankfully, her daddy’s arms saved her from a spectacular fall.

“Easy, Princess, daddy’s gotcha,” Jack chuckled and you sighed with relief.

“Daddy! Daddy! I missed you! I missed you so much!” she screamed and literally jumped into his arms. Jack laughed at that and put his arms around her.

“Welcome home, Jack,” you greeted him more nonchalantly than your daughter and you leaned in for a kiss. The corners of your mouths touched while giving each other a peck on the cheek.

“My girls all in pink today?” he teased with a grin.

“Oh, daddy, it’s for you!” Maggie cupped his face and started kissing it all over.

“Maggie, that’s enough, daddy’s tired,” you sighed and tried to take her from him but she protested.

“It’s fine,” he nodded and went inside the house. A butler nodded at him and took his car keys to park the car and take the bags out of the trunk. You followed your husband and a daughter.

“The dinner will be served soon,” you told Jack and put your hand on his arm after he had placed Maggie on the floor.

“Good, I’m starving,” he leaned in to kiss your cheek once again. “I bought you lots of pretty things in London,” he whispered into your ear and you chuckled. Then he looked down on Maggie. “Daddy bought you lots of things, too, Princess.”

“Oh, daddy, you didn’t have to!” her eyes widened.

“So… I can send them back to London then?” he teased.

“I didn’t say that!” she huffed and crossed her arms. Jack laughed.

“Of course I won’t, dollie. Now, what have I missed?” He put his hands into his pockets.

“I was writing you letters every day, daddy!” Maggie made puppy eyes. “Mommy said that sending them would be a waste because it’s been only two weeks and you wouldn’t get some of them. But I will give them to you now!” She decided and went upstairs.

“She can write now?” Jack scratched the back of his head.

“She’s slowly learning how to. I was the hand,” you chuckled and led him to the living room. “How was the business?”

“Good. I got licenses, “ he nodded and sat down on the sofa in a lazy manner.

“And… And the job for The President?” you lowered your voice nervously.

“It’s done, don’t you worry, doll. Told you not to worry about anything.”

“I’m sorry… I… I seem to worry even more now…” you sighed and sat down next to him.

“That’s bad. You don’t have to worry at all anymore, (Y/N),” he put his arm around you and kissed your temple. “You hear me? Worrying days are over for you, baby.”

“Yes, Jack, I understand,” you nodded. “Did Gina have fun?” you rolled your eyes. You didn’t like his niece much.

“Gina’s always having fun,” he chuckled. “She was all over the society. Upper class, you know.”

“Oh.”

“Next time I’ll take you with me,” he caressed your cheek and you hugged him tight. “You’ll show them bastards some class.”

“Me? Class?!” you laughed.

“Baby, once you’ll meet their ladies, you’ll understand that you’re a real class indeed.”

“Jack, you’re being too sweet! Makes me want to eat you up!” you teased.

“You gotta wait for the evening with that, doll.”

“Daddy!” Maggie ran inside the living room with a small box in her hand. You smiled at the sight and moved away to let her sit on her father’s lap.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

“My letters!” she reminded him.

“Ah, yes,” he nodded and opened the box. There were 14 pastel pink envelopes, all tied with a red thread.

“They’re all addressed to you! Mommy helped me with that,” Maggie added and grabbed Jack’s pinky finger to play with his ring.

“Should I read them all now?” Jack tried to sound enthusiastic.

“Mr. and Mrs. Nelson,” the maid walked in with a smile, “I’m about to serve dinner.”

“Excellent!” you stood up and moved the magazine away to put the box down on the table. “Maggie, we will read the letters to daddy after dinner. He’s hungry after the trip and he must eat.”

“Alright then,” she sighed and left Jack’s lap to hold your hand. “But after we read letters, we will also show daddy the new song I have learnt, okay?”

“Of course,” you nodded and caressed her head. She ran out of the living room to follow the maid.

You smiled to yourself and turned around but then you froze at the sight of Jack. He suddenly had a very serious expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“What is this?” he handed you a familiar card and you swallowed thickly. “It was laying on the carpet. Fell out of your magazine.”

“It’s a card… With a doctor’s name,” you approached him to take the card from him.

“I don’t know this doctor,” he pointed out and squinted his eyes at the printed name once again. “What’s going on?”

“Jack, I just wanted a new doctor, that’s it.”

“What did you need one for?” He kept being suspicious.

“I needed a checkup,” you sighed and then you hung your head. “Fuck, you ruined it.”

“Ruined what?”

“A surprise. I wanted to tell you when we’d be alone in the evening… I’m pregnant,” you muttered and put the card back into the magazine. It was your bookmark.

“Wait, you’re… You really are?” Jack’s eyes sparkled and you looked up to meet his gaze. You nodded.

“Got my blood test’s results over the phone two days ago. I am,” you nodded.

“Does Maggie know?”

“For God’s sake, of course she doesn’t! She’d tell you straight away!” you chuckled. “But… I’m also scared.”

“Scared of what, doll?” Jack furrowed his brow and approached you to put his hands around your waist.

“That she’s gonna be jealous. You know what she’s like.”

“Yeah, I know what she’s like. She’s just like her mommy,” Jack teased. “Adorable, beautiful, smart and very fucking jealous,” he leaned in to kiss you but once again you got interrupted by the irritated voice of your daughter.

“Are you two coming or not?!”

“We’re coming,” you chuckled and turned around to face her. “The faster we eat, the faster we get our presents, am I right, Maggie?”

“Oh, mommy, unbelievable!” she exclaimed. “You’re sooooo spoiled! Daddy, you should do something about it!”

MASTERLIST

[lilithmymind]

Why do I feel like Joker should be French? And not exactly Joker, but his pre-Joker period, like,,,,,

I dunno, he just gives me some French vibes!😩😩 I never saw French people, never even googled it, all I know about France is what Paris is capital and verb 'aller'(go), but Jack supposed to be totally French.

Like imagine stereotypical French man, who calls his beloved something like 'mon chéir/ma chérie', 'mon amour' and etc. drinks wine, have an accent, dressup only in something what fashionable by the French style(+bonus I hc what he wore 1920's styled clothing because he's a goof) and act like the most Frenchest man ever.

But I feel like once he falls into the vat of chemicals he becomes more American-like. I mean he still has an accent, still mix French and English, but his whole stereotypical French romantic man attitude turns into stereotypical American old man who tries to be trendy.

And also I feel like he would just kill whatever person assumes he is French(except for Batman, of course, his bf is invincible for him.) because he Definitely isn't French while, in fact, he is.

[gamzeeztoefungez]

OIOIOIIIII, cara essa situação dql groomer lá é bem bizarra, tipo, eu não sei oque dá pra fazer, mas tenta fazer uma denuncia ou um boletim anonimo, ou denuncia em massa sobre esse perfil, até porque ele te ameaçou de doxxing, int por mais que não é confirmado que o groomer consegue vazar seus dados, não é bom duvidar também.

eu espero que você fique bem, parece uma situação bem chata e delicada ! Então não é a melhor coisa fazer todo na hora do desespero, até porque aquele filho da puta ta te acusando de coisas serias, porem eu não acho que elas sejam verdades também, eu acho que o fdp que ta fazendo essas coisas e falando essas merdas provavelmente tá te acusando das coisas que ele mesmo faz, ele deve ser um daqueles esquisitões pedo, não acusando, mas eu não duvido se for realmente isso.

