#I think contestants should get the choice of these three

[emile-hides]

Trying to figure out how I wanna draw the Contestant outfit from Finding Frankie, minus the mask because it's chunky and hard to draw, my current ideas are;

Flat patterned jumper with a bunny eared hood, no tie shoes, fingerless gloves, (face mask optional)

Onsee with a black body suit underneath, tiny red lace ribbon, no shoes, bunny ear headband (tiny top hat part optional)

T-Shirt with a bow stuck to it, black arm warmers and thigh high socks, red shorts (like Real Frankie), Sneakers, lucky rabbit's foot keychain, top hat (rabbit ears in brim optional)

I dunno I wanted the outfit to be cute.

Bonus my first attempt at drawing the mask before immediately abandoning it

[would-you-punt-them]

Imagine watching a show with probably the most surface level potrayal of the message of "rich people suck and will use poor people for money" only to be like "hm. as the total anthesis of this message i should totally recreate this"

It's made even worse when you consider the fact that this isn't the first "IRL Squid Game" ever attempted, Netflix UK did one that was specifically based on the actual show in January 2023 called "Squid Game: The Challenge".

(I've seen people in the tags get these two shows confused, they are different - Beast Games is on Amazon, not Netflix, was filmed at the end of July this year, and hasn't come out yet).

But Netflix UK have their own scandal to answer for.

That original British Squid Game was also a disaster. "Beast Games" was filmed in the middle of one of Nevada's hottest Julys on record, hence why so many contestants suffered from extreme dehydration due to the lack of water. On the other hand, "Squid Game: The Challenge" was filmed during an unusually cold British January.

The players had been given coats, leg warmers, space heaters, and so on during the lead up to the game, only to have those warm clothes taken away before the first challenge began, because they needed to wear those paper thin canon-accurate Squid Game tracksuits. They weren't even allowed to zip them up, because the cameras needed to see the numbers on their shirts, and the fake blood spurting out when they were eliminated.

They then had to play Redlight-Greenlight in the blistering cold, holding poses, completely still, for increasing lengths of time (2 minutes at the start of the game, 30 in the late stages). Players starting collapsing from the cold, and had to be rescued by medics.

The game started with 456 competitors on Day 1, and ended up with 228 by Day 2.

Here's the Variety article: Inside Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Reality Show Disaster: ‘The Conditions Were Absolutely Inhumane’

TL;DR - Here are some choice quotes in case you want to read them:

“The second time the song played, I saw in my left peripheral vision that this girl was swaying. Then she just buckled, and you could hear her head actually hit the ground,” says Marlene. “But then someone came on the [microphone] and said to hold our positions because the game is not paused. After that, people were dropping like flies.”

Jenny, a player from outside the U.K. who had been flown in for the game, tells Variety: “I’m infuriated by the narrative that Netflix is putting out there, that only [a few] people were injured…we were all injured just by going through that experience.

“I’ve never been that cold for that long a period in my life. We couldn’t feel our feet or our toes. It was ridiculous,” she says. Jenny also claims that while the game was in production, restroom or water breaks weren’t allowed.

“Take some responsibility for the fact that you were ill-prepared for this kind of thing, with this number of people,” continues Jenny, between tears. “There were some things I guess [producers] didn’t think about, but when they saw the weather was going to be that way, they should have made adjustments.”

All three players [John, Marlene and Jenny] say they returned to the hotel between 7 p.m. and midnight without having dinner. Dinner orders had been taken at lunch, but because the game had run longer than expected, contestants were transported back to their central London hotel without having eaten. Production had ordered pizzas for those arriving, but there wasn’t enough food to go around, and some people went to bed hungry.

“In the morning, I woke up and there was a cold hamburger from McDonald’s and a side salad in front of my door that had been there for God knows how long,” says Marlene.

(Variety, Feb 3, 2023)

(Also, "Marlene and Jenny" are pseudonyms, because like Beast Game they signed NDAs.)

There are some other similarities with Beast Games - denial of bathroom breaks, lack of food, lack of water, inadequate medical care, and so on.

Netflix is denying these claims, or at least denying that they are as bad as contestants are suggesting, and said that while it was undeniably cold on set, "participants were prepared for that". Participants have claimed that they were, in fact, in no way prepared for that.

We know MrBeast has probably seen "Squid Game: The Challenge", because they've tried to one-up it. The British show originally had "the biggest cash-prize ever offered in reality TV" ($4.5 million), until Beast Games showed up with an ever bigger prize of $5 million.

So, it's not just "Jimmy recreating the Torment Nexus after watching the show "Don't recreate the Torment Nexus".

It's closer to "Jimmy recreating the Torment Nexus from the show "Don't create the Torment Nexus", after watching the show "This is what happens when you create the Torment Nexus".

[pinkhoneydrop]

LoveIsland: EpisodeOne

Welcome to week one in the villa I’m so happy to see everyone together. I hope you’re ready to spend the summer getting flirty and maybe a little feisty. Keep your goal in mind throughout the week when you make your choices!! - Liz

BIG SHOUTOUT TO @finelinepie THANK YOUUU SOOOO MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU SO HARD!!!!!!

///

You didn't think you would be this nervous when you signed up. You had been a fan of the show for a while and got an ad to apply. At first the idea of charity seemed like a good cause to objectify yourself but after some deliberation with friends you quickly realized that you craved the dramatization of the show.

… “You might find the love of your life, you never know.” Your best friend sat across from you in a local cafe. You explained to her the email you received inviting you to join the show this season.

“What if I regret it?” You laughed at yourself as you leaned back in the cafe chair. A lump formed in your stomach from just thinking about what you had done.

Sending in your audition tape while drunk after a night out was probably not the best idea.

“Promise me you'll go and try it out. Try and find a man or even just get laid. You need it and if anything, you leave with a shit ton of money. What's the harm in that?” ...

            Maybe your friend was right. Maybe you would fall into a whirlwind romance with your dream guy. But you might not either and that was fine. Living with your best friend forever if you ended up embarrassing yourself on national television was also fine? Right?

 For a while before the cameras started up you sat by yourself. All the contestants had their own vans with an obstructed view of the villa. South Africa was a long way from home. The lush landscape and harsh temperature added to the anxiety of meeting everyone you would be spending the summer with. You leaned back in your chair and closed your eyes trying to prepare yourself. A knock on your trailer door and a high-pitched voice alerted your senses.

“Need you all in 5.”

“Here we go.” you whispered to yourself. You looked in the mirror and adjusted yourself. You were wearing your favorite color and felt like you would never truly be ready, so you fluffed your hair and exited your trailer. Three other girls exit as well. The three of you walked along with some crew members to separate spots and each of you entered one by one to a mini bar. Palm trees lined the edge of the deck and tall tables stood in the middle between the bar and the end of the deck. You sighed as your turn came.

“Oh my gosh hi how are you I’m Leila.” A girl who was much taller than you with a head of dark curly hair smiled and greeted you as you walked towards the bar. “Wow, she's cheery. If everyone is like this then summer should definitely be fun.” you thought to yourself as you smiled at her. Not only was she cheerful, but she was also beautiful. A green bikini sat on her hips and wrapped around her shoulders. You chuckled nervously to yourself. Leila took notice and sparked up some casual conversation with you.

{cut to interview}

… “Hey, I’m Leila I’m 26 years old.” music played in the background as Leila spoke during her interview.

“Originally from just outside Manchester and I'm here to find the love of my life.” She smiles as a blush rises to her cheeks and giggles a little as the camera angle changes.         

“The other girls better watch out; I've been known to be a bit feisty back home.” the music fades out and the camera returns to the bar…

{cut back to camera 3}

“It's so nice to see a friendly face first thing. I'm kind of nervous.” your smile weakens as you talk to Leila. Not too long after another girl walks in.

“Holy shit.” Leila says as the girl gets closer. You turn to have a look and almost pass out. Long tan legs leading up to the tiniest bikini bottoms that probably ever existed. Your eyes widened and you were lost for words. The girl spoke before you could even form a coherent thought.

“I’m Chloe.” Her voice was a bit high, but you supposed it might have just been all the traveling catching up to her. You watched as Leila gave her the same cheerful smile that she gave to you. Chloe gave a short smirk and twisted her neck to look at you next. Her blonde hair seemed to flow with her movement.

“Y/n.” You stuck your hand out as you introduced yourself. Chloe just looked at it and headed for the bar to get a cocktail.

“Gosh, a bit cold now, isn’t she?” Leila frowned as she watched her. You raised your brow and decided this might be a long summer.

{cut to interview}

… “Hii I’m Chloe I’m 25 from Glasgow and I’m just living life.”  Music plays again as another interview starts.

“I love a good English boy who gives good chat and has pretty eyes.” Chloe winks and laughs at herself.

“If my girls would describe me in one word it would be...Maneater.” …

{cut back to camera 3}

“I hope I’m not the only one drinking today.” Chloe spoke as she set three glasses on the table in front of you. It was odd. At least you thought so, but you took the drink anyway hoping to calm yourself.

“Oh, I’ll absolutely take this, thank you, Chloe.”

“No problem girl.” A large smile graced her lips as she watched you drink.

“Guess I’ll have another one as well. Thanks.” Leila was polite enough to escape a glare from the blonde, but you immediately noticed the tension between them. “Interesting…”

Just before anyone could continue the conversation another girl walked into the villa.

{cut to third interview}

… “I’m Genevieve I’m 27 from Dewsbury but I live in LA currently.” The brunette was calm as she spoke and smiled at the camera.

“I’m trying to find work as a model. Navigating LA life is hard but navigating my love life is harder. I just seem to always find my worst match so hopefully it’s different here.” …

{cut to camera 2}

Her confident stride and striking appearance instantly drew everyone’s attention. Chloe, the first to react, sized her up with a quick, appraising glance before flashing her trademark bright smile.

“Well, look who decided to join the party,” Chloe said, her tone dripping with a mix of faux friendliness and thinly veiled competitiveness. Genevieve smiled graciously, taking in the room. “Hey everyone,” she greeted, her voice smooth and inviting.

“I’m Genevieve. I hope I’m not too late.” Leila, who had been nursing her drink, immediately stood up and walked over to Genevieve.

“Hi Genevieve, I’m Leila,” she said warmly.

“Nice to meet you. Want a drink?” Genevieve’s smile widened.

“Sure, I’d love one. Thanks, Leila.”

