#the flash 2023 issue 12

[giphit]

since the year is ending i can safely say that the flash #12 is my favourite single issue of the year.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Chloe Cole

Published: July 28, 2023

On Thursday, her 19th birthday, Chloe Cole testified to Congress with a “final warning” that medical treatments to change the gender of confused children is horrific. Cole, who was given surgery as a teenager to become male and soon regretted it, said what she needed most was therapy, not a scalpel. Here is what she told lawmakers:

My name is Chloe Cole and I am a de-transitioner.

Another way to put that would be: I used to believe that I was born in the wrong body and the adults in my life, whom I trusted, affirmed my belief, and this caused me lifelong, irreversible harm. 

I speak to you today as a victim of one of the biggest medical scandals in the history of the United States of America. 

I speak to you in the hope that you will have the courage to bring the scandal to an end, and ensure that other vulnerable teenagers, children and young adults don’t go through what I went through. 

Deceit & coercion 

At the age of 12, I began to experience what my medical team would later diagnose as gender dysphoria.

I was well into an early puberty, and I was very uncomfortable with the changes that were happening to my body. I was intimidated by male attention. 

And when I told my parents that I felt like a boy, in retrospect, all I meant was that I hated puberty, that I wanted this newfound sexual tension to go away.

I looked up to my brothers a little bit more than I did to my sisters. 

I came out as transgender in a letter I sent on the dining room table.

My parents were immediately concerned.

They felt like they needed to get outside help from medical professionals. 

But this proved to be a mistake.

It immediately set our entire family down a path of ideologically motivated deceit and coercion.

The general specialist I was taken to see told my parents that I needed to be put on puberty-blocking drugs right away. 

They asked my parents a simple question: Would you rather have a dead daughter or a living transgender son? 

The choice was enough for my parents to let their guard down, and in retrospect, I can’t blame them.

This is the moment that we all became victims of so-called gender-affirming care.

I was fast-tracked onto puberty blockers and then testosterone. 

The resulting menopausal-like hot flashes made focusing on school impossible.

I still get joint pains and weird pops in my back.

But they were far worse when I was on the blockers. 

Forever changed 

A month later, when I was 13, I had my first testosterone injection.

It has caused permanent changes in my body: My voice will forever be deeper, my jawline sharper, my nose longer, my bone structure permanently masculinized, my Adam’s apple more prominent, my fertility unknown. 

I look in the mirror sometimes, and I feel like a monster.

I had a double mastectomy at 15.

They tested my amputated breasts for cancer.

That was cancer-free, of course; I was perfectly healthy.

There is nothing wrong with my still-developing body, or my breasts other than that, as an insecure teenage girl, I felt awkward about it.

After my breasts were taken away from me, the tissue was incinerated — before I was able to legally drive. 

I had a huge part of my future womanhood taken from me.

I will never be able to breastfeed.

I struggle to look at myself in the mirror at times.

I still struggle to this day with sexual dysfunction.

And I have massive scars across my chest and the skin grafts that they used, that they took of my nipples, are weeping fluid today, and they’re grafted into a more masculine positioning, they said. 

After surgery, my grades in school plummeted.

Everything that I went through did nothing to address the underlying mental health issues that I had.

And my doctors with their theories on gender that all my problems would go away as soon as I was surgically transformed into something that vaguely resembled a boy — their theories were wrong.

The drugs and surgeries changed my body, but they did not and could not change the basic reality that I am, and forever will be, a female. 

Depths of despair 

When my specialists first told my parents they could have a dead daughter or a live transgender son, I wasn’t suicidal.

I was a happy child who struggled because she was different. 

However at 16, after my surgery, I did become suicidal.

I’m doing better now, but my parents almost got the dead daughter promised to them by my doctors.

My doctor had almost created the very nightmare they said they were trying to avoid. 

So what message do I want to bring to American teenagers and their families?

I didn’t need to be lied to.

I needed compassion.

I needed to be loved. 

I needed to be given therapy that helped me work through my issues, not affirmed my delusion that by transforming into a boy, it would solve all my problems. 

We need to stop telling 12-year-olds that they were born wrong, that they are right to reject their own bodies and feel uncomfortable with their own skin. 

We need to stop telling children that puberty is an option, that they can choose what kind of puberty they will go through, just like they can choose what clothes to wear or what music to listen to. 

Pseudoscience 

Puberty is a rite of passage to adulthood, not a disease to be mitigated.

Today, I should be at home with my family celebrating my 19th birthday.

Instead, I’m making a desperate plea to my elected representatives.

Learn the lessons from other medical scandals, like the opioid crisis. 

Recognize that doctors are human, too, and sometimes they are wrong. 

My childhood was ruined along with thousands of de-transitioners that I know through our networks.

This needs to stop. You alone can stop it. 

Enough children have already been victimized by this barbaric pseudoscience.

Please let me be your final warning. 

Thank you.

Might as well call her a murtad and kufr.

"The medical industry mutilated me, maybe don't mutilate other kids," shouldn't require bravery or renouncing an ideology.

Reminder: A minor under the age of 18 is too young to agree to a cellphone contract. 🤦‍♀️

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

At first glance, Dave Langston’s predicament seems similar to headaches facing homeowners in coastal states vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes: As disasters have become more frequent and severe, his insurance company has been losing money. Then, it canceled his coverage and left the state.

But Mr. Langston lives in Iowa.

Relatively consistent weather once made Iowa a good bet for insurance companies. But now, as a warming planet makes events like hail and wind storms worse, insurers are fleeing.

Mr. Langston spent months trying to find another company to insure the townhouses, on a quiet cul-de-sac at the edge of Cedar Rapids, that belong to members of his homeowners association. Without coverage, “if we were to have damage that hit all 17 units, we’re looking at bankruptcy for all of us,” he said.

The insurance turmoil caused by climate change — which had been concentrated in Florida, California and Louisiana — is fast becoming a contagion, spreading to states like Iowa, Arkansas, Ohio, Utah and Washington. Even in the Northeast, where homeowners insurance was still generally profitable last year, the trends are worsening.

