#snapshot 76

[thevampiresoc]

IM FOAMING AT THE MOUF I HAVE TO GET OFF MY LAPTOP BUT OOOUG YOU CANT JUST SAY THIS SHIIIIIT /pos

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Year - 2024 Edition

Welcome to our special edition newsletter recapping the best news from the past year. I've picked one highlight from each month to give you a snapshot of 2024. No frills, just straightforward news that mattered. Let's relive the good stuff that made our year shine.

1. January - South Korea passes law banning dog meat trade

The slaughter and sale of dogs for their meat is to become illegal in South Korea after MPs backed a new law. The legislation, set to come into force by 2027, aims to end the centuries-old practice of humans eating dog meat.

2. February - Greece legalises same-sex marriage

Greece has become the first Christian Orthodox-majority country to legalise same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples will now also be legally allowed to adopt children after Thursday's 176-76 vote in parliament. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the new law would "boldly abolish a serious inequality".

3. March - Global child deaths reach historic low in 2022 – UN report

The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has reached a historic low, dropping to 4.9 million in 2022. The report reveals that more children are surviving today than ever before, with the global under-5 mortality rate declining by 51 per cent since 2000.

4. April - Restoring sight is possible now with optogenetics

Max Hodak's startup, Science, is developing gene therapy solutions to restore vision for individuals with macular degeneration and similar conditions. The Science Eye utilizes optogenetics, injecting opsins into the eye to enhance light sensitivity in retinal cells. Clinical trials and advancements in optogenetics are showing promising results, with the potential to significantly improve vision for those affected by retinal diseases.

5. May - Vaccine breakthrough means no more chasing strains

Scientists at UC Riverside have demonstrated a new, RNA-based vaccine strategy that is effective against any strain of a virus and can be used safely even by babies or the immunocompromised.

6. June - Bill Gates-backed startup creates Lego-like brick that can store air pollution for centuries

The Washington Post detailed a "deceptively simple" procedure by Graphyte to store a ton of CO2 for around $100 a ton, a number long considered a milestone for affordably removing carbon dioxide from the air. Direct air capture technologies used in the United States and Iceland cost $600 to $1,200 per ton, per the Post.

7. July - Stem cell therapy cures man with type 2 diabetes

A 59-year-old man had been suffering from diabetes for 25 years, needing more and more insulin every day to avoid slipping into a diabetic coma and was at risk of death. But then Chinese researchers cured his disease for the first time in the world. The patient received a cell transplant in 2021 and has not taken any medication since 2022.

8. August - Chinese drones will fly trash out of Everest slopes

Come autumn, Nepal will deploy heavy lifter drones to transport garbage from the 6,812-metre tall Ama Dablam, south of Everest. This will be the first commercial work an unmanned aerial vehicle does in Nepal’s high-altitude zone.

9. November - Tokyo to make day care free to boost birth rate

Tokyo plans to make day care free for all preschool children starting in September, the city governor has announced as part of efforts to boost Japan's low birth rate.

10. October - FTC Rule Banning Fake Product Reviews Takes Effect With Stiff Penalties

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan announced on Oct. 21 that the agency’s prohibition on fake online reviews was taking effect, imposing fines as high as $50,000 for violations. Khan encouraged followers to report the proscribed practices at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

11. November - Bumblebee population increases 116 times over in 'remarkable' Scotland rewilding project

The bumblebee population has made an impressive comeback in a developed area by increasing to 116 times what it was two years ago thanks to a nature restoration group.

12. December - Spain to enshrine gay marriage and abortion rights into its constitution so 'they cannot be undone in the future'

The left-wing PSOE leader made the announcement at an event marking the 46th anniversary of the Spanish Magna Carta.

“We believe that these are rights that we must protect in the Constitution so that no one can touch them in the future,” Sanchez said in a statement in parliament on Friday.

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That's it for last year :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to share this post with your friends.

[susililys]

MY SHIKATEMA FANFIC RECS MASTERLIST PART 3

Continuation of my ShikaTema Fanfic Masterlist, click here for Part 1 or Part 2 :

New Parents / Post Chapter 700 / BORUTO / Nara Family CONT.

Leave The World Behind by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Temari runs into Shikamaru while at the marketplace with baby Shikadai.

Home At Last by: orphan_account M | ONESHOT Married smut, Temari comes back home from Suna.

Newborn by: SpookyMoth ONESHOT Domestic, pregnancy fluff.

He's Only Ten But She Was Only Three by: drowninglinguists ONESHOT Shikamaru is on a mission and Shikadai helps Temari deal with PTSD.

Love and Pride by: silverkunai ONESHOT Father and son sweetness, Shikamaru talks with Shikadai after the Chuunin exam loss.

Father's Brains and Mother's Attitude by: Kimiz ONESHOT Give me Temari and Shikadai, mother son bonding fics anytime!

Raindrops by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Temari goes on her first mission now that Shikadai is old enough, but the Nara boys are taking it hard.

48 hours to live by: Majsasaurus COMPLETE Includes Temari's reaction to the Shikadai bomb situation.

History Lesson by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Mostly Shikadai and Temari talking about the past, Rasa and the Konoha Invasion.

