#I am aware that some of the people on this poll may not count as Aces per in universe definition but most fuckable ace sounds better than

[ginger-grimm]

Another year around the sun has passed for me, almost. I did a poll, and the results were overwhelmingly a big yes. I've had a very attentive follower who's been asking me to post the form, so here we go. Please note that you can take your time with the gifts, my birthday is not until the near end of September. Whether you post the gifts now or a bit later is up to you, just remember please that I won't post your gifts until mine have been posted, I've been burned one too many times.

Otherwise, I'm really looking forward to this, I remember last year's exchange turned out great and I always appreciate doing these things. So, as always, come one come all, and have fun with this, I know I will be!

The Rules and regulations are simple, but they exist nonetheless, so here they are:

The exchange, for now, is open until September 25th, though I may extend it who knows *Kevin James meme*

You may make 1-2 requests, but hey, I will probably reblog it saying you can make more once no one requests anything *Kevin James meme intensifies*

Please reblog this post to spread some awareness, please. You can like for remembrance but just a like doesn't count (you already know this, I know my 5 regulars who come here every time)!

As aforementioned, this is open to my regular drunks and new patrons alike, so please do not be shy. Think of me as I think of birds, I am more scared of you than you are of me.

Fill out the form linked below and find the password in the form!

Please only send me faceclaims with good quality and plenty of material to use. Also, no cartoon characters. Video game characters are all right if it's motion capture. I'm not trying to discriminate, it can just be really tough for me to find material for cartoons, animes, video games, etc. as I edit by making little video clips first blah blah blah. However, if you slide in my DMs we might be able to discuss some stuff.

Please, please, please fill out all the columns I need and choose at least two gift options. It makes it infinitely easier for me to make something for you. Just remember I can't read minds and it's worse when I can't find anything in your blogs.

Remember the pleases and thank you's, pleases and thank you's make my heart grow fond.

I don't do Harry Potter OCs or Stranger Things OCs and while I don't have a specific list of FCs I don't use, I ask that you do not request anything for overtly problematic actors, thank you!

I accept pretty much any gift in return, it can even be story reviews or playlists for people who don't/can't edit themselves. If it's a story review, please let me know in the form so I know you did as I don't check my accounts every day.

I'm fine with gifts for any of my OCs - my master list as well as the link to my Pinterest is in my pinned post.

FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS FEEL FREE TO SEND ME A MESSAGE AND I WILL TRY TO CLEAR EVERYTHING UP!

JOIN THE PARTY HERE, THE FORM FOR THE EXCHANGE IS LOCATED AT THIS ADDRESS, PARTY PARTY PARTY

TAGLIST: @eddysocs @ocs-supporting-ocs @foxesandmagic @veetlegeuse @decennia @hiddenqveendom @arrthurpendragon @luucypevensie @nikosasaki @noratilney @wordspin-shares @oneirataxia-girl @endless-oc-creations @stelstellakidd @andromedalestrange @far-shores @daughter-of-melpomene @bibaybe

[haveyoubeentothiscity]

Hi and welcome! I post polls about cities and towns to find out where in the world tumblr’s been. Submit cities here, not in the ask box.

I am also @youhavebeentothiscity for commentary and other content.

How are cities chosen?

Almost all polls come from submissions! I don’t mind duplicate submissions, but if you’re curious, the list of posted/queued/submitted cities is here. No limit to how many you can submit. Please be aware that the queue is very long, so it may be months before I reach your submission.

Please read the instructions to help make my job easier. Thank you for your contributions!

I mostly post in order of submission, but I try to maintain a mix of continents and countries, so some cities may jump far ahead in the queue, or be held back if I’ve had too many in a row. I also reserve the right to let certain cities jump the queue when doing so benefits the blog organization.

I sometimes supplement submissions with other cities, particularly on theme days.

What counts as a city?

I’m not paying any mind to city/town/village descriptors. If something is very small (and I mean very, very small) I might deprioritize it in favor of ones that more people have heard of, but as long as I can find a Wikipedia page I won’t disqualify it.

How do you tag?

#city poll for each regularly formatted poll, plus the name of the city, country, and continent

#not a city poll for any other polls (ex. #demographics)

#not a poll for everything else

#asked and answered for asks

#submission guidelines for what you can submit and any clarification on how to submit

#voting guidelines for advice (not rules) on how to vote in ambiguous cases

#submission stats and #voting stats for any insights or charts

#chatty for asks and other posts that are just conversational, not informational

#theme announcement for posts kicking off theme days, plus the tag for that theme

If you have questions, suggestions, or just thoughts to share feel free to send an ask!

Personal notes: I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and love it here. She/her pronouns. Not going to use name or age on this blog, but I am an adult.

[siblingshowdown]

Sibling Showdown Extra Poll: Eliminated for a Technicality

Here is a one-off poll of sibling sets that were nominated for the sibling showdown, but who did not make it in because they didn't meet one of the technical requirements.

See under the cut for an explanation as to why each sibling set did not count. (Note: I am aware that some people may disagree with sets excluded based on other sets that I did include. Much of this was based on short, preliminary research. Also vibes)

The Heaps (Septimus Heap series) - Septimus is a reveal

Luke and Leia (Star Wars) - reveal. They're literally the example I used for surprise reveal siblings that do not count

Taako and Lup (Adventure Zone) - reveal

Luz and Hunter (The Owl House) - found family rather than technical siblings

Apollo Justice and Trucy Wright (Ace Attorney) - reveal

Jade Nguyen and Artemis Crock (Young Justice) - reveal

Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl von Trapp (Sound of Music) - based on real people (debated with my family whether they should count given how different Sound of Music is from the real-life events it is based on, and while I would’ve put them in the bracket if it was a larger one, I ultimately decided to leave them out and put them on this poll instead so I could include another sibling set)

[butisithorror]

But is it Horror explanation masterpost – below the cut

What is this blog?

A place to fight about what things count as horror!

But why tho?

The category of horror is loaded with connotations of disreputability, discomfort, and boundary-pushing. In the original horror definition poll I posted on my main, people generally agreed that horror was defined by creator intent, but I think in practice that still leaves a lot of wiggle room. And these categories make a difference in how people engage in a work. Referring to something as horror brings with it a set of expectations – for the horror fan who complains that something isn't "really" horror and to the horror skeptic who doesn't want to watch something categorized as horror at all. Even as someone who has studied horror in academic settings and as a horror fan, I don't know what those expectations are and no one will tell me! Together, we can find out! How should I vote?

By whatever criteria you think is appropriate! I am most interested in whether or not you would call something horror in conversation. Would you recommend this to someone who likes horror? Or not recommend it to someone who avoids horror? With this in mind, I encourage you to vote even if you haven't seen the film/book/etc. in question but are just aware of its reputation Can I submit a poll?

Hell yeah please do! All forms of media welcome -- movies, books, tv shows, individual episodes, video games, music, literally anything. Please keep the following in mind: * I may post a few "canon" horror works for calibration and in case anyone wants to make an edgy argument that Halloween isn't real horror or whatever, but mostly this blog is for edge cases. * I will most likely not accept properties that engage solely in real-world mass atrocities (i.e. Night, 12 Years a Slave) unless they include some other element that relates to horror (i.e. Beloved). * If there are multiple iterations of the property you're submitting, please tell me which one you mean (i.e. Interview With the Vampire novel vs movie vs tv series) * Let me know if you would like to be thanked in the poll! * I'm especially interested in video games and anime, as I'm less familiar with these!

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

Ultimate Vriska Showdown Round 2 Masterpost

Info on the polls

Links to all the polls for round 2 are listed below. Sorry for the delay:

Alador Blight Vs. Catra - Winner: Catra (78.6%)

Grace Monroe Vs. Asuka Langley Soryu - Winner: Asuka Langley Soryu (53%)

Azula Vs. Edelgard Von Hresvelg - Winner: Azula (69.8%)

Dahlia Hawthorne Vs. Katsuki Bakugou - Winner: Dahlia Hawthorne (60%)

Vriska Serket Vs. Nanami Kiryuu - Winner: Nanami Kiryuu (lmao) (53.5%)

Rose Quartz Vs. Prince Lotor - Winner: Rose Quartz (71.6%)

Princess Bubblegum Vs. Ianthe Tridentarius - Winner: Princess Bubblegum (61.2%)

Homura Akemi Vs. C!Dream - Winner: Homura Akemi (35.1%)

Some thoughts below:

I am considering taking C!Dream off of this poll. This isn't because I have any opinions on the character. This is mainly because, from what I've seen, the controversy surrounding C!Dream only partially stems from things in his story. A larger part of the controversy is surrounding Dream the real-life Youtuber, which I don't want to get involved in.

The other characters on this list are known outside of their fandoms because of discourse surrounding the characters themselves. Meanwhile, people who aren't into MCYT are only aware of Dream the character because of the controversies surrounding Dream the creator. While discourse on other characters on the poll may spread to their creators, the majority of discourse I've seen on C!Dream was spread to him from his creator. This, in my opinion, doesn't fit with the other characters and isn't something I want on my poll.

Additionally, some people regarding C!Dream have been overstepping boundaries and otherwise making me uncomfortable, both privately and in the tags and replies of polls. When I said I wanted to learn about discourse surrounding the characters of this poll, I didn't want discourse about the creator to overshadow discourse about the character. I especially didn't want to be pressured to make a judgment call on discourse in a fandom I wasn't a part of.

Right now, the way to take C!Dream off the poll would be to have Homura automatically go to round 3, whether she gets the majority vote or not. Another option would be to replace C!Dream with another character (I'm considering Iroha Nijiue from Super Danganronpa Another 2), and have them go up against Mabel. The winner from that poll would go against Homura. In this case, I would be making a single post on the 24th with three polls: Mabel vs. the replacement, Mabel vs. Homura, and the replacement vs. Homura.

Whoever wins the first poll, I'll be taking the winner from their poll against Homura and having that character move to round 3. This is to save time. I will be making the final decision on whether to take C!Dream off tomorrow. Unless a significant number of people want the second option, I will just move Homura up to round 3 automatically.

Me taking C!Dream off is not an indictment of either side of C!Dream or Dream discourse. It's just that I don't think this character is a good fit for the Vriska poll. If you disagree, I invite you to make your own poll with C!Dream. Maybe you'll have other characters that could count as Vriskas that I didn't even think of. Good luck.

Pandora

[pirates-and-posies]

I have never been so flabbergasted by a post until now and I am not going to be as nice as the above folks. There is so much wrong with this kind of mentality and I am very much going to nitpick most of it.