As Leila prepared a drink for Genevieve, Chloe leaned in closer to you. “Another model, huh? This should be interesting,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving Genevieve. You could sense the undercurrent of tension in Chloe’s voice but chose to stay neutral.

“Yeah, let’s see how things unfold,” you replied quietly, taking another sip of your drink. Leila returned with a drink for Genevieve, who accepted it with a grateful nod. “So, Genevieve, tell us a bit about yourself,” Leila encouraged, her genuine interest in breaking the ice.

“Well, I’m 27 and I’ve been living in LA for a few years now,” Genevieve began.

“I’m trying to break into modeling. It’s tough and I have to keep the lights on by serving, but I love the challenge. And, of course, I’m here to hopefully find the right guy.”

The other girls listened intently, some nodding in understanding. Chloe, however, remained somewhat aloof, swirling her drink thoughtfully.

“LA, huh? That must be quite a change from Dewsbury,” she commented, a hint of skepticism in her voice. Genevieve nodded, unfazed by Chloe’s tone.

“It is, but I love it. The energy, the opportunities—it’s all worth it.” Chloe smirked, leaning back in her chair.

“Well, good luck to you babe. You’re going to need it.” Leila shot Chloe a disapproving look before turning back to Genevieve.

“Don’t mind Chloe. She can be a bit much sometimes as were learning,” she said with a wink. “We’re all here to find love, after all.” Genevieve laughed lightly, clearly not perturbed.

“Thanks, Leila. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you.”

You didn’t know how Leila did it. Keep up the niceties with all these women. The relationships right now were all surface. This is the time to be strategically quiet. Or in your case just nervously so. As the conversation continued, the initial tension began to dissipate, replaced by curiosity and a tentative camaraderie. The girls were eager to see how Genevieve would fit into the group dynamics, and despite Chloe’s initial frostiness, there was a sense of anticipation about what the next days would bring.

{cut to camera 1 in a wide shot panning over the girls and host}

“Hello ladies and welcome to the villa. We have you here today in this beautiful villa to hopefully find some love, friendship, or fortune. We have gathered you here on the lawn beside the pool deck to introduce you to the guys.” The sun was high in the sky as you stood on your marked spot. The girls lined up next to you all giggled and cheered at the introduction. You smiled along and tried to calm your nerves. Were they really about to just parade a bunch of hot guys around for you to ogle over? You looked to the right, and you saw Chloe and to your left you saw Genevieve and Leila. Not knowing too much about anyone yet you felt a little out of place. 6 weeks with these people and you would be competing with them the whole time. Not a single one of them seemed to share the nerves building in your body. The camera crew hustled about, and you stood to attention after adjusting your bikini bottoms on your hips.

{cut to camera 3 on the pathway}

“First we have Daniel Jones, he is from south London.”   a blonde man with a toned physique who walked down the path leading to the pool deck where the host was standing. “He's cute.” you thought to yourself.

“How are you doing this morning Daniel?” the host turned to speak with him. The sun beat down on everyone but despite that the girls all smiled at Daniel.

“I'm doing great now that I have some eye candy to look at.” Daniel's words came out confidently as he smiled at each of you on your marks. He was definitely fit. Tan skin shining in the sun and a pair of navy-blue trunks on his waist. You eyed him from your spot, and he winked at you in acknowledgement. Heat manifested in your cheeks at the gesture.

“How are you today, ladies?” His voice was smooth, catching your attention and no doubt the other girls as well.

“Alright Daniel, go stand on that first mark and let's see the next guy, shall we?” The host smiled and turned to face the pathway.

The sun was high in the sky that morning as the next guy came out. All of the girls adjusted themselves as the cameras cut back and forth between them.

“Here we have Elias, he is from London but lives in LA. Elias, how are you?”

Elias was gorgeous. Dark hair sitting atop his head and muscles peeking out of darker skin that looked perfectly Sunkissed. He wore deep rust orange shorts and had his ears pierced. You blushed as he caught your eye and sent a small nod in your direction.

“I'm doing alright.” His voice was deep and gravely. You could only imagine what his personality was like as he stood at attention. A couple of the ladies snickered at one another, and Elias smirked at the attention he was getting. Just like Daniel, Elias moved to stand next to his mark.

“Ladies, how are we feeling about the selection so far?” The host spoke to all of you and garnered some exclamations from the whole group.

“The selection is fit; how can we complain?” Genevieve spoke up first. She was beautiful to look at and if you were one of the guys you definitely would want her to couple up with you. Long brown hair with highlights framing her face. As you were admiring her, your thoughts were interrupted by a rather whiney voice.

“Yeah exactly, but I have to say I'm excited for this special guest.” The next girl to speak was Chloe and she turned to give the other girls a light glare as if she were daring them to challenge her. Chloe was a natural blonde with green and brown eyes that peered into your soul. You made a mental note not to get in her way if you could avoid it.

The host continued on and introduced the next man to the group. All the ladies gave him their attention, as it seemed he was a crowd favorite as soon as he was in sight.

“Ladies, this is River Davis from Michigan.”

River was hot, you have to admit. Lighter hair shaved low on the sides and defined muscle tapering into his trunks. Your eyes traveled trying to find a decent place to look that wasn't suggestive.

“Nice to see you, River.”

River smiled at the host and took her hand for a light shake. Turning his attention to the ladies he kept his smile and stood up straight.

“Nice to see you too. Ladies, how are you all doing?” His voice was deep too. Elias might have some competition with this one you thought. All the ladies replied in various ways as the men stood on their marks.

“Before we get to coupling time, we have one more guest joining us. Our celebrity guest this season is…” honey smiled at the group as she paused for effect.

All the ladies waited with bated breath to hear and see who was coming out next. Your breath caught in your throat as you saw brown hair through the bushes.

“Harry Styles!” The host turned and began clapping.

Harry emerged from the trail looking amazing. Tan underneath his inked skin, Trunks resting low on his hips exposing the ferns and a freshly cut head of hair to match his mustache.

“Hello everyone, m’Harry.”

You almost melted after hearing his voice in person. There was just something about him that made you feel at home, and you didn't even know the guy yet. Did you want to get to know him? Part of you felt like maybe you shouldn't, like it would be better to remain a fan of his work and omit yourself from the possibility of him being an asshole.

First choice is coming next episode!!!!

The islanders

@chelseawgnr @rafesfavoritegirl @finelinepie @sunflower-golden-vol6 @unlikelystay @sarah-ev @playhousebunni @gem1712 @indierockgirrl @boldlycoolkitty @wherearethewatermelons @tpwkvickysblog @harrystylesconcepts @superiorfemme @vashapnin @sassamanda77 @henrysteelsmurryme @littlenatilda @devilsqueen722 @ashleighsss @b3ccaaa @x100preme @lomlolivia @fanfictioncafe @racshouse42 @crazygirlinthisworld @harrys-flower @bloodywickedlips @harryshousewitnessprotection @champagnepronlemsxxxx

@harryhad-alittlelamb

[vampireghostlawyer]

daan's contradictions

One of the aspects of Daan's character that I find the most interesting is how often he contradicts himself throughout the game. Even in some party talks where he doesn't contradict himself, he will act entirely different about a situation depending on who else is present. To a certain extent, all of the characters act slightly differently based on your party makeup, but I think Daan is particularly intriguing because of how much he does this.

Also, he is the catalyst for a lot of the other characters to act differently, such as Karin becoming more obstinate when he's in the party, and both O'saa and Olivia becoming more talkative with him compared to other contestants.

I've seen some people who mistake this for Miro having a lot of different opinions on how Daan should act, or even poor writing, but I think this is definitely more indicative of the strength of Miro's writing. I really feel like this is a conscious choice on the part of Daan's character and I want to try and explain my thoughts about why he acts how he does, as well as provide some examples.

Examples:

1.) In one of Daan's earliest conversations in the game (if Karin is in the party), he will lament his shoes getting ruined and Karin will accuse him of being too prissy to spend time outdoors. She'll point out how he's a city slicker with soft hands and doubts that he'd have the skills to survive on his own. He'll refute her but he'll dodge her questions about being a "city slicker" and his explanations of how he'd survive are either sarcastically bad, or he's genuinely pretending not to know.

In a later party talk, we learn that Daan actually spent the majority of his childhood living in nature before he was taken in by Eihner (or started selling Sylvian services, depending on his backstory).

This makes his answers to Karin, as well as his constant comments throughout the game about how poorly he's handling the Prehevil weather and nature, very strange. If he really did grow up in nature, he should know better than to eat random mushrooms and shouldn't be bothered by things like the smell of lake water or mud, but he still makes a point of acting like he's not used to encountering them.

Additionally, if Olivia is in the party, Daan will actually backtrack on some of his comments about nature and express an interest in it, seemingly just to be nice to her.

2. When standing in the rafters of the church, if Karin is in the party, she'll express a fear of heights, Daan will point it out (in what seems to be a teasing way), and they'll bicker a bit.

Despite this interaction, if you do a party talk in the same area and Karin isn't in your party, it becomes clear that Daan is also afraid of the rafters lmao.

3. When O'saa comments on the bookstore, Daan will act offended and argue with him about the value of books and reading.

When visiting the same store without O'saa, Daan will not express a fondness for reading or share the story about A Tree Grows in Rondon, and will even say he finds books boring.

Despite this, he will once again seem to like books during his party talks in the Mayor's House.

3.) When not playing as Daan, he will tell the player (in a few different interactions) that he either plans to stay on the train, or thinks it's the best option.

He says variations of the above lines with every player character and in a few different dialogue branches. Ironically, he actually doesn't wait around by the train. In fact, Daan is one of three characters who doesn't spawn at all during the morning of Day 1. While some characters (like Olivia) will actually wait by the train, despite Daan's comments, he only ever spawns by the train during that initial interaction (and immediately after), and then doesn't return until he can be found in the shack later that day.

4.) Daan says in one party talk that he prefers being out in open areas because they seem safer, yet when Karin says the same thing, he makes fun of her for it.

5.) In some party talks, Daan will talk openly about sex, however when Abella is present, he becomes much more prudish. One example is in the department store, Daan will make a comment about how the torture victims seem to be screaming in pleasure, and if Levi is present, will agree with him that the torture is consensual.

When Abella is in the group, however, he will instead act disgusted by what he sees. Similarly, when O'saa makes a joke about sex in front of him at the PRHVL Bop, or when Marcoh and him joke about joining an orgy at the museum, Daan will go along with it, but when Abella does the same about the Sylvian statue in town, Daan will stop her.