Enfim, espero que você fique bem Asher/Ashr/ Ashes (desculpa nn consegui ler bem seu nome nql descrição de bio TT)

I wrote everything in Portuguese because it is much more easy to formulate the sentences, sorry , it’s bc my English is not very good. I hope you get well!

thx >_< Idk how I’ll file a anon report and stuff but hopefully someone can :’)

Yea i wanna bet he does the same thing honestly

(IRL JACK EHHEHSKHAUEYHEG/j/silly)

[saxophonesir]

Tim Drake-Wayne had learned early on that people saw what they wanted to see.

At first glance, he was just another white boy with sharp features and dark hair, another rich kid in Gotham’s elite circles. The son of Jack and Janet Drake, heir to a business empire. Later, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, another billionaire with a penchant for collecting lost children.

But Tim knew better.

His mother, Wu Jianyu, Janet, had been mixed—half Chinese, half white. Her features were delicate, but her Mandarin had been crisp, her knowledge of tradition ingrained in Tim’s childhood.

When he was younger, his mother would correct him on his tones, guiding his hand when he held chopsticks wrong. His father, when he was home, would scoff at it, saying Tim didn’t need all that, that Janet was wasting her time trying to teach a kid who would never need it. But she had insisted. And so Tim learned.

Ang Pau on New Year’s, lighting incense and bowing at shrines of Gong Gong and Ah Ma, folding dumplings together. Fond memories of the few times his mother was there to be his mother, the times she was Jianyu.

And then she died.

And then his father died.

And then Bruce took him in, and suddenly, the world had a new narrative for him: Tim Drake-Wayne, the brilliant, calculating, white son of Gotham’s Dearest Prince.

It wasn’t like he could correct them. Not without inviting questions he didn’t feel like answering, not without people picking apart a heritage that had already been whittled down to scraps. He didn’t look like Dick, with his obvious Romani features, or Damian, who had Talia’s sharp, unmistakable bone structure. Even Cass, who had grown up isolated from her own culture, was still undeniably, visibly Chinese.

But Tim? Tim was ambiguous at best, invisible at worst.

It was easier this way.

Easier to let people make their assumptions, easier to ignore the tug in his chest when people scoffed at the idea that he was anything other than what they saw.

“You don’t look Asian,” someone had said once, offhand, like it was a compliment.

And Tim had just smiled, the same way he always did.

Because if no one saw it, if no one questioned it, then no one could take it from him.

It was easier this way. To let people assume.

But then there were moments that felt like ghosts—like when Damian switched to flawless Mandarin mid-argument, and Tim hesitated before responding. A visit to Gotham’s Chinatown, and an old shopkeeper eyed Tim warily before addressing him in English. When he saw Bruce and Damian standing side by side and realized the world would always see Damian’s bloodline before it saw his.

He didn’t resent it. Not really. He knew it didn’t matter, shouldn’t matter. It had no place in his mission, Bruce’s mission.

Still, sometimes, when he was alone, he would pull out his mother’s old notebooks and trace the characters she had once made him practice.

Part two

[mariacallous]

Five years ago, Jack Ma was not just one of the world’s richest billionaires, but also—perhaps only after President Xi Jinping—the most famous Chinese person in the world.

In the early aughts, Ma built a business empire around his company, Alibaba, which quickly took off as an online shopping juggernaut that first challenged and then outsold Amazon in China, all while branching out into countless other services. For millions of young Chinese people, Ma was their country’s answer to Bill Gates: Ma, a former English teacher, was a self-made man whose example seemed to illustrate the sky-high achievement and wealth that one could attain through a combination of entrepreneurial vision and relentless drive.

In China, Ma was in constant demand, the subject of numerous films and TV shows, while overseas, he became a kind of unofficial face of his country. He operated his own philanthropic organization, paying special attention to Africa just as China was becoming the continent’s leading global partner. He took star turns at Davos. And he bought the struggling English-language Hong Kong newspaper, the South China Morning Post, evincing a willingness to risk losing a great deal of money to revive an old publication with British colonial-era roots and turn it into a globally respected, Chinese-owned news operation.

Then, in 2020, on the eve of what was expected to be one of the biggest initial public offerings (IPOs) in history, Ma’s world was turned upside down as his empire became the target of hostile regulatory actions from the Chinese Communist Party. Authorities canceled the IPO of Ma’s Ant Group (an Alibaba affiliate), levied anti-monopoly actions against his businesses and those of other tech giants, and summoned Ma for hostile lectures and questioning.

Soon, the man who once seemed to be everywhere was scarcely seen at all. To avoid further trouble, without fanfare, he reportedly slipped away to live in a kind of exile in Japan.

In certain ways, Ma’s story is a uniquely Chinese one. It demonstrates the Communist Party’s obsession with control, as the party has long worked to prevent the emergence of a fully independent private sector in China. It is also part of the saga of Xi, who has worked hard to concentrate power in his own hands and who brooks no rivals in public attention and adulation.

Yet the humbling of Ma—and an entire class of other newly minted, mega-rich tech entrepreneurs in China—also speaks profoundly to political developments in the United States surrounding President Donald Trump’s reconquest of power after four years out of office.

In bringing this new class of business titans to heel, China’s leaders made a carefully considered strategic decision about the direction of their country’s political economy. In effect, they were saying that Beijing would never grant a dominant role to the extraordinarily lucrative and freewheeling private technology sector. Put slightly differently, that sector would have no sacred cows and would never be allowed to cast a shadow on the party and state.

In the emerging Trump regime, we are seeing just the opposite. The administration is a collection of billionaires that almost mindlessly celebrates wealth. On his first full day in office, for example, Trump gathered in the White House with two of the world’s richest men—Larry Ellison of Oracle and Masayoshi Son of Softbank—along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to salute the launch of a new project called Stargate, billed as a $500 billion joint venture to build artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Trump’s explanation for why this merited his support was almost childishly vapid. “AI seems to be very hot,” he said. “It seems to be the thing that a lot of smart people are looking at very strongly.”

So far, few details about the project are known. But as Washington Post coverage suggests, the companies investing vast amounts of money in AI are almost giddy that, unlike the Biden administration, the new White House seems willing to largely let the tech giants make up their own rules as free from regulation as possible.

The centrality of tech titans to Trump’s ambitions is, of course, best captured by one man: Elon Musk. Many of the richest and most powerful U.S. businesspeople were on hand for—and helped fund—Trump’s inauguration festivities, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. But it is Musk who has dominated the scene ever since Trump tapped him to help downsize the government and streamline regulations outside of any traditional institutional framework.