Snapshots by: lisa29 ONESHOT Snapshots of Temari's pregnancy.

How Did We Get Here by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Temari muses on how she came to have a life that includes a loving husband and son.

Shikadai by: SuperAwesomePandaKitty ONESHOT Temari gets abducted while 8 months pregnant, sweet fic.

Tell Me It'll All Be Alright by: SpicedGold COMPLETE Shikamaru spirals as he deals with Temari getting severely injured on a mission.

Favourite Things by: Dunesya ONESHOT Temari gets asked what her favorite thing about Shikamaru is.

Wave of Affection by: Dunesya ONESHOT Temari reflects on life with her family.

The Night Off by: SpicedGold ONESHOT ShikaTema need a break, cue in babysitting uncles.

Waking Up To You by: SpicedGold ONESHOT

A New Perspective by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Shikadai gets to see Temari in action.

Rest, Relax, and Revolt by: SpicedGold COMPLETE One of the best fics I've ever read, where the Sand/Nara family go through a revolt in Suna.

Hachidaime by: ShrimpArmy M | ONESHOT Yessss, was waiting for ShikaTema fics with Hokage Shikamaru

New routines by: clumsydragon28 ONESHOT Mostly Temari and Shikadai mother son bonding, loved it!

First Steps by: KiaraShell ONESHOT Ok, but how cute is this?

Family Life by: Aspire2B ONESHOTS Cute family moments!

Life of the Naras by: shikamarubase ONESHOTS Awww I’ve gone through these so many times.

Obvious Reasons by: LettieB ONESHOT Shikadai asking the real questions.

A Warning by: Awnyaa ONESHOT Fluff, Temari equals deforestation.

Nothing by: thegizka ONESHOT Temari wants to do something for Shikamaru’s birthday, domestic fluff.

Nightfall by: SeaTempest M | ONESHOT Fluffy married smut.

RELATIONSHIP DRABBLES / DEVELOPMENT / ONESHOT COLLECTIONS

Falling Through the Clouds by: spiritedarray

Moments by: tiashew14

4,572 days later by: therewithasmile

Antics by: eternallove5225 Second chapter in this collection is definitely my favorite. .

Lazy Love by: existence555 Favorite chapters, 5, 7, 13, 24, 25, 28, 57, 68, 76

On… by: ArmchairAnthropologist

Days Gone By by: Adulson

A Troublesome Love by: spiritedarray

Not So Troublesome After All by: BrokenDreamz95

Everyone's Eyes by: TaintedMoonlight

Approximation by: lollipop-mania

They Are Good at Many Things by: lollipop-mania M

Troublesome Crybabies by: ichilover3

AU / CANON DIVERGENT

Shadows of a Nightmare Future by: Mr Gr33d COMPLETE This was such an interesting and good read. Time Travel AU where Shikamaru goes back in time to save Temari and Shikadai.

unattainable, irreplaceable, you by: teatin COMPLETE This is so insanely good, ShikaTema on opposite sides of a war, unresolved feelings.

The Day Bleeds by: pieceofmind22 COMPLETE I usually don't read fics with character death, but this one was really well done.

Salt by: Comatosejoy INCOMPLETE Temari has to go in hiding due to Rasa giving her hand away in marriage, just one chapter shy of being completed.

The Rules by: lafolleconnasse M l COMPLETE This one gives me some intense feels, so well written!

The Desert and the Deer by: nahra M l COMPLETE Death God Shikamaru, someone commented that this could be an award winning movie and honestly…facts!

Trial of the Heart by: Majsasaurus M l COMPLETE Really intense, dark, and well written. Took me some time to finish reading it cause our beloved family goes through some extremely rough times. Jinchuuriki Shikadai. Happy Ending.

Grandmaster by: notquitejiraiya (lethargicshadowlover) INCOMPLETE I usually don't like to read alternate universe fics for ShikaTema, but I’ve been enjoying this one.

Warriors Heart (A Prequel to Fated) by: CeeCeeK COMPLETE ShikaTema as samurais.

What it Takes to Make her Smile by: TaintedMoonlight COMPLETE This used to be one of my favorite fics growing up. Fairy AU.

Of Sand and Shadow by: CinderRoses M | COMPLETE Shikamaru and Temari meet in completely different circumstances when he's abducted by Suna Anbu. Really enjoyed this!

Book One- The Enemy by: SillySnowden11 M | COMPLETE This is such a good read! The villages are at war with one another and commanders ST end up having a tentative alliance. Slow burn romance.

New Blood by: JFalcon COMPLETE Very long multi-chapter fic that includes many other characters, but it has ShikaTema as the main relationship throughout and is very well written.

This took me so long to make, but honestly I've always wanted to have a list of all my favorite ShikaTema fics all in one place. Hope this makes it easier to enjoy all of these amazing works! Thank you to all the writers who have made my days better throughout the years!