In 2023, insurers lost money on homeowners coverage in 18 states, more than a third of the country, according to a New York Times analysis of newly available financial data. That’s up from 12 states five years ago, and eight states in 2013. The result is that insurance companies are raising premiums by as much as 50 percent or more, cutting back on coverage or leaving entire states altogether. Nationally, over the last decade, insurers paid out more in claims than they received in premiums, according to the ratings firm Moody’s, and those losses are increasing.

The growing tumult is affecting people whose homes have never been damaged and who have dutifully paid their premiums, year after year. Cancellation notices have left them scrambling to find coverage to protect what is often their single biggest investment. As a last resort, many are ending up in high-risk insurance pools created by states that are backed by the public and offer less coverage than standard policies. By and large, state regulators lack strategies to restore stability to the market.

Insurers are still turning a profit from other lines of business, like commercial and life insurance policies. But many are dropping homeowners coverage because of losses.

Tracking the shifting insurance market is complicated by the fact it is not regulated by the federal government; attempts by the Treasury Department to simply gather data have been rebuffed by some state regulators. 

The turmoil in insurance markets is a flashing red light for an American economy that is built on real property. Without insurance, banks won’t issue a mortgage; without a mortgage, most people can’t buy a home. With fewer buyers, real estate values are likely to decline, along with property tax revenues, leaving communities with less money for schools, police and other basic services.

And without sufficient insurance, people struggle to rebuild after disasters. Last year, storms, wildfires and other disasters pushed 2.5 million American adults out of their homes, according to census data, including at least 830,000 people who were displaced for six months or longer.

[queen-lance]

Black Canary reads?

Yes, Black Canary can read.

...

Speaking seriously tho, I've always dreaded that someone would ask me this about Black Canary instead of ANY OTHER CHARACTER cause despite loving Dinah, a lot of stuff she's in isn't good.

The only stuff with "Black Canary" in the title that I actually like is:

- Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

- Black Canary: Ignite

That's it. I REALLY love Bloodspell and completely recommend it. Ignite is cute

She has 4 solos and all of them are pretty bad. You can read it though! Maybe you'll like it!

They are: Black Canary (1991), (1993), (2007) and (2015)

If you want to experience her appearances in other titles, I'd go:

- The Hard Traveling Heroes Era: Green Lantern (1960): #78-79, #81-84, #86-87 / The Flash (1959): #217-219 / Green Lantern (1960): #93-110, #113-117, #119-122 (I'm obsessed with these books, but Dinah isn't exactly the focus. Still, she's there and she's great)

- Green Arrow: Longbow Hunters (a bunch of BC fans hate it for the way Dinah is victimized, which is an extremely valid point)

- Green Arrow (1988) (deals with Dinah better than it's predecessor and I actually like the portrayal of her and her flaws here. That is a bit controversial tho)

- Birds of Prey (1999) (I have... Some complicated feelings towards this, but it's where you'll mainly get Dinah Lance shining. Her portrayal, especially when you get to Gail Simone, is really good)

- JSA (1999): Secret Files and Origins #1 / JSA (1999): #1-4, #6-14, Annual #1, #15-22 / JSA Secret Files and Origins #2 / JSA Our Worlds At War / JSA (1999): #31-32 (I haven't read these so I can't give you an opinion, but I've heard good things!)

- Green Arrow (2001): #1, #4-6, #8-9, #12-15, #17, #21 (I only like this until issue 21 and I frankly would recommend that you read all of them so it makes more sense), #21, #29, #34, #40 (those are... A MESS)

- Road to the Altar (definitely not a fan, but it's important)

- Green Arrow/Black Canary (not a fan either, but the Dinah here is not the problem, Winick just isn't very good at telling stories)

Then! New 52

- Birds of Prey (2011):

Rebirth

- Green Arrow (2016) (I have my problems, but it's overall kinda fun. I really like Dinah here)

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey

Infinite Frontier

- Green Arrow (2023) (it starts meh and then just gets worse)

- Birds of Prey (2023) (I really enjoy this! Great Dinah and fun storylines)

She's also in a bunch of Justice League stories, but then we'd be here all day.

Link to a complete reading guide:

[call-me-oracle]

dickbabs post-rebirth reading list

*note - not all of these issues feature dickbabs together, some are just laments about the current situation of their relationship or them working as a team!

current ongoings

nightwing (2016-): issue #3, #10, #15, #44-47, #50-51, #54, #57-58, #68, #72-75, #77-; annual #1, annual #2, annual 2021, annual 2022, annual 2024

detective comics (2016-): issue #1047-1051, #1053-1058

batman (2016-): issue #99, #127-129, #136-138, #145-146, #148

batman: the brave and the bold (2023-): issue #4, #13

titans (2023-): issue #1-2, #6-7

catwoman (2018-): issue #45

former ongoings

batgirl (2016-2020): issue #7, #9, #14-17, #25, #27-28, #39, #44, #50

batgirls (2021-2022): issue #2-3, #7-8, #19, #12

batman: urban legends (2021-2023): issue #2, #6, #9, #22-23

the flash (2016-2023): issue #787

superman: son of kal-el (2021-2022): issue #10

limited series

dc vs vampires (2021-2022): issue #2-8, #10, #12

dark crisis on infinite earths (2022): issue #3

titans: beast world: issue #1-6

the boy wonder (2024): issue #1

event tie-ins

dc vs vampires: hunters: issue #1

titans: beast world tour - gotham: issue #1

knight terrors: nightwing: issue #1-2

anthology issues

dark nights: death metal - the last stories of the dc universe: issue #1

dc's how to lose a guy gardner in 10 days: issue #1

[alistair-blackwood]

Bloodweave Fic Recs (12/8/2023)

I've been devouring fic lately and I figured I may as well do something productive with it.

Format from @inevitably-ineffable-husbands fic rec lists, check out some of their Good Omens fic recs if you're a fan ♥️

||

Four Eyes by trashmaven (G, 1.2k w || Light Angst, Pre-Relationship, Fluff) Gale has a secret.