To say that this invites concerns about conflicts of interest doesn’t begin to capture the extraordinary partnership between Musk and Trump. In contrast with Xi’s China, Musk and big tech capital are rubbing out the lines between business and the state.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Musk, has now officially become part of the U.S. government. Originally, DOGE was set to be co-led by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. But as the Post reported, their visions for the organization diverged—and Musk’s prevailed. Whereas Ramaswamy favored an approach based on legal strategies and a mastery of regulatory arcana, Musk seeks to place technology at the center of streamlining efforts.

Musk built his world-beating fortune through technology. It would not be unreasonable to expect that the access he gains to government data while working for Trump and the tech tools that he chooses to pursue will profit him immensely. On Inauguration Day, Musk even promoted his aspiration of landing humans on Mars—a long-held goal for his company SpaceX—as a national project, saying, “We’re going to take DOGE to Mars.”

The following day, Musk, seemingly unafraid of Trump’s ire, rushed to cast doubt on the Stargate venture. As in so much other technology, Musk is a player in AI, too, and one can readily imagine that knocking Stargate was a way to further his own interests.

China has not reined in its tech sector out of any belief in democracy, but rather through a seeming understanding that the new forces of wealth, data, intelligence, information, commerce, and communications can hijack a country’s political system and lead it into dangerously uncharted territory.

Trump, who betrays little technical sophistication, has done the opposite, as he has embraced the big tech sector and celebrated its wealthiest. If this is not challenged, the world might one day look back at this time as the moment when the U.S. state was captured.

[maimoncat]

Ma da dove viene la rima dell'orco?

"Ucci, ucci,

Sento odor di cristianucci!"

Potrebbe sembrare scontato chiederselo, abbiamo sentito tutti questi versetti mostruosi dalla bocca dell'orco di Pollicino o del gigante di Jack e il fagiolo magico. Ma a pensarci bene non possono venire da queste fiabe: l'orco non ha alcuna rima nel testo originale dei Racconti di Mamma Oca, di Charles Perrault, e nelle versioni inglesi, il gigante di Jack dice una filastrocca del tutto diversa da quella italiana: "Fee-fi-fo-fum/ I smell the bones of an englishman!". Già le parole iniziali non corrispondono per nulla nei suoni, ma piuttosto che alla fede ci si riferisce alla nazionalità (se volete saperne di più riguardo alla storia di quella filastrocca, potete leggervi questo post di @adarkrainbow). Tralaltro, l'uso di "cristiano" come sinonimo di "umano" è tipico di modi di dire ed espressioni italiane, quindi se anche fosse stato un adattamento dall'inglese, il traduttore dovrà aver saputo il fatto suo sul linguaggio fiabesco italiano.

E quindi? Da dov'è che sono spuntati fuori questi versetti? Io un'idea ce l'avrei, ma non so bene come siano arrivati alle altre fiabe, come abbiano raggiunto questa fama.

Fatto sta, che nel 1885 il famoso studioso di fiabe siciliano Giuseppe Pitrè pubblica la raccolta novelle popolari toscane, tra le quali spicca per noi la n. XXIV, Il diavolo fra i frati, raccontata da Rosina Casini a Fabbriche. Per chi conoscesse le fiabe dei Grimm, questa è una versione del Diavolo dai tre capelli d'oro: un re si ammala, il suo servo fedele va alla ricerca della cura, una penna di una bestia favolosa, e sul suo cammino incontra tanti disgraziati che gli chiedono penne e consigli; questi li riesce a prendere la moglie della bestia, che, nascosto il servo dalla fame del marito, gli strappa le penne per "svegliarlo e chiederli cosa significhino i suoi sogni". Ora, la bestia, entrata a casa grida:

"Mucci mucci, /Oh che puzzo di cristianucci!/ O ce n’è, o ce n’è stati,/ O ce n’è de’ rimpiattati."

ed eccola qua, la rima orchesca! Perché anche se in altre fiabe la "bestia piumata" è qualcosa come un grifone, in questa storia ha proprio il comportamento da orco. Lo pensava anche Calvino quando inserì la novella tra le sue Fiabe Italiane cambiò il titolo in L'orco con le penne, mantenendo sempre la filastrocca:

"Mucci mucci, / Qui c'è puzza di cristianucci / O ce n'è, o ce n'è stati / O ce n'è di rimpiattati."

Anche se non tutti la conoscono, la sua raccolta ebbe una grande influenza nella conoscenza degli italiani del loro patrimonio fiabesco. La Prezzemolina di Imbriani è abbastanza conosciuta, e dalla stessa raccolta è anche tratta la fiaba che ispirò la miniserie televisiva Fantaghirò. Probabilmente è da questa raccolta di Calvino che la filastrocca è entrata nell'immaginario fiabesco generale degli orchi.

In realtà ci sono anche altri aspetti che il Pollicino che conosciamo noi possa esser stato influenzato da Calvino. Una delle prime traduzioni di Perrault, da parte di Collodi, rende il nome Petit-Poucet come Puccettino. Mentre le fiabe italiane hanno sia un Pulcino (nell'omonima fiaba pugliese, uguale per trama a quella francese) e un Pollicino (citato solo come sposo nelle rime di Gallo Cristallo).

Però per accertarsi di queste cose bisognerebbe controllarne altre edizioni di queste fiabe. Se qualcuno riesce a scovarne, ce lo faccia pure sapere!

Provo a metter 'sta roba anche in inglese, magari interessa a qualcuno:

You know that rhyme the giants in english fairy tales say? "Fee-fi-fo-fum/I smell the bones of an englishman!" Well, we have a similar one in italy: "Ucci, ucci/ sento odor di cristianucci!" "Ucci, ucci/ I smell little christians" (for the longest time "cristiano" was used as a synonym to human. It still is by some people). It gets mostly used in Perrault's Little Thumbling by the ogre or in Jack and the beanstalk by the giant. But it doesn't come from these stories. Perrault didn't use any rhymes and the verses from Jack are way too different.

So where did this come from? I might have an idea, but I'm not entirely certain how it reached national knowledge.

Point is, in 1885 the great sicilian folk tale scholar Giuseppe Pitrè published a collection of tuscan folk tales, novelle popolari toscane. Of these, n. XXIV, Il diavolo fra i frati (the devil among friars), told by Rosina Casini from Fabbriche, sticks out to us. For those of you familiar with the Grimms' tales, this is a version of the Devil with the three golden hairs: a king gets sick, his faithful servant sets out to find the cure, a feather from a magic beast, and on his way he finds many unfortunate people, asking for magic feathers and solutions as well. These are all coaxed out from the feathered beast by his helpful wife, who wakes him at night by pulling his feathers and telling him of "the weird dreams she just had!". Now, when this beast frist comes home, it says this:

"Mucci mucci, /Oh che puzzo di cristianucci!/ O ce n’è, o ce n’è stati,/ O ce n’è de’ rimpiattati." ("Mucci, mucci/ oh what stink of little christians!/ There either are, or there have been,/ or there are hidden away.")

There it is, our ogrish rhyme! Because even if this "feathered beast" is in some versions of the story a griffin, it has the same behavior of an ogre. Which is why, when Italo Calvino put this tale among his Italian folk tales, he changed the title to the feathered ogre, while keeping tge verses:

"Mucci mucci, / Qui c'è puzza di cristianucci / O ce n'è, o ce n'è stati / O ce n'è di rimpiattati."