[xiaoshengnu]

𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖆𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊 - final review

overview : episode no - 76 episodes, genre - historical (gongdou)

a timeless classic, the slay to end all slays (and I mean literally and figuratively) empresses in the palace follows the story of zhen huan as she experiences life in the palace, hardening her from a sweet young girl to a stony empress dowager. 

l⃣e⃣ t⃣’ s⃣    b⃣e⃣g⃣i⃣n⃣

when I say you will never find a more iconic show ever in the whole of cdramaland, I mean never. empresses in the palace is an absolute juggernaut of a drama, it is absolutely insane, the writing, the drama, the characters, the absolute minute little details and its respect of the viewer’s intelligence- an A* and beyond. and it's internet and cultural presence in china? IN. SANE. 

o⃣u⃣t⃣     o⃣ f⃣     t⃣ e⃣ n⃣

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 9/10

𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 10/10

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 10/10

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 10/10

𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕖 - 9.8

o⃣u⃣t⃣    o⃣ f⃣    f⃣ i⃣v⃣ e⃣

𝖍𝖎𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖌𝖊𝖒 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - 💎💎💎💎💎

[ I know that when the drama first came out, it was considered pretty unique for how brutally it presented harem life, but even years later and amongst so many newer dramas which have borrowed tropes and ideas from it, I don’t think you’ll be able to find such an incredibly solid drama. a five gem.  ]

𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖈𝖍 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - ✨✨✨✨✨

[ it is so incredibly long and a pretty emotionally tolling drama - even longer than legend of haolan but it is just incredible, a full five star rewatch value ]

‘keep reading’ for detailed review

oh my god this drama.

oh my god.

where do I even begin? I remember watching my parents watch this drama when was I was still really young so I didn’t know what the show was called and what it was about, and although I didn’t remember the whole of this drama I could still remember some hazy snapshots pretty iconic scenes- like at the end where she does to sleep, or when she gets sent to the island- so when I finally decided to watch empresses in the palace a light bulb went off and I suddenly realised that THIS was the show that I'd remembered from my childhood. THIS was it. so it is quite nostalgic for me. 

it is honestly such a timeless classic, there’s nothing that will ever beat it. nothing. every fucking second of this thing has a purpose, and everything the characters say and do- and even the background of scenes have minute details which relate to the overall plot and trajectory of these characters. like the amount of YouTube videos analysing this one drama is insane. when critics praise a piece of visual art as a “living breathing organism”, “a masterpiece”- they mean this. 

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 9

just. amazing. what can I say. there’s absolutely nothing that can beat this drama with how it wrote the plotting, the intrigue and the absolute cunning the women had to possess to stay alive in the palace. the ending of the drama is literally perfect. SO perfect. younger me thought legend of haolan was good- but compared to this? this is really truly another level. there’s so many instances in the drama where the drama never really tells you what exactly happened, but at the same time gives you just enough information to just guess what had gone on. equally, there are some times where there really doesn’t appear to be any scheming but with close analysis (and with the help of trusty youtubers) suddenly things become thrown into light. 

however, I had to knock down a few points because every plot has flaws and for this drama, I think it was mostly the use of tropes and the ‘female lead syndrome’ that sometimes quite clearly shows in the drama. There are also some areas in the drama where the plot does get shaky, but there is never not a reason why a scene is included in the drama. its just such a watertight drama. if you ever need to learn the art of show but don’t tell, this drama has it all. I love that sometimes it leaves it up to the viewer to work the plot out, which mirrors the way in which the concubines had to guess and predict in order to survive- which wasn’t always for certain or always accurate, almost literally pulling the viewer into the world of harem life.

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 10

I LOVE THE CHARACTERS UGH. I love them. they’re slays to end all slays. from zhen huan (the original girl boss, gatekeep, gaslight- FIGHT ME) to su peisheng- honestly so iconic. every single major character was well written, well developed and multi-dimensional, and no-one was evil purely for the sake of earning the drama cash. everyone in the drama gives you a reason to root for them, I found myself even feeling for the emperor in the end. 

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 10

the production was beautiful- the lighting, costuming and makeup were literally so perfect it's unreal. so many iconic scenes came out of this drama- like the yimeiyuan (plum blossom garden) scene with it's beautiful moonlit set and plum blossom decked in snow.

 I love the designated colour palettes of the various concubines everything seemed very thought out to fit their personalities. consort hua was decked in bold colours and extravagant patterns, consort jing being calm and gentle was consistently dressed in soft blues and greens, while shen meizhuang is seen wearing mostly purples and pinks. one particular costume that lives in my mind rent free is zhen huan’s blue outfit with the white plum blossom embroidery in the episode 28- absolutely stunning.

𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 10

honestly, if you took a shot for every time I've described this drama as perfect, you would definitely be on the floor by this point. The acting was absolutely now flawless. at no point in the drama did I ever feel drawn out of the story by the acting- sun li is jaw-dropping as zhen huan, her duality is absolutely insane and her crying scenes- ugh omg so good. 

.

.

𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘!!

favourite character(s) :

zhen huan ( if your favourite character in this drama isn’t zhen huan, what are you doing???? she is an absolute icon in her own right. it’s literally impossible to not root for such a wonderful character- team zhen huan all the way )

consort hua / nian shilan ( ik ik, ik now she’s evil and everything, but I love her- she has a baseline which she will not cross and she does have a loyal heart. she loves the emperor almost unconditionally and while she would kill a concubine, she would never harm an unborn child. she seems to care for her servants, who are loyal in turn and I would argue that her being willing to employ a crippled eunuch is a sign of her more softer and caring side. and do I need even mention her snarky one liners?? slay. anyway that’s my essay in defence of consort hua )

ye lanyi ( a queen fr, she takes no-one’s shit )

.

