i am slowly yet surely chipping away at my chibi pfps for my character directory.... first up south asia 🤲

left to right, top to bottom

India

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Maldives

Nepal

Bhutan

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

He just did some "Friendly" Firing, not a big deal

DOES ANYONE HAVE A SOUTH AFRICA, AFGHANISTAN, BANGLADESH OR SRI LANKA OC

So I think it's the high time to show you all my characters.

Starting with this four. My lovely central Asian non-men. All of them could kill you, but 3 of them are too nice to do it without a good reason. I don't think it's hard to recognise the special snowflake.

(I lohe Afghanistan, he's just traumatised)

Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬 - Ainura Kyrgyzsevna

Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 - Eldana Qunanbaiuly

Tajikistan 🇹🇯 - Mahtab (surname still in progress tho I think I'll stick with Shahfar)

Afghanistan 🇦🇫 - Mehr Balkhi (he/they, because they're bacha push!)

MORE HETAOCS <333 they’re so cute

Sherlock Fic Recs: Christmas Edition {2023}

❄️ Gather ~ ☃️ ☃️ ☃️ ~ 'round and 🎉 make 🎷merry🍹, all ye fic-loving fandom elves -- 'tis the season to shine a spotlight🕯️on Sherlockian Christmas fics!!! Here are some of my favorites -- I tried to pick ones that I haven't seen mentioned in recent lists that have been in my tumblr stream. Whether they're new to you, or just a reminder to re-visit faves, enjoy!!! ❄️ [In order of the year they were published.] ........................................................... 1. I'm Not His Date [2014] by objetpetita [ 17,029 words / T ] :: It all starts in a Boston coffee shop, where English professor Sherlock Holmes upends a visiting John Watson in a clever and fun "meet cute" (or "meet irritating-pompous-insufferable") in a whirlwind of Sherlockian proportions, and we're off to the races. There is a snowfight on the Common, Death Driving Miss Daisy: Lacan and Popular Culture, a Harry & Clara Christmas Eve wedding, witches, and a very boozy department party. It's as adorable as my favorite Christmas rom-com film, The Holiday. And it starts off with a corker of a first sentence: "It was morning, it was zero bloody degrees, everything around him was unfamiliar and American and cold, and John Watson was right on that inhuman precipice between still drunk and terribly hung over."

2. 5,687 (Approximately) [2015] by prettysailorsoldier [ 6,771 words / T ] :: Just a few years post-uni, Sherlock is enduring the agonies of a long-distance relationship with his boyfriend, who is on deployment in Afghanistan. During those times when John's on leave, the last people Sherlock wants to see are the idiots at the Met, so they've never caught sight of John and think he is a figment of Sherlock's imagination -- especially since he can't get home that Christmas. The set-up is sketched out with delightful fic flair, and the ending is not only sweet, but satisfyingly punitive [ c/o a very bamf John ]. The text messaging is some of my favorite writing in the Sherlock fandom -- their relationship in all of its multi-dimensionality comes through beautifully.

3. The 12 Truths of Christmas [2016] by @breath4soul [ 3,321 words / T ] :: This is a fic that has at its core the surfacing of unspoken emotional attraction betweenJohn and Sherlock via a very fun concept: “In place of some appalling or imbecilic gift inflicted upon me in the name of tradition on Christmas day, I propose that you provide me with one previously unknown fact about you for each day leading up to Christmas. 12 in total, John.” #9 has all the feels, and is a tour de force -- every time I re-read it it makes me break out in a smile, even though I know what's coming. Sherlock breaks out somewhat more: "Sherlock feels a flood of heat in several places at once. He stands up quickly and walks to his violin. He plays wild, erratic snaps of quick-paced music." The author has a whimsical and entirely understandable note to add: "You may fall in love with John reading this - I did." 4. The Romance Was There [2017] by @apliddell [ 4,011 words / G ] :: The author deserves an award for this being one of the best uses of Harry Watson in a fic, and of HW by Sherlock in a fic :-) 221B has never been cozier, Sherlock has never been more winsome, and John is a species type model of John in all of his clueless Johnness. The narrative dances along and sparkles and shines as seduction evolves, and Sherlock's rogueish charm is on full display. There's a poignant and endearing confessional letter, plus there's a Sherlock/Jeremy Brett reference that is absolute perfection in serving its role in helping the narrative quickstep the night away. 5. The Man in Aisle Ten [2020] by @blogstandbygo [ 1395 words / G ] :: Sherlock has several mysteries to unravel in the midst of Harrod's on Christmas Eve: what is the perfect gift for John? why is he having so much trouble identifying the perfect gift for John? and, incidentally, along the way to solving those, a local one. Luckily, Sherlock has Moira, master department store sleuth, to lead him to the solution. This fic is a small, perfect gift -- rather like the story's denouement --and is as witty as all of SBG's fics are. This is a veritable Peppermint Schnapps Hot Chocolate of a fic, warm, rich, sweet, delicious, tingly, and you'll find you reach the last bit much too fast, immediately requiring a refill. [ And there's a splendid podfic by @podfixx ! ]