These are just a few examples, I remember seeing a few more in my first few playthroughs, but these are just the ones that stuck out to me the most.

Analysis:

I think it makes a lot of sense that with Daan's background, he would have to have a lot of skill at appeasing others. In any version of his backstory, he would have had to rely on getting other people to trust or like him, so it's probably something he's developed a skill at. I think that can explain a lot of his random contradictions when interacting with others.

Daan's blank soul also plays a part in this, I believe. In the narrative, both with the Dutches and with Pocketcat, Daan serves as an empty vessel meant to fulfill the whims of someone else, be it Eihner's ritual or the Pocketcat's need for a body. In gameplay, most of his abilities help others at the cost of hurting himself in some way. Daan's life and story revolve around the people he's surrounded by, so it makes sense that his interactions with others would mirror that on a more minor scale.

I also think that a lot of Daan's calmness is a facade meant to trick the player (and other contestants). When we see Daan in a lot of extreme and horrifying scenarios in the game, he is hardly bothered. Attempting to kill Daan, having him inspect his fiancee's body, having him in the party for the fight with stitches or needles, or even amputating all his limbs, still only end with Daan acting almost comically calm for the situation. In contrast, when he undergoes minor annoyances like ruining his shoes or entering the sewers, he reacts very strongly. I think his apathetic personality is a coping mechanism to deal with his past trauma, as well as the trauma of Prehevil, and that his true emotions slip through the cracks of his less important interactions. That's why, when he's talking to Karin or O'saa for example, he is much more emotive and mocking.

Finally, I also think Daan is a bit of a liar. Likely due to the same reasons as needing to please others for safety and survival, he also developed a talent for lying. Throughout the game he is either incredibly secretive, or even sometimes outright lies to the player and other characters whenever he is questioned about his actions, motives, or past.

[axvoter]

Fusion delusion and HTV confusion

This week, the Fusion Party—whom I reviewed at considerable length and not because I think they are a good option—posted how-to-vote cards (HTVs). Today, they retracted some of them and deleted posts from social media platforms. So, it's going well!

It seems there was very little vetting, with candidates not just free to allocate their own preferences but also with no review or questions asked before the HTVs were posted publicly. It speaks poorly of party processes that evidently nobody said "uhh hey what's going on here?"

Luckily, I saved a couple of the worst HTVs for individual seats, and the Victorian Senate HTV is still up. Shall we have a look? Let's begin with that Senate HTV:

I will get the obvious dunk out of the way: this is an atrocious design, busy and unpleasant on the eye. The emojis are completely unserious. But, look, HTVs are rarely artistic masterpieces. They should communicate a party's agenda concisely—which this one does not do, there's way too much text—and set out some preference recommendations to aid their supporters.

And hoo boy look at those Fusion preferences: Libertarians in 5th above Labor in 9th and the Greens in 10th. The Libertarians are one of Australia's most loathsome minor parties and they stand against what Fusion claims to be their core values, such as a denial of the reality of climate change that is at odds with the "Planet Rescue" part of Fusion's current registered name. How would you feel if you were a member of Fusion constituent party Vote Planet? I'd assume not great, although I also understand Kammy Cordner Hunt, the Victorian lead Senate candidate above, is from that wing. A penny for her thoughts!

Fusion have been taking some serious flak for this on social media. If you have a Facebook account, here is the announcement of the Senate HTV, with reactions and defensive replies by the official Fusion account and some candidates. People are not happy about that Libertarian preference, and the second candidate on the Vic ticket, Simon Gnieslaw, has been responding at length (hi Simon, I'm sure you're reading; yes I remember you getting upset in my DMs in 2022 because I called your centrism "waffle" and your website "amateurish"). I've screenshotted three choice replies below.

This is quite silly rhetoric and it seems that some Fusion organisers have been taken in by smooth talk from one of Australia's most distasteful parties. The Libertarians' lead candidate in Victoria is a literal con artist and the party are bad-faith actors. It is little wonder that in private they can make soothing noises of "good will" and massage the ego of Fusion delegates in preference discussions. Gnieslaw's comments (particularly that third screenshot) also evince a naive belief in "compromise" above everything else. Forever seeking compromise rather than sticking to principles is just a way to allow bad-faith actors to drag the Overton window towards themselves. This is delusional stuff.

As for the Greens, they have little incentive to deal with electoral lightweights such as Fusion. The Greens' preferences are certain to be distributed after Fusion is already out of the count, if distributed at all. Unlike the Libertarians, who as a fellow micro-party need all the favourable HTV treatment they can get and will say whatever it takes to get a good placement in the hope it pays off in the contest for the last Senate quota, Fusion are the ones who need to get the Greens to want to work with them, not the other way around. It seems Fusion can't play with the big kids who have built a seat-winning constituency in every state—possibly because Gnieslaw has a personal grievance against them over the Israel–Palestine conflict, as articulated on his candidate page. The HTV above claims Fusion is "the only party with a Tangible Peace Plan for the war in Israel and Palestine" (oh yeah sure you've solved a century-long conflict) and even more ridiculously suggests that Fusion is "already working in the background to deliver this plan" (solving the problems of the world over beers at the pub is not "working in the background"). You can read this Tangible Peace Plan for yourself; perhaps you'll agree with me that would be better summarised as intangible principles.

One more comment on the Senate HTV before I move on to some of the House HTVs: if you looked closely, you would have noticed that among the unnecessary emojis are three other symbols. One, a circle with 3 Rs, indicates support for the Climate Rescue Accord, which Fusion developed through negotiations with the Animal Justice Party, Australian Progressives (contesting this election as part of Fusion), and Reason (now de-registered, with Fiona Patten standing for Legalise Cannabis). It has reasonable enough objectives mixed with the sort of futurism about R&D into technologies that some would dub optimistic and others fanciful. The second is a Khamsa symbol, which indicates parties who have given in-principle support for Fusion's "Tangible Peace Plan". And the third is a symbol indicating support for a Universal Basic Income.

The thing about these symbols is that they mean nothing to the average voter, and although they are explained on the Senate HTV, Fusion has used them on HTVs for seats in the House of Representatives with no explanation. They're simply mysterious icons beside their name and that of some other parties. If you are even mildly inclined to conspiratorial thinking, you might wonder what they are meant to communicate and to whom.

So, let's turn to HTVs for specific seats. Remember, Fusion has recently incorporated the Australian Progressives (who, despite their name, now claim to be in the "sensible centre") and Democracy First (a fringe right-wing org of serial candidate Vern Hughes). It seems candidates had freedom to distribute their preferences however they wanted, and some went... off message.

First, the Fusion candidate in Melbourne, Helen Huang:

Yes, she is sending her second preference to independent Tim Smith and her third to the Liberals. Smith is not the disgraced ex-Victorian Liberal politician of that name, but a contestant from Married at First Sight who says that "I don’t like politicians" and promotes the "strategic" use of social media outlets like Instagram and Tik Tok to gauge public opinion instead of holding referendums (wait until this guy finds out about constitutional law!). As for why on earth the Liberals are third, above Labor or the Greens, the HTV itself says this is because of Steph Hunt's "credentials in peacebuilding to end wars and bring people together". Yes, Liberal credentials in peacebuilding. Ponder that one!

But the real humdinger is the HTV for McEwen candidate Erin McGrath. See if you can spot the issue among the preferences:

That's right: Family First is preferenced fourth, above any of the major parties. Yes, the Family First, the party of vile anti-LGBTIQ campaigner and professional eater-of-shit Lyle Shelton. They could scarcely be more at odds with core Fusion values.

But it gets better because people pressed Fusion about this on Twitter and they simply couldn't pick a lane. The original post has now been deleted—it just had some HTVs including McGrath's for McEwen—but if you have a log-in you can view a surviving comment chain here. One reply flagged some of the bizarre decisions, and the official account began by saying that they were made based on personal interactions:

So, at first, Fusion are fine with preferencing "one guy" from Family First for being "vaguely reasonable". Then, as the negative response grew, they deleted and offered this explanation:

Yup, apparently this was simply a production mistake. If that is true, it speaks very poorly for the party's internal oversight, because multiple people clearly did not think to say anything when making, approving, or posting the HTV. And when pressed on this, Fusion replied with an absolute gem:

Things had changed?? It's Family First. WHAT CHANGED.

The party says it is a mistake, but these contortions are worthy of professional gymnasts. It seems the reality is more straightforward. The party's own list of candidates includes a small logo showing which constituent of Fusion the candidate is aligned with. Some, such as Huang in Melbourne, appear to be unaligned, but Erin McGrath in McEwen is aligned with—you guessed it!—Democracy First. She's part of Vern's right-wing rabble. I am far more prepared to believe she genuinely sympathises with the Family First candidate than that "things had changed". The only thing that changed is people noticed this laughable preference at odds with Fusion's own stated values.

We will see what an updated McEwen HTV looks like and if any others are amended. In any case, this further affirms for me that Fusion is not—or at least is no longer—a decent choice, least of all for left-wing voters who might have positive memories of some parties that are now part of Fusion.

[pokemonshelterstories]

Hi, Charlie! How you doing? I have a little of a predicament here, see I have a Cyndaquil (Pepper) and a kanto, senior Persian (Roberta), she's a retired contest pokémon that belonged to one of my friend's parents.

Roberta spends most of her time sleeping these days, but she's fairly friendly and social with Pepper and other pokemon she meets! Problem arose when a coworker gifted me a Skiploom during a santa's secret party, apparently just because I said I liked that pokemon and they just... got it...from some random market????? I was baffled, but the little Skiploom is usually a sweetheart and doesn't seem to have behavorial problems besides getting into petty fights with passing drifloom and other flying pokemon when she's out of the house (is that normal? i thought skipbloom were gentle and timid)

My biggest fear was Cyndaquil, being a fire type, but they got along nicely, but Roberta just...apparently hates this Skiploom! And started to do very strange things she didnt' do before, she does as much as smell the skiploom floral scent and will go wild and use fury swipes on the walls and floor. She sneaks into the room were I keep the Skiploom to bite her toys and toss her water bowl. And if the Skiploom is on the same room by accident (since i try to keep them separate), Roberta will straight up use power gen (her sight it's bad at her age, so it always misses, but it's concerning) And if Roberta gets agressive, Pepper seems to follow her lead and will run around and growl.