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖜 (source mydramalist)

lead actors : sun li, chen jianbin, cha silfun

director : zheng xiaolong 

screenwriter : wu xuelan

[kabobroaster]

What if we kissed in the 3.5 kit leaks

Okay so if you dont like leaks begone!!!

There isn't much going on in game at the moment so I thought it could be fun to go over the v1 leaks for 3.5, specifically for the new characters kits.

So Hysilens is a Physical Nihility character, she is primarily focused on DoT and defense shred/vulnerabilty. In my opinion the overview I would giver her kit is that she is a Jiaoqia with less reliable personal damage and slightly better damage amplification. She is pretty unique in that she can inflict every type of elemental DoT in the game so she is a great partner for Black Swan. She can also provide a DoT 'echo' when DoT damage is triggered dealing 80% of her ATK for each instance of damage, this also makes her a great teammate for Kafka since she detonates DoTs so frequently. She gains scaling percent damage with her A2 and has a chance to inflict a DoT when an ally deals damage, so she can also be a decent Acheron Teammate. The downside to her as of now is that her multipliers are quite low on her DoT's so it seems her primary contribution will be her vulnerability and defense shred. Her base stats are also somewhat low so at E0S1 I wouldnt expect her personal numbers to be very crazy, but she definetly will be at least A tier and probably will stay there for a long time. Again this is version 1 so things could change a lot before release.

Cerydra on the other hand came in swinging. People are still kinda confused about how her kit works but after watching many, many, MANY gameplay showcases I have a basic Idea of how she functions. Shockingly she is not an action advancer, at all. She does provide an extra turn but its more like Mem's buff in that it isn't consistently available. Also she is useless for characters that don't have a damaging skill, her buff value goes down significantly and if they dont scale off ATK you're straight up wasting a team slot. So Blade im sorry but you are her true antisynergy.

Okay so Cerydra's skill applies a buff to allies that gives them additional ATk equal to a percent of Cerydra's own ATK. This buff doesn't have a duration, it is similar to Hunt March 7th's skill. Cerydra's ult is an AoE ATK and gives her two points of charge. When Cerydra has 6 points of charge she upgrades her skill buff and it additional gives the buffed character a 76% Crit damage boost and applies Coup de Main. When the buffed character uses their skill to attack they consume Coup de Main and get an extra turn that immediately launches an identical Skill attack, then they lose coup de main, the crit dmg buff and Cerydra consumes her 6 charges. She can hold up to 8 charges and gains a charge whenever her buffed ally attacks. Her additional abilities are really important as well.

A2: When her buffed ally attacks she regens 5 energy.

A4: Her Crit rate is set to 100%. Not for a single ability, her overall crit rate, she will always crit.

A6: Every 100 atk over 2000 increases her crit damage by 18% up to 360%.

So yes if you've guessed she is meant to be an absolutely nutty sub dps. She will probably be best in slot for The Herta Anaxa team combo as she not only gains more percent dmg and crit dmg but also rapidly helps charge the herta and provides a lot of atk. She is preported to be Phainon's best in slot and she definetly provides a dps increase but his snapshot doesn't work on Coup de Main so it only triggers once each ult. If you plan really well you can maybe get 2 off in a single ult. While she is great for him, Phainon provides very little benefit for Cerydra's own kit and she performs better in other teams, at least as of now, not to mention her preffered play style of minimal skill uses works against Phainon's coreflame mechanic. Honestly Sunday, Robin, Bronya, Sparkle and Ruan Mei are still his best supports with Huohuo, Luocha and Aventurine being his best sustains. From what we know Terravox is likely to become is best sustain and honestly if you have Bronya and or Sunday leveled and geared Cerydra might not be worth it if you are planning out a Phainon premium team. That said she is very much worth it for The Herta, Anaxa, Feixiao and Dr. Ratio and she could see some play with Mydei or Jingliu even though they dont benefit from her ATK buff. Again this is all from the version one of the beta, things will probably change!

[humunanunga]

Paraphrasing myself from a youtube comment on an analysis of Signalis:

if Lilith was erased from records and public memory, that would definitely contribute to why her relation to Anja and the twins is unclear. Anja could've been her sister or cousin, but when I tried to prove/disprove whether it was possible that the Itou twins weren't too old to be Lilith's own children, part of the challenge is translating the calendar format to Vinetan days and years.

If I did it right, I was able to calculate that a "cycle" is ~22.61 hours (the fraction I got was 240000/10613), and a 365-day year contains ~8766 hours, which would round up to 388 cycles… however, regarding how long it's been since Lilith's dispatch when Ariane was a radio officer, a span estimated at ten years was extrapolated from Ariane Yeong and Rebecca Liang's medical files, which actually just state how far apart they are in age relative to the Rotfront calendar. In the Rotfront calendar system, S doesn't seem to align with its local solar rotation. Maintaining the assumption that Rotfront is Europa, a Jovian year is 4,333 Earth days, or almost 12 years. If S were a Jovian year, Ariane would be 47 years older than the Itou twins, so that can't be it.