You are not being forced to like any ships. What you are implying with this post is that people are wrong for even so much as using canon material to justify their ships or using it at all. That is, to put it simply, childish at best and straight up cruel to fandom culture overall.

"Leave canon alone" your blog is filled to the brim with both canon and fanon content, you saying that makes you hypocritical. Any form of headcanons or character usage take directly from canon or are inspired by canon because it is the blueprint in the first place. By asking the fandom to "leave canon alone" you are saying there shouldn't be a fandom at all.

"It pushes people away from the community" @/lietpolski said a lot of good points! Especially about that kind of behavior not happening in the recent years, since earlier fandom was definitely hostile about ship wars and it was an unwelcoming environment. You rarely see that anymore.

In fact, do you want to know what drives people away from Hetalia nowadays and keeps them fearful of ridicule? POSTS LIKE THIS. By publicly shaming people for even so much as using canon as inspiration you are barring them from the freedom of expression. By mentioning popular ships and deeming them as problematic you are demonizing the ships from any other interpretation and generalizing shippers.

I'm not even going to entertain what was said about UsUk and Spamano because those shippers have heard enough accusations as is, not every shipper enjoys the problematic aspects behind those ships and typically DO separate from canon just like you say they should. You would know that if you interacted with a majority of those shippers or even looked in the tags.. but instead, you have taken canon material and a hypothetical situation that may or may not have happened and assumed. I have not seen anybody say something so bold on main in YEARS about that kind of Spamano or UsUk content unless you count a small fraction of fics on AO3 and maybe a once in a blue moon post on here. So you're just turning gears at this point. I've seen more hate over Spamano and UsUk being "problematic" than I have actual problematic content from shippers. It's been that way since 2020 since people keep hopping on the hate train.

Funny enough, Spamano is indirectly canon just as much as SuFin or CzechSlovak (those ships aren't fully canon either and are more implied). Spain proposed to Romano and Romano said as long as he gets taken care of he's fine with it. Spain however took it as a rejection. So there's canon. I hope you follow it as much as you say others should.

Hetalia canon isn't some saint, either. I shouldn't even have to explain the implications that both Spain and France are sh/tacons. Himaruya isn't some idol, and neither are his works. By treating canon as some virtuous content you are ignoring a lot of his mistakes and a lot of his misinformation. Are you going to fight those strips? Or just accept them? I don't think you should fight him over it. (Sarcasm).

If you really had nothing against shippers or headcanons you wouldn't have made this post and worded it in such a way that implies people are doing wrong for using canon to create content they enjoy. You are a blog who recently became very popular with polls and fandom engagement. You are very aware of your reach and influence. By posting disheartening shit like this for everybody to see you are collectively affecting people.

We're in 2023. Why the fuck are posts like this still floating around and being used to shame and berate people for doing what they want. You've been in this fandom longer than I have, and yet you lack respect for other people's interpretations and what they do. If it is that much of a problem use your big adult block button. Mute tags. This is an absurd take I'd expect to see from a young teen on TikTok, not a full grown adult. Y'all have got to stop shaming people over HETALIA in 2023. You are pointing one finger at others while 4 more are pointing back at yourself.

Just voicing my opinion here

Something that has always bothered me is when people force their ships into cannon and make up things that are taken out of context or just never happened. I feel this was for all media in general. Not just hetalia but I’m using Hetalia as prime example because I’m a hetalia blog.

Now I’m not saying I don’t like when people ship that is fine and people can of course do whatever they want. I’m talking when they take a screen shot of 2 characters together on screen and say something like “omg they looked at each other they are so in love” like you don’t have to do that. Make up your own storylines leave cannon alone. I especially don’t like it when it’s two characters who clearly dislike each other and it is forced to ‘be so’ if you get what I’m saying. Like if someone says they hate that person maybe just understand that they hate them in cannon but it may not be so in your fannon. It might stem from being Ace but when I enter a fandom and there are already pre established ships that everyone must agree on or face wrath it’s just never good. I have only just started having a ship in hetalia after being in the fandom for almost 10 years and it’s something I have always hated. Not to mention it pushes people away from a community. It’s like we should enjoy the show at face value and then in our fan works do whatever we want. If the creator says ‘you’re reading too much into it it’s just not there.’ then just accept that.

Hetalia for example the only confirmed relationships we have are Sweden & Finland, Austria & Hungary and Czech and Slovakia. Everything other than that is just searching for things that are not there. Like you can say Germany and Italy are in love all you want. But it does not change that in cannon they are just friends. How do I know this? Because the creator said so. But it doesn’t change we can make our own fan works to make it that way. We should leave his material alone there.

Another one I truly cannot stand and have never understood and will never understand and just don’t want to is when people use the source to justify ships like America and England or Spain and Romano. Like if we use the source what we have are Spain and England Raising them from little babies. Like that just gives me the ick and major grooming vibes. I got nothing against these ships in practice but once you start screenshooting a baby America hugging England and saying they are in love. I do not like that. Same with Romano when he literally pisses the bed and runs to ask Spain for help and people say that they’re in love it’s just yucky disgusting. Like how about it’s a little boy who just pissed the bed and we leave it right there. And just do whatever you want outside of cannon but when you use these tools to push your narrative it’s not good like at all. But I’m just saying leave cannon be. We don’t have to search for things in the source material. I personally respect Himas work and when he says “no sorry they’re only friends” I don’t think you can fight him on that. He created it he knows what he’s decided for the characters. But if you want to make your own fictions on the side the sky is of course the limit.

I hope this came across how I wanted it. Again I have nothing against head cannons or shipping in general.

[angeltreasure]

Hello friend, sorry if this is a silly question but could you explain what the Eucharist is and why it is important? I’m in the beginning of my journey and feel so overwhelmed by google. Have a beautiful day 😊💛

I’ve been saving this ask for a while so this is so exciting! I apologize for my lateness. I usually answer right away but we have had trouble with the WiFi setting up. Anyway! Welcome Anon!!! I am so excited for your faith journey!! Welcome. 😊🙏🏻

Don’t worry, this isn’t a silly question at all. No, it’s a very good question! I am a Catholic, so I will be explaining my Christian denomination believes what the Eucharist is. In fact, this is a VERY important topic to learn about. I will give you my answer then give you some quotes and videos. Hope you enjoy.

The Eucharist IS Jesus Christ. You know how traffic lights are different colors? Red for stop, yellow to caution; slow down, and green for go? Well, you must understand if you choose to join the Catholic Church that the Eucharist is not a symbol. Although the appearance is a wafer bread and tastes like one, it is not plain like a traffic signal. When a priest blesses the host at a Catholic mass, the host transforms into the body of Jesus Christ. You will not see Jesus appear in the priest hand when he raises the host up for that blessing, and you will not taste human flesh when you eat of it. The veil between this world we live in and the afterlife block us so the appearance and taste remain as a wafer host but the substance has really changed into the body of Jesus Christ. Eating the bread means Christ becomes a part of us and makes us stronger in faith! ♥️

Here’s what the Bible says about the Eucharist, taken from my favorite New Testament book called Matthew. I will color the specific verse in the story as red to help you understand what we believe. In the story, Jesus and His disciples were preparing to find a place for Passover. There is a lot to unpack since you are very new to the faith, so I will skip right to the verses of what Jesus spoke. [Passover: “Passover is a Jewish holiday that honors the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II. Before the ancient Jews fled Egypt, their firstborn children were "passed over" and spared from death, thus dubbing the holiday "Passover."”]

….. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” - Matthew 26:26-29

You see, at this point in time, His disciples did not fully understand the mystery surrounding what was to come. After this night, Jesus was betrayed by Judas (one of His followers) gave His life to die on the cross. In doing so, He saved us from the punishment of all of our sins and opened the gates to Heaven. Back in the past, animals were often given up a sacrifice. Jesus Himself was the perfect sacrificial lamb for slaughter in order to save us from death. This image is the very best that I love that describes the Eucharist Transubstantiation.

I love this one too…

So when you eat the blessed Eucharist and drink the blessed wine done by a Catholic priest, you really do consume the substance that is Jesus’s body, blood, soul, and divinity. Ever hear that phrase, “you are what you eat”? When we consume Jesus, that doesn’t mean we are cannibals, become God, or re-sacrifice Jesus. It means we become a better reflection of Jesus.

Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because Jesus tells us this is true in the Bible: ““No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” John 6:44-66

Fun facts!!!:

Eucharist: “is a transliteration of the Greek word eucharistia, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word berekah. All three words have the meaning of thanksgiving, or praise for the wonderful works of God.”

Bethlehem: the city where Jesus was born means “House of Bread”!

Transubstantiation: “the conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic elements into the body and blood of Christ at consecration, only the appearances of bread and wine still remaining.”

I saw a poll that only one third of Catholics really believe in Transubstantiation. If you decide in your journey to become part of the Catholic Church, please do not ever forget the words Jesus spoke about Himself to His people and those who read today. He truly is present as the Eucharist and wine.

Did you know there is evidence that the Eucharist is truly Jesus?! They are called Eucharistic Miracles. There are sooo many stories from around the world of bleeding Eucharists that scientists and such have actually tested in their labs to find real they had human blood down to a specific blood type AND material evidence of finding human heart tissue not healthy and strong but distressed! Blessed Carlo Acutis (a young man that passed away that is currently in the process of sainthood here on Earth) created an amazing website that collected examples of Eucharistic Miracles. (See link below.) This subject itself is just extra icing on the cake but don’t fall down the rabbit hole so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Bishop Barron on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist

Explaining the Faith - The Eucharist In Scripture

Explaining the Faith - Eucharistic Miracles: Scientific Proof

The Veil Removed, what really happens during a Catholic Mass

I could give you so much more but this was just so wonderful to be able to teach you. Know that it’s ok to feel overwhelmed. The topic of what the Eucharist really is and why it is so important is so rich in history and traditions. I hope I was able to satisfy your curiosity. If you ever have any more questions about it, I highly recommend reading sections about it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (revised edition) but more importantly, reach out to a Catholic priest or bishop by calling them, e-mailing, or even dropping by in person. I am not part of the clergy at all, so talking to a Catholic priest or bishop, you will be able to answer any more questions you have to the Eucharist and they will explain it so well. If you are interested in wanting to know more about the Catholic Faith, I strongly suggest asking about the RCIA, free classes offered by your nearest Catholic Church which will allow you to explore what the Catholic Faith is and answer any questions you have. No pressure though, but just know we are here for you. I am so happy you were chosen as well by God! I will pray that you have a wonderful, exciting journey! God bless and you have a wonderful day/night as well.