Of Jackpots and Sticky Fingers by Asidian (G, 2k+ w || Humor, Banter, Gambling) "The nerve," huffs Gale. "Imagine setting a jackpot and then punishing anyone who won it fair and square!" Astarion's eyes flicker from the stalking lizard to Gale, and then back again. It's entirely too innocent of a look.

Hoarding Tendencies by Asidian (G, 4k+ w || Hoarding, Trust Issues Past Deprivation, Past Abuse, Misunderstandings, Starvation, Gift Giving) "My word," says Gale, caught between taken aback and genuinely impressed. "Where does this all fit in your pack?"

Letters From Gale by Modmother (G, 5k+ w WIP || Epistolary) A series of letters from Gale Dekarios to Astarion spanning the year after the defeat of the absolute.

Out of Breath, Out of Time by SadinaSaphrite (T, 1k+ w || Asphyxiation, Strangulation, Hurt/Comfort) Gale is caught in a meazel's garrote and needs some rescuing.

Might Just Make It by lavvyan (T, 2k+ w || Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence, POV Outsider) The group (sans Tav) meet Astarion by the beach. They don't meet Gale. If you ask Astarion, that just means they have to look harder.

in your arms I lie till dawn by shroomonabroom (T, 3k+ w || Hurt/ Comfort, Fluff, Sleep Deprivation) Gale hasn’t slept in several days; Astarion makes things better via food and almost cuddles.

A Practical Guide To Camping by Lunarwench (T 4k+ w || Pre-Relationship, Friendship) How the hell do these idiots have so much stuff when they were all abducted by a flying squid; A Character Study

Come To Mind by ZiGraves (T, 7k+ w || Memory Loss) Something has happened to Gale. Who was Gale, anyway? Well, Gale was himself, obviously, but what did that entail?

In the Dark by LeaXIII (T, 7k+ w || Whump, Light Angst, Tight Spaces, Blood and Injury, Impalement, Blood Drinking, Sexual Tension) Gale and Astarion are caught in a cave-in and no one has a good time. Takes place somewhere in Act 1.

Weakness Coming On by bloodweaving (shipwreckblue) (M, 5k+ w || Enemies to Lovers, Humor, Autistic Gale, Banter, Getting Together) Astarion’s expression settled into an alarming rictus of forced nonchalance. “Oh, please, darling, did you think I was serious?"

The things lost along the way (The things gained at the end) by ThatKorka (M, 14k+ w || Body Horror, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending, UST) I can smell what’s under those bandages, Wizard, You’re all rot and ruin!

Deliverance by porcelain (E, 2k+ w WIP || Incubus Astarion, Angst/Hurt, Religious Guilt, Minor Character Death, Alternate Universe, Trauma/PTSD, Priest Gale) Third row, on the right, between a now awake grandfather and a nodding teary-eyed mother and bored children and still untouched scriptures. The red of the man’s irises narrow, and he flashes a smile at him, wicked in a flash of dagger-like teeth. He doesn’t look away, even when Gale does.

Rest, Indulge by ZiGraves (E, 6k+ w || Consensual Somnophilia, Blood Drinking) The slow, drowsy way that Gale’s eyelids flutter before they open fully is its own particular pleasure, and he leans into Astarion’s hand while still half-dozing enough to luxuriate without thinking. Consciousness comes back in a slow rolling wave, free of the stresses of their old camp life that might necessitate instant wakefulness. Astarion watches each moment as it builds, crests, breaks, until his wizard is awake and meeting his eyes with warm curiosity.

Friday Nights by SadinaSaphrite (E, 23k+ w || Alternate Universe, College/University, Modern with Magic, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Blood and Injury, Violence, Fluff, Medium Burn) Professor Gale Dakarios loses his research, his magic, and his lover Mystra all at once and only has himself to blame. When he goes to drown his sorrows, he meets a pale stranger with mysteries of his own.

The stars began to burn by peregrinefeathers (E, 33k+ w WIP || Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Past Sexual Abuse, Psychic Bond, Emotional Manipulation, Blood Drinking) After two centuries of torment, Astarion has given up hope of escaping Cazador's clutches, until a chance encounter with a stolen book introduces him to the disembodied voice of a wizard named Gale of Waterdeep. With the fate of Baldur's Gate in the balance, they must confront their demons and win their freedom - together.

||

Let me know if you'd like a specific rec or want to share some recs of your own!

[uboat53]

Okay, I keep hearing centrist commentators harangue about how the Democrats suffered for ignoring the "immigration crisis" in the last election. Can someone help me out here? What, exactly, is the actual crisis in immigration?

As of 2023, there were about 48 million immigrants in the United States and about 11 million of them were illegal. Sure that's almost 23% of all immigrants (and 3.24% of the total population) being illegal, but in 2007 there were about 38 million immigrants living in the United States and 12 million of them (31.5% and 4% respectively) were illegal!

Illegal border crossings have risen in the last few years but (a) it's not all that much higher than it was in the late 90s, especially when accounting for population growth, and (b) I have yet to find anyone who can articulate what, exactly, the problem with a slightly higher illegal immigrant population is.

Every reputable study finds that illegal immigrants commit crimes at a far lower rate (only 25% according to the National Institute of Justice!) than native born citizens, that their impact on wages and other economic impacts, even in the demographics most effected, is at most 5%, and the CBO finds that illegal immigrants pay more in taxes than they use in services.

So yes, there has been a recent increase in border crossings, but how does that qualify as a crisis? How, exactly, does that negatively impact the lives of Americans more than, say, any of the numerous other issues (crime, health care, income inequality) that are currently flashing warning signs? Why should the government focus on this issue at all?

I'm genuinely asking because I'm struggling to come up with an answer and yet there seems to be a large number of people who think this. What have you got?