It's there a way to handle this? I don't want to release the Skiploom since I fear they could be a born-into captivity one, but all this agression and activity is very bad for an old pokemon like Roberta. Should I give away Skiploom or take them to a shelter?

yeah...i wish people wouldnt get pokemon as gifts unless someone has specifically requested that pokemon. it tends to lead to situations like this.

unfortunately, this sounds like a bad situation all around. persian are territorial and fairly aggressive pokemon, and raising them as single pokemon is hard enough before you add other pokemon into the equation. they don't adjust easily to new pokemon in the household, and at her age roberta may be beyond the point where she's willing to tolerate a new addition.

my concern is that this is clearly stressful for all three pokemon. roberta is obviously stressed to the point that she's actively trying to hunt out the skiploom. pepper's aggression in response to roberta's aggression is likely to be a stress response. and obviously getting attacked out of what seems like nowhere is going to be stressful for the skiploom! a stressed skiploom is going to release a lot of sweet scent to try and diffuse the conflict, which will just perpetuate the issue.

while this could potentially be managed through very strict pokeball rotation scheduling, i think in this case that's probably not the best idea. roberta is still going to smell the skiploom around the house. i'm worried that all this stress isn't healthy for her, and it might cause her relationship to pepper to turn sour. it sounds like the best choice to make here is to rehome the skiploom. you can take it to a shelter, though you'll likely have to pay a surrender fee. alternatively, you can try to rehome it yourself using the global trading network.

thank you for doing your best for this little guy- that was a tough situation for you to be put in

[tapwater118]

tpot 17 spoilers here's what i thought of it lalalala

overall very good episode!! not the *best* ever episode but not every episode can be. it was very silly and fun and also what the fuck is happening

this eliminations played out how i most expected it to, i like pillow and yellow face is alright i guess but it was definitely their times to go. love how pencil freaked out for a hot second over having the most votes (again) i knew they would do that they are so evil for it. I LOVED BOTTLE'S LITTLE DOODLES of course she draws 2018 cute boots and mouth good for her

speaking of bottle was such a fun host! the "everything she does takes literal days" thing was a bit overused but i'm glad they stopped doing that once the challenge started. nice little subtle bit of character-building for four given how he was seemingly happy with bottle taking over. bro cares more about cooking than hosting now i can respect the growth and progression

the challenge itself was a very neat idea, splitting up the teams like this is a very good way to get new groups of characters to interact who wouldn't have otherwise. i thought for a second when bottle shuffled everyone around that we were getting ANOTHER team swap and nearly screamed lmao. but yeah super funny how the eating contest objects where all chill with each other (for the most part) but everyone else was at each other's throats the whole time lmao

pencil. oughhhhh pencil. i am ill. i dont really think pen was the best choice to talk to her at the end but to be fair the options were pretty limited given that everyone else was either MIA or book. the bookcil scene was awesome yes girlie get ANGRY unleash your RAGE. i think it would have been a bit more impactful if they didn't have fanny going basically "erm, awkward!" right in the middle of it but yeah good food i am fed

oh my god what has happened to one's room. has gaty torn through there like a feral animal or something or was this all the product of one's own frustration. given how she fucking mutilates donut i wouldn't discount the latter possibility. also six is plot relevant what, and purple face is gonna lead them to the EXIT and then (theory time) one's gonna use that group to get three out of the fourtress for. something. idk yet but things are happening

individual challenges lightning round go! circus circumstances is amazing i love slasher tacks, love evil tv arc they should have him Kill more. ferris wheel was kinda whatever but i love how they're bringing back snowball's old relationships with certain characters, particularly gb and pen. THE FOURSE IS BACK I LOVE YOU FOURSE not much else to say i didn't already cover in the previous section. eating contest was fun they leaked price tag's search history (and loser got cancelled lmao). winner felt appreciated i need to kiss them what who said that

wow i had a lot to say about this one huh, forty minute episodes will do that to ya. elimination predictions: grassy is almost certainly out, the team 2 votes (aside from icy's) were really close last time so it really depends on where the icy voters' votes will go now, and just by fandom reaction i can tell you it will not be grassy. for 🎼 i'm less sure but i can certainly say bottle and pen are safe, they were all over this episode they got so much to do. i think it might be liy or tb as much as i hate to say it, they kinda got sidelined in their challenges

ok uhh tpot 18 or 19 will probably be a meetup episode so i'll be able to see it before the rest of you HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lady-wildflower]

All right I have thoughts about Reality War.

Firstly, what was the narrative purpose of putting Poppy in? It feels utterly unresolved and pointless, and forcing 15 to regenerate to try to bring her back only to foist motherhood on Belinda (right after an episode discussing forced marital motherly bliss!) is a weird choice. What is that supposed to provide for her character?? What does Poppy's presence - and especially her disappearance even after using the Zero Room - add to the story other than a contrived reason to make 15 regenerate?? Her involvement and subsequent focus is, I think, a massive detraction to the episode.

Also, what are we doing with Susan? That seems like it could have tied into Poppy, but did they intend to do more with Poppy and end up having to cut it? Susan popped up in The Interstellar Song Contest and there's no resolution. Functionally, she hasn't come back as a character, 15 just had a vision and we have no reason to assume that he wasn't hallucinating.

What was the point of the plot point that Time Lords can't have kids? Why are we making this whole thing about kids? It didn't add anything to the story aside from fuelling the Poppy sidetrack. It's bizarre. And as was pointed out, the Rani has another time lord she can fiddle with the genetics of, the Doctor! It's pointed out that that can be done and it's dismissed by the Rani being disgusted by the idea of 'mating' with the Doctor but like. What exactly else was her plan with Omega? She was planning to produce new Time Lords through the exact same process, what the fuck is her objection? If she sees things as an experiment, why does she object to using the Doctor as a subject as opposed to Omega? Hell, you'd think the fact the Doctor was the Timeless Child and thus more likely to actually not be sterile like the other Time Lords could come up too.

Also, there were 2.47 billion children on Gallifrey on the last day of the Time War. We see some of them in The Day of the Doctor. Are we retconning that? That kinda sucks.

Second. Omega. Fucking hell. Dude. One: HE DOESN'T HAVE A BODY! That was kind of the main plot point in both his historical appearances! You'd think the Doctor might want to point out that the guy the Rani wants to get a genetic imprint from doesn't have any fucking genetic left to imprint! Why is the Doctor seemingly curious about Omega, he's met Omega! He knows what Omega's deal is! He knows that the Rani's plan has an inherent flaw! Two: why the fuck do we make him a two second CGI monster with no relation to his previous story??? The return of fucking Omega should be a huge fucking deal! Not a single scene that barely matters! Three: the Doctor reaches for a weapon. But we haven't been shown why Omega is such a threat that the Doctor would reach for a weapon, it isn't reckoned with whatsoever!

Two point five, the Rani getting fuckin. Eaten. That just makes it worse. Omega turns up, eats the Rani and the other Rani runs, and then he's gotten rid of. Omega himself is reduced to a MacGuffin that conveniently fuckin gets rid of the plot for Poppy. It's a waste of the Rani who's now been somewhat permanently killed off, and it's a waste of Omega. If you're gonna bring them back, do something interesting with them! Don't just bring them back in a way that means nothing and does nothing with their characters!

Three, the regeneration. There was no build up to this! Not even much of a build up in the damn episode, let alone the season! My thoughts on Ncuti's introduction through the bigeneration are basically that he was overshadowed by David by definition, and now no real focus was given to Ncuti's departure either. Ncuti deserves better, I think, and I hope his Doctor gets brought back for more appearances.

Ultimately, I'm definitely disappointed with this episode and it's made even worse by how much I loved Wish World. Wish World, with a touch of Susan, set up for an amazing finale of the season, and then The Reality War absolutely collapsed after Omega's arrival. There was potential for so much better an episode, and none of it was realised. I was genuinely excited for this weekend's episode, hoping to see what was going to happen with Omega and the Rani, and then... it flopped.

It had its perks, I liked Jodie coming back! I liked showing some love for Thirteen! I'm not sure I'm a fan of the choice to tell her she'll never tell Yaz she loves her, but Jodie just like Ncuti deserves a lot better than how much of the fandom reacts to her.

After this, well, we'll see how Billie Piper goes! Casting her can go well, it can go poorly, we'll see. I do think the regeneration was filmed in such a way because they didn't know who was replacing Ncuti - the face gets entirely shadowed. I'm sad we didn't get fanfare on this, I think it'll fuck up the show's cultural impact. Ncuti being cast for the Doctor was newsworthy, not just in the UK but all over the Commonwealth. I'm in Aotearoa New Zealand and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor was on the fucking news! Doctor Who is a cultural staple in the Commonwealth, and now we've been deprived of any fanfare over the new Doctor. But story wise, I'm tentatively curious about Billie Piper as the Sixteenth Doctor (I hope, assuming she's not back for a short stint or something), I wonder if anything will be done with her casting, and I do hope we get better overall choices from the next era of Who.

Which itself is one of those weird things; all the dickheads online like to scream about "bad writing" as a stand-in for all the progressiveness they refuse to see in the previous eras, but I genuinely just think the general direction of the season wasn't well written. The narrative choices were poor, and I think Russell needed to kill some darlings there. The ingredients were there, but he didn't tie them up well.

[finelythreadedsky]

heyy. I have a bit of a silly question, but I haven't been able to find enough information to get over it. I've been trying to learn more about how theatre took place in Greece, and all sources I looked at so far mention that in each of the the three days of the festival of the city dionisias, the contesting playwrights would present three tragedies and one satyr play each. but I'm not clear yet on how many playwrights that meant exactly, nor in how were these playwrights were chosen to be there. if it was only one a day, do you know if there were other competitions beforehand to filter them out, or should we assume there weren't a lot of people able to compete at that level anyway? or if more than one playwright presented per day (seems odd since it would mean at least 8 works a day, which is a lot), do we have an estimate on how many they would be? sorryy if this is like. a really stupid question. but no one has been clear on it in the texts I've been looking at.

I don't have any specific ancient texts or modern scholarship to direct you to as sources on this, but here's a rundown:

The Dionysia had three days of tragic performance and three tragedians competing with four plays each. On each day, one playwright presented his work in the form of three tragedies plus one satyr play, so one playwright and four plays per day. There's some disagreement over what time the proceedings likely started/ended, but the performances probably took about 4-5 hours each day. So we're not thinking of the audience as sitting in the theater from sunrise to sundown, but we should probably also assume a fair amount of coming and going as well as snacking and talking in the audience during the plays. At the end of the third day prizes would be awarded. I would assume that the playwrights drew lots for going first/second/third, and I also suspect that it might have been seen as an advantage to go either last or first, though I'm not sure which. (And then the next day, the four competing comic playwrights presented one comedy each, all on the same day.)