While not everyone knows this collection, it had a big influence in italians being more in-touch with their body of fairy tales. Imbriani's Prezzemolina is fairly well known now, and the same collection also contains the fairy tale that inspired the "Cave of the golden rose" miniseries, Fantaghirò. It's probably Calvino's collection that brought a regional expression to a broader audience.

Calvino might have influenced in other ways the italian reception of little Thumbling as well: one of the first translations of this tale, by Carlo Collodi, keeps the sound of the original name (Petit Poucet) as Puccettino. The now well-known form Pollicino can be found in Calvino as a rhyming name in Crystal Rooster and in a similar form in an apulian version of Perrault's story (Pulcino, Chick).

Though, to be sure we'd need to check more editions

[xoxoladyaz]

AU-gust, Day 11: Doppelgänger

A/N: So this is the first part of a potential series that I'm thinking of writing because I want a reverse harem for Stevie and also because I like to mess with canonical events as much as possible. I definitely tried to do something a little different here with my writing so let me know your thoughts as always!

TW: Canonical violence and creature death, mentions of major character death

It’s not a smooth landing.

She collides with the damp earth, palms scraping against dried out branches, knees sliding in the frigid fall mud. She gasps, and the air that floods her lungs smelt of decaying leaves, of abandoned squirrel feed, of rotting jack-o-lantern corpses, of chlorine.

Chlorine.

The pool.

“You will go across and then you will go back.”

“Fuck,” she spits out, nauseous as she leans her forehead against the ground. “Fuck.”

The dulcet tones of Modern English float past her, cloying and faint. I’ll stop the world and melt with you – 

Faint. 

Too faint.

“Fuck!”

She pushes herself to her unsteady feet. Is it the bites acting up, or the sluggishly bleeding scar around her neck, or was Seven not fast enough to fully scare away the rigor mortis that had gripped her body back –

Not home. Don’t think of home. 

There’s no time.

“Save her, please.” She’d heard Nancy’s voice even as her eyes began to fail her. “Save Barb.”

“Barb,” she mutters as she forces her legs into a slow job. 

“Barb,” she says again as her legs grow warmer, the muscles screaming with exertion. 

“Barb,” she yells as she breaks into a run, the blood in her body rushing back to life all at once, pumping through her veins as she races across the forested floor, through the bushes and into her – the backyard.

“BARB!” She screams, and Barb – the other Barb – turns in her direction just as the lights under the pool go out.

Twenty feet away.

“Hello?”

“GET INSIDE – GET INSIDE THE HOUSE!”

Fifteen feet away. 

“I – sorry, who are you?” 

Ten feet away.

Faster, Harrington, you need to be faster – 

“RUN – GO NOW!”

Less than five feet and – 

The monster emerges from the shadows of the pool shed, taller than she remembers, its floral-shaped maw pulling into a snarl. Its screech sends shockwaves through the night air, through the pools’ small waves, through her memory and her body feels sweat for the first time since her almost-death. Other-Barb screams back, only a hair’s width away from the monster and, well, her knees are banged up anyways.

She grits her teeth and dives just as the Demogorgon’s claw swing out, sending herself and Barb crashing into the rough concrete of the Harrington pool deck. Other-Barb gasps at the impact and starts to scramble, pushing up and away from her and the monster. 

Save her, please, Nancy’s voice echoed again. Save Barb.

The monster roars again, and she can almost feel its breath on her back. “Go,” she yells, shoving Other-Barb further along the cement as best as she can. “GO!” 

A claw grabs her leg, piercing through skin, and with a scream she’s yanked backwards and tossed into the pool. She lands in the warm water with a harsh splash and 

She’s there, paddling around with her Tommy and Carol in the summertime, ten years old and convinced she’ll never be happier than in that moment and 

She’s there, the first time her and Tommy went skinny-dipping, back before her small world burst apart and

She’s there, doing her laps as Billy Hargrove’s eyes burn into her shoulder blades and 

She’s there as the vines grab at her ankle and pull her down down down into hell, to the feast where she was the main course and 

She’s there, at the bottom of the pool, and there’s no monster in sight.

But there is a shadow above the pool, its claws scraping the ground as it stalks menacingly towards the glass door where a figure with red hair stands amidst others –

Amidst others.

Fuck.

“This will be your job, you understand?”

She’s ten years old and her father has just installed the pool. 

“You wanted the pool, so you have to take care of it, make sure we don’t get too many leaves. Understood?”

Her father’s face is shadowed but the tool in his hands is not. Long, metallic, with a basket on the end.

“Don’t make me ask again.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“Good. Keep it close. And if I see a single leaf, I will drain this sucker.”

She shoves against the bottom of the pool, ignoring the sharp burst of pain in her leg and the screaming that’s starting in her lungs and swims, pushing herself as fast as she can towards the leaf skimmer at the end of the pool. She breaks the surface just as the creature lets out another scream and this time it is echoed by a chorus of voices, almost all of which sound familiar. Her hand grasps the skimmer as the house lights start to flicker around her, and suddenly she’s back at the Byers’ house watching Joyce’s Christmas lights go awry.

“Where is it? Where is it?”

“Nancy, Nancy!”

“NANCY!”

“ – WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT THE FUCK - ”

“ – GET INSIDE, HURRY - ”

“ – BARB! BARB!”

“Be careful now,” her father says as he watches her handle the skimmer. “It’s sharp under the basket. You got it?”

“Got it,” she says, and then she’s swinging the basket-less pool skimmer around in her hand as she turns and charges towards the monster and 

Nancy’s firing her pistol, wincing with every pull of the trigger as the monster stalks closer. She can’t see Jonathan, he’s somewhere on the ground, and she sees that Nancy is going to run out of bullets soon but Nancy doesn’t stop, she just glares at the creature as she shoots and says 

“Go to hell you son of a bitch!” She yells in time with Nancy’s memory and thrusts the sharp end of the pool skimmer through the monster’s torso. The sound it lets out sends shivers rippling across her skin but she does it again, pulling the skimmer back out and stabbing forward again.

The lights flicker as the monster falls forward, its talons clawing uselessly at the air in front of it. She draws the skimmer out for the last time and, with a final roar, impales its head on the now bloodied metal stick.

The pool lights turn back on alongside the radio that flickers to life.

I’ve been waiting for a girl like you, I’ve been waiting – 

Panting, she drops lets go of the skimmer and watch as it falls forward slightly, still embedded in the monster’s skull. Its black blood is pooling slowly, staining the pool deck in a lethargic trickle that feels oh so satisfying after the last couple of days.

After the last couple of years.

“What the actual FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!”

Right. She almost forgot.

She lets a sharp exhale escape her lungs as she looks up and, sure enough, there’s Tommy Hagan, seventeen and half-dressed and utterly useless. There’s Carol standing behind him, pantsless. There’s Barb, bleeding but still alive. There’s Nancy and she can’t stand to look at her and see a stranger in her eyes, so she glances behind and – 

She doesn’t know him.