[androxys]

Androxys' 2024 Comics Wrapped

Tis the season for reflection and reminiscing and big lists, so I guess it’s time for me to review what my year of comic reading looked like! As always, this list is not guaranteed to be 100% perfect, as I’m only human, and keeping a big spreadsheet and LOCG sounds great until you mark one and forget the other.

Per my tally, I read 836 comics in 2024. If we assume each comic is 22 pages long, that’s 18,392 pages of comics. Of course, some issues are oversized, but some issues were also originally backups that were later collected, so I’m assuming it all comes out in the wash.

Top 10 Characters/Teams I read for…

The Legion of Super-Heroes: 116

Batman (Bruce Wayne): 77

Supergirl (Linda Danvers): 46

Wonder Woman: 42

Nightwing: 41

Amethyst: 39

The Dreaming: 32

Poison Ivy: 24

Batman (Dick Grayson): 20

JLA: 19

Top 5 Titles:

Legion of Super-Heroes (2004) - 50 issues

Supergirl (1996) - 46 issues

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (1949) - 35 issues

Detective Comics (2016) - 32 issues

Wonder Woman (2016) / Nightwing (1996) - 30 issues each

If you want to see my full 2024 reading, check below the cut.

Absolute Power: Origins (2024) #1-2 [2]

Action Comics (1938) #858-863 [6]

Alan Scott: Green Lantern (2023) #1-6 [6]

Amethyst (1983) #1-12 [12]

Amethyst (1985) #1-16 [16]

Amethyst (1987) #1-4 [4]

Amethyst (2020) #1-6 [6]

Amethyst Annual (1984) #1 [1]

Anarky (1997) #1-4 [4]

Anarky (1998) #1-8 [8]

Aquaman (1962) #40-48 [9]

Arkham City: Order of the World (2021) #1-6 [6]

Arkham Reborn (2009) #1-3 [3]

Batman + Arsenal (1997) #1 [1]

Arsenal Special (1996) #1 [1]

Batgirl (2024) #1 [1]

Batgirl Special (1988) #1 [1]

Batgirl: Girlfrenzy (1998) #1 [1]

Batman and Robin (2011) #1-8 [8]

Batman Incorporated (2022) #1-12 [12]

Batman: Batgirl (1997) #1 [1]

Birds of Prey (2023) #5-14 [10]

Birds of Prey: Batgirl/Catwoman (2003) #1 [1]

Birds of Prey: Catwoman/Oracle (2003) #1 [1]

Black Lightning Year One (2009) #1-6 [6]

Chase (1998) #1-9, #1,000,000 [10]

City Boy (2023) #1-6 [6]

DC Universe Legacies (2012) #1-10 [10]

Dead Boy Detectives (2014) #1-12 [12]

Dead Boy Detectives (2022) #1-6 [6]

Death of the New Gods (2007) #1-8 [8]

Detective Comics (1937) #644-653; #846-850 [14]

Detective Comics (2011) Special Edition #27 [1]

Detective Comics Annual (2021) #1 [1]

Detective Comics (2016) #1034-1065 [32]

Far Sector (2019) #1-12 [12]

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds (2008) #1-5 [5]

Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville (2023) #1-6 [6]

Batman/Catwoman: Follow the Money (2010) #1 [1]

Gotham Academy (2014) #1-18 [18]

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy (2016) #1-6 [6]

Gotham City Sirens (2024) #1-4 [4]

Hawk and Dove (1988) #1-5 [5]

Huntress Secret Files (2021) #1 [1]

Jay Garrick: The Flash (2023) #1-6 [6]

JLA: Incarnations (2001) #1-7 [7]

JLA Year One (1997) #1-12 [12]

John Constantine: Hellblazer (2019) #1-12 [12]

Justice League Elite (2004) #1-12 [12]

Kingdom Come (1996) #1-4 [4]

Batman: The Last Halloween (2024) #0-2 [3]

Lazarus Planet (2023) [7]

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods (2023) #1-4 [4]

Legion of Super-Heroes (2004) #1-50 [50]

(Superboy &) The Legion of Super-Heroes (1946) #234-268 [35]

Legion of Super-Heroes in the Silver Age [24]

Man Bat (1996) #1-3 [3]

Man Bat (2006) #1-5 [5]

Midnighter (2015) #1-12 [12]

Midnighter & Apollo (2016) #1-6 [6]

Millennium (1987) #1-8 [8]

New Krypton (2008) [13]

Nightmare Country (2022) #1-6 [6]

Nightwing (1996) #71-100 [30]

Nightwing (2016) #110-119 [10]

Nightwing Annual 2024 #1 [1]

Our Worlds At War [9]

Poison Ivy (2023) #1-18 [18]

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death (2016) #1-6 [6]

Prez (1973) #1-2 [2]

Ragman (1991) #1-8 [8]

Ragman: Cry of the Dead (1993) #1-6 [6]

Ragman: Suit of Souls (2010) #1 [1]

Resurrection Man (1997) #16-17 [2]

Robin Argent Double Shot (1998) #1 [1]

Robin Plus Impulse (1996) #1 [1]

Saved by the Belle Reve (2022) #1 [1]

Stargirl and the Lost Children (2022) #1-6 [6]

Stargirl Spring Break Special (2021) #1 [1]

Steelworks (2023) #1-6 [6]

Strange Adventures (1950) #205-213 [9]

Streets of Gotham (2009) #1-14; 16-21 [20]

Supergirl (1996) #1-43; #1,000,000 [44]

Supergirl (1996) Annuals #1-2 [2]

Swamp Thing: New Roots (2020) #1-9 [9]

The Brave and the Bold (2007) #1-6 [6]

The Cult (1988) #1-4 [4]

The Dreaming (2018) #1-20 [20]

The Dreaming: Waking Hours (2020) #1-12 [12]

The Hawk and The Dove (1968) #1-6 [6]

The Long Halloween (1996) #1-13 [13]

The Question: All Along The Watchtower (2024) #1 [1]

Titans (2008) #1-11 [11]

Titans East Special (2007) #1 [1]

Two Face: Year One (2008) #1-2 [2]

When In Rome (2004) #1-6 [6]