[lorei-writes]

Match-Up #28

Hello, @bees--in-my--bones​​ ! I hope you’re still around, because the match-making time is upon you ~! Also, you’re the first person I matched after I had a chance to sleep a little more, so beware of that.

Let’s shoot easy things off the list first. Some suitors appreciate being passionate to a fault more than others, no - even more than that, they deem it extremely important, even irreplaceable. I also presume some would take it as a sign of openness.

Mitsuhide (+1) Mitsunari (+1) Masamune (+2)

Now, to loyalty we go! I presume suitors who would not betray it may be the best choice. Perhaps somebody generally putting people they care about above the political matters and the like? Oh, I suppose those who never got to taste much stability and tend to stay more so on the vigilant side would be enamoured with it as well.

Nobunaga (+1) Mitsuhide (+1) Hideyoshi (+1) Kenshin (+1)

As for being funny, I suppose it would be universally appreciated - although... Yes, it is also entirely possible some suitors would find it rather annoying? Some of them are overly serious, oh my.

Hideyoshi (-1) Ieyasu (-1) Kenshin (-1)

And lastly, rational thinking + intelligence combo! Hmm... Well, surely, more so intellectual suitors would work well. However, the way you describe your rationality, I wonder whether it would not lead to rationalising the reality? As in, ah. Do hear me out, some suitors are guilty of it and of getting detached from their feelings. I worry those could amplify each other and lead to nothing good. [Suitors whose points zero-ed out were not brought up.]

Hideyoshi (+1) Shingen (+2) Yukimura (+1)

Cutting yourself off from others? Oh, I can see it as being a deal-breaker in regards to certain suitors, particularly those who need to be chased down with a pitchfork and a fishing net to actually get... I mean, whose who need to be made aware of their feelings, loyalties, priorities and such, no hunting there at all, obviously. Booty call? In the good old days of otome it was discount therapy mixed with booty hunt.

Masamune (+2) <- he tends to avoid relationships Kenshin (0) <- he needs to be confronted about his feelings before he is even able to commit to any relationship; disqualified also since you mentioned struggling with emotion talk yourself Ieyasu (-1) <- he is not only a meanie, but a tsundere meanie Yukimura (+1) <- another “I will hurt you to keep you safe and away from me” person, ah. I still wish him to find a tick between his buttocks.

Now, let’s see who survived the purge...

To struggling when talking about feelings we go! Hmm... Well, I suppose it could be problematic if suitor at hand did have the same problem, but, how do I... There is a difference in how Mitsunari approaches the topic, and the way Nobunga does. I suppose that, as long as there is no clear unwillingness to approach the topic, you should be all right. Some suitors are also rather fluent in regards to feelings, so that’s a plus for them!

Nobunaga (-1) Mitsuhide (+1) Hideyoshi (+1) Shingen (+1)

I can’t see fluctuating levels of talkativeness as a flaw, hence no points for that. It’s more of a... Quality, I would say? And I am sure all the remaining suitors would accept it as it is.

As for self-esteem issues and lack of drive... I can see it as something that would be seen as something not so attractive by some suitors, but I would also like to note some would probably encourage you to try anyway.

Nobunaga (-1) Mitsuhide (+1) Hideyoshi (+1) Mitsunari (+1)

1st Summary:

Shingen (+6) Mitsuhide (+4) Hideyoshi (+3) Mitsunari (+2) Nobunaga (-1)

Points distributed for likes:

Nobunaga (+3) <- sweets, adventure, learning Mitsuhide (+5) <- all; you could have all the sweets to yourself with him Hideyoshi (-1) <- hide away your sweets... Although that perhaps would be good if you’re trying to save up, but also, ah, let’s be honest, they could very well buy you sweets. Mitsunari (+2) <- reading, learning Shingen (+1) <- sweet drinks

Point distributed for dislikes:

Nobunaga (-4) <- being pushed aside (he is busy), extensive social interactions, expectation to be upfront about feelings, immature person (he is described as a bit of a man-child) Mitsuhide (+3) <- he does the opposite of all of those, except for pushing people aside. [It zeroed itself out] Hideyoshi (+3) <- he is the opposite of immature, takes the lead well while also taking the interest of others into account, he doesn’t seem to expect MC to be too upfront about her feelings [he does not forget about others, but it zeroed itself out with social interactions] Mitsunari (+3) <- he would never push his lover aside, not much obligatory social interactions, no expectations of leadership [he may appear immature at times, so it zeroed it self out with him not expecting anybody to be very upfront about their feelings] Shingen (-1) <- he would take the lead and wouldn’t expect complete transparency emotion-wise, but he would most likely do all the other mentioned things at least once

2nd Summary:

Mitsuhide (+12) Mitsunari (+7) Shingen (+6) Hideyoshi (+5) Nobunaga (-2)

Only characters with positive value by their names will be considered in the final stages of the match-up. 

Hideyoshi (+5) <- he has a strong tendency towards being overbearing, ah

Mitsuhide and Shingen suffer a critical blow due to their fatal trait - enigmatic!

Mitsuhide (-1) Shingen (-1)

Mitsunari (+1) <- he would appreciate such passion in regards to learning

Poor Ranmaru, so many people seem to dislike him. Either way, Ranmaru’s not in the poll either way and the rest’s up to match-maker ;)

Final Ranking

Mitsuhide (+11) Mitsunari (+8) Shingen (+5)

Mitsuhide

Confessed first: Neither. It doesn’t count. You had to be tricked into it by Masamune and Nobunaga - there were literal bets being made on how long you would brood after each other without actually making a move.

Makes tea in the morning: Mitsuhide.

Hogs blankets at night: You, although mostly by accident. He just doesn’t seem to hold onto them at all. What sort of fight is it, if the opponent surrendered at the very beginning?

Is the little spoon: Usually: you.

Possible points for conflict: It is a curious thing that both of you tend to ignore your feelings - you, without realising so, and him, fully aware of everything he experiences. As such, it leads to miscommunications sometimes, but you’re working on it.

Free time ideas: Strolling through the forest, resting in the cool archives during a hot summer day (of course, reading is involved), Mitsuhide reading a book aloud to you, attempting to solve some little castle mysteries (who could have taken something, how come lord Nobunaga still succeedes at his konpeito hunts, tircking Hideyoshi into resting - it is a mystery how he still is able to go on, surely).

Favourite date spot: Your own garden, provided that Mitsuhide does pick up your favourite sweets on his way home.

A secret you share: You picked up on certain clues suggesting he may be tired or otherwise in need of comfort. As hard as talking about feelings may be, it takes less courage to find an excuse as to why you need his assistance immediately - the fact that you need it for a nap is another matter completely.

His favourite thing about you: He adores how knowledgeable and passionate you are. Quite honestly, he wishes he could give himself to his interests just as much as you do to yours.

His message to you: “You’re worthy of much more than I could ever provide you with, little mouse, and yet you chose me? Hold your head up high and be proud. I truly wish you could see yourself with my eyes.”

[route22ny]

On Tuesday, I received an absentee ballot. It was the second absentee ballot I had received from the New York City Board of Elections in two weeks. I had filled out, completed, and mailed back the first ballot. Now I was holding another one that also had my name on it. After speaking to a Board of Elections representative on the phone, I was told to fill out this second ballot, too, because the first one no longer counted.

If you live in New York City, you might already know why this happened. The contractor screwed up printing the first ones, sending secrecy envelopes with the wrong names on them. As it happened, my first ballot was not one of the screwed up ones—I was aware of the problem and had checked to make sure before filling it out—but the BOE decided to send everyone in Brooklyn a new ballot regardless.

This is hardly the first time the New York City Board of Elections messed up and I highly doubt it will be the last. But in this case, the latest screw-up was the final nudge I needed to push me over the edge. I am not going to vote by mail. I'm voting in person on Election Day. And I really think most of you should, too.

When we started this project, a lot of us thought the USPS would be a potential weak link in the voting-by-mail chain. This made sense at the time given the slowdowns implemented by Louis DeJoy and the agency's financial situation. But thanks to extensive public outcry and five separate federal judges issuing injunctions against the USPS from messing with election mail, I feel really good about the postal service delivering the overwhelmingly vast majority of ballots in a timely fashion to local election officials. There will, of course, be screw ups and small issues affecting a few dozen voters here and a few hundred voters there, but they will be nothing in comparison to the much larger systemic issues with mail-in voting in this country that have nothing to do with the ballot getting from place to place.

I am hardly the only one coming to this realization in recent weeks. Derek Thompson at The Atlantic had a great article about how voting in-person is much safer than we thought months ago while voting by mail has a number of issues in terms of having people's votes actually count. Democratic strategists around the country have been getting wise about the problem as well, shifting tactics to urge more people to vote in person.

Unfortunately, voting by mail seems like a process designed more to weed out ballots rather than count them. The rules vary by state, but generally speaking, the more fields voters have to fill out and the more rules they must comply with, the higher the rejection rate.

Some states like New York simply require a signature which needs to match the one the local election officials have on file. Young voters in particular are vulnerable to having their ballots rejected due to a signature not matching, a study by a voting non-profit in California found, because young people don't put much thought into creating a distinctive signature and refine it over time, exactly the kind of process that would get their ballot thrown out. Most young people's signatures are scribbles they make up to sign credit card receipts quickly. I, for one, can verify that I did not think about creating a unique identifier that would ensure my vote was counted when I came up with my John Hancock. As a helpful New York Times interactive demonstrated, it can be really challenging to match signatures if you don't know what you're doing. This is great for rejecting fraudulent ballots, but it means throwing out a lot of legitimate ones, too.

Back in June during the primaries, 80,000 ballots from New York City out of 400,000 were thrown out, about one out of every five ballots, a staggering toll of voter disenfranchisement. And voters were not notified of what they did wrong so they could correct it in future elections. It is a pretty shitty feeling sitting here with no idea whether my vote in the primary—which in NYC is the most important election for determining local candidates—was counted!

According to the Times, 28 states and DC will give aspiring voters a chance to "cure" ballots with problems (and the courts are generally friendly to these requirements on due process grounds). For the first time, New York will be one of those states this November. But, for my own voting purposes, I don't have a ton of faith in the Board of Elections to execute that process well, given that with the surge of mail-in voting we could be talking about millions of mail-in ballots in the city alone requiring hundreds of thousands of cures if not more.