But she’d know the moles on that face anywhere.

“Demogorgon,” she says, kicking the thing in the foot. “And there’s more where that came from.”

“Okay, WHAT?!” Tommy hollers again. “What the fuck are you – is this some sort of sick prank Harrington because I swear to God - ”

“It’s not a prank, Tommy,” she cuts him off before he can work himself up into a full-fledged tantrum. Tommy – no, Other-Tommy – whips around to look at her and if she had the energy, she would laugh at how quickly his flushed face pales.

“What – how do you know my name?”

“Or, better question,” Other-Nancy speaks up and fuck, it burns how much she sounds like her Nancy, all matter-of-fact and in control despite the fact that she hasn’t stopped trembling. “Who are you?”

“It’s now or never, princess.”

“I’m Stevie. Stevie Harrington.”

Crickets. Crickets and the rustling of leaves in the trees and Foreigner’s last strains playing on the radio. Won’t you come into my life?

“Holy shit.” Carol is the first to break. “Holy fucking shit.”

Tommy shakes his head back and forth, like a dog trying to get dry. “No, nuh-uh, there is no fucking way Steve has a fucking doppelganger - ”

“Only one way to find out.” Barb is the one to interrupt Tommy this time, and she turns around to look at the other boy – to look at Steve. Steve, who’s been frozen since the monster stopped moving. Steve, whose arms are hanging uselessly at his sides. Steve with swoopy hair and a constellation of freckles on his neck that look like Orion, that match the freckles on hers - 

Steve, who hasn’t so much as blinked since he laid eyes on her.

“Steve. Steve,” Nancy hisses, elbowing him in the side, and then he’s moving, stumbling onto the pool deck.

Stevie steps over the Demogorgon carcass – since she gets not wanting to be near it, obviously – but he doesn’t stop walking towards her until they’re less than a breath apart. His eyes are locked on hers, and the shaking hand he holds out to her is clean and dry and warm.

She wipes hers on her pants leg – not that it will do much good, seeing as she’s soaked and covered in monster blood and scrapes and bruises – and she reaches back, taking his hand in hers and

The world flashes gold, just for a moment, and when the light fades from her eyes, the first thing she sees is a golden infinity loop wrapping around her wrist, its twin wrapping around his.

The others are screaming their exclamations, as apparently they witnessed the golden light too, but she’s not hearing anything they have to say. She’s too busy focusing on the way her other self looks at their enjoined hands, the way the warmth of their new bond seems to spread up his arms and into his now flushing cheeks, into his gleaming eyes.

“I’m Steve.”

“Stevie,” she says again, because that’s the only thing she can say and he knows, which is why he pulls her into his arms and there’s so much to do, God there’s so much to do, but for the first time in a long, long time she feels safe.

She can give herself five minutes to cry.

[nevis-the-skeleton]

Accents of my characters in my AU TFP

For a long time I thought about the accents and particularities of the languages ​​of each City-State in my AU: "The Polar Star". Because, yes, like on our very dear planet Earth, the Cybertronians, as well as the Colonies of the Transformers all have a different language, as well as different pronunciations.

And when the Autobots or the Decepticons ended up on Earth, even though they use a universal translator to communicate with humans, they don't use it to pronounce names. It's therefore often in these moments that we can hear their accents, even if they are subtle ;).

*

Vos: Vossian

In Vos they have a rolled "R" (like in spanish), and an almost mute "F". This means that when a Vossian speaks in another language, he can have a fairly pronounced accent even if it's very soft. The rolled "R" is difficult to reproduce for those learning Vossian, and the almost silent "F" can lead to confusion for certain names.

Example of how Starscream says the names of certain characters:

Rrra(f)

Rrratchet

(F)owlerrr

*

Praxus: Prax

In Praxus, the City between Vos and Iacon, the language is closer to Ia (the language of Iacon), but one of the particularities is that the "K" is pronounced "Ki". This makes a rather cute sound, but also difficult for some names.

Example of how Smokescreen says the names of certain characters:

Mikio

Bulkiead

*

Iacon : Ia

In Iacon, the "R" is an "R" that sounds like in English. On the other hand, the accent is placed on the penultimate syllable. For a two-syllable name the accent is on the first syllable, but is sure the penultimate when the name is three or more syllables long.

Example of how Optimus says the names of certain characters ([…] where the accent is placed):

[Star]scream

Bum[ble]bee

Ultra [Ma]gnus

*

Kaon: The Kaos

The "R" in Kaos is very pronounced (like the R in German). On the other hand, the "V" is very soft, posed and a little longer. A name with a "V" then always sounds sweeter than a name with a "R". So, in Kaos, if you want your child to have a strong character, custom dictates that you give him a name with a "R". On the other hand, if you wish him to be calm, his name will necessarily have a "V".

Example of how Megatron says the names of certain characters:

StaRscReam

Soundwavve

*

Velocitron: Delt (this is the most used language on Velocitron)

At Velocitron, regardless of the language used, the "R" very often sounds like a French "R" (less pronounced than in German but still hard to say for the uninitiated). The "A" is long, it's the only long vowel, all the others are rather short.

Example of how KnockOut says the names of certain characters:

Staarscream

Breakdown

*

Delphi: Delphia

In Delphia, the "J" is pronounced "JJ" not "(D)J" (it's hard to explain but look for "J" in French on google trad and compare in English). The "C" is said to be "S", and it is always pronounced

Example of how Ratchet says the names of certain characters:

Jjask = (d)Jack

Starssream = Starscream

*

Caminus: Kalius (this is the most used language on Caminus)

In Kalius, the vowels are short which can make it sound fast. On the other hand, when a consonant is at the end, they accentuate it, which makes it sound louder than the rest of the sentence.

Example of how Arcee says the names of certain characters:

JacK

RaF

*

Anecdote of the accents in TPS (Transformers the Polar Star):

Ratchet has long called Jack: Jjask. And Jack took a while to figure out that was him Ratchet was talking about

Everyone thinks Smokescreen's accent is cute, which tends to annoy Smokescreen, who argues that he's not cute.

Starscream first called Fowler: Lower, then Flower. Not understanding the difference. Fowler was sure Starscream was doing it on purpose.

Starscream never managed to do Kaon's "R", which is too hard to pronounce for him. Megatron can't roll the "R" like in Vos, he tried, but it quickly annoyed him.

When Arcee before called Jack or Raf, they were sure she was scolding them because of the accent on the last consonant

When KnockOut called Starscream, the fact that he made a long "A" disturbed Starscream a lot. He long believed that KnockOut couldn't help but be flirty even when calling out to someone.

The tone on the penultimate syllable in Ia may be surprising to the uninitiated.

Smokescreen had a hard time pronouncing his own name when he was young, because Smokiescreen is not easy to say. His Creator had done it on purpose, because he didn't want Smokescreen to speak Prax but Ia. He considered that Prax was a "formless dialect".

When Megatron calls out to Soundwave when he's angry, the soft "V" sounds like Megatron isn't angry anymore.