Wonder Woman (1987) #36-48 [12]

Wonder Woman (2016) #1-30 [30]

World's Finest (2009) #1-4 [4]

Young Justice (1998) #13-14 [2]

I also read a few of the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, which I’ll include here as relevant. As an overall series, I’ve gotten the impression (and been told) that the characterization and intention of the books can wildly vary–one book can be intended as a serious, main-continuity story of a character while they were a young adult, while others are AUs or what-ifs that take characters and change them or their surroundings. I found all of these to be enjoyable reads for what they are, recognizing that I am not their target demographic. (Bad Dream, I have to say, was probably my favorite) 

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld (2021)

Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story (2024)

Barda (2024)

The Oracle Code (2020)

This Land is Our Land (2024)

[dccomicsbracket]

The Flash (2023)

it elevates and expands upon the flash mythos through nuanced character study and an exploration of the very nature of the speed force, plus si spurrier’s writing is just absolutely incredible! every issue can stand on its own as a story which a lot of comics have trouble with, and it’s something very commendable about this run. it’s easily the best dc comic out there right now, and it’s already up there with waid and johns’ runs as instant classic flash runs imo. pleeeeease read the flash (2023) by si spurrier!!!!

Far Sector (2019)

The world this comic explores is very fascinating. The politics, the culture, and the themes in this story are all very meaningful and well thought out. The art of course is beautiful and works well with the tone of the story. Its an accessible story to people new to reading comics and is still able to be interesting to seasoned comic readers.

[theculturedmarxist]

Former progressive presidential candidate Bernie Sanders issued a second statement yesterday (12 October 2023) on the hecatomb in Israel and Gaza.  The gist of what he had to say was that, before October 7th, everything was going along more or less swimmingly in the struggle for justice:

For years, people of good will throughout the world, including some brave Israelis, have struggled against the blockade of Gaza, the daily humiliations of occupation in the West Bank, and the horrendous living conditions faced by so many Palestinians.

But then, along came “Hamas’s terrorist assault,” which constituted “a major setback for any hope of justice for the Palestinian people” and “will make it much more difficult to address that tragic reality.”

Here is a reality check. “For years,” no one was doing anything to end the blockade of Gaza.  Not Bernie.  Not me.  Not anyone.  The people of Gaza—70 percent of whom are refugees (from the 1948 war) and half of whom are children—had been left to languish and die in what Hebrew University sociologist Baruch Kimmerling called “the largest concentration camp ever to exist.”   The “people of good will throughout the world” were not “struggling against the blockade.”  The world had moved on.  On the eve of October 7, the Biden administration was cobbling together an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would have rendered null and void any prospect of “justice for the Palestinian people.”  

Israel is not “at war” with a foreign entity, let alone a foreign state.  Gaza is an integral part of Israel.  “There is one regime governing the entire area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea,” Israel’s leading human rights organization, B’Tselem, observed some years back, “based on a single organizing principle” of “Jewish supremacy.”  What happened on October 7 was a slave revolt inside Israel.  

The largest slave revolt in U.S. history against “White supremacy” was led by Nat Turner.  Turner was a religious fanatic; he believed that the revolt was divinely inspired and sanctioned.  Here’s how Wikipedia describes what ensued: 

The rebels traveled from house to house, freeing enslaved people and killing many of the White people whom they encountered…. Historian Stephen B. Oates states that Turner called on his group to “kill all the white people”…. Turner thought that revolutionary violence would awaken the attitudes of Whites to the reality of the inherent brutality in slave-holding. Turner said he wanted to spread “terror and alarm” among Whites.

Scores of White innocents were deliberately killed.  Nonetheless, the Nat Turner Rebellion now occupies an honored place in American history.  

Turner’s rebellion provoked mass genocidal hysteria among Whites.  To gain one’s moral bearings at this fraught moment, it repays to peruse the statement issued by the great Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison right after the revolt:

What we have so long predicted,—at the peril of being stigmatized as an alarmist and declaimer,—has commenced its fulfilment. The first step of the earthquake, which is ultimately to shake down the fabric of oppression, leaving not one stone upon another, has been made. The first drops of blood, which are but the prelude to a deluge from the gathering clouds, have fallen. The first flash of lightning, which is to smite and consume, has been felt. The first wailings of bereavement, which is to clothe the earth in sackcloth, have broken up our ears. 

…

The crime of oppression is national. The south is only the agent in this guilty traffic. But, remember! The same causes are at work which must inevitably produce the same effects; and when the contest shall have again begun, it must be again a war of extermination. In the present instance, no quarters have been asked or given. 

But we have killed and routed them now—we can do it again and again—we are invincible! A dastardly triumph, well becoming a nation of oppressors. Detestable complacency, that can think, without emotion, of the extermination of the blacks! We have the power to kill all—let us, therefore, continue to apply the whip and forge new fetters! 

In his fury against the revolters, who will remember their wrongs? What will it avail them, though the catalogue of their sufferings, dripping with warm blood fresh from their lacerated bodies, be held up to extenuate their conduct? It is enough that the victims were black—that circumstance makes them less precious than the dogs which have been slain in our streets! They were black—brutes, pretending to be men—legions of curses upon their memories! They were black—God made them to serve us! 

Ye patriotic hypocrites! ye panegyrists of Frenchmen, Greeks, and Poles! ye fustian declaimers for liberty! ye valiant sticklers for equal rights among yourselves! ye haters of aristocracy! ye assailants of monarchies! ye republican nullifiers! ye treasonable disunionists! Be dumb! Cast no reproach upon the conduct of the slaves, but let your lips and cheeks wear the blisters of condemnation! 

Ye accuse the pacific friends of emancipation of instigating the slaves to revolt. Take back the charge as a foul slander. The slaves need no incentives at our hands. They will find them in their stripes—in their emaciated bodies—in their ceaseless toil—in their ignorant minds—in every field, in every valley, on every hill-top and mountain, wherever you and your fathers have fought for liberty—in your speeches, your conversations, your celebrations, your pamphlets, your newspapers—voices in the air, sounds from across the ocean, invitations to resistance above, below, around them! What more do they need? Surrounded by such influences, and smarting under their newly made wounds, is it wonderful that they should rise to contend—as other heroes have contended—for their lost rights? It is not wonderful. 