And that is just regarding signatures. Three states, including the battlegrounds Wisconsin and North Carolina, require witnesses as well as signatures. In Wisconsin, witnesses are required to put in their address. According to an investigation by the non-profit news organization Reveal, 13,834 ballots were thrown out in the Wisconsin primaries because some fields on the witness form were not filled out properly, a number that is sure to increase in the general election with its higher turnout. The voters weren't notified or given a chance to correct them, nor will they be allowed to in November.

All of this would be a regrettable reality if the health risk of voting in-person was quite high. But for most people, it simply isn't. As Thompson noted, other countries have held nationwide elections with in-person voting without tracing any outbreaks to the voting booths, nor have any outbreaks been traced back to primary voting. As long as people generally behave themselves and wear masks, the voting booth ought to be no more dangerous from a pandemic standpoint than the grocery store check-out line.

That being said, I am still a huge proponent of universal vote-by-mail as a concept every state should strive towards. People in states that have had that in place for years such as Washington, Utah, and Colorado should absolutely continue to vote by mail if they prefer. Those states have experience with high volumes of vote-by-mail, signature verification, and robust methods for allowing voters to cure ballots. It is the states like New York, Ohio, and Texas that have suddenly implemented expanded and complicated vote-by-mail procedures I'm worried about. And, of course, if you have pre-existing health issues that make even going to the grocery store or the voting booth an uncomfortable prospect—or if you simply can never be bothered to vote in person but find vote-by-mail an acceptable middle ground—roll the dice with vote-by-mail. It's better than putting yourself at unnecessary risk or not voting at all.

But if you aren't sure what your signature looks like, aren't familiar with your state's vote-by-mail laws, or generally feel fine about voting in person as usual, it's something we should do. This is an extremely important election and I want to do everything in my power to ensure my vote counts. It turns out the USPS isn't a weak link in the vote-by-mail chain at all. In fact, it may be the strongest.

***

This Week In Mail

Americans generally agree on the post office. They overwhelmingly like the post office. And a new poll finds they support it being run like a public service and not a business by a two-to-one margin.

The courts are already playing an important role in this year's election. So far, that role has been to reject GOP claims of voter fraud in mail-in voting and generally uphold whatever election rules the state law requires, regardless of whether that law makes voting easier or harder.

Steve Hutkins at Save the Post Office reviewed documents from eleven lawsuits against the Postal Service to cobble together evidence that new management has a super aggressive plan to slash the number of work-hours after the election, which would likely hobble the post office and make current service levels impossible.

Despite the court injunctions and DeJoy's promises, service has not returned to its pre-DeJoy levels in some areas. Senator Bob Casey from New Jersey published evidence of first class mail backlogged by weeks.

Perhaps on a related note, the USPS is blocking elected officials from inspecting facilities claiming it's too close to the election, which as far as I can tell is a completely made-up reason. Previously, some facilities had scrambled to hide backlogged mail before elected officials showed up.

***

Subscribe to Aaron Gordon’s reporting on the USPS here

[ginger-grimm]

Another year has passed and though most of us live out our Pride all year round, it's officially our month to celebrate (almost). I've attempted this once before and unfortunately became too busy to finish it. This time things will be different. I've had an awful two months and it's time to turn stuff around. So please, join me in making some gifts for each other's OCs once again and make this month even more fun than it already is!

As a disclaimer, because I don't want to get too anxious about it again. I will only post your gift once you've posted one for me! It's happened a few too many times that people sent in either forms that aren't filled out properly or never posted a gift and I let it slide because I'm historically too nice (aka no backbone disease). I don't mean to sound like a nag and if you don't feel like editing you don't have to sign up or anything, that's why I do the polls. Anyways, your gift then you get mine.

The Rules and regulations are simple, but they exist nonetheless, so here they are:

The exchange, for now, is open until July 1st, though I may extend it who knows *Kevin James meme*

You may make 1-2 requests, but hey, I will probably reblog it saying you can make more once no one requests anything *Kevin James meme intensifies*

Please reblog this post to spread some awareness, please. You can like for remembrance but just a like doesn't count (you already know this, I know my 5 regulars who come here every time)!

As aforementioned, this is open to my regular drunks and new patrons alike, so please do not be shy. Think of me as I think of birds, I am more scared of you than you are of me.

Fill out the form linked below and find the password in the form!

Please only send me faceclaims with good quality and plenty of material to use. Also, no cartoon characters. Video game characters are all right if it's motion capture. I'm not trying to discriminate, it can just be really tough for me to find material for cartoons, animes, video games, etc. as I edit by making little video clips first blah blah blah. However, if you slide in my DMs we might be able to discuss some stuff.

Please, please, please fill out all the columns I need and choose at least two gift options. It makes it infinitely easier for me to make something for you. Just remember I can't read minds and it's worse when I can't find anything in your blogs.

Remember the pleases and thank you's, pleases and thank you's make my heart grow fond.

I don't do Harry Potter OCs or Stranger Things OCs and while I don't have a specific list of FCs I don't use, I ask that you do not request anything for overtly problematic actors, thank you!

I accept pretty much any gift in return, it can even be story reviews or playlists for people who don't/can't edit themselves. If it's a story review, please let me know in the form so I know you did as I don't check my accounts every day.

I'm fine with gifts for any of my OCs - my master list as well as the link to my Pinterest is in my pinned post.

Obviously, since this is a Pride exchange, please only send in LGBTQ+ OCs. Gay, lesbian, bi, pan, trans, etc. anything from the LGBTQ community - this excludes kinks and whatnot, obviously.

FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS FEEL FREE TO SEND ME A MESSAGE AND I WILL TRY TO CLEAR EVERYTHING UP!

SEND IN THE PRIDEFUL FORM HERE, HERE HERE HERE, DO IT HERE, NOWHERE ELSE JUST HERE

TAGLIST: @eddysocs ​ @ocs-supporting-ocs @foxesandmagic @veetlegeuse @decennia @hiddenqveendom @arrthurpendragon @luucypevensie @nikosasaki @noratilney @wordspin-shares @oneirataxia-girl @endless-oc-creations @lucys-chen @andromedalestrange @forchrissy @daughter-of-melpomene @bibaybe

[bigenderbefriender]

It’s approaching midnight here in Oklahoma on November 2, 2020, and before election day begins in earnest, I wanted to write out a few of my thoughts.  I don’t know how much analysis I’ll actually do; this is mostly a record of how I feel, how the world is, and how I perceive it.  Maybe a year or two down the line, I’ll be able to look back on this and shore up some memories, though hopefully I won’t ever forget what I’ve seen over the past four years.

Let me start with this, then.  No one knows what’s going to happen.  The perennial discourse about the electoral college is in full swing, and as usual, Republicans are blocking it because they benefit massively from the rampant conservatism (racism) of rural states such as my own.  All the news talks about these days is the election cycle and COVID; I can hardly blame them.  It’s almost all I think about, too.  That said, half of Oklahomans went without power this week due to a massive ice storm, including most of my social circle, and it didn’t even make a blip in the national news.  Likewise, Hurricane Zeta tore a path through Louisiana then up the East Coast last week, and it only got a cursory mention, despite being the fifth such hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana this year.  The destruction there is nigh incalculable.

Texas governor Greg Abbott has been in a campaign to suppress voters in urban areas in this election cycle, his most egregious success being to limit the number of polling places per county to one, meaning large cities that fall under one county must all vote at the same place.  This will inevitably lead to a number of citizens being unable or unwilling to vote, predominantly in those large cities where lines will be several hours long, and the risk of COVID will be high.  Texan Republicans have also tried to throw out drive-thru ballots on the order of 120,000 votes, but this was blocked by Andrew Hanon.  The voter suppression is quite likely because for the first time in several elections, Texas is legitimately competitive this year.  I don’t think it will flip to the Democratic Party, but if it does I would be quite happy.

Other states have also been engaging in voter suppression, but there are people working against it.  Stacey Abrams, after her narrow defeat (1.4%) in the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia, has continued her commitment to ending voter suppression there, and she claims that she has done so quite successfully.  I suppose that remains to be seen, but I am hopeful.  Little news is coming out of places like North Carolina, though, and that’s scary, since voter suppression there is so prominent and so ugly.  In addition, Trump has been calling on militias, whom I will not name so as to keep them away from this post, to enact stochastic violence against voters whom they believe will vote Democratic.

In truth, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.  Since the summer, Trump has been questioning the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, certainly in an attempt to provide precedent for his contesting of the election results.  If they go in his favor, I’m sure he’ll love whatever the election says, but much like with Hillary Clinton, it looks like he’ll lose the popular election.  Experts are predicting a “blue shift” over the course of the election cycle.  That is, Republicans by and large are ignoring the threats of the coronavirus, which means they’re much more likely to vote in person on November 3.  This means it will appear that Trump has won the election on Novemeber 3, but as mail-in ballots get counted, the electorate will begin to sway towards Biden.  I may make a prediction here, though it is a grim one.  I believe that Trump will try to call the election on November 3 proper, and he will use his newfound influence on the Supreme Court (aka his nominee and now justice Amy Coney Barrett) to halt the count of mail-in ballots that might prove him wrong.  Many people say our democracy is in crisis, but quite honestly, I think this is a natural conclusion to the way that politics have been going since basically the Clinton era.

What I mean by that is to say that Trump’s presidency has done an excellent job of exposing long-lasting structural issues in American society, and Democrats have made #resist into an aesthetic to win their re-elections rather than actually leveraging the power they do have.  I’d say it must be hard, against someone who’s as much of a political opportunist as Sen Maj Ldr Mitch McConnell (R-KY), but the truth is that all of these people are perfectly content to campaign on decorum rather than on fixing any of the actual issues facing the US.

It’s not all bad; Biden has been pushed quite a bit to the left by the growing progressive wing of the Democratic Party, organized in part by the Justice Democrats and represented by Sen Bernie Sanders (Ind. VT), Rep Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D NY), Rep Ilhan Omar (D MN), Rep Rashida Tlaib (D MI), and Rep Ayanna Pressley (D MA).  The latter four are colloquially referred to as “The Squad,” and they fight alongside others for progressive policies out of the House of Representatives.  I would hate to go through an entire post about my feelings on national politics without mentioning the few good things we do have going for us.  In addition, voters have come out in record numbers this year.  As of this morning NPR reported that four states have had more early voting than total voters in 2016.  In a democracy, one of the major challenges is to stimulate citizen participation in government; citizens are certainly participating this year.