In the patient records, dates range as follows: S = -6 to 18, P= 6 to 76 and a-d. Notably, Roswita Fong*, the one with the same brow marks seen on KLBR units, was born a negative number, which may suggest she was born 6S before the installation of the Rotfront calendar. (This would support the assumption that S is counting from the founding of the Nation.)

Now, if S is the year, that makes Ariane older than Nikolai Nguyen by 3S and younger than Rebecca Liang by 10S. But as for those last letters in Rotfront dates, a-d may correspond with quartering Rotfront's orbit around Jupiter (~84 hours) into four 21-hour spans. The only catch is, while the patient files only list a-d, ADLR-S2301 dates his journal entries as days 6-9 preceding A-C, until finally dating all entries 84-21-D. This may or may not set the events on Sierpinski when Ariane would be 66S, but if a cycle is estimated to be 22 hours and 36-37 minutes, that's pretty close to 21 hours. (It is also possible that a cycle is 21 hours.) Those entries were written leading up to and during the distortion, so Adler may have been getting mixed up between Leng's and Rotfront's dating formats at that point.

So back to Ariane. If she and the twins were close enough in age at 4S apart to have been schoolmates, S still has a chance of being a conversion of a Vinetan (Earth) year from 365 days to 388 cycles. Anja Itou said to look at the last six digits on her daughters' PKZ and recall their homeworld (Vineta) when mentioning that the passcode to the library was their birthday.

If Isa and Erika were born May 24, '56, and that date = 14S 52P c, -6S 20P a = Feb. 2, '35 and 8S 12P b = Jan. 6, '50. And if -6S = year '35 and and 8S = year '50, then 15 Vinetan years = 14S. That may disprove S = 388 cycles, but cross-examining that with Rotfront = Europa is probably the key to finishing the translation of a Rotfront calendar. This is as far as I could get by myself (ft. wolframalpha).

*Regarding the theory that Roswita was a neural donor: it all depends on the extent of that level being a recreation of the past built from Ariane's memories and whether the Kolibri line was already in production. That medical record may have been destroyed by 84-21 (Leng calendar? Rotfront calendar?), but with her being a "retired" Replika technician, that snapshot of Rotfront may have been based on the timeframe between Roswita's "neural archival" and the manufacturing of KLBR, such as if her candidacy were under final assessment at the time.

The red starbursts (tattoos?) are probably how the Eusan Nation marks known bioresonants. They're featured on the cover of Bioresonance Technology and its Limitations, and Falke has them too. The shape and placement are almost identical, just slightly elongated and partially covered by her hair. Kolibris' hairstyle may leave their starbursts so exposed as a reminder not to underestimate them just because they're short, but Falke already has halos and kotinos, and she towers over everyone. She's already decked out in reminders for everyone to know their place around her.

[tsunflowers]

I saw a post on here about the book "wavewalker" by suzanne heywood and it seemed Wild so I got it from the library right away and only just finished. it's ms heywood's memoir about how when she was seven her parents took her and her younger brother to sail around the ocean following the path of captain cook's third voyage bc it was the bicentennial and their surname was cook. they said it would take three years but they ended up loving sailing so much that they trapped her on the boat for ten years making her take on more and more of the work required to run the boat even though she was a child and trying desperately to finish correspondence courses. I really read the whole book like this

her dad was like if a man was made entirely of red flags, with one major example being that he liked to hire crew who had no sailing experience so he could train them to sail the exact way he wanted. her mom was one of those people who doesn't understand that their child isn't their peer and froze her out for the crime of being a child. but the memoir isn't only about the profoundly abusive family dynamic compounded by being trapped on a boat. it's also a fascinating snapshot of a very particular time and place

they set sail in 76 so that's already a different world than the one I live in and the south pacific of that time was even more different. you get the sense the dad would have preferred to only stop in places with yacht clubs and lots of white expats but since he was sailing, against the wind, he had to stop anywhere he could. they ended up on a remote French research station, tristan da cunha, and many small islands and villages where the vibe was like "you gotta give a gift to the village chief if you're gonna anchor here"

it's unimaginable to me to live the lifestyle she did. but if you read wavewalker, you can imagine it for a little while

[mariacallous]

For this year’s International Women’s Day, the United Nations calls on us to “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.” The theme highlights how, amid a global polycrisis, achieving gender equality is vital for the collective well-being of communities worldwide. It calls attention to the significant challenges that persist in ensuring gender-equitable outcomes: in particular, evidence from the 2023 Gender Snapshot projecting that 340 million women and girls will still be living in poverty by 2030 and highlighting a significant funding shortfall—an additional $360 billion investment needed to achieve SDG goals of gender equality.