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*fic repost recruits, perhaps??? ❤️ @totallysilvergirl, @7-percent, @discordantwords, @helloliriels, @elwinglyre, @mydogwatson

How America lost its New World Order… and what comes next

America’s war to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein in 1991 was supposed to inaugurate a New World Order. President George HW Bush spoke of protecting ‘“peace, security, freedom and the rule of law… such is a world worthy of our children’s future.” But the failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the 2000s, China’s resurgence and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have left the idea of a coherent, US-led world order in tatters.

In a special panel episode, Gavin Esler is joined by co-hosts Emma Beals and Oz Katerji to talk about American foreign policy in an age of spiralling tensions in the Middle East, the continued threat from Russia, and the wildcard risk of a potential return to the White House of Donald Trump. 

Support This Is Not A Drill on Patreon to get early episodes, merchandise and more.

Written and presented by Gavin Esler, with Emma Beals and Oz Katerji. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

trollish ranking of presidents since reagan:

Donald Trump (operation warpspeed probably saved more lives per year than any other individual policy ever enacted)

George W Bush (pepfar saved way more lives than those killed by him for islamophobic warmonger reasons)

Joe Biden (the climate bill called IRA, left afghanistan)

George HW Bush (raising taxes on the middle class is based)

Barack Obama

Bill Clinton

Ronald Reagan

hey mate! :D can u draw the desi gang (india,pakistan, bang and sri) BTWWWWW UR ART IS SOOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOOL 0////0

I can do you one better how about the whole South Asia gang

left to right: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan

CLOSEUPS:

This is my Nyo! Afghanistan Design! Her Name is Meharbano! Her personality is almost entirely different from her male counterpart. She’s much more sweeter, yet kinda shy at times. Say hello to Meharbano!