Also, this year has been a year that will be remembered for its social movements.  The Black Lives Matter movement came back into full swing, and the role of the police is now a legitimate question in many people’s minds.  Of course, this is a frustrating thing to talk about, too.  The demands of Black Lives Matter as a movement are so simple, yet over and over again, police show that they are more dedicated to violence than to justice.  In addition, white people across the country have shown that they are more dedicated to law and order than to making a country in which everyone can live.  This seems odd to me, though I know that it is specifically racially motivated.  It’s not like I’m just having this realization now; my grandparents are Party Republicans, and I couldn’t convince them to vote to kick Walmart out of their town, even when they know exactly how it’s screwed them.  To ask them to empathize with a Black person, even a Black neighbor?  Believe me, I’ve tried.  Still, we did see (are seeing) a lot of good from the protests.  Colorado basically ended qualified immunity, which means that police should be a lot more accountable for their actions in the future.  We also saw several experiments in what a society could look like without policing.  The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle was the most famous of these, though it fell apart in part due to its popularity.  Others that did not have the spotlight on them did not fall apart so spectacularly (though I have to speculate that all of CHAZ’s sisters have been disbanded by now).

That said, there’s a lot to fear in the coming days.  The only thing we know about this election is that we won’t know the result for days or even weeks after polling closes.  Because of that, many fear that protests will break out across the country on election day.  The protests themselves aren’t the bad thing, I think.  What’s bad is that the protests will be the targets of white supremacist violence (if the protesters are pro-Biden) or the perpetrators thereof, especially now that Trump has condoned militia violence against citizens.  Over the summer, Trump also used a secret police force (under the Department of Homeland Security, specifically Customs and Border Patrol) against protesters in Portland, Oregon to quell unrest.  Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work, since the protests were against police brutality.  However, the system is now there for him to use, and CBP is only growing bigger by the day.  If protests do break out in the weeks following the election, I have no doubt that CBP will be there throwing people into unmarked vans and jailing them without due process.

I have so much more to say.  I haven’t even gotten into the border wall, or family separation, or the assassination of Iranian dignitaries, or attacks on abortion rights, or Mitch McConnell’s stalling of the Senate, or the individual stages of failure of the COVID-19 response and how I learned about them, or the use of said COVID-19 to grant ICE carte blanche to deport people without trial, or any of the myriad other political issues of which I’ve become aware over the past four years.  I also haven’t even begun to write out my thoughts on my local politics or Oklahoma politics specifically (quite honestly, I think local politics will forever stay offline, seeing as though I’d really rather not give out too much identifying information here).  But I think this post has gone on long enough.  Perhaps I will write more on those other topics in the future.  I am afraid for tomorrow, and I am afraid for the months and years to come.  I do not wish to live in interesting times, but it seems I am cursed to do so.  At least I can say I was a witness.  It is now 12:40 AM, November 3, 2020.  The election is in 6 hours, and I am scared.

[meltdownwillbeawesomethisweekend]

I’m gen z, so I’m not trying to talk down to about anyone younger than me, but it's always interesting to see people talk big online, when the turnout for young voters is fairly low. I have so many friends (some that were in Darren's mentions) who are 18+ who preach about social justice and politics, but I know for a fact they don't show up. Not to protests, not to the polls, some can't even manage to sign petitions (1/2)

(2/2) It really is a trend to some and it’s ridiculous. Spreading awareness is great, but it’s performative when you don’t show up. They say Darren’s a celebrity who can do more than they can but it’s just not true. Money wise, yes, but everything else? I just don’t understand nitpicking everything he does when most don’t even do the bare minimum. Of course a lot DO actually show up when it counts, but it's just interesting to see certain @'s in his mentions

----------------

This is what makes me crazy, I am a millenial (a 80s one) and I always was raised with “you can open your mouth if you voted, if you didn’t you accepted that whatever was elected was ok so just shut it” so I may not always feel like someone represent me but I always vote for the person closer to my beliefs. 

To be honest with you, this is how I felt but as I’m closer to people my age, I never am sure. If this is what they do then at one point they’ll have to look in the mirror and reevaluate themselves. And I hope they’ll understand bedore the election. It is crucial.

Darren is doing what he feels he should, but when he does open his mouth he gets attacked, so what should he do ? conform to exactly what they want ? It will not happen ... He is an intelligent adult with his own beliefs. The nitpicking is driving me insane, most should take care of themselves instead of what a celebrity online does, or doesn’t do.

[the-peaches-pit]

This misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and false accusations of Ushijima Wakatoshi

Hi howdy, not fanfic but a character essay I wrote for fun. Twitter wanted me to post it so I’m just gonna put it on here. 

...... A popular question that comes up in the Haikyuu fandom is what character do you not like? Many will reply with answers on a copy-paste that everyone has seen before. Yamaguchi’s bullies, Tendou’s bullies, Bokuto’s middle school teammates, and well some deserved Terushimas. One character that also floats around in the comments and polls is that of Ushijima. Being a Shiratorizawa stan you could call me biased but I am more than aware of his flaws. People have valid reasons but, I also feel he is still blamed for unfair claims. The series has developed and blossomed very much but at one point Ushijima was horribly despised. The fandom doesn’t hold many grudges moving on from what he was, but that past tense still irks me in people’s words. That irking past tense leads to an in-depth analysis of Ushijima’s character looking at what the fandom still mentions about him. In other words, talking disproving, and explaining the misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and false accusations of Ushijima Wakatoshi.  

The most common misinterpretations of Usihijima start the moment you lay eyes on him and really meet his character, his first appearance isn’t the brightest and either is his actual appearance. Ushijima isn’t the softest boy in the series clearly. A 6’2.6 (189.5 cm) giant with a blank stare and a flat expression. Some tend to get rubbed the wrong way just from seeing him and the first appearance of a character does mean a lot. The start of taking his looks the wrong way is the classic idea of judging a book by its cover. The thing about Ushijima’s cover though, is that the pages of his book aren’t the most pleasing either. Compare Ushijima to someone with his similar issue of Tanaka or even Tendou. The first thoughts seeing them are that they stand out negatively almost, the baldy with shark teeth and the dead-eyed redhead. The thing these two characters carry though vs Ushijima is stand out positive personality. They may look frighting but are truly delightful angels were it counts. Ushijima though looks fearful and his personality doesn’t help disprove this theory. He can be said to be judge filled and outright rude from his character interactions. These views have evidence to back them up, but they’re a view that doesn’t match up with what people say. Ushijima views himself above others but this is not carried with intentional rudeness. He knows his strengths and what he is good at, an overabundance of confidence is clear but isn’t always horrible. Interacting with Hinata and Kageyama for the first time is an example. He knows he has the ability to take the two on this isn’t something negative. Ushijima is just not denying his strengths and has evidence that he is powerful enough. Back to a book metaphor Usijima’s cover and contents don’t seem the best, but that comes from mindful skimming of what you may see. Don’t interpret the snippets for his entire being look and actually read before your final conclusion.  

Misunderstandings and misinterpretations may be similar words in meanings and even synonyms but regarding this situation, they can be two different things. People will misinterpret Ushijima’s appearance and misinterpret what his actions really mean. People misunderstand the drive behind his actions and why he acts the way he does. Ushijima is a plain and simple boy he is in no way the most complex character but there is a layer of depth. He may like plain rice and not have a current concern but why is he like that? There is not exactly a given reason behind his personality but look at his past and it’s not the best. A mother who didn’t like the way he was trying to force change until his dad stepped in. That stepping in along with some love and inspiration helped Ushijima, but with a nasty divorce that didn’t last the longest. His father across the seas and gone from his life was still a sour topic for Toshi at 18, leaving it up to the imagination that it may still haunt him. Even if not the most dramatic it’s a shame if this doesn’t drive the smallest bit of sympathy from one learning this. One of the most believed and theorized headcanons that exist for his character involves him being autistic. This is in no way true but many admit they see autistic coding in his character and viewing him in this light, would make sense. The poor social behavior, bluntness, hyper fixation, and not liking things he doesn’t know of. Looking at him with this understanding changes things. Other characters that sometimes act this way are Atsumu and Kita from Inarizaki who share similar autistic-like attributes of Ushijima. All are blunt, sometimes rude, and social messes. But with all three of these characters adding this headcanon can help understand them a bit better. It gives them excused reasons for why they’re like this, but it’s not true. Overall this headcanon just helps give light, but a thing in canon that all these characters share isn’t the best past. Lack of parents for two and cruel people for another. Understanding them and what they’ve come from and maybe in a different view, truly can help maybe explain how they are and the way they act. 

Lastly with Ushijima comes the false accusations of his character that are linked to the fandom’s misinterpretations and misunderstandings. We’ve all seen the joke. The overplayed and oh it was funny for four seconds joke of Usijima being Oikawa’s stalker. It’s one of the farthest things from the truth. It was funny but then got so carried away. The interaction and the saying, “you should have come to Shiratorizawa” can haunt dreams. No one fully belives it but some still take it wrongly or twist it for angst. Ushijima with blunt behavior as normal simply commented on skills. He was actually giving a complicated compliment in this. He was simply saying Oikawa had the skills to join and be part of his team. A team that was the powerhouse of the time who only allowed those in with strict scholarships. It was in no way stalking behavior. Praise the fandom for no Ushioi killing stalking crossovers just for the poor taste of the joke. Another false claim is he’s sort of an empty robotic character. Volleyball or nothing. He does slightly follow this claim but he can show to have relationships and have some other interests. He has friends of his team that he talks to and associates with outside of practice. Tendou is the main example. A complete opposite that he has seemed to have clicked with. They’ve shared depth filled talks and Tendou tries to get him into hobbies. Related to updated chapters as adults his old teammates even seem to keep in touch with him. They can playfully pick at him and he’s not just gonna critique them. Shirtoizawa has a vice-captain you’ve probably never heard of him but his name is Jin. He’s in no way a regular, but that means Ushijima still had some sort of connection to choose him. Perfection, skill, and other things mean a lot to Ushijima but he’s still human. A human character that has no sinister stalker intentions behind people who spark his interest.

I am a proud and passionate Ushjima Wakatoshi stan who can admit, when joining the fandom I didn’ have the best view of Ushijima either. I fell into the depths of rumors and things said about him, also he is a tad scary to look at. But, diving into it and taking a better glance. I’ve come to love him so much. Everything I’ve said is a personal view of the things I’ve seen in the hidden layers of the fandom. Ushijima grew the smallest bit thankfully and so did many people’s opinions. He wasn’t put in as a character to hate thankfully which is saddening when some still do. Before making a statement of hating Ushijima I just hope that people can read and start to understand that the boy, has many misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and false accusations. 

Also, I did not mention the farmer headcanon or claim because it’s funny and is still loved but he isn’t one sadly. 