We do know that the archon chose which playwrights would compete in tragedy at the Dionysia and allotted them funding and a chorus, but we don't know exactly how this choice was made, and the mechanism was probably different at different points in time. It was likely pretty informal at the beginning of the fifth century and become more formalized later on, once playwriting became a more established profession with a lot of prestige, and also once certain families had established it as their family business. I would imagine that c. 490 or so, the archon and the handful of working 'tragic' writers (probably something closer to amateurs) likely all knew each other, and the archon might have just picked three he liked or whose work in previous years had been good, maybe with some indication of the subject they were planning. From at least the second half of the fifth century and likely for the majority of it, would-be competitors probably submitted some sort of proposal to the archon, whether this was titles, full or partial draft scripts, outlines of their proposed plays, or maybe the playwright performing a sample monologue, and the archon chose which three would receive a performance slot in the festival and the funding to train a chorus. The winner from the previous year may have been guaranteed one of the three spots. But the archon would not have been able to see performances of these plays in order to judge whether or not to include them in the festival, except for what the playwright (or a friend) might be able to perform himself, since a playwright had to be approved by the archon before he would get personnel like a producer/sponsor, a chorus, or, in the later years of the fifth century, potentially his lead actor(s).

[aha-chuu]

Natlan Act II Spoilers

So we get to see the fight between Capitano and Mavuika, thankfully (I remember Hoyo robbing us of Dainsleif vs Abyss Twin before). I just wanted to share my thoughts on it a little because it's kinda wacky?

So obviously the fight itself is sick as fuck, and Capitano and Mavuika match each other blow for blow. Then Mavuika lands a hit and Capitano retreats (with aide). Pretty solidly this is a win for Mavuika, but Kinich expresses afterwards that they were quite evenly matched. This is something Hoyo emphasises, presumably for two reasons: 1) maintain the stakes, and 2) keep up Capitano hype.

Because here's the thing. Harbinger losses - especially outright losses - aren't that common. Just look at all the gnoses they've gotten. What's a lot more common is this thread of harbingers "losing the battle but winning the war".

Discounting Mondstadt for being sort of short and tutorial esque, every other region plays with this.

In Liyue, we defeat Childe, he summons Osial, we defeat Osial, but Signora planned all that anyway.

In Inazuma, Scara defeats us, we defeat Signora, but that Scara defeat left him with the gnosis.

In Sumeru, Dottore fakes a retreat to lead us into a false sense of security! We may defeat Scara-mech, but Dottore is around the corner with sleeping gas and his own deal to get two gnoses.

In Fontaine... In Fontaine we're kind of working with the Fatui the whole time, so this really only applies to Childe losing to the oratrice and then the narwhal but that still helping Arlecchino anyway.

The point of all that was to demonstrate this trend. But, there's a secondary link between all of those events - the way the Fatui come out on top each time is through a scheme. We have about 50/50 (ha) odds across all these actual fights, but the Fatui have their 100% win streak via trickery and bargaining.

The Natlan archon quest establishes that Capitano won't use these methods. It is a divergence from most other harbinger characterisations.

Capitano flat out refuses to attack Mavuika while she is weakened, preferring a fair fight. This is not a strategic choice, for one, but he is also still injured - waiting for Mavuika to regain her power would place Capitano at the disadvantage.

This combination of factors does do a good job of setting up Capitano as a character, but it leaves some weaknesses in establishing him as an antagonist. We're used to harbingers essentially having plot armour when it comes to gnosis hunting, via the trusty method of "oh well all that was their plan all along" and a hand off off screen. In this quest, Hoyo pretty much cuts that option off: Capitano's attempt on the gnosis is too brazen, his ideology too steadfast. But since he loses against Mavuika in a fair fight, Hoyo risks lowering the stakes. If Capitano couldn't beat Mavuika already, there's no way he will beat her when injured and refusing to attack while she's vulnerable. So why should we be worried about whatever "threat" he poses?

Hoyo brush this aside a little by having Kinich claim they're pretty evenly matched, implying Mavuika won more by chance than totally overpowering Capitano. It's also not unlikely that another harbinger will show up later and take over gnosis duty. But Capitano is No1... Is he really just here to show off how strong Mavuika is? And exactly how is Mavuika so strong?

According to Nahida, the top three harbingers are archon level powerful. She claimed to have no chance in a fight against Dottore, who is no2. Ofc, her combat strength is pretty low, whereas Mavuika's is obviously much higher.

Raiden was strong enough to incinerate Signora in one slash. With that context, Capitano putting up any fight against Mavuika seems impressive.

Narratively, there is no way to do a satisfying rematch with the current set up. Which makes me think that Hoyo aren't planning on a rematch at all - but a team up.

The event that took place in Act I can be broken down into three stages:

Group contest (Kachina & Mualani vs everyone else)

Solo fights (Kachina vs Mualani)

Actual war (group vs Abyss)

I think that this sequence will end up being representative of the Natlan plot, and more specifically reflect the dynamic between Capitano and Mavuika.

What if, 500 years ago, Capitano was part of Mavuika's group. Not necessarily in the big war against the abyss, even, perhaps before that. It would explain his ties to the Natlan of the past, at the very least.

Then the present: Capitano fighting Mavuika for the right to change Natlan's "rules", just a few days after the pilgrimage competitors used the same arena to battle each other for the right to protect Natlan against the abyss. Those "rules" he spoke about we know to be the methods and rituals that slow down the abyssal assault. That makes Capitano and Mavuika's duel also to decide who can protect Natlan from the abyss.

The future: team up. Maybe aligning with Mualani and Kachina, Capitano could appear to rescue Mavuika later on, despite losing to her in the arena. This doesn't mean they'd be besties like the girls are, rather that these same general actions could take place, regardless of individual motivation.

I just can't see another satisfying route with what we currently have

[fletchingbrilliant]

Good evening, my sinful skanks. Katie Killjoy is back with an update on Princess Morningstar's ill-advised attempt at love and togetherness through horrible bloodshed, the Helluva Hungry Games!

The opening of the games has kicked off, and blood has already been shed. Do you think the dopey princess is rethinking her brilliant scheme already? Probably not, but that means more bloody entertainment for us!

All twenty-four contestants were circled up on motion sensative plates, rigged to explode should anyone step off before the bloodshed was set to begin. One of our intrepid battlers didn't take too kindly to the request to be patient:

The cameras trained on Team Nine are temporarily down after the explosion, so we do not yet know what fate Cherri Bomb suffered due to her impatience.

As for the rest, as soon as the horn sounded, they were off. Some made strategic (read: COWARDLY) retreats into the surrounding forest. But others were more bold, and headed for the massive cornucopia in the center of the arena. It was filled to the brim with supplies; weapons, food, fresh water, all things these idiots are gonna need if they want to survive.

I found it especially hilarious when, in the first few moments after the horn sounded, the King's imp showed an impressive level of grace and dexterity:

One of our angellic guests snatched up a spear, and was intent on making her presence known:

Looks like her attack met its mark. But I'm with the mutt, what's up with the gold blood, Vaggie? Katie's got the scoop of a lifetime here, motherfuckers!

We also managed to snag a shot from inside the Cornucopia itself, and it seems that Team Three isn't going to get very far, seeing as one member is still deathly afraid of the other. Especially now that she's found a very shiny, very sharp sickle:

We didn't think it worthwhile to catalogue the other events, so here's a quick summary of the rest of the teams activity thus far:

Team 2: Angel Dust and Adam kept surprisingly even pace with each other in a hasty retreat to avoid early carnage

Team 5: Sir Pentious acquired a pack of fishing gear, while Emily unearthed a trident before the pair vanished into the woods

Team 6: Neither Husk nor Stolas had to say much to agree that retreat was the best choice

Team 8: Asmodeus carried the princess with him into the woods, apparently concerned that none of this was a great idea

Team 11: Vox and Moxxie went in separate directions, Moxxie snatching up a backpack filled with unknown supplies, and Vox went off to set up camp fairly close to the Cornucopia. No word on whether they've regrouped

Team 12: After Fizzarolli ran screaming from his partner, we lost track of both him and the Radio Demon

That wraps up our reporting on the initial Bloodbath! Stay tuned to see how they handle the rest of the day! This is Katie Killjoy signing off!

[changingplumbob]

Sup, it's ya boy Joey here! The one that is aware we are in a simulation. Well my watcher Kirsty has been brainstorming and she thinks she's got a schedule sorted. I told her she should let you know what input she is wanting from you for each stage so you can think about it in advance. I know, I know, I'm a genius. It's my trait, I can't help it.

Introduction Round

This will be when my older sister Devin gives a quick interview to each contestant and they meet Deanna and get to chat for a few hours. First impressions will be taken in to account for scoring but no one will go home.

You will be asked:

Three or four questions about your contestant from Devin (answer as your contestant)

Then contestants will be sorted into households to space out those that have high and low scores (e.g. household 1 will have the contestants ranked 1st, 7th, 13th, 19th, 25th) to try and have opportunities for all contestants. I will contact you about who is sharing a household with your sim. You will then be asked:

How they feel about being in their group, if they are looking forward to meeting anyone or concerned about getting along with anyone (answer as your contestant)

Excuse me Joey, I need to take over for a second.

Rounds 1 to 6

We will be with each household for 2 days, then have a group day where everyone comes together for the challenge, then have a further 2 days with each household. For that final day all contestants get to spend time with Deanna regardless of if they have or haven't won a challenge and solo date that week.

You will receive:

Brief description of the challenges in that round Number of skill building sections that week List of skills that could be helpful for that round and the following round

What is a skill building section?

A chunk of time I have allocated to let sims work on skills that will help them perform better in challenges for solo dates. When they are not in these sections or doing a challenge or on a date they will have time to chat with other contestants and Deanna.

What I need to receive back:

For each of the three weekly challenges: How your contestant feels about this challenge (answer as your contestant, 1 to 3 sentences) How your contestant reacts if they win and get a date (answer as your contestant, 1 to 2 sentences) How your contestant reacts if they lose (answer as your contestant, 1 to 2 sentences) For the skill building sections: Which skill you would like me to make sure your sim works on for each section. You can work on the same skill for all sections of time or have them all be different but they should be from the list I provide for you.