Shockwave doesn't really have an accent, he speaks several languages, and knows how to speak them all perfectly. This plays on the fact that after his empurata he forgot which language he spoke, so he learned them all (in doubt).

[honey-minded-hivemind]

The platonic yanderes I've mentioned before all have nicknames and relationships with their bby (a.k.a. you, the reader!). How they met their bby is considered a special, life-changing moment in their eyes, and they are protective in their own... special... ways. But that story will come at a later date. For now, I think I should delve into some smaller stuff , so let's explore the type of humor and nicknames between these platonic yans and their bby:

• 🧡Wolverine/Logan Howlett🦡: nicknames for his bby: pup, bub, darlin', shortstack (regardless of if you are shorter than him or taller than him)

Nicknames his bby gives him: Lo, Old Guy, Wulv, Mr. Cigarette Duet (the bby might have either been testing the waters with that one, or under anesthesia. People say weird things under that stuff)

Their humor: dry humor and small quips

• 🦁Sabretooth/Victor Creed🦷: nicknames for his bby: cub, fresh meat, whelp, kitten

Nicknames his bby gives him: Vic, Large Lion Man, Shere Khan, Mr. Backstabber (both literally and metaphorically, bby has seen him do both, it was messy)

Their humor: cat puns

• 🦡Wolverine 2.0/Laura Kinney💛: nicknames for her bby: fox, pearl, sibling-in-arms, honeybee

Nicknames her bby gives her: Laurel, Kin-ship, Baby Claws, Little Badger

Their humor: stand up comedy (where you pretty much do a spoken caricature of your life, poking fun at it, or something that happens to you)

• 🐺Daken/Akihiro🌀: nicknames for his bby: beautiful, doll, handsome, my favorite (insert sexuality/gender)

Nicknames his bby gives him: Wolf Guy, Seducter, Nature's Child, Lone Wolf (the bby calls him Seducter because they found out about his pheromone ability. And yeah, the bby poked fun at the fact it failed on the bby, because they aren't attracted to him in the least like that)

Their humor: quips and movie references

• 🔥Marvel Girl/The Phoenix/Jean Grey🦚: nicknames for her bby: sunshine, dear, sweetie, firecracker

Nicknames her bby gives her: Miss Marvelous, Venus, mind games, Jeanie

Their humor: inside jokes

• 😎Cyclops/Scott Summers🚨: nicknames for his bby: kiddo, shortstuff, kid, gremlin

Nicknames his bby gives him: Scout, Shades, Laser-Light, Ruby in the Rough (bby wanted him to feel good about his power, so they say those nicknames in a nice fashion)

Their humor: puns all the way

• 🥈Cable/Nathan Summers🤖: nicknames for his bby: tiny, powerhouse, tyke-bomb, brat (he means these nicely, even if he is gruff and stern)

Nicknames his bby gives him: Back To The Future, Terminator, Metal Man, Mr. Robocop (bby couldn't help themself, they saw so many nickname opportunities)

Their humor: banter and witty remarks

• 🎭Mystique/Raven Darkholme💙: nicknames for her bby: child, precious, dear, little heathen

Nicknames her bby gives her: Karma Chameleon, Blue, enchantress, The Blue Fairy

Their humor: witty and dry remarks

• 🎱Rogue/Anne-Marie🥀: nicknames for her bby: suga', hun, love, sweetheart

Nicknames her bby gives her: Miss-Anne-thrope, Marie, Killer Queen, lovedove

Their humor: Southern stand up comedy and phrases ("sweet Southern heat is not just a flavor", "sweeter than apple pie", and jokes of all the various animals found in the South, especially in weird and concerning places)

• ♠️Gambit/Remy LeBeau♥️: nicknames for his baby: Ace of Spades, imp, bebe, ma moitie

Nicknames his bby gives him: King of Hearts, Sugar and Spice, trickster, Jack

Their humor: poking fun at languages and their relationships (the English and French language are hard to master. Good job if you understand half of it, or even a little of it)

• 🌌Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner😇: nicknames for his bby: angel, treasure, friend, beauty

Nicknames his bby gives him: doll-baby (it is a Southern nickname, it means sweet, charming, and innocent, in my area), Angel of the Night, fluffball, Blue (Da Ba Dee)

Their humor: pranks. Pranks all around

These are all my opinion, and if you get the references, great job! If not, that is okay! These were my ideas of nicknames and humor for previously mentioned platonic yanderes (plus their bby's nicknames for them!). I hope you enjoyed these platonic yandere honeycomb thoughts!

[oliverferrie]

It's Trans Day of Rememberance, time to support your local trans author while they are still alive

I originally put this thread up on blue birb hellsite, but I wanted to make a longer, more nuanced post for Tumblr. TDOR is a heavy day for me, and every time I see the list of names it makes me want to squirrel away and cry. So instead I want to spread around some books by trans authors, to uplift our voices. The books themselves are not necessarily about trans characters (mine is not) but my experience as a trans guy does inform the text, and when I read these other works, I feel a kinship to the author in that regard, however imagined that is.

I'll start, it's me, buy my horrific (seriously, read the content warning) fantasy book about young queers surviving atrocities: SUGAR PEOPLE

Next up: Δάιος, by Andromeda Ruins (@andromedaexists). A heavy anti-establishment retelling of the fall of Icarus that leans heavily into the reality of queer folk as outcast and put at risk by the powers that be. I have yet to finish it but the prose really slaps you with its urgency.

Next up: FEMININ GANGE (Feminine gait), by Molly Øxnevad, a contemporary novel about the trans healthcare system in Norway. It's written in Norwegian (bokmål) but I really hope to see it translated in English one day because it's such an important piece of literature on the state of our centralised transmedical health system here in norway.

Next up, MAO SIN RAUDE KJOLE (Mao's Red Dress), by Jan Elisabeth Lindvik, (also norwegian, nynorsk) a coming of age novel set in the backdrop of the sixties. It's only really available in Norway, and it's another one I hope to see translated someday, but it's worth knowing about, as it's a seminal novel by a trans activist with so many decades of lived experience, as the country slowly changed its views around trans folk.

Next, we have JACK OF THORNS, Book 1 of INHERITANCE by AK Faulkner, a dark urban fantasy featuring messy queers and LOTS of trauma. I had the pleasure of meeting Faulkner at a con earlier this year, and they have got an awesome thing going with the Inheritance universe. I've been enjoying Jack of Thorns a lot, it does not hold back.

Next, it's the astounding FRESHWATER by Akwaeke Emezi, a magical contemporary novel about dissociative experiences and trauma, and how they interplay with culture and growing up. A very intense and beautifully written book that isn't afraid to tackle dissociative identities AND gender identity (something those of us who have both often have to mask for fear of being denied treatment).

AND THEY LIVED... by Stephen Salvatore, a very contemporary YA romance that deals with societal issues around being gay and nonbinary. It's written from the POV of a cringey, hopeful teen, and dances between happily-ever-after romance and a pointed exhumation of incredibly dark things.

Finally, LARK & KASIM START A REVOLUTION by Kacen Callender, a contemporary YA written in a comfortably snappy rhythm, about love, friendship and a social media mishap that spirals out of control.