[emospritelet]

Honourable Members

This is partly the fault of @thestraggletag for this post and the subsequent dream I had.  It’s also the fault of Bobby for posting pics of his new project.  I know I said I wouldn’t post it until it was done but I am weak.  Should be a three-parter.  Part two is almost done.  See AO3 re the fictional political parties and Government departments.  Sorry about the title: I am a child :)

AO3 link

If there was one thing Robert Sutherland hated more than any other, it was giving interviews to right-wing lifestyle journalists.  He’d had to suffer through many an indignity in his working life, but relatively little of that life had been under public scrutiny.  He had had what was diplomatically described as an inauspicious start in life, but had developed an interest in politics after becoming a union representative at the factory where he had started work at sixteen.  Coming to Westminster as a backbench MP had opened his eyes to the reality of trying to represent the people he served in a place rife with deep divisions and party infighting.

One of the hardest lessons he had learned was that honesty and integrity did not automatically lead to political success.  A less surprising, if more irritating realisation, was that once you made it to the House of Commons, and especially to the front benches, it was open season on your private life as far as certain sections of the press were concerned.  He thought that it was probably fortunate that he had gotten divorced five years earlier, before becoming leader of his party, but it didn’t stop the speculation about potential love interests. Since leading his party through a successful election campaign, ousting the British Unionists from power in a crushing victory and entering 10 Downing Street, the interest from the press had only grown, and with it the amount of salacious gossip that he tried hard to ignore.

He supposed it was hardly surprising; he had been single since the divorce and happily so, but a vacuum always tempted people to fill it with their own rumours.  His Principal Private Secretary, Carrie de Ville, had assured him that giving interviews to publications such as Green Space would improve his polling amongst right-wing middle class women, but he was beginning to wonder if the current discomfort he felt was worth it.

The current subject of his disdain, Ms Tamara Finlay-Warburton, was perched on a chair in the White State Drawing Room, a porcelain cup of tea steaming in its saucer on the table beside her.  The red-haired woman had been servile to the point of revulsion, but there was a predatory gleam in her blue eyes that told him she was in no way to be trusted.  10 Downing Street’s resident cat, Arthur, had taken one look at her and scurried off, and he considered that a black mark against her character before she had even opened her mouth.

“So,” purred Ms Finlay-Warburton, tapping her pencil on her notebook.  “Still unmarried, after all these years. It must get lonely, having no one to share your success with.”

“Can’t say I’ve thought about it,” he said.  “A little too busy with matters of state.”

“So there’s no special someone?” she pressed.  “No dirty little secrets? We’re all aware of how indispensable your secretary is.”

“Yes, Carrie is my right hand woman,” he said honestly.

“So there’s no sexual tension there?”

He blinked at that.

“Uh - no,” he said.  “Our relationship is very professional.”

“But so many relationships start in the workplace, don’t they?”

“That may be true,” he said, feeling his irritation grow.  “But she’s already married.”

“Well, it’s not as though that’s a barrier to anyone these days,” she said airily. “You can imagine the opportunities for gossip, I’m sure.”

“Did you do any research before this interview?” he asked waspishly.  “She’s married to a woman!”

“Oh.”

She looked momentarily stumped, and shuddered delicately, as though Carrie’s private life was somehow distasteful.  It made him dislike her all the more.

“Well, I did a piece on her last year,” she said.  “I must have forgotten that, but then I was concentrating on her time at university.  Quite the wild thing in her youth.”

“I couldn’t care less what she got up to,” he said, reaching for his tea, and counting down the seconds until the allotted fifteen minutes was up.  “She’s extremely competent.”

“So, no sparks flying from that direction,” she said vaguely, scribbling in her notebook.  “Of course, the other rumour is that you’re having an affair with the intern.  Comments?”

Sutherland almost spat out his tea.

“Alice?”

She sat forward, pale eyes gleaming.

“Why so surprised?” she purred.  “Pretty young girl, blonde curls, all that energy and innocence of youth.  A little odd, by all accounts, so she probably needs taking under your wing and protecting.  Plus, I hear she’s always pulling your tie straight and dusting your shoulders.  Rather familiar for a mere minion, wouldn’t you say?”

“I can assure you she’d think the idea of the two of us sleeping together both hilarious and revolting,” he said tersely.  “And don’t ever call her a minion in my presence again.”

“Ooh, looks like I touched a nerve,” she said, with a smirk.  “No need to hide your office romance from me, Prime Minister.”

“I’m not,” he snapped.

“And why should my readers believe that?”

“Because I’m a massive lesbian!” announced Alice cheerfully, breezing into the room with a leather folder in her hands and her blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders.  “Going from what you write in that magazine of yours, I’m probably at least partly responsible for the decline of society, but I have to say I’m having a lot of fun with it.”

Ms Finlay-Warburton looked as though she’d bitten something sour, and sat back as Alice leaned over to place the folder in Sutherland’s hand.  Alice grinned and leaned closer, making her shrink almost into the cushions of the chair.

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Alice pleasantly.  “You’re so not my type.  I did put my nasty gay hands all over the biscuits though, so I hope you didn’t eat any.”

Sutherland bit the inside of his cheeks to hide a smile, and she winked at him.

“Carrie said to tell you that the car will be here in a moment, sir,” she said.

“Thank you, Alice.”  He stood, tugging his cuffs straight.  “Ms Finlay-Warburton, you must excuse me. Prime Minister’s Questions, you know.  Ms de Ville will show you out.”

He strode out of the room, wanting to sigh with relief, and made it to the waiting car without incident.  It idled outside Number 10, the engine purring as they waited for Carrie to emerge with his briefcase.  She appeared in less than a minute, sharply-tailored charcoal grey trouser suit and white silk shirt beneath a gleaming bob of blonde hair.  She slid onto the back seat beside him, setting the briefcase between them, and the door thumped shut before the car pulled away. Sutherland slipped the leather folder into the case, and Carrie looked at him with some amusement.

“I hear the interview went well,” she said wryly.  “She seemed not to want to shake my hand, so I can only assume she’s remembered I’m a raging homosexual.”

“I don’t understand why you delight in inviting bigots to interview me.”

“Oh, it’s fun,” she said airily.  “They’re always the easiest to offend.  Besides, it’s a section of society in which you need to improve your polling.  You’re falling down with the ‘traditional family values’ mob.”

“I don’t need the support of intolerant arseholes,” he said sourly.

“Now now,” she chided.  “That’s not the attitude to take.  Their votes are as good as anyone’s.  And not all of them are like Ms Fanny-Wobblebum, I assure you.”

“Bloody gossip-monger!” he grumbled, running a hand through short, greying hair.  “She could have asked about the new policy on free childcare or the money for women’s support services, but instead it’s a bunch of bloody shite about work-based romance!  Are they expecting me to be shagging half my staff?”

“Probably.”

“Well, they’re in for a disappointment.”

“Oh, they’ll just make something up, you know how it goes.”

“They’re welcome to.”  He sat back with a sigh.  “Any idea what’s coming up in PMQs?”

“Other than the usual?” she asked.  “Nothing I’ve heard. We’re as prepared as we can be.”

“Good.”

x

The Commons was in excellent voice, the benches filled with MPs, almost all of whom were awake and contributing to the noise.  Sutherland tuned it out, tapping his fingers on the papers in front of him, the crisp white cuffs of his shirt just visible above the sleeves of his black suit.  He knew the contents of his papers by heart, but having them there was useful nonetheless, allowing him to collect his thoughts when necessary. Prime Minister’s Questions was in full swing, and having delivered a ringing endorsement of the government’s economic record in response to a question from his own side, he was waiting for the resulting shouts of derision and braying cheers to die down before the first of the questions from the Opposition back benches.

“Miss Belle French!” bellowed the Speaker.

Sutherland’s brow crinkled for a moment. French, French.  Ah, of course.  New Liberals.  Just won the by-election in Avonleigh.  Carrie says she’s one to watch.

“Thank you, Mr Speaker.”

He glanced around, trying to see where the voice was coming from. There. God, she’s tiny!  A young woman was standing in the top right of the rows of benches.  Small and pale, with deep red lips and chestnut hair tied neatly back, she was dressed in a very respectable dark blue dress and jacket.  She was perhaps five feet four, although his guess could be off by an inch or two, depending on how high her heels were. She was also incredibly pretty, but he did his best to ignore that fact.

“Mr Speaker,” she began, “last week in my constituency of Avonleigh, I received some truly shocking news regarding Government contractor Wolsingham plc and its negligent attitude to its waste treatment facility.  It appears that waste material from the production plant bordering my constituency has been leaking out and is in danger of polluting the water supplies used by local farmers.”

A familiar noise rose in the House, a booming chorus of denials from the Government benches, and roars of support from the Opposition.  Sutherland wanted to sigh. Questions about Wolsingham plc were inevitable, he supposed; nothing stayed secret for long in politics, but he had hoped to avoid the issue for a little longer.

“Rumours have also spread,” she went on, “that the company itself is failing and that its assets are being sold off piecemeal while it destroys the land around it!”

The noise had increased to a roar, the odd bleating noise from some of the older politicians, order papers being waved.

“Having - having made some enquiries—” Miss French was having to shout to be heard over the din.  “—I was shocked to discover that not only was Wolsingham plc fully aware of the pollution, but had done - had - had done—”

The clamour from the House had reached a level loud enough to drown her out, and she bit her lip, clearly frustrated.

“Order!” shouted the Speaker, calming the noise somewhat.  “The Honourable lady must be allowed to put her question!  Which I have every hope she will do very shortly, rather than treat us to a lengthy speech!  Miss French!”

“Thank you, Mr Speaker.”

She was still looking frustrated, and Sutherland sensed that she would abandon the speech, ask her question and be done.  Good.

“My constituents are concerned that special interest groups may be influencing Government policy regarding Wolsingham plc,” she said. “Particularly in respect of their continued breach of environmental legislation, and the company’s future financial viability. What assurances can the Prime Minister give me to take back to my constituents that their concerns are being addressed?”

Sutherland nodded as he stood up at the despatch box, catching her eye. She was staring at him with a strange mixture of caution and hope.

“Let me be amongst the first to welcome the Honourable lady to the House,” he said.  “I trust that she will serve her constituents well, and the country as a whole. This Government is - aware - of the reports of which she speaks, and I can assure her that they are being looked into.  A statement will be made in due course.”