What about dates?

In the first round while we are all finding our feet Deanna will pick a date location. In further rounds you will receive:

A list of lot types your sim can pick from if they get a solo date

I will need to receive:

Your contestants top 2 choices

Eliminations

These will happen at the end of each round and will be calculated by friendship/romance bars overall not just per household.

Before an elimination you will receive:

Your sims current levels but NOT where that puts them amongst other contestants Reminder of prompts requested

I will need to receive (answer as your contestant, 1 to 3 sentences for each):

How your contestant feels going in to the elimination Their reaction if eliminated Their reaction if staying What they think is their highlight and lowlight of that round

Post Elimination

We will have some filler posts with all the contestants reactions/opinions on their "day of rest". This is so I do not have to spoil it for you if your contestant is going or staying before the post comes out. I will send the next rounds information to your ask box and request you try to respond within a week so I can start playing again.

Finale Round

Each of the top 4 will have a whole day with Deanna. I will provide a list of things I think your sim may enjoy doing and you can choose.

Potential Idea

I don't want your fun to end just because your sim goes home. If you think it's a good idea I am considering having all sims at all eliminations. I would then send eliminated sims similar questions like:

Which household have you enjoyed seeing this round Is there a challenge you are glad you didn't have to do Is there anyone you think is in danger of being eliminated Is there anyone you think deserves to be safe this round

That way we can keep everyone involved. I will ask in my first official ask to you if you would like to opt in or out of this. If you do not wish to keep being bothered after your sim is out I can make up some answers.

The Bottom Line

I enjoy writing dialogue as you may have guessed so would like this BC to feature dialogue. Since you have put so much time and effort in to sim creation I think it only fair that you give your sim a voice for some of their dialogue while I will handle the filler dialogue bits during challenges, dates, group meals etc. Hopefully your sims backstory and their answers to the questions can give me a feel of how to write them.

This is a big undertaking, it will take us several months but I should only need to contact you once every few weeks over this span. I would like it to feel collaborative which is why I am offering this all in option and saying I am just hosting the challenge. I want it to be a place for all your sims to shine and people who may not follow you yet fall in love with your dialogue or sim and become your mutual! Because simming is the most fun when you can talk to some people about your sims.

If you would like to opt out of all in, please let me know. Thanks for going on this journey with me. I hope there are some good surprises along the way and we can build connection with our fellow simmers.

@matchalovertrait, @daedriyth, @abbysimsfun, @ethicaltreatmentofcowplants, @ravingsockmonkey

@sanitysims, @perolesims, @ashubii, @pixeldistractions, @paracosmic-sims

@cawthorntales, @riverofjazzsims, @igglemouse, @invisiblequeen, @corrienteallita

@jonquilyst, @lostinsixam, @simscici, @simstagramsomeone, @berrysims-lp

@eljeebee, @belsasim, @hashimasims

Currently we have 7 open slots. These will be filled by filler sims who will leave the competition first if we do not get all slots filled. Just comment below the contestant list post if you would like to join us!

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Splatoon 3 Fashion Challenge - Week 51:

Okay, so let's get straight to the point with the announcement I teased yesterday:

Starting this challenge and going forward I will no longer pick three favourites to feature, instead I will show every submission I get!

This was suggested to me in an ask some time back, and it's been in the back of my head ever since. Ultimately I think it's the most fun for everyone if I show off everyone's submissions rather than pick and choose a couple of favourites, and hopefully it encourages more people to participate!

That said, this week's theme is:

Cosplay Contest - Fresh Season 2024 Edition!

Special Rules: It's time to dress up as your favourite blorbos again! Pick a character of your choice from a piece of fiction and try to put together an outfit that resembles them as closely as possible! Just be sure to tell me who you're cosplaying as well.

Rules:

Put together an outfit of any kind that you feel matches this week’s theme. Be sure to give it a name, as well!

Send it to me via ask or submission, please don’t add it to a reblog, that makes it very easy to miss! Also, please make it clear that it is a submission for the challenge and not just a regular submission.

Only one outfit per person! You can submit multiple photos of that single outfit, though.

Please include the gear you picked in the submission. It makes my life just a touch easier!  

The outfit should be submitted before Tuesday morning, as I will pick my favourite submissions to feature on Tuesday evening.

[sunflower567]

Callsign: Umbra Chapter 21: Don't Follow Me This Time

Masterlist

Word Count: 2,873

Edited: ✅

Published: June 7th, 2025

Last update/change: June 13th, 2025

Previous Chapter

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: Later 8:30

Just as promised, the 40 Marine and KorTac recruits, along with Task Force 141 and KorTac’s operatives, all gathered in Camp Lejeune’s bar. Even though it was a bit of a tight squeeze with over 80 people inside, they all managed to make it work. Some soldiers played pool, some played darts, while others stood or sat at the various tables and the large bar to unwind. 

At the far end of the bar, removed from it all by three steps and off in the corner where they can observe the entire bar, was TF 141. All of them minus Simon with their drink of choice. 

“Some tradition huh,” Kyle said as he took a sip of his Gin and Tonic. 

“Well yeah,” Imani added, holding her mojito near her lips, “It goes back 5 decades. I remember when I was here as a recruit, I went against the Army.”

“Who won,” Soap asked. 

“Who do you think,” Imani smirked. 

“The army,” Price replied, getting chuckles, and Imani flicking a bit of mint from her drink at him. 

“Mind if we join you?”

Looking up from their booth, they saw their rivals standing with their own drinks. With a slight nod and wave, Price gave the ok. With a bit of an adjustment with an added table and more chairs, both the teams of TF 141 and KorTac were all seated together.

“Pretty hidden away,” Calisto said, leaning her arms on the table, “You’d think you wouldn’t want any company.”

“We didn’t,” Imani answered, her voice losing that happy tone from before. 

“Oh, so cold,” Askel replied, a knowing smirk on his face as he took a sip of his drink, “We’re supposed to be getting along now.”

“Being civil and getting along are two different things,” Imani replied. 

“She's right,” Stiletto said, “We’re being civil. We don’t have to like each other.” 

"Yeah, but we should get to know each other," Calisto said seductively, her eyes solely on Simon's.

For reason only Imani knew, Imani reached under the table and gripped Simon's knee.

Feeling her hand, Simon looked down at Imani with a raised eyebrow. But her eyes were dead set on the french woman who now looked at Imani with a mocking look. But Simon wasn't worried or a slight bit interested in Calisto. He was to busy looking at Imani's eyes as she displayed a new emotion for him. Jealousy. And for some reason that made him smile under his mask.

Wanting to make a point, Simon decided to do something bold. He leaned back in his seat and put his arm around Imani, and almost in sync the two tilted their heads with Simon saying, "I'm good thank you."

"Oh," Calisto laughed as everyone else watched the exchange with a look of interest on their faces.

“But we should still have some fun,” Mace said, a mischievous smirk on his face, “Hey, Soap. You Scottish right?”

“What about it,” Soap asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“You and me. Drinking contest.”

“You do realize our event is tomorrow right,” Kyle asked, "Drink too much and you'll be a mess." 

“Yeah, and I’ll still be more prepared to whopp your ass,” Mace answered. 

“Careful Mace,” Simon spoke for the first time, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” 

Taking that as a challenge, Mace looks back at Soap and says these famous last words, “I knew you Brits were all bark and no bite.”

That caused Soap to immediately give in. Not because he insinuated that he was a coward, but because of one tiny detail. But as he waved over a waiter, Soap, his voice being filled with a mocking tone said, “I ain’t no brit.” 

That is what led to a mountain of shot glasses and a group of recruits from both sides surrounding their table. It really became a makeshift showdown, with both teams cheering on their members. Even the quiet König was grinning behind his mask and cheering Mace on in his low, amused voice.

Imani, however, barely reacted. Her arms were crossed, eyes shifting to everyone. The only thing she did was watch and drink. And since her day wasn’t until the last day, she could do whatever she wanted for now. 

But as comments, laughter, and cheers rang out, Imani became more and more detached. More muted under the quiet press of something colder creeping in. And Simon noticed.

Reaching underneath the table, Simon lightly grabbed Imani’s thigh like she did with his knee. 

That brought her back to reality as Imani looked up and saw those dark brown eyes she became all to familiar with. 

“You ok, Mani?”

The two looked at each other in the eye for what felt like years. The two didn’t realize how close they got or that Simon’s arm was still behind her on the back of the booth. The only two who really noticed them were Price and Stiletto. Because of their rank and age, they both knew the signs. And because of what Price saw a few weeks ago, he knew that when he, Gaz, and Soap were gone, the two would undoubtedly get close. 

Something he never really thought of Simon ever doing with anyone. He knew a general sense of what made Simon Ghost. So for him to allow Imani to get close to him emotionally was surprising to him. But he was worried too. Mostly because on what Simon told him about Imani’s past.

Though it wasn’t something he was actively looking into as he trusted her implicitly, when Simon told him what her brother told him. He was worried. And also curious. But for now, he didn’t want to pry or make either of them feel pressured. So for now, he would watch. Like he was now.  

Imani, however, finally decided to break their little contest for now. Her breathing was a bit shallow, and her nerves were on the brink of collapsing. 

Squeezing her thigh again to bring her back, Simon whispered again, “You alright?”

Imani looked in his eyes again. Forceing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, Imani lied out of her teeth, “Yeah. Just tired.”

Simon nodded but didn’t believe her. “Don’t worry, this won’t go on for much longer,” he said, gaze flicking toward the large group that seemed to grow with each passing second.

Before Imani could reply, a recruit who stayed near the jukebox yelled out Throwback. Because of the number of people around them, the song playing now in the background is barely noticeable over the chatter, but clear to her. It was a song she hadn’t heard in ages. A song that shouldn’t have meant anything. But scared her the most. 

Her knuckles tightened around the glass in front of her. Her breathing becoming shallow.

Simon saw the shift—the straightening of her spine, the way her eyes locked ahead but weren’t seeing anything. 

“Imani,” he said quietly, hand brushing her elbow. “Look at me.”

She didn’t.

“Imani.”

Her eyes snapped to his like they’d been ripped from some terrible place. Her breathing was uneven now, and her throat worked hard like she was swallowing something back.

Standing up from the booth chair, Imani drew some eyes, primarily from her team and the core operatives from KorTac. 