As global calls for financing for gender equality continue, it is vital to center care in these conversations. Over the past few decades, while programs focusing on women’s inclusion into the formal economy have made promising strides, much of the labor traditionally performed by girls and women, such as domestic and care work, is unpaid and not accounted for in conventional economic models. Globally, women perform an estimated 76 percent of unpaid care work. Even when paid, care work is often characterized by low wages and inadequate working conditions, especially for the most marginalized workers.

This International Women’s Day, as we reflect upon the advances made in the struggle for gender equality and justice in the previous decades, policy and program design would also be strengthened from addressing the relative invisibility of women’s labor across informal and care economies.

Situating women in global development

Globally, women’s inclusion as stakeholders in development processes emerged in the 1970s as part of a transnational “Women in Development” movement, which sought to position women as central to development—both as agents and beneficiaries. The movement’s advocacy translated into significant policy shifts, beginning with the 1973 Percy Amendment to the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act, requiring that “U.S. foreign aid programs encourage and promote the integration of women into the national economies in the developing countries.”

In the following decade, a broad array of global actors began championing women’s role in development. For example, the OECD instituted the Guiding Principles for Supporting the Role of Women in Development in 1983, and the World Bank established a Women in Development division in 1987. Galvanized by the U.N. Decade for Women (1975), along with decades of feminist research and organizing across the Global South and North, such programs ranged from women workers’ rights to small scale social enterprise, the latter of which were contemporaneous with the ascendancy of neoliberal policies in the 1980s and the faith in increasingly market-based solutions toward development.

But much like the biologically deterministic category of “woman” itself, actors working in the women in development space were far from homogenous. Over the intervening decades, their work has pushed theory and practice in new directions, introducing debates over whether women’s economic inclusion should be separated from advocating structural transformations in the political economy and asking what the roles of gender, race, caste, class, ability, and geopolitics are in women’s development programs. This has led to new frameworks, including those emphasizing gender relations, intersectionality, and global redistributive politics, which continue to shape contemporary debates in the broader field of gender and development.

In many of these debates, the gendered division of labor has been at the center. For example, feminist research on social reproduction—which broadly refers to the paid and unpaid labor necessary to sustain human life, such as care work—highlights not only that such labor has historically been seen as “women’s work” but also how its devaluation is fundamental in reproducing inequality and patriarchy.

Building care infrastructures for a gender-equal future

So, while today’s calls to invest in gender equality can fuel transformative initiatives, there are also perils associated with focusing solely on women’s inclusion in the formal labor market. Evaluating progress through this lens can not only render women who perform domestic or care work as “unworthy, disposable others,” but can also erase how race, class, and geopolitics shape labor across all gender identities. A broader view of the economy, which encompasses concepts of care, is fundamental in creating a more gender-equal future. In fact, Sustainable Development Goal 5.4 underscores the importance of valuing unpaid work by providing essential public services and promoting shared household responsibilities.

Building care infrastructures that recognize, fairly compensate, and redistribute the care work performed predominately by the working class, migrants, and women of color can lead to a multitude of benefits, including ensuring better educational outcomes for children, improving women’s mental well-being, and expanding women’s access to economic opportunities. One example of how the redistribution of care work can lead to gender equality is adequate and well-incentivized paternity leave, which can increase mothers’ probability of reemployment, promote maternal health, and advance gender and economic equality. Additionally, recognizing unpaid care and domestic work can help promote the elimination of discriminatory social norms and deep-rooted stereotypes around ideas of gender and labor–ultimately contributing to building more inclusive societies for all gender identities.

Looking forward

As global stakeholders respond to this year’s International Women’s Day call, determining who, how, and what to invest in can facilitate progress toward more equitable and sustainable development goals.

Who: Using an intersectional lens can enable stakeholders to identify how different systems of oppression—and the particularities between them—marginalize individuals and communities across all gender identities, and who should be centered in policy and programs.

How: The root causes of marginalization may then be addressed through a critical reflection of power dynamics across and within development contexts, and empowering local communities to chart their paths toward justice and equality, which can also inform recent “localization” efforts championed by development actors such as the U.S. Agency for International Development.

What: Finally, such shifts toward intersectionality and localization may also benefit from directly addressing inequities at the household, community, and national levels—in particular, both domestic work at home and in paid sectors such as education and health care—by developing concrete tools and infrastructures that value and redistribute care burdens.

As we craft new strategies to carry forward the decades-long fight to transform systems that sustain inequality and patriarchy, reimagining the relationships between gender, labor, and the economy is essential to building a more just future for all.

[gonksinlove]

please disregard the subpar quality of this shot, I didn't bother with changing any settings or adding lights or anything lol. I just wanted to get a quick snapshot because it's close to midnight and I should be sleeping, but I'm just SO HAPPY with the changes I made for Red tonight. I spent several hours after work searching through and installing mods so that Red could have some new duds, and also body hair and the correct body configuration 🥺 (thanks to @pinkydude ). Next steps are to find a mod to add top surgery scars, and then figure out how to customize his tattoos.

Red is my specialest boy, I'm so obsessed with him and I love him so much... I originally created him as a Fallout 76 character several years ago using the femme body type, but very quickly realized he absolutely did not want to be a girl. so I changed his body type and he's been a trans guy ever since.