He sat down to indicate that he was finished, shuffling the papers in his hands. Miss French was bouncing on her toes, mouth opening and closing and looking outraged, but the Speaker called another name, and she was forced to sit down, her face like thunder.  Sutherland tried to put her out of his mind as he listened to a question from his own side. A pity she had chosen to raise the bloody subject today, but there it was. No doubt the press would now start digging around, and the whole shit show would be wide open for all to see before they could get everything sewn up.  New MPs.  Always so bloody idealistic.

Once PMQs was over, he gathered his papers, slipping them into his briefcase before stepping away from the despatch box.  There was to be a debate on renewable energy, but he left the Environment Secretary to make the Government’s arguments. Carrie was waiting for him in the lobby, foot tapping impatiently on the stone tiles.  She flicked her hair out of her eyes and arched a brow at him as he left the chamber.

“Well, that was reasonably successful,” she said, taking the briefcase from him and shoving it at one of her assistants as they began walking.  “I thought we might go through the preparations for the President’s visit after your four o’clock.”

“Yes, fine,” he said.  “I believe her wife is coming too?”

“So my counterpart across the pond tells me.”

“Good.  We’ll host them at Chequers, but I’ll leave any decisions on menus and entertainment in your hands.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Prime Minister!”

He wanted to sigh as a clear voice cut across the lobby.  Miss French.  Of course.  He kept walking, shoes ringing on the gleaming tiles.

“Prime Minister, if I might have a word?”

She trotted up beside him, but he didn’t slow his stride.  Carrie looked at her somewhat askance, but said nothing.

“What is it, Miss French?” he asked dismissively.

“My question about Wolsingham plc,” she said, her voice impatient.  “You completely shut me down!”

“No, I gave you an answer,” he said.  “Just not the one you wanted.”

“I told my constituents I would raise the matter with you personally!”

“And so you have,” he said, and turned away from her to Carrie, who was watching him with an amused glint in her eyes.  “Carrie, can we fit Mr Llewellyn in before six, do you think?”

“I could find ten minutes in your diary, sir, no more.  And even that would be a squeeze.”

“Do that, then,” he said.  “If you can get one of your staff to prepare a one-page briefing paper beforehand? I’d rather not go in cold.”

“Consider it done.”

“Thank you.”

They walked on, and Miss French trotted to keep up.

“Prime Minister, might I schedule some time with you to discuss my concerns?” she asked, and he glanced across at her.

“Put your question in writing to Ms de Ville, Miss French, if you’re unhappy with the answer I gave,” he said impatiently.

“It wasn’t an answer!” she retorted.  “It - it was a fudge! You didn’t tell me anything!”

“As I said, put any further requests to my secretary in writing,” he said.

“A letter?” she scoffed.  “Should I sign it with a quill pen?  This isn’t the nineteenth century!”

“There are still protocols to follow, as you’re well aware,” he said.  “I’ve already said we will be making a statement in due course, and I have nothing further to add at this time.”

He walked on, the entrance looming in front of him, spring sunshine spreading across the tiles.  He could hear the rapid click of Miss French’s shoes as she sought to keep up with his stride, and rolled his eyes as they stepped out into the warm spring sunlight.  The press pack waited some way beyond, cameras clicking and flashing, reporters waiting with mikes outstretched, and Miss French was still at his heels like an insistent terrier.

“Prime Minister, I really don’t think you understand how worrying this is for my constituents,” she said, a little breathlessly.  “If we could just sit down to discuss the matter, I’m sure we could—”

Sutherland stopped abruptly, spinning on his toes to face her as he finally lost patience.

“Miss French, are you deaf or merely stupid?” he snapped.  “For the last time, I have nothing to say to you regarding Wolsingham plc and this will remain the case until the Government delivers its official statement on the matter!”

She stared at him, strands of chestnut hair buffeted by the wind.  Her eyes were wide and very blue, her cheeks smooth and pale. She had full lips, painted with a deep red lipstick that outlined them perfectly.  They were slightly parted in shock at his outburst, but there was also fire in her eyes, something he recognised well from his own youth, when he had been filled with ideals, with the desire to do good.  It made him feel old and irrelevant. An ancient political dragon, facing a young would-be slayer, Chosen One of the people. Oddly, it also made him want to stand his ground, to roar and belch out flames one last time to protect what he hoarded.  Instead, he tried for a more measured, dismissive approach. The young firebrand was gone, after all, mellowed by the years into the elder statesman.

“Put your concerns in writing,” he said, more calmly.  “Ms de Ville will bring them to my attention as she sees fit.”

Miss French worked her jaw a little.

“I thought at least you might hear me out,” she said.  “I’m aware you were born and raised in a deprived community, you must know how dependent my people are on the land around them, and—”

“I got where I am by knowing how to pick my battles,” he interrupted. “Something you appear to have no concept of, but which you’ll learn in time, I have no doubt.  If you want to be anything other than a voice in the wilderness, you need to learn how to bend in the wind, follow protocol, and understand that sometimes progress happens in ways you may not always like.”

“I came here to serve my constituents!” she protested, raising her hands and letting them fall.  “To give a voice to those who can’t speak out for themselves, to - to help people!  Not to become part of the problem!”

“Enjoy your time on the back benches, then,” he said, his tone dismissive. “Spend time in your constituency, and leave the politics to those of us who are in touch with reality.  While you’re listening to tales of woe and patting shoulders and kissing babies, you’ll become increasingly irrelevant.”

She opened her mouth angrily, but he cut her off.

“You’re not part of some Borough Council anymore,” he said scathingly.  “Time to grow up. See the big picture.”

“Don’t patronise me!”

“Don’t act like a child, then.”

She took a step towards him, eyes flashing with the light of challenge.  It was giving him a tiny thrill, a tight ball of fire in his chest that was sending a pulsing trail of heat down to his groin.  No one had dared to get in his face to this extent for years, instead shouting their insults from across the benches or making sly comments about his alleged incompetence to the press.  To have someone go toe-to-toe with him outside the Houses of Parliament was almost exhilarating.

“So, one little push back from a woman, and the misogyny surfaces,” she said, in a flat tone.  “Why am I not surprised?”

“My assessment of your behaviour is based on your inexperience and current attitude, not your gender.”

“And you want to teach me a lesson, is that it, sir?”

Oh, his mind did not need to go there!  He yanked it back before his imagination could cause too much mischief.

“I have every confidence that your peers will do that, Miss French,” he said coldly.  “Do us all an enormous favour and try not to get above yourself in the meantime.”

“If you think you can pat me on the head and shut me up, you’re mistaken!”

He smiled at that, knowing how it would irritate her, and was proven right as her glare intensified.

“Well, I must say this passion is admirable,” he drawled.  “But ultimately pointless.  Political naivety may play well in whatever backwater constituency you managed to claw your way into, but in Westminster it’ll get you eaten alive.”

“I have no intention of - of letting you eat me!” she snapped.

A faint blush had risen on her cheeks, and he felt an odd lurch in his belly as his active mind helpfully provided an alternative meaning for that phrase.  She was glaring at him, eyes shooting blue sparks, chin raised as though she would bite him.

“Then take my advice,” he said.  “Pick your battles. Fall in line. And wait your bloody turn.”

“So, they got to you, too?” she said bitterly.  “I might have known. I knew there had to be some reason everyone’s lips are sealed.  Wolsingham has his dirty little fingers in every political pie going, it seems to me.”

As fascinating as she was, Sutherland had had enough.  He raised an admonitory finger, leaning in as his eyes bored into hers and she met him stare for stare.

“You’re new here, Miss French,” he growled, his accent thickening.  “So I’m gonna let that one slide. You ever question my integrity again, and you and I are gonna have a problem, understood?”

She swallowed, sudden fear in her eyes.  It was gone almost as quickly as it had come, her jaw tightening as she faced him down.  Really, she was magnificent. There were flashes in the air around them, the click of cameras, and he wanted to groan as he remembered they were in the sights of the entirety of the Westminster press.  At least they were out of reach of any microphones, he supposed. He leaned back, swallowing his anger, and nodded curtly.

“Good day, Miss French.”

He turned on his heel, Carrie side-eyeing him before following him to the car. Reporters clamoured, questions being fired at him, but he ignored them all, slipping onto the back seat and staring straight ahead as Carrie got in on the other side.  The door closed with a heavy thump, and the sounds of the waiting press were cut off immediately. Thank God for armour plating.

“Well,” said Carrie, as the car pulled slowly away.  “That was - bracing.”

She sounded highly amused, and he decided to change the subject before she could start teasing him.

“Who’s next?” he asked.

“Lunch first,” she said promptly.  “Then I thought we might go through the Select Committee papers before tomorrow.  And you have a four-thirty with the Chancellor.”

“Fine.”

Sutherland sat back as the car headed for Downing Street, trying to ignore his thumping heart.  Miss French was a mouthy nuisance, to be sure, and he wanted to put her from his mind, but the encounter had made him feel more alive than he had in years.

x

The heavy tick of the clock on the wall showed that it was after ten, and Sutherland pinched the bridge of his nose to clear his eyes.  A large tabby cat with white socks was settled comfortably on a pile of discarded papers to his left, purring contentedly. Arthur’s job was supposedly to catch mice, but he seemed to spend most of his time sleeping as far as Sutherland could tell.  He didn’t mind that too much; he liked cats, and it was nice to have a little company in the evenings when he finally stopped working. He scratched Arthur’s ears, receiving a nuzzle in response, and set the final document aside just as Carrie entered.  She had a glass of whisky in one hand, a pile of newspapers in the crook of her arm and a wide grin on her face.

“Well, at least you made the front page.”

She dropped the first editions of the next day’s papers on his desk, startling the cat into a standing position. He lashed his striped tail before settling down again, tucking his feet under as the top newspaper—a copy of The Sun—slithered off the pile into Sutherland’s hands.  A picture took up almost the entire page, a close-up of he and Miss French practically nose to nose, glaring at one another with every ounce of the mutual disdain they could muster.  The headline above, in thick red letters, shouted GET A ROOM!

Sutherland groaned under his breath as Carrie chortled, and despite himself he read the opening paragraphs of the drivel masquerading as an article. Sparks flew this afternoon outside the Houses of Parliament as Avonleigh’s stunning New Liberal MP Belle French went toe-to-toe with the PM!  Petite brunette Belle (29) let Sutherland have it with both barrels! You could cut the sexual tension with a knife, and your Sun reporter wonders how they might break their deadlock outside of a bedroom!  Policy difference or lovers’ tiff? See more on page 2! Pages 4 and 5: Belle French - bombshell or bitch?

He tossed the paper aside in disgust, and Carrie caught it, grinning at him.

“Now now,” she chided.  “Don’t blame the press for the stories they cover.”