In all that we have written, is there aught to justify the excesses of the slaves? No. Nevertheless, they deserve no more censure than the Greeks in destroying the Turks, or the Poles in exterminating the Russians, or our fathers in slaughtering the British. Dreadful, indeed, is the standard erected by worldly patriotism! 

For ourselves, we are horror-struck at the late tidings. We have exerted our utmost efforts to avert the calamity. We have warned our countrymen of the danger of persisting in their unrighteous conduct. We have preached to the slaves the pacific precepts of Jesus Christ. We have appealed to christians, philanthropists, and patriots, for their assistance to accomplish the great work of national redemption through the agency of moral power—of public opinion—of individual duty. How have we been received? We have been threatened, proscribed, vilified, and imprisoned—a laughing-stock and a reproach. Do we falter, in view of these things? Let time answer. If we have been hitherto urgent, and bold, and denunciatory in our efforts,—hereafter we shall grow vehement and active with the increase of danger. We shall cry, in trumpet tones, night and day,—Wo to this guilty land, unless she speedily repent of her evil doings! The blood of millions of her sons cries aloud for redress! IMMEDIATE EMANCIPATION alone can save her from the vengeance of Heaven, and cancel the debt of ages! 

It is to be noted that, whereas he stated that the “excesses of the slaves” could not be justified and he was “horror-struck at the late tidings,” William Lloyd Garrison did not condemn the slave revolt.

[estrelladelatardecer]

HP Rec Fest 2023, Day 12: a WIP you're following

A late entry for @hprecfest!

The Black Occamy by @black-occamy

Ships: if you like poly, this is the fic for you. Endgame: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/female OC.

Set in a modernized, alternate version of the HP world, The Black Occamy takes Sirius’ escape from Azkaban as a starting point to explore the time period between both Wizarding Wars, flashing back occasionally to the time the characters were at Hogwarts to show how the present is built from the past. The author takes from real world issues (education, mass media and police work, among others) to expand and deepen the worldbuilding, while also keeping in mind HP’s fairytale and folklore legacy.

We’re also introduced to Gemma Appleby, the titular Occamy and an OC that is a delight to get to know and see interact with canon characters, who are never forgotten. Her and her friends are a wonderful, natural addition to HP canon and allow us a wide array of new perspectives. They’re charming and a delight to follow. Gemma’s relationship with Sirius has been lovely to read and the teases we’ve gotten about both their relationships with Remus only make you want to know more, read more. Everyone’s characterization is incredibly solid, so if you want to read new adventures about these characters, this is a wonderful opportunity to see them again in new and interesting ways. The author’s changes will hook you on this plot all on their own: this isn’t your parents’ Prisoner of Azkaban.

Go ahead and give it a shot to delight in its lovely descriptions, charming characters and interesting as heck worldbuilding!

[hccn-overseer]

Issue 19, 8/23/2023 - The Overseer

Issue Masterpost About the Overseer

Weekly Weather Report

By Lydia

Temperatures are represented using Celsius. Sorry, Americans!

Wednesday: Temperatures will reach a high of 26 degrees and a low of 13 degrees. Skies will be partly sunny and very windy, though the evening will be mostly cloudy.

Thursday: Temperatures will reach a high of 17 degrees and a low of 10 degrees. Skies will be mostly cloudy and slightly windy throughout the day. Evening skies are expected to be clear.

Friday: Temperatures will reach a high of 22 degrees and a low of 15 degrees. Skies will be rainy throughout the morning and afternoon.

Saturday: Temperatures will reach a high of 25 degrees and a low of 16 degrees. Skies will downpour throughout the entire day and evening.

Sunday: Temperatures will reach a high of 30 degrees with a low of 22 degrees. Skies will be sunny with a chance of showers throughout the late afternoon.

Monday: Temperatures will reach a high of 28 degrees and a low of 20 degrees. Skies will be sunny throughout the entire day with clear skies throughout the evening.

Tuesday: Temperatures will reach a high of 26 degrees and a low of 14 degrees. Skies will be mostly sunny with a chance of thunderstorms throughout the early morning and stay clear throughout the afternoon.

Wednesday: Temperatures will reach a high of 24 degrees and a low of 12 degrees. Skies will be stormy throughout the entire day and clear up during the early evening hours.

Astrology Corner: HauntedScopes

By Corundumcat

Have you been feeling without guidance? Do you look at your birthday, look up your star sign, and wonder, “Will I jump into the air?” “Will I get jumpscared?” Don’t worry, here at The Overseer, we can help you.* 

Aries: You are the friend who doesn’t jump at all throughout the haunted mansion and are the person who your friends grip onto when they jump. 

Taurus: You are the partner who, after getting jumpscared and trying to protect your partner, said, “I am Kenough,” just before leaving the room and getting jumpscared again. 

Gemini: You are the cameraman who was recording a celebrity who was the one getting jumpscared.  

Cancer: You are the haunted house worker who isn’t scary but made people scream. So, you are scary in the right conditions. 

Leo: You are the one friend who decides that you will walk very fast to avoid the scares. 

Virgo: You are the person who posed in the room and got your partner in crime to take photos of you before being ushered away by the actor. 

Libra: You are the friend who is blind and reassures the scare actor that they are scary, you're just blind. 

Scorpio: You are the friend who refuses to go into the room because that thing moved and there must be an alternate route. (Spoiler: There isn’t.)

Sagittarius: You are the supportive friend who waits outside for your friends because strobes aren’t your thing. 

Capricorn: You are the group of teenage girls who when the actor goes. “Aaaaaa,” you go “AAAAAAA.” 

Aquarius: You are the group who, the minute you get jumpscared, can be heard throughout the whole house and are the warning that people are still coming. 