Anyway, it means so much to me that he can actually look like who he is in CP77. I'm so grateful to all of you who take the time to create mods for the community so we can customize our characters to such a detailed degree 🥰

[thevampiresoc]

Snapshots mouse ain't his mouse anymore. That's the group mouse.

[davetada]

Saweetie at Sukeban

Downtown LA, CA

[immortaljailor]

3 and 23 for the fanfic ask ❤️

Aww, thanks for asking...!! 💙💙

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

Ah man, hahaha I had to go back and look through my fics when thinking about this too, and now that I think about it, there's a bunch of scenes that I find really fun to reread...! That being said, out of everything, one of my favorites has got to be "Soldier’s Things" from "Snapshots", the just-released ficlet anthology that @youandthemountains and I wrote together for the Sponeszine! It's short, at 150 words, so I'll just place it here:

A ridged shell, collected from a Risan beach. A smooth, red rock, its surface still carrying a lingering warmth from Vulcan’s dry heat.

Spock had never been one for collecting random souvenirs, but since the day he noticed how McCoy’s eyes lit up upon receiving any little gift, it had become a habit for Spock to acquire a small trinket at every unique locale visited.

Spock picks up a bronze knife, bought from a trader on Starbase 76, his fingers running over the swirls engraved into the sheath’s surface before placing it into the moving carton.

“You kept all of these.”

McCoy looks over at him from where he’s busy boxing up some clothes. “Well yeah, ‘course I did. If there’s not enough space in your quarters, I can have them shipped back to Earth.”

Spock shakes his head. “There is space.” If not, he knows how to make room.

It just...gives me a lot of warm fuzzies, and also I think represents an aspect of the Spones dynamic that I enjoy a lot~ (Also psst psst @ any onlookers: check out the Sponeszine, we all worked hard on it...!)

23. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

This is a toughie...! Full disclosure—historically, I have primarily been/seen myself as a darkfic writer, so to be honest, I have a bunch of dark/noncon/dubcon Spones fic outlines/ideas that I've been thinking about getting around to. Outside of those though, I've got a TOS McCoy goes to the Kelvinverse fic I've been meaning to work on for years that I'm hoping to actually start soon. Also, other than Trek, there's still the potential third fic in my omegaverse Butchlander (The Boys) darkfic series that I keep thinking about on and off...there's still some time before season 5 comes out so maybe I can do something about that this year too...!

[imperiuswrecked]

hello :) i have very recently gotten into namor comics and i wanted to know, what are your favorite arcs/solos hes had? i hope its not too much of a bother. thank you and i hope youre doing well. ^_^

Hello and welcome. It's always a pleasure to speak with Namor fans ❤️ Thanks for asking, I'm well and I hope you are too.

Series:

King in Black: Namor - It's wonderfully written and gives us great lore and character moments. It's written by Kurt Busiek who really knows the character. The artwork is amazing, drawn by two different artists but I have to point out how much I really enjoy the colorists' work. The way they chose to make present day Namor scenes all muted colors, like the ocean is sick and dying, meanwhile his past scenes has such vibrant color.

Sub-Mariner: The Depths - I'm a big horror fan so this was a perfect combination of horror and Namor. I wish this would someday be adapted into a short animation or live action film. Ribic's art carries the whole comic, you could understand it just by the art alone, tho the writing is great too.

Sub-Mariner (2007) - Honesty I feel this series is criminally under rated, it's one of my favorite modern takes on Namor. I do have a couple of criticisms of the plot/ending but overall this series is favorite, love the artwork, love the premise and Namor's characterization.

The Sub-Mariner (1968) - I'm a big fan of Silver Age Namor and this series has lots of great comics but some do drag on at point. Personal favorites, Namor vs The Thing and Namor meeting Betty again in #8, Dorma being possessed by the Serpent Crown in #9. Gonna stop there before I go digging to find every issue I loved, bc there's just a lot there, like I love Tigershark's introduction/stories and Namor and Diane's friendship, and the quest for Namor's father etc.

Arc's:

Tales to Astonish: The Quest for Neptune's Trident #70-76. (To be fair I do love a lot Tales to Astonish but I'm just trying to pick out arcs that I reread alot.)

Namor goes insane in space: Uncanny X-Men (1963) Annual 3 (2001), Steve Rogers: Super Soldier Annual 1, Namor: The First Mutant Annual 1

Suma-Ket & Artys-Gran Arc - Namor, the Sub-Mariner (1990) #30-40. Dark Undersea High Fantasy arc, love it.

Solo Comics:

Marvel Fanfare (1982) #16 & 43, both these are solo adventures

Marvel Snapshot: Sub-Mariner (2020) - I can never get enough of this comic, told from Betty's pov, its wonderful.

Avengers: Emperor Doom - I love every time Namor and Doom team up or interact but if I had to pick one time it's this.

What if? Sub-Mariner (2011) - Love love this story by Greg Pak of Namor growing up on land.

The Judgement of Namor - Dark Reign: The Cabal - Namor takes court and deals with his subjects. An excellent look into Namor's role as the monarch of Atlantis.