Pakistan: I taught you all you need to know about cricket yet you still suck

Afghanistan: Then that just means YOU suck since you're the one who taught me

*Based off my last post, I should've drawn this as an extra/bonus*

HW Exhibition Review

This photo exhibition, organized by a war correspondent named Lynsey Addario, includes evidence of the miserable conditions that many warring countries are suffering from, as well as evidence of nature's punishment of humans. Before entering I was given a catalog of the exhibition and a little introduction by Lynsey Addario. She has been covering conflicts, humanitarian crises, and women's issues in the Middle East and Africa for over 20 years at the New York Times and National Geographic. The first thing that struck me about the exhibition was that the most innocent people in war are ordinary people who are not protected in their own countries, which is unfair to them. In the exhibition, there is also coverage of recent political relief, such as the conflict in Ukraine. In the exhibition, there are many buildings that have been attacked by weapons. The rubble is scattered with the daily necessities and furniture of the inhabitants, which shows that no one knows when these weapons will arrive. Lynsey Addario also captures the many people who have built their own armed forces to protect themselves, the most striking of which is a picture of four women who have taken up arms. On their faces was not only exhaustion but also fear of the unknown. In the exhibition, she also shows the helplessness of the people under COVID-19. The pictures are full of medical equipment, which gives a particularly depressing feeling, and the expressions on the faces of the patients and the parting scenes show that the impact of COVID-19 on human society is enormous.Continue inside the exhibition to see two huge photographs of natural disasters, one of a mountain fire in California on the 13th of July 2021, the origin of which was caused by a dry season that resulted in buildings being damaged or destroyed by wildfires. The destruction of the Amazon jungle in Brazil in September 2021 was irreversible, and the damage to the vegetation was detrimental to the planet. It also reminds me of the hill fires in Australia this year, where thousands of animals lost their homes and the impact on the natural environment, perhaps these natural disasters are another punishment for man's excessive consumption of the planet. Then came the political theme on the Middle East and Africa. Many countries in Africa are now facing political infighting, which has caused many people to lose their homes and live in dislocation. One of the photographs shows a rubber boat packed with refugees from Africa, crammed into this limited space and despite boarding the kayak, what is the future, will it arrive without incident? Or will they be expelled from the border. Although Lynsey Addario has only shown one here, there are thousands of refugees every day who have nowhere to return to. In addition to this there are many women and children who suffer in the poverty of war. In Gondama, in a local hospital, there are many pregnant women in labour, in very poor conditions and even with inadequate medical equipment, but the reality is that they have no choice. Most of the births in these circumstances were due to the lack of medical equipment and the inexperience of the doctors, and the maternal mortality rate was high. Continuing to go deeper into the exhibition, it shows the current situation of many different war-torn countries, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries. Those photos are full of weapons, blood and violence, but reality forced them to join. I felt very distressed after watching this exhibition at the end, because only a small part of the exhibition is on display. In this world, people suffer from these things every minute and every second, but no one can help them. This also makes me feel that the national government Sometimes it is selfish and incompetent, but as ordinary people, we are more helpless and accepting

Pakistan: How petty can you get?

Afghanistan: I once edited a Wikipedia article to win an argument I was wrong about.

Can you please make like Afghanistan 🇦🇫 art like movement post like pray for Afghanistan or something I don’t see much here on Tumblr I would really like to share it on my blog for awareness . only if you want I don’t want to force you 😊☺️ and your art work is amazing you are so talented wow 🥰💕

So, I sat on this one for a while because I’m pretty hesitant to comment on things I don’t know a whole lot about and don’t understand very well from a cultural perspective. I wasn’t sure what you were wanting me to comment on specifically, so if you or anyone else wants to reblog with more info or resources you are welcome to! I’ll just explain a little about things that have happened in Afghanistan in the past few decades.

In 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and propped up a communist government. This was kind of the start of the turmoil of the past 40 years, because when the Soviets’ global power began to weaken, they had to leave Afghanistan, leaving a power vacuum to be filled. This plunged Afghanistan into civil war, which ended with the Taliban taking control of Kabul and promoting a very hard-line version of Islam in 1996. Following 9/11, the US intervened by invading Afghanistan and trying to drive the Taliban out. Afghanistan adopted a new constitution in 2004, and in 2014 NATO handed the combat mission back to Afghan forces, who still face a growing insurgency in the country and struggle to maintain control very far outside of Kabul. So basically, for the past 20 years, Afghanistan has been in a power struggle with itself and with other nations of the world also trying to get their way, with many civilians caught in the middle. 

Did you know there's another webcomic/manga about personified countries? It's a lot shorter than Hetalia and they're all chibis, but it's kind of interesting to see the character designs in comparison.

It mainly focuses on the Middle East, but it does have some of the main countries in Hetalia. Oh, and instead of being mostly men, it's entirely women.

I read over it a long time ago, so I don't remember much, but I saw something that reminded me of its existence and figured I'd show you guys the designs:

Top, from left to right:

Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan

Bottom, from left to right:

Turkmenistan, America, Russia, Britain, Japan.

For comparison purposes, I'll also include the bio for their America:

There is no bio for Russia, Britain, or Japan, as far as I'm aware.

Happiness index ranking of South Asia | world happiness index 2020