“I need to get some air,” she said suddenly.

Before anyone could reply, Imani was away from the table and out of the bar. 

Aksel raised an eyebrow. “She alright?”

Stiletto’s expression shifted slightly. “Didn’t seem like it.”

Simon looked to the others, who looked towards him. All of them with the same thought, ‘Someone gotta follow her.’

And before anyone else got up, Simon stood up and followed Imani’s out. Not speaking another word. 

The night air was sharp and cold against her skin. A contrast to her beating heart that seemed to have heated her up. 

Imani braced her hands against the cold brick wall behind the bar. Her head bowed, and her breath was still shallow. 

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears like boots on concrete. She didn’t realize she’d left her jacket inside until the wind brushed past her, making her shiver. She felt like her senses were on 10. She couldn’t think straight. She couldn’t see straight. Hell, she’s surprised she could even stand straight right now. Because she knew the reason why she was like this. 

It wasn't the cold. It was the memory. The song. The date was creeping closer like a shadow she couldn't outrun. It was all too much for her to bear. 

She closed her eyes and counted — four days.

Four days until that day. And she was expected to be in top shape. 

The sound of the door creaking open behind her made her flinch. She didn’t turn.

Boots. Slow, deliberate steps. Heavy.

Simon.

Of course it would be him.

He didn’t say anything at first. Just walked over, stopping a few feet from Imani, giving her space.

The silence between them was almost gentle. Like Simon didn’t want to scare Imani away.

"You alright?" he finally asked, voice low and rough.

She nodded, but it was a lie.

Her arms folded over her chest, trying to hold herself together.

Simon didn’t move closer, but he tilted his head, watching her. Even though his mask was in place, somehow she still felt his concern shine on her like sunlight.

“It was the song,” Imani mumbled under her breathe. 

“The song,” Simon repeated in confusion. 

“Bad memory,” Imani answered, “It was during my freshman year military ball.”

‘Military ball, huh,’ Simon thought, remembering Miles’s words, ‘The night she left unexpectedly.’ 

“It used to be one of my favorites,” Imani explained, “But now, I can’t even stand the sound of it.”

Looking down at her shaking hand, Imani leans against the club brick walls and sighs, “I’m so fucking pathetic.”

“Don’t say that,” Simon said forcefully, “Everyone has a breaking point. Everyone has a trigger. This one is yours. That doesn’t make you pathetic.”

Her voice broke when she added, “I hate that it still gets to me.”

Simon reached out then, just lightly. His fingers brushed her hand, grounding her.

“You’re allowed to hate it,” he murmured, “But don’t allow it to take you away from anyone. Especially from those who care.”

Those words caught Imani's attention. Because what did he mean by that. 'Those who care.' Was he talking about everyone else, or was it more personal.

As he spoke, Simon noticed she was shivering not only because of her raging emotions, but also because of the cold air. Winter still lingered a bit in the March air after all. 

Stepping forward, Simon slipped his jacket off and settled it gently over her shoulders. She flinched at the warmth at first, but she didn’t shrug it off. Her fingers clutched the worn fabric, pulling it tighter. His scent has brought nothing more than both confusion and comfort these last few months. And she wasn’t sure if she hated it or loved it. 

Imani locked eyes with Simon again. Their breath was visible in the air between them. Her gaze was heavy and more noticeably vulnerable. Like she wanted to say something, but couldn't get it out. Instead, her hand moved. Slow and deliberate towards him.

Her fingers stopped just beneath his mask. Intentions were clear as day, but she still waited for permission. 

Simon held her gaze. There was no hesitation, no question in his eyes. Just a faint, almost imperceptible nod. He usually wouldn’t have done this. But with her, he realized in the amount of time they spent together, he’d burn the world if it meant keeping her smiling. 

Her fingers found the edge of the mask and carefully rolled it up, just to the bridge of his nose, like usual. Her hand lingered at the edge, almost like she expected the moment to end any second by either of them or an outsider. 

But it didn’t.

His face, the part few were ever allowed to see, was soft in the dim light. He still had his stubble. A faint scar along his jaw. His mouth was tight with restraint, but not unreadable. 

Imani can see a bit of stillness in him. He was waiting for her next move.

Imani raised her hand and gently touched his face. Her thumb brushed his cheekbone, the rest of her hand trailing down to the edge of his jaw. Her other hand slid into the space between them, resting lightly against his chest, over his heart that was beating rapidly.

And then, like she needed something solid to silence the ache inside, she leaned in. 

And kissed him.

It was soft at first, unsure and cautious. Her hand remained at his cheek with a feather-light feel. His breath caught in his throat based on that softness.

Then something shifted in Simon. Like he was given the green light. 

Because lifting a hand to her cheek, Simon kissed her back with even more intensity. 

It wasn't rough, but it was deep, full of things neither of them had the words for. Their mouths moved together like they were trying to fill some kind of aching hollow inside them both.

Imani’s hands slid up to his shirt collar, gripping him like she’d fall without the anchor.

One of Simon’s gloved hands found her waist, his fingers curling tightly as he brought her in closer, causing a moan to escape her lips and allowing his tongue to invade hers. Simon gently pushed Imani against the brick wall as her hands wrapped around his neck and gripped at the little bit of dark drown hair that escaped from under his mask. 

The kiss turned hungry and almost desperate for the two. All because they felt the same thing running through them. That familiar pain meeting rare comfort. They knew what they were doing wasn’t right. But it just felt so good.

And then—

Simon pulled back.

Gently. With restraint that made it hurt.

His eyes searched hers, unreadable behind his mask. “We shouldn’t,” he murmured. It was soft. Apologetic. But not regretful.

Imani blinked. Her lips still parted. Her hands still resting against his chest.

She nodded slowly.

“Right.”

Moving away from her, Simon lowered his mask again as Imani adjusted her clothes again. She was about to hand him back his jacket, but Simon shooed her hand away and zipped it up for her. 

Giving him a weak smile, Imani side-stepped Simon and began to walk away. But hearing his footsteps behind her, Imani looked back and held a hand up, “Please, Simon, don’t follow me this time.” 

Simon stopped at that. Not because he wanted to, but because of the look in Imani’s eyes. They were a mixture of hurt and confusion. He saw the same vulnerability he had seen a few minutes ago, now mixed in. 

As much as he wanted to stay with her, he knew his presence might make her feel worse, as painful as that was for him to admit. 

So instead of saying no, like he should, since she still had a bounty on her, Simon replied, “Ok. But don’t go far. Be back here in 5 minutes. If not, I’ll come find you.” 

With a slight smile that still didn’t reach her eyes, Imani walked away from Simon. Tears were spilling from her eyes as she tried to hold in all of her pain from it all. 

But as she walked away, Simon watched her figure until she disappeared. Something that hurt him more than he cared to admit. 

Imani was dangerously close to making Simon completely let her in. In retrospect, Imani has seen and heard more about his demons than most. Even Price. But instead of feeling vulnerable and judged, he felt seen and safe. And for the first time since he buried his mother and brother, he felt a strange sense of something like love. 

But Simon shook his head at that. He can’t think like that. Not in this profession. Either of them could die at any moment, so keeping her at an arm's length would be for the best. 

But for some reason, Simon knew that no matter how much he tried to push her away, he could never truly let her go. 

But as he leaned against the bar wall, trying to get his bearings on reality, Davis stood nearby in the shadows. Watching the whole thing. ‘That fucking whore,’ He thought as he turned away, ‘Your days are numbered.’ 

As he walked away, Davis received a text. Looking down at his phone, he saw a message from his new friend. The text simply saying, 'Proceed as plan.' That caused a smile to cross his face as he thinks of what would happen to her in the few days.

Eventually, when the clock struck midnight, the friendly banter ended as everyone walked out of the bar and back to their rooms. Because now, for the next five days, they were at war with each other. But none of them knew of the war brewing near them and the target it had set on the young and now vulnerable sergeant. 

Next: Chapter 22

Arthur's Note:

Heyyy! I hope you all enjoyed chapter 21. I know I loved writing it. We finally got our first kiss! I was debating on whether to have it or not, but I felt it all worked out in the end, and the emotions between the two are electric so it had to stay!

Now the results of last week's polls are in! It was split 50/50. Since there is no clear winner, I will be doing a mixture. I'll be writing showcase/spotlight on the first four days and then wiritng a whole chapter on the last day of the event as that is when shit will pop off. A good trade-off, as I don't want to overwhelm y'all or myself.

Also, a little fun fact, the song that was playing that freaked Imani out so bad was Knock You Down by Keri Hilson (A classic and absolute banger!)

Thank you again for your support, and I'll see y'all next week!

Edit: I wrote earlier yesterday and then edited right before bed, so I was half asleep. I added more dialogue and made some adjustments.

[forsetti]

On Pres. Biden: Sadness, Anger, Counterfactuals, And Motivation

Right up front, I want to say that Kamala Harris was my first choice to be the presidential nominee in 2020. Joe Biden was way down my list of preferred candidates. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Joe or respect him, I just didn’t think he had it in him to be the candidate for change the country needed. Boy, I was wrong. He outperformed every expectation, and then some. His record over the past three and a half years is something any president would be thrilled to have as their legacy.

It is this legacy that makes me both sad and angry he decided not to continue to run for reelection.

I am sad because I cannot imagine how difficult this decision was for him to make. He has dedicated a half-century of his life to serving his country and was responsible for the greatest economic boom in America over the past fifty years.

I’m angry because he deserved better.

He deserved better from the media that opted not to discuss his accomplishments but instead focus on bullshit claims from the right about Hunter, the border, the economy, his mental state…

He absolutely deserved better from the left who, at the first sign of negative press, turned on him like a pack of rabid dogs. Whatever happens in Nov., I will NEVER forgive the Dems who dog-piled on Pres. Biden because a bunch of donors panicked and some well-funded, right-wing pushed polls showed Biden in trouble in some key states. (I can tell you as a matter of fact there is no way in hell he was trailing Trump in Michigan.)

As someone who has gone through what he has in his life, who was the proud Vice President to the first black president in history, who put the first black woman on his winning ticket, who appointed the most minorities to high-ranking posts and judgeships, who had his only surviving son publicly dragged and attacked by the right, who transformed the country’s economic model away from top down to middle out, he absolutely fucking deserved better.

While it is true Pres. Biden deserved better, it is also true, that he really had no choice but to step down from running for reelection. There were just too many forces outside his control pushing the narrative and it was affecting voter enthusiasm. He might have weathered the storm of bullshit had every Dem rallied to his defense but they didn’t for a multitude of spineless reasons.