“It’s The Sun,” he growled.  “One flash of a pretty woman’s legs and they collectively lose their tiny minds.”

“So, you think she’s pretty?”

“Please tell me she didn’t give an interview,” he sighed, ignoring her question.

“Not that I can see,” she said.  “But the two of you made the front of every tabloid there is.  Even pushed the latest horror story about a new Ice Age off page 1 of The Express.”

“Wonders will never cease,” he remarked.

“I expect she might use the sudden interest to publicise her concerns over Wolsingham, though.”

“Well, that can’t be helped,” he sighed.  “It’s all gonna come out soon, anyway. However things go.  Did we hear anything from DII?”

“Talks still ongoing with potential administrators.”

He grunted.  Lengthy talks about financial viability never boded well, in his experience.

“You know,” she said thoughtfully, looking the paper over.  “They’re not wrong. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife.”

“Fuck’s sake, Carrie…”

“I’m teasing.”  She rolled up the paper and swatted him with it.  “I’m sure your intentions are completely honourable.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, hers might not be…”

“Can we leave Miss French out of this?” he snapped.  “Is there any actual news I need to hear?”

“Apparently William Hill’s have slashed the odds on you getting married during this Parliament to seven to one.”

“Carrie!”

“Alright, fine!” she sighed.  “The Guardian didn’t mention the spat; however, they have picked up on the precarious position of Wolsingham plc and are starting to put feelers out.  You have a nine o’clock tomorrow with the Minister. There’s a briefing in the folder at the bottom of that pile.”

“Thank you.”

“The Telegraph, Independent and Financial Times are focusing on the prospective deal with the US, unsurprisingly,” she said.  “I thought we might release the President’s proposed itinerary tomorrow.”

“Yes, fine,” he said absently.  “Are we expecting any protests?”

Carrie snorted, setting down the glass of whisky.

“Since that bigoted, racist disaster was ousted and thrown in jail, public perception of the White House has improved greatly.”

“Not wholly surprising,” he remarked, and she nodded.

“A few small groups have requested permission to march,” she said.  “Mainly pacifists, anti-capitalists and anti-pharma, nothing to cause any real disruption.”

“Fine,” he said, pushing the pile of newspapers away and sitting back in his chair.  “Go on, get home. I’m sure Ursula would like to see some of you this week.”

“I’m sure she’d like to see all of me,” she said, with a wink.  “Are you sure? I can stay if you need my input on anything.”

“Go home,” he said firmly.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” she said.  “Don’t stay up all night.  And try not to let the gutter press give you nightmares, hmm?”

“Would you bugger off before I change my mind?”

She swept out, chuckling, and he sighed, reaching for the glass of whisky she had brought him and sitting back in his chair.  It wouldn’t hurt to take a break. There were some papers he wanted to look through, but nothing that needed his immediate attention.  He sipped at the whisky, enjoying the smooth burn on his tongue, the warmth of good alcohol and the taste of honey, peat and smoke.

The image of Belle French kept swimming to the front of his mind, blue eyes sparking with anger and passion, and he scowled to himself, shoving the memory away.  So what if she had intrigued him? She had all but accused him of impropriety in respect of a Government contractor. The fact that her claim was bollocks was beside the point; she had no business throwing around accusations with the press pack just out of reach.  He recalled that Carrie had caught some of her campaign on a visit to Avonleigh, and had been impressed with the dedication and passion she had seen, but if Miss French was to succeed, she would need to learn to bend a little. She wouldn’t last long in Westminster if she couldn’t rein in her clearly impulsive nature.  Her fellow MPs would soon steer her right.

He shook his head, wondering why he was wasting time thinking about her future.  It wasn’t as though they would be working together, and she was on the Opposition benches, if not in the official party of Opposition, so hardly likely to be looking to him as a potential mentor.  Even if she was, the woman was clearly wet behind the ears and he didn’t have the patience to deal with that level of inexperience. Besides, it was unlikely they would cross paths unless he wished it; as a new back-bencher she had been lucky to get to ask a question at PMQs.  There would be no reason for him to have to endure her impertinence again.

He drank the last of the whisky, putting down the glass with a clunk and making the rare decision to go to bed at a reasonable hour.  Arthur seemed to sense that he was making a move, and stood up, stretching paws in front of him and curling his tail over. Sutherland petted him, pushing back his chair and heading for the door, the cat sauntering in his wake as he prayed for a decent night’s sleep, free of dreams of fiery young blue-eyed goddesses with perfect lips.

[douxreviews]

Supergirl - ‘Stand and Deliver' Review

Alex: "How can I, with a clear conscience, protect a man who is causing so much pain in the world?"

An episode in which many of our favorite characters stand up for their consciences, and in which the writers find a way out of the apparent impasse.

Ben Lockwood, as the president's new director of the Bureau of Alien Affairs, gets attacked by the Elite very early on in the episode. Because of the attack, Lockwood is assigned a new security detail, with Alex Danvers in charge - another move made by the president. As Alex loathes the man, this does not please her, but both her boss, Colonel Haley, and her adopted sister, Kara, give her the same advice: that by doing her job she will protect lives. (Supergirl, of course, has rescued many humans who she dislikes. I bet Colonel Haley has as well.)

As soon as Lockwood can speak without getting attacked, he announces his intention to repeal the Alien Amnesty Act, which, fortunately he cannot do by fiat, as this was apparently an act approved by Congress and Lockwood, a director in the executive branch, cannot unmake a law. However, Lockwood is in a position of influence, and by lobbying could get the act repealed. The announcement sends a chill through aliens and their friends, and they have to do something about it.

And the core of the show is when several of the characters take stands and deliver. The first to take a stand is Brainy, who, despite working at the DEO decides to organize a counter rally to the one being done by Lockwood (we all knew Brainy was behind it). The second is when James decides to go out – not as Guardian – but as a photographer to help the press show to the people what is really going on. The third is when Kara, originally hovering over the rally as Supergirl in order to protect everyone, staying above the fray, drapes herself in a Kryptonian robe (or perhaps just a blue blanket) and joins the pro-alien rally. The fourth is my favorite. Lockwood is getting the humans to shout, “Us or Them! Us or Them!” He’s egging on an attack. And then we have the wonderful:

Alex: You need to get off the stage now. Lockwood: Where’s the threat? Alex: You are the threat.

She hustles him off the stage. Pandemonium still breaks out, but the conflict would have been much worse if he had remained, and because she took him away, the brawling dies down, and people start helping one another (and her action even wins praise from Colonel Haley).

Olsen proves he deserves the position of photographer by taking a great shot of a human helping an alien, and that becomes the moment, the picture worth a thousand words, which defuses the anger being felt by so many. I was very impressed by this turn in the series, because I have been wondering how the writers could get them out of this jam – and they found a way that was fairly credible. Lockwood (pressured by President Baker, who we know cares a lot about the polls) says that they will hold Congressional hearings, which is a huge step forward.

Of course, the factions are not vanquished. Lockwood’s celebrity is based on hating aliens, so he’s got reason to try to come back. Some of the Elite are locked up. The writers can choose to return to this arc or not, but I am happy where it is for the moment.

For what I assume is a future part of the story: James is worried about the black budget at L-Corp and because he and Lena are on the outs, he can't really ask her. Instead he pumps Eve Tessmacher, his former employee, for information. Tessmacher actually has scenes that Lena would usually have more of a say in. Lena’s scenes are short and she appears overworked, which make me wonder if the actress was tired and overworked during the filming.

The episode ends with a great teaser: Who shot J.O.? (For those who are too young to know the phrase, “Who shot JR?” was the CBS hook for the show Dallas in the 1980s. Even though I never watched Dallas, I recall the phrase.) James Olsen, fresh from delivering the hearts-and-minds-changing photograph, is working late at CatCo, just the way a good boss should. Just as he is finally leaving the office, a gun is seen and a shot is fired. The last shot (camera shot) is of James Olsen lying on the floor, bleeding out. Will Olsen die? I hope not, even when they don’t give Mehcad Brooks enough to do, he is so easy on the eyes – besides, they cannot kill James Olsen, who is such a big part of the Supercousin world. So, who shot him? One of the Children of Liberty, out of resentment for that photograph? Or someone who doesn’t want him doing an expose on L-Corp finances?

Title musings: “Stand and Deliver” is the title of a 1988 documentary about a high school teacher who inspired his drop-out-prone students to master calculus. The word stand also evokes the “stand your ground” laws in various states, which have been used for the shoot first ask questions later and let Trayvon Martin’s murderer go unpunished. But it also serves the actions of at least four characters in this episode, and so I think the title works really well. All four of them made a difference by standing up when needed, and their actions together - even though not by design - had a great impact.

Bits and pieces

The Elite has a group of four, but as one of them is invisible most of the time, that’s good for the budget.

Some actual conversation for Eve Tessmacher!

Finally giving Nia Nal a more individualistic personality, and she seems to be into the meta awareness of the series, saying that’s a superhero speech or a classic bad guy move. Maybe this is a characteristic of a Dreamer. Or perhaps it is a characteristic of a superhero in training (which is rather cute).

I don’t recall Manchester Black having purple hair before this, but that��s in line with the comics. Very nice.

Loved the scrimmage between Brainy and Hat. Very artistic; they must have worked hard on the choreography.

Loved the super-heavy key for getting into the Fortress of Solitude and how the Elite looked under the mat for it.

Quotes

Lockwood: I know you think I’m a monster. But half of England said the same thing about Winston Churchill before World War II.

Nia Nal: Returning to the scene of the crime is a classic bad guy move.

Brainy: Well, whoever this American Alien is, their website superbly protected. He or she must be a highly intelligent cryptophile. Translating. This may take some time. Editor translation: You’re asking me to research myself. Haley: Just do it, Dox.

Hat: We’re supposed to be changing the world. Not acting suicidal to settle old scores.

James: You fight injustice with your fists, you can help one, maybe a dozen people. But good journalism – that can impact millions.

Brainy: Supergirl may be a symbol, but more importantly, she’s a citizen of Earth. Just like the rest of us.

Nia Nal: It always amazes me how much one photo can change the conversation.

Haley: Lockwood is a bureaucrat with power he doesn’t understand. Not only does that make things dangerous it makes our job difficult. Note that I disagree; I think Lockwood understands the power very well. Still, it's an interesting perspective.

Overall Rating

I can tell that I really enjoyed this episode, as I am still writing about it something like 1300+ words later (the word count may shrink when I edit). Three and a half out of four superheavy Fortress of Solitude keys.

Victoria Grossack loves math, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.