If you are an author listed here and you want off this list, just let me know! If you are an author and you want ON this list, feel free to reblog and add your stuff.

Otherwise, go forth and support a trans author today! Connect with our stories, real and imagined. Increase empathy and understanding around the world. Maybe TDOR will be a memorial of the past one day, instead of a memorial of the present day.

[millylotus]

Rasberries & Lemon Delights

Country Boy!Danny x Emo Punk!Duke

Danny[18] goes to live with Aunt Alicia on the family farm for a gap year, which just so happens to be in Smallville. He’s been there since January. A town in the middle of nowhere with at least a nice small population of people, it's not a big jump from small town Amity Park.

Duke[18] doesn’t usually visit the Kents but he had nothing better to do and Damian[16] wanted to go see Jon[15] for the summer, so roadtrip it was. Besides, Duke didn’t have much else to do and Martha & Jonathan had invited him to stay as well. It’ll be fun to just get away from the constant buzz of Gotham.

The Palad Family Farm has a rasberry orchard [it should be spelled this way or like raz(s)berry, not fucking RASPberry I had to fucking look this up, it’s only ever been spelled rasberry in my head, english can go suck my dick [sorry bout that anyways]] with a couple chikens and cow and a produce garden. it’s off to the side compared to the others in Smallville, separated by a line of trees that you might be able to call a forest. Their closest neighbors are the Kents, and that’s through the trees.

For this AU i changed the boys’ appearance a little bit

Duke is less emo-punk and more punk-emo when it comes to his aesthetic

Danny’s bigger in the muscle aspect kinda like a toned down version of Jack

About a week into their stay Danny comes over to the Kent’s to bring over some rasberries as a gift.

The kids just so happen to be hanging out outside when he walks up.

Duke sat lounging on a chair he’d dragged out to the front lawn, reading his book which sat heavy between his cross legs.

Damian and Jon were further into the brush chatting and messing around.

The only thing really odd were the sunglasses the brothers wore, heavily shaded and thick, with the bright Kansas sun and being from one of the gloomiest cities of the world it was practically a necessity.

Jon paused as he spoke and looked down the road, both brothers turned their heads in interest.

A couple meters down the road a young man Duke’s age was walking their way, a straw garden hat on his head, holding a crate in his arms.

The kryptonian smiled and stood up waving at the approaching stranger, “Hey Danny!” he shouted in greeting.

The stranger whose name was evidently named Danny walked up the driveway to the Kent house.

“Hey Jon! Who are your friends?” He said with a smile.

“Damian and Duke, family friends. They’re visiting for the summer.” Jon said happily as he pointed at each sibling.

Damian stood up and walked over to Jon’s side “Nice to meet you” . His voice was as flat as it always was with strangers.

Duke nodded at Danny, “Sup.”

Danny nodded back with a smile, before turning back to Jon, “Me and Aunt Alicia harvested some rasberries yesterday, we got a lot and where wondering if y’all wanted some.”

Jon’s face lit up like a star, “Fuck yeah! Ma’s gonna love ‘em! Come on!”

Jon took Damian’s hand and pulled him back to the house, Damian and Danny following. Duke sighed and decided to go as well, closing his book he stood up and caught up with them. He ended up walking side by side with Danny.

Danny looks down to the shorter boy walking by his side. Duke is gorgeous in an ethereal way, brown eyes almost glowing under his sunnies, winged with perfect black eyeliner. His face was stoic in the same way Damian’s was, little to no emotion shown. It didn’t take away from his serene and chill vibes though.

Duke glances up at Danny, and the taller boy quickly looks away to the Kent house, face flushed.

He almost missed the playful smirk that spread on Duke’s face.

Ma thanks Danny for the raspberry and ropes him into chatting for a bit with the boys adding little commentary and things

Duke’s trying to not be obvious about staring at Danny’s muscles

Dami & Jon notice of course

Jon and Dami glanced at each other as Duke tried to grab their attention, desperately trying to make them stop whatever they were scheming.

“Hey Danny?” Jon says

Danny looks towards the teen, “Yeah?”

“Damian and Duke kinda just got to Smallville and they haven’t even gone all that deep into the fields, – Jon leans in a bit with a wide smile – We could go out tomorrow and us country kids could show them around?”

“I wouldn’t mind that, how ‘bout ‘round after 10?” Danny afford with a smile.

Danny shows them around the area near his family’s farm

Damian and Jon end up scurrying off to let Danny & Duke be alone, of course they’re watching from the sidelines

Duke pretends to be externally calm but is kinda freaking out on the inside his internal monologue is “Hot Boy Hot Boy That was so fucking weird don’t say that again God he’s so fucking funny I kinda wanna kiss him”

Danny is much the same, but he’s not very good at hiding how flustered he is, he’s smiling like a goof and his face is all flushed “Pretty Boy Cute Boy Pretty Goth Boy I have a type Ancients I wanna kiss him”

Duke is not so subtly flirting with Danny, complementing his muscle, being actively interested when Danny talks about the farm and his friends back home

Danny’s also flirting back of course, drifting closer to Duke, asking him about Gotham and his friend, the book he was reading yesterday

When they get to the Palad family farm, Jon and Dami had already gotten there and where drinking some sweet tea with Alicia

Alicia is of course entertained with Danny’s crush, and watches as he and Duke walk around the rasberry orchard

When Jon and the brothers have to go back Duke and Danny trade numbers, even though they’ll probably talk again tomorrow and basically the rest of the summer

They’re both smitten with each other

Duke and Damian are in the attic of the Kent farmhouse, each on their own twin bed on either side of the room

Duke: *yearning sigh*

Dami *teasing*: You like the Palad boy don’t you?

Duke *suspicious*: No ... Whatcha gonna do about it?

Dami: Oh nothing it’s just funny, you always said you wouldn’t fall for someone on the family type list

Duke: What are you- *realization* oh OH! Screw you, you can’t say shit Dames! *chucks pillow at Dami who’s laughing* I see how you look at Jon *teasing*

Dami: Shush! Don’t say that he could hear you!

Duke *smirking* : Or what? not my country boy to worry about

Dami groans and flops into pillow tossing back Duke’s pillow & flipping him off

Duke laughs and lays onto his back, staring up at the ceiling with a smile, before closing his eyes and going to sleep

Danny and Alicia are eating dinner

Alicia: So the Wayne boys, I only really got to talk to Damian, what’s Duke like?

Danny *excited*: Oh he’s so cool! He’s reading this romance novel right now. Sounds really cool, so I might drop by the library to check if they have it!

As Danny talks about Duke, Alicia watches him with a smile

Alicia: When are you gonna go out and see him again?

Danny: Not sure, but I hope sooner or later

Alicia: mmm, If you like so much you better ask him out soon

Danny *high pitched*: What!