No matter what happens in Nov., I am pretty sure the wrong lessons will be learned by the ones who helped push him out. Whether VP Harris wins or loses, the media will pat themselves on their backs because they were losing money on the Biden v Trump matchup. The chaos of Biden stepping down and the opportunity to come up with whole new lines of attacks against VP Harris is going to boost ratings, regardless of the election’s outcome.

The far-left, mostly white dudebro talking heads, pundits, and podcasters who pushed the hardest for Biden to step down won’t learn a lesson because if VP Harris wins, they will claim it was because of their efforts to get Biden off the ticket. If she loses, they will claim it was because Biden didn’t step down soon enough or because she really wasn’t who they wanted to replace Biden (Hint-she absolutely is not who they want to run.)

The media and the far-left are also the ones pushing for the Democratic Party to not go with VP Harris but instead have an open convention. There is no good reason to do this. The Biden/Harris ticket not only beat Trump in 2020 but 14 million people voted for this ticket in the 2024 primaries. The student body president at Bugtussle High got more votes cast for them than the second-place person in the Democratic Primaries. Dems wanted Biden/Harris. Not that the top of that ticket has stepped down, but that doesn’t mean Dean Phillips, RFK Jr., Marianne Williamson or the fifth-place finisher at the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest should be given a second look.

A contested convention would serve only two purposes: 1-created chaos which the media would gobble up like the attention whores they are; 2-allow the misogynist dudebros on the left to bypass VP Harris because that has always been their real purpose of getting Biden to step down.

Here’s the thing, no one knows what would have happened had Pres. Biden stayed in the race. No one. Not the pollsters. Not the pundits. Not the media. No-fucking-one.

Three weeks before the 2012 Presidential Election, Mitt Romney was polling 2 points ahead of Pres. Obama in the nationwide polls. How’d that turn out? Polls used to be fairly accurate but once people figured out they can manipulate and rig polls to suppress voter enthusiasm, they really aren’t that reliable.

The real problem is, any hot take about what would have/wouldn’t have happened if Biden had stayed in the race or stepped down sooner or whether there was an open contest at the Democratic convention relies on a counterfactual.

Counterfactuals are conditional sentences that discuss what would have been true under different circumstances. For example, “If Draymond Green had not been suspended for game five of the 2016 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors would have won the title.” Or, to stay with politics, “If Bernie Sanders had been the nominee in 2016, he would have beaten Trump.” Maybe. Maybe not. Just because you believe a counterfactual does not make it true.

The problem with counterfactuals is NOTHING counts against them. There is no way to swap out the conditions and replay the scenario. Counterfactuals are nothing more than guesses disguised as factual statements.

The Media and Left-Wing Dudebros LOVE counterfactuals because they allow them to NEVER be wrong. No matter what they proclaim would have happened, there is no way to prove them wrong. What they don’t say is, there is no way they can prove their claim(s) would have turned out true.

With this being said, through all the sadness and all the anger, I’m politically motivated more than I’ve been in years. I want Kamala Harris to be the next president not only because I believe she will do a tremendous job but I want her, and everything she is and what she stands for, to be a daily reminder of what America is supposed to be. I want her ethnicity to be a thorn in the side of every racist and bigot. I want her gender to annoy every misogynist. I want her example to be a ray of hope for everyone who feels marginalized. I want a Black/Asian woman to be the one defending America against the fascism, totalitarianism, and authoritarianism of the right.

The key to everything is if Democrats can maintain the enthusiasm, unity, and motivation they currently enjoy. These are going to be put to the test because the right-wing propaganda machine is going to be working overtime to discredit VP Harris and tear Dems apart. After all, that is the only way they can win.

[the-owl-tree]

genuine question bc I haven’t read the books since. Idk a long time, why do ppl hate nightcloud so much?? I have literally only ever heard of her as an afterthought. Like she’s the third choice for crow feather bc he needed to take a mate to not be seen suspicious and just picked her, there’s no love between them, and afaik he basically forced her to raise her son by herself, not counting the moments of attention he DID give which seemed to be overwhelmingly negative and even abusive. Isn’t she allowed to be bitter and that when he’s very clear abt his apathy and even resentment toward her and her son?? Or am I missing some context

People took Crowfeather passing the blame onto Nightcloud for Breezepelt's behavior at face value, despite two arcs worth of books proving that wasn't true at all. I'd argue the writing team ALSO believed this, as with how they characterized her in the subsequent Field Guides. Immediately, Nightcloud's past actions were re-contextualized to be negative, to further push this idea that she was this old coddling bitch mom who didn't let poor Crowfeather be involved with his son (look at the language of the field guides, they genuinely wrote "she should be glad to be alive").

Crowfeather was (and in some circles still is) a pretty popular character, and a lot of people were quick to latch onto the idea that he was blameless. I can't remember if CrowPool was or wasn't a popular ship, I lean towards yes, so take this line with the knowledge my memory is fuzzy, but I'd also argue that Nightcloud being the "replacement" mate was what made people even more hostile to her.

So, what is Nightcloud actually like? I'm only going to cover scenes where Nightcloud is either mentioned or actually appears, so no Outcast, click the first link for a better look at that. I'll only cover Po3 and OoTS for now.

Nightcloud's Appearances in the Power of Three

Our first meeting with her is in The Sight, where ThunderClan intervenes when they're being chased around by a dog. Her first piece of actual dialogue is her defending Breezepaw from Crowfeather, which is not coddling, especially when given the added context in Outcast that Crowfeather is verbally abusive towards his son. She also proceeds to lecture him about his manners towards a ThunderClan cat, so, she's not the one encouraging his rude streak.

She is then absent for most of the book until the end, when during one of the contests at the Daylight Gathering, Lionpaw and Breezepaw get hurt in a collapsed tunnel incident and she understandably is quite distressed. Then Leafpool drops the "i'd give every drop of my blood for you Crowfeather" line and Nightcloud just tries to divert attention from that, understandably uncomfortable with what's being said.

One of the scenes that's commonly used as "evidence" that Nightcloud stopped Crowfeather from bonding with Breezepelt is this one:

No hissing or swatting. She just doesn't let him help, and considering we now know Crowfeather has been absent from the beginning and isn't above hitting and screaming at his kid, I think it's understandable that she arguably isn't going to stop just so he can help. But that's my interpretation, I think this scene in itself proves nothing of the sort either way and people were reaching when trying to use it as evidence.

Nightcloud's remaining appearances in The Sight is her watching over Breezepaw and Lionpaw as they recover:

That is the entirety of her appearance in The Sight. Onto Dark River! Where her first mention is Leafpool identifying her and Jaypaw sensing some jealousy from Leafpool, as the patrol is going to check in on WindClan and get information because of uh scents. you know usual warriors border bullshit. We then get Jaypaw noticing her breath, and finally him sensing jealousy from Nightcloud (that she does not act on). This is the entirety of her appearance in Dark River:

Cue Leafpool being polite to Crowfeather, and Crowfeather waving as many red flags as he possible can.

And onto the infamous Outcast! Where Nightcloud has *drumroll* one fucking appearance.

She also has one appearance in Eclipse where she's part of the patrol that attacks Lionpaw, but I'm not even going to mention it it's quite literally just him going "Nightcloud!" before the scene shifts to his and Heatherpaw's conflict. She is entirely absent in Long Shadows, there is no appearance of her beyond allegiances.

And finally in Sunrise, she is entirely absent until near the ending. She's first mentioned by Crowfeather when Jayfeather asks him if he knew the truth, then noticed at a gathering by Hollyleaf:

When the secret is revealed, Nightcloud stands with Crowfeather. No hissing or hitting or turning on him, here is the entirery of her appearance when Hollyleaf reveals everything:

This is it. This is the entirety of Nightcloud involvement in the story, she is barely mentioned and she is barely a character. Her appearances are dwarfed by Crowfeather and Breezepelt, and she is literally just a normal mom character throughout.

Nightcloud's Appearances in Omen of the Stars

Nightcloud is absent throughout the entirety of the Fourth Apprentice. She is only mentioned in the allegiances. She has one appearance in Fading Echoes:

Then there's Night Whispers, where her first appearance is her arguing with Crowfeather while Flametail goes "yikes!":

Her other appearance is the infamous grabbing scene that people latched onto as proof that Nightcloud was an abusive monster who was hurting poor Crowfeather and was forcing him to not bond with his son. Breezepelt and Lionblaze get into a border dispute and it escalates into a fight:

Leafpool intervenes and asks Crowfeather why he's not doing shit, he then proceeds to throw up multiple red flags in front of her and does the red flag dance:

We finally get Nightcloud where she comes in and pulls Crowfeather away from Leafpool. Despite using her claws, presumably because she does not have fucking THUMBS to grab onto him, no blood is drawn. She just pulls him away in an already emotionally charged and over dramatic situation. This is not comparable to Crowfeather's abuse of his son and with everything else I've presented, her grabbing him is not indicative of their relationship, ESPECIALLY given the circumstances of the action:

Her last appearance is her talking about shredding RC cats, it's not relevant but uh it's there. That the entirety of her appearances within the book.

She has no appearances in Sign of the Moon. She then has a two appearances in The Forgotten Warrior where she is hostile to Hollyleaf (which feels understandable to me considering what Hollyleaf did):

She has one onscreen appearance in The Last Hope where she defends Jayfeather from the Dark Forest attack with some other WindClan cats:

Her only other mention is Crowfeather blaming her for Breezepelt's behavior:

In canon, this never happens. We never see Nightcloud encourage Breezepelt to hate Crowfeather, but we instead see Crowfeather spending an entire book abusing Breezepaw when Nightcloud is away. This is bullshit, but the fandom took this as truth and immediately turned on Nightcloud despite no actual evidence.

There are three takeaways from this:

Crowfeather blaming Nightcloud is....false. It's false. We see no canon evidence of this, and in fact the books tell us another narrative.

Nightcloud is barely a character. She has so few actual appearances that calling her "complex" is a lie, she is a narrative tool that moreso supports Crowfeather and Breezepelt's conflict than any story of her own.

Even if Nightcloud did do all that offscreen, Crowfeather STILL abused his child and that is directly tied to Breezepelt's motivations within Omen of the Stars. Nightcloud's behavior does NOT negate the harm that Crowfeather did to his own son.