Pisces:  You are the friend who decides that crawling will help you. 

All star signs: 

*Ignore how blatantly specific these are. Nothing bad will happen to you. This author got used to flashing lights and didn’t get a headache when her lights decided to strobe. The rest of her family did. Is this a good thing, maybe. Also, these are inspired by people in a haunted house. 

Lost and Found

By Lydia

All of the following items have been brought to The Overseer staff’s office for safekeeping until they are claimed. If you recognize one of these items as yours, please visit us to receive your items, or contact us at lostandfound@thehermitnews.org. Lost items will be sent to Twinkly Trash if not picked up after two weeks. Thank you! *Not a real email address.

Item 1: A pair of old red sneakers This pair of shoes has worn laces and holes throughout both shoes. They were found hanging by the shoelaces near Impulse’s dwarven keep and were found covered in dirt and Redstone.

Item 2: A wreath made of withered roses This wreath was found discarded near Gem’s elven village. The roses are impeccably arranged in the form of a wreath to hang on one’s front door. A price tag was attached to it reading, “3 diamonds.”

Item 3: A photograph of a new structure built on another server This structure is a brown and pink wooden house built right next to a curved cherry tree with several glow berries hanging from it. Surrounding the house is a gardening area consisting of a wheat farm and glowberry section. [This structure was created and posted by Unknowntoast.]

Item 4: A photograph of the evening sky This photograph features orange, pink, yellow, and red shaded clouds serving as the backdrop to an unknown city street with large buildings, perhaps taken to inspire a sense of wanderlust. [This photograph was taken and posted by Z.]

Item 5: A sculpture of a glare This clay sculpture of a glare stands at approximately 6 inches tall and 6 inches wide with a spherical shape. It was found near Bdubs’ monolith and glows in the dark.

NOTE: Lost items will be sent to Twinkly Trash if not picked up after two weeks. We are also in need of window and wall repairs.

Fun and Games

This week's fun and games are brought to you by Lydia and Azure!

Crossword and Word Search by Lydia

Brain Teasers by Azure

That's all for this week citizens! Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

[frogblast-the-ventcore]

A Ukrainian soldier of the 79th Brigade using a captured AK-12 Obr. 2020 with Holosun HS512 optic & HM3X magnifier.

More and more captured AK-12s are being seen with Ukrainian forces these days. It seems the Obr. 2020 is seen more positively that the original model. I wonder if the AK-12M1 (aka AK-12 Obr. 2023; seen below) will continue the trend, if any ever actually make it to Ukraine to be captured.

The AK-12M1 allegedly will enter production at some point this year. Introduces some changes based on feedback from 🇺🇦. Features the new stock/cheek rest combo and ambi fire selector from the prototype AK-12SP. An AK-19 style, fixed flash suppressor replaces the earlier pattern brake, which apparently renders suppressor use impossible without a special mounting system.

The traditional rear AK sight, or the 2nd Gen diopter, have been replaced by a flip-up aperture. A 'П' battle sight (0.5 - 200 m, with additional night sight) and 600 m apertures are available. The 🇫🇮 and 🇮🇱 did this decades ago...

The new ambi selector ditches the 2-round burst capability, and apparently, also now mechanically locks the bolt when the safety is engaged (rather than just blocking the bolt's full range of rearward travel). The AK-12SP's revised handguard does not appear to have been retained, however. The current AK-12 free-floated handguards have a reputation for being pretty wobbly. Not a huge deal for mounting grips and flashlights, not so much for vis/IR lasers... though it's not like the Russians have many of those to issue out. They don't even have optics issued out to 95% or more of their "latest and greatest" rifle.

[manysmallhands]

My Favourite Songs of 2023 pt. 3: 20 - 11

Carrying on from yesterday’s post: may the penultimate countdown commence!

20. pinkpantheress - Capable Of Love

While Boy’s A Liar was by far the bigger hit, Capable Of Love was the single that captured pinkpantheress at her best this year, combining her sad girl tales of romantic doubt with a beat that goes hard enough to give you a paradoxically huge lift. While i can't help but worry about how terrified she sounds, her super sweet garage pop is a solid favourite of mine and I'll guess I'll just have to reconcile that with my conscience.

19. Jeff Rosenstock - FUTURE IS DUMB

This year’s HELLMODE album saw Jeff in a slightly more reflective mode than usual but FUTURE IS DUMB was a nod to past glories, setting his frustrations about the modern world to dayglo punk pop played fast enough to comfortably sever your head from your body. While the takeaway - “the world doesn’t owe you” - seemed somewhat nihilistic, the general feeling of one man trying to make sense of a collapsing society was as relatable and moving as ever.

18. Black Thought /El Michels Affair - The Weather

On something of a roll after last year’s album with Danger Mouse, Black Thought uses the El Michels band to full effect here as the pair speed up and slow down in perfect coordination on this summeriest of street scenes. Leon Michels works up a blissed out soulscape as the Roots star rhymes with intricacy and precision, by turns laid back and fiercely intense.

17. Aoife Nessa Frances - Fantasy

Grandiose in design and epic in scope, Fantasy (not the Mariah song) takes Aoife’s moody psychpop template and gives it an extraordinary makeover. Decorated with orchestral fantasia, it sounds like the kind of music you might find in a high class opium den and that’s before you even get to Aoife’s velvety swoon of a voice. I honestly didn’t think she had this in her.

16. Billie Eilish - What Was I Made For?

Billie’s second number one was a grower, a pristine piano ballad that managed the tricky business of projecting deep sadness without veering into mawkishness. Bille is ostensibly talking about Barbie (duh), but the lines seem to blur into her own commodification and the notion of becoming “just something you paid for” cuts uncomfortably close to the bone.

15. Caroline Polachek - Dang

While the best songs from the "Desire, I Want To Turn Into You" album were actually from previous years, Polachek finished 2023 with a flourish, issuing a single that was an improvement on every last one of them. Built around a sample that sounds like a cat being strangled and a flash of old Hollywood melody, Dang sounded strange and glitchy but alway compelling. One of the best examples yet of her idiosyncratic vision of pop.