Alicia *laughing*: Duke’s the new mysterious pretty boy in town. The other kids your age will be falling over themselves to get to know him

Danny tries not to let himself look stressed, Alicia shakes her head fondly

Alicia: Don’t worry to much kid, Duke already seems to like you, you’ve got a good chance of winning his heart

Danny sighs at his food

Danny: I hope so

I don’t know where I wanna put this but like Alicia has a weird reputation in Smallville

She doesn’t leave her farm very often, only for big events like the Farmers market

And she has most of everything she needs for food at her farm

If she does need to buy something she’ll pop into town at the weirdest of times and leave quickly

When Danny comes around this doesn’t really change, he goes out into town more than her

There were a couple rumors about Ms.Alicia’s nephew staying for awhile

Danny’s been basically the line connecting Alicia and the rest of town

Anyway back to the main plot!

What Alicia said is true, the few other college kids visiting their family in Smallville do want to get closer to Duke

Duke doesn’t really mind, since he’s always kinda been popular, but he insists on staying with Danny at all times

Danny sometimes feels jealous so he often does things to catch Duke’s attention, even though he knows he doesn’t have to do much

When Summer Farmer’s Market time rolls around a bunch of farmers in Smallville drive to the bigger town nearby Dolmeny Town

Alicia & Danny have their own stand selling more rasberry desserts & treats, along with some little carved statues that Danny makes

The Kents also have a stand, selling breads, a few milk products, and flowers pressed and or fresh from Ma’s garden

The stands are like right across from each other as well, both in the food section

Danny & Duke  staring at each other from across the street, going over to each other’s stands to buy a few things

Duke complementing the rasberry pastries, and Danny promises to save some for him later

It ends up becoming a a date, they meet up near the end of the day, Duke brings a bouquet he made and Danny brings some rasberry scones

They sit at a bench and just start talking about themselves learning more about each other

Cute stuff like that, by the end of it they’re holding hands when Danny walks Duke back to the Kent’s at the end of the day

I have other date ideas, as well. Maybe there’s a party or concert going on in Dolmeny that Danny found out about and they go there. I think they’d have similar music tastes

Going to a cafe, and talking about their favorite foods

The library, where Duke gets Danny to read some of the romance novels he loves

Duke buying some gotham brand lemon candy for Danny, like the really sour stuff cause Danny mentioned he liked sour stuff

Going to the lake for a beach day with the others

Just hanging out together

Danny fixing Duke’s makeup cause he’s done it for Sam before

Of course I want a scene or part where the rest of the Superfam and Batfam, and the Fentons plus Sam & Tucker of course

Come over to visit their family in Smallville for the summer, like a week or even just a day or two

Jazz, Tuck & Sam meeting Duke for the first time and him & Sam immediately getting along

Conner dragging the kids to a bigger concert than they’ve ever been to before

Batfam mildly hazing Danny because they can

The Fentons being able to play wrestle with the Supers with no real problem cause of liminal bullshit

The three families having a big dinner on the last day with barbecue and such, it’s basically a feast with how many people and food is there

Danny & Duke walk away near the end and go for a walk together

The sun’s set and the sky is filled with stars, as Danny talks on about the constellations and planets the two sit together

Eventually they get to talking about what will happen when the summer's over, Danny’s going to either Caltech or Princeton and Duke will be going back to Gotham U for his second year

Princeton’s in Gotham, so it would keep them closer, but Caltech has the first best Space Science program in the country

Duke doesn’t want to affect such a big decision in Danny’s life, and Danny really wants to go to Caltech

Danny chooses Caltech [Cause he deserves it gosh darnit! and if their relationship doesn’t pan out at least they have a whole country between them]

They end the night with a kiss!

THE END

I think this the first one with a proper ending! :D

DEADLIGHTS MASTERPOST, GENERAL NOTES, MEMES, AO3

[jackatlas]

commission info!

hi, i'm kay! i'm an english BA & creative writing MA graduate who is opening fic & poetry commissions via my kofi! i have a few different tiers:

fics/original prose is priced at the following: 200 words - £20 1000 words - £50 2000 words - £100 5000 words - £150 (please message me regarding any alternative lengths)

poetry is priced as below: short form (2-3 stanzas/one prose paragraph) - £10 long form (4+ stanzas/two prose paragraphs) - £20 (please note that rhyme schemes are an additional £5)

please send a message with any questions or requests; i'll do my best to accommodate!! see below for extra information.

if you do not see anything on this list, please ask about it! i probably haven't thought of it lol. feel free to message regarding anything i will write with limitations too. please see here for fandoms/ships i will not write for.

here are some things i am happy to write:

prose, poetry, lgbt content (especially sapphics!), romantic ships, platonic & familial relationships, horror, mild gore, smut (with limitations), kink (with limitations), fics with your ocs (includes oc/canon), self-insert (not x reader, sfw only), any pov, letters from a fictional other (sfw only), mecha (sfw only), fantasy/sci-fi, monster of the week concepts (includes original monsters), vampires, werewolves (sfw only), genderbends (trans headcanons, cis-swaps - please specify), historical fiction (with limitations), fics based on songs/albums, age gaps (adult/adult only), mild violence, angst, dubcon (nothing too intense though), characters from media i don't know (please provide info!!), polyam ships, AUs, crossovers, pregnancy (sfw only)

things i will not write:

incest, underage smut, adult/minor ships, noncon, suicide, dead dove, smut for minors, aging up minors for smut, zoophilia, rpf, hard gore, hardcore kink (please ask if you need clarification), furries, mecha nsfw, x reader, nsfw self insert, hard violence, major character death, over 1000 words, multi-chapter (with exceptions), human/non-human (excluding vampires), omegaverse, zombies, prison aus, royalty aus, sex worker aus, slavery aus

some fandoms i will write for:

yugioh (duel monsters, gx, 5ds, zexal), the x files (seasons 1-3), death note, doctor who (seasons 1-4 of reboot), superstore, how i met your mother, madoka magica, fire emblem (sacred stones, awakening, fates), legend of zelda (botw/totk), marvel (mcu up to phase 3, + dsmom & wandavision), howl's moving castle (studio ghibli movie), classic literature (rebecca, wuthering heights, sherlock holmes), pokemon (most familiar with gens 1 + 5 and original anime run), avatar (atla), twilight, five nights at freddys (no ships), sabrina the teenage witch (seasons 1/2), stardew valley, + more as i think of it

ships i enjoy writing:

my faithshipping, mulderscully, doctorrose, lawlight, gx rivalshipping, matsuda/misa, peachshipping, violetshipping, scoopshipping, amy/jonah, lily/marshall, barney/robin, zelink, howl/sophie, chrom/robin, chrom/frederick, bella/alice, leo/takumi, bella/rosalie, bella/edward, ironstrange, stevetony, peppernat, tonynat, pepperony, palmerstrange, homura/madoka, frostiron, strangefrost, wandavision, doctor/jack/rose, misa/rem, doctor/jack, matsuda/light, mello/matt, gameshipping, mastershipping, fianceshipping, chaseshipping, puzzleshipping, thiefshipping, sherlock holmes/professor moriarty, dragonshipping, wishshipping, heathcliff/catherine earnshaw, edward/jacob, katara/zuko, katara/aang, sokka/zuko, + more as i think of them