Marvel (2020) #3 - I loved the sketch arts of the comic that was unfinished, it had been around for decades but when Marvel finally printed it in full I was so happy. I still prefer the sketchy art but I thought this was a fun adventure and Namor is in a suit, lol.

Marvel Comics Presents: (1988) #33 - All time favorite Namor comic, #1 spot in my heart. (2007) #7 - Namor mourns Nita's death (2019) #1 - A heavy story by Greg Pak about WWll

Tales of the Marvels: Inner Demons - a look at Namor while he was an amnesiac

I haven't even started on character team up comics or team books and if I start on those I won't stop. lol. I'll put a link here to my 2019 comic reading guide that can help you find most major arcs. I hope you enjoy reading!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter - Monday, July 24, Tuesday July 25

JOYCE: (interrupts, mad) You know what? I don't care. I don't care what your friends think of me, or you for that matter, because you put me through the wringer, Buffy. (inhales) I mean it. (exhales and inhales) And I've had schnapps!

~~Dead Man's Party~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

One More Heart to Break (Xander/Andrew, G) by TheHazCady

[Chaptered Fiction]

She's a Hoot Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Desicat

In Death, That I May Live... Chapter 35 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Irishrose

Word of the Day Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Nupalie

Doing my best to get back to you (Ain't nothing I'd rather do) Chapter 16 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Fortes775

When Buffy Met Lorne Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by kanita

Snapshots from the Spuffyverse Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by cawthraven

Home movies Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by cawthraven

Wonderfully Weird Chapter 76 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Jws1993

Jigsaw Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Dusty

Through the Years Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by DarkVoid116

Not Quite Gone Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by kanita

Closure Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by The Danish Bird

A Vampire's Guide to Dating the Slayer Chapter 22 (Buffy/Spike, R) by the_big_bad

Becoming us Chapter 81 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by BewitchedXx

The Truth Shall Set You Free Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Geliot99

Five Steps to Falling in Love Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Wojtekstan

Hi Daddy Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by SzmattyCat

Up and Away Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, R) by simmony

Excerpts Chapter 27 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Holly

Fractured Pieces Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

Vengeance, Valentines, and Karaoke Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, R) by ClowniestLivEver

The Time Between Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by JayeMaru

Sometimes Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Electric Heart

In Another World Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Amina

In The Dark With You Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Geliot99

The (bad) Poems of William S. Pratt Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Julikobold

The stories we could tell Chapter 22 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Julikobold

The Text Message Memories of Buffy & Spike Chapter 24 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Julikobold

The Art of Dying Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, R) by disco-tea

Rigor in Research Chapter 63 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Soulburnt

The Plunge Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Harlow Turner

These Small Hours Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by sunshine-of-my-lifetime

Blackout Chapter 32 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by bewildered

Not Quite Gone Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by kanita

Part of the Family Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Harlow Turner

Keepsakes Chapter 26 (Buffy/Spike, G) by violettathepiratequeen

Dreams Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Dusty

Don't Fall for Rock Stars Chapter 70 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by scratchmeout

Zero Complaints Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Lady Emma

The Alphabet of Spuffy Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Dawn the Vampire Slayer Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, R) by LJ94

Rules of the Road Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

Yahtzee! Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

The joys of life of a newlywed (not so regular) couple Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by JSBirsa

Smoke Gets In Your EyesChapter 2 (Giles&Buffy, M) by ttfan111robstar1

[Image, Audio & Video]

Video: Glory:An Underrated Big Bad by Britneyfan123

[Fandom Discussions]

I know they are a hot mess but I just want to take a moment to appreciate how pretty they look together by Ravenclaw54321

Who do you prefer? by jdpm1991

Which threat scared you the most? by Vertigo_Vertigo

no matter how much you dislike dawn. you have to admit, this is the most saddest scene by fallingforours

Poll - Who bought Giles a Kiss The Librarian mug by InfiniteMehdiLove

Any public outcry for satanic themes when the show originally aired? by Albaloca

Characters you liked more on rewatch by The810kid

Comics by Mindless_Papaya2862

Have you ever related to any storylines/characters from BtVS? by DasSockenmonster

Spike’s Chip uses magic? by RangoonDoom

Tara & Spike Prequel books by SnooDoggos5311

The factory hideout by NihilisticCucumber

Buffy having zero haters by Eltheslayer

A - Z of Buffy “S” by Buffster13

What did the First Slayer tell the Potentials? by AndrewHeard

How blatant the Buffy/Faith subtext is by Maximum_Arachnid2804

Feeling like Season 1 is underrated. Thoughts? by CheesecakeHorror8613

Was it Spike or Angel's idea? by gimmesomespace

Buffy and the flu by Tuxedo_Mark

Anya by Shoddy_Aardvark1533

which character has the best arc from their first appearance to the last? by SeriouslyNotSerious2

Unpopular opinion by katiesalter

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[rawstorys]

Billy Joel Alexis's wife breaks silence on his brain disorder

I got a way about it. Billy Joel’s wife, Alexis Rodrik Joel, broke her silence after the 76 -year -old singer participated that he was diagnosed with him. Brain disorder is called normal hypotension. “Thank you for the flow of love and support,” she wrote on the Joel’s Instagram account alongside a snapshot for herself, and the artist and their two daughters Della, 9 years old, Remy, 7, on…