14. Palehound - Route 22 

Palehound’s Eye On The Bat album was their first to really make a dent in me, and Route 22 is both typical of its strengths and a standout on its own merits. Ellen Kempner’s bleary country rock ballad explores the lines between loving someone and the need to be appreciated, with its honesty all the more touching for the beauty of its setting.

13. Wednesday - Chosen To Deserve 

“I was here first!” I cry as I brandish my old Wednesday albums but it’s still a nice feeling to watch the world catch up, as well as interesting to see bands find themselves exalted who wouldn’t have gotten the time of day a few years ago. “Chosen To Deserve” itself is a sweet natured country rocker powered by a bone crunchingly fierce riff, as Karly Hartman’s tales of misspent youth skirt the line between humour and something more uncomfortable.

12. The Mountain Goats - Fresh Tattoo

Jenny From Thebes is an album that requires a little patience but its second single found The Mountain Goats at their most immediate and effective. While it starts life as a breezy narrative ballad, Fresh Tattoo feeds off of its momentum to make a convincing shift to anthemic territory by the last verse. By turns warm, witty and extremely memorable, this is as good as they've ever sounded.

11. Olivia Rodrigo - Get Him Back

Inescapable for months on Radio 1 (where it even had its own jingle), Olivia's love/hate anthem manages to indulge all her best instincts, especially her theatricality and love of 90s guitar rock. Powered by a surprisingly good rap/rock delivery, it’s filled with immensely quotable lines from top to bottom but be sure to seek out the clean version to hear the best one, cos everyone knew that guy was missing a screw!

[thehorrortree]

Submission Window: January 1st-31st, 2024 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: Any form of speculative fiction that falls under fantasy IMAGITOPIA is a new fantasy fiction podcast and digital magazine produced by Android Press and featuring narrated fantasy fiction plus other fun stuff like author and editor interviews, news and events, and nerd-outs on fantasy tropes and other related topics.  We currently accept submissions of previous published fantasy short stories for REPRINT ONLY to be narrated for the podcast. We'll also publish in print here on the webzine.  Our first submission window opens on September 1, 2023. For more information on when we're open and closed to submissions throughout the year, please see our Schedule. Submissions are only accepted through IMAGITOPIA's Moksha submission portal. Any submissions received via email or any other method will be deleted without review or response. Email accounts inevitable get tons of spam. So this policy helps make sure we don't lose your submission in the email shuffle. But if for some reason you're unable to submit via our Moksha portal, for example due to accessibility issues, please message us using the form at the bottom of this page, and we'll be happy to make alternative arrangements for your submission. *We're a womxn and trans run publication. We hope authors of all types and stripes will submit work, but we especially encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, womxn, people living with disabilities, those living in the Global South, and authors from other marginalized populations. ​ WORD COUNT flash fiction: up to 1,500 words short stories: up to 5,000 words ​ PAY RATE We currently pay 1 cent USD per word for previously published flash fiction and short stories with a $10 USD minimum. ​ GENRES We accept submissions of fantasy and all its subgenres including but not limited to:  ​​ high fantasy low fantasy mythpunk urban fantasy steampunk/gaslamp magical realism aetherpunk science fantasy solarpunk fantasy dark fantasy horror slipstream fairy tales ​​ FORMATING We aren't sticklers. But please use something approximating Shunn Modern Manuscript Format. Most importantly: 12 point Times New Roman or Georgia font double spacing one inch margins number pages wordcount in top right corner of page 1 Moksha will capture your name and contact information, so don't worry about that, but also we're not concerned with blind submissions so if your name is on your manuscript, that's okay. ​ COVER LETTER Please keep your cover letter simple. The only things you need to include are: the subgenre(s) of fantasy your story falls under a brief synopsis of the story (a paragraph or less. Think logline more than summary) any self-identification you'd like to share (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Global South, disabled, neurodivergent, etc). ​ TRANSLATIONS  We currently accept translations only if they've been previously published in English. Previously published translations are paid at the same reprint rate as stories that were originally written and published in English. ​ MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS Please only submit one previously published story at a time. If you receive a rejection and the submission window is still open, then you're welcome to submit another previously published story. ​ SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS You're more than welcome to submit your story elsewhere while it's under consideration with us. Just keep in mind, as a reprint market we can't publish your story while it's currently under exclusivity with another publisher.  RESPONSE TIMES If you don't get a response to your submission within 90 days, or if you have questions about the submission guidelines, then please feel free to inquire by emailing us at info@android-press.com.​ ​ RIGHTS & CONTRACT Please view our sample contract for information on the rights we take for publication.  ​ *Please note that the above license applies only to our podcast audio performance of your work.

It doesn't apply to your story itself. You retain the full copyright and all rights to any other use of the story after our three month exclusivity period. ​ **Please also note that our exclusivity period does not mean your story has to be removed from any sites where it has been previously published. It only means you can't reprint or repod the story again for three months from the time it's published in IMAGITOPIA. Submit via Moksha Via: Imagitopia.

[thechembow]

New England getting more rain, watching Hurricane Lee’s path after flooding, sinkholes

Sept. 12, 2023

Parts of New England already soaked with rain were expecting more precipitation on Wednesday, as residents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island spent the day cleaning up the flood damage while bracing for Hurricane Lee as it barreled north toward the region.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a state of emergency Tuesday night following the “catastrophic flash flooding and property damage” in two counties and other communities. The 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain over six hours earlier in the week was a “200-year event,” said Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston...

Removed from an earlier version of this article is this important fact. The record rainfall for a single day in Massachusetts was Aug. 18-19, 1955, corresponding to Wilhelm Reich's cloudbusting work. In 24 hours, 18.15 inches of rain fell. This was one of two extreme rain events in August of 1955 (see below).

They are leaving this out because of the massive orgonite gifting effort currently underway in New England. This incredible neutralization of the weather control arrays has also disabled flights between the southwest and New England. There are no "planes" flying today in Southern California.