#That and I'm curious to see what people will vote for with the more popular options removed 👀

[insertsomthinawesome]

ALRIGHT FOLKS, I'M DOING THE COLOR WHEEL CHALLENGE, SO...

Contrary to how Tumblr''s time choices, I'm probably going to use whatever is the most popular in the next hour!! (maybe later if i get carried away since I'll probably be drawing while waiting.)

[theotherseapancakes]

Psssst. You mentioned no one cares about Philemon, but now I'm curious if you have any thoughts about his role in the games after he disappeared. And for sillies sake, does he have anything to do with the Dance games?

I have been waiting my entire life for this. Anon do you realize how verbose I'm going to get. DO YOU REALIZE? I hope you like read mores. Let me preface this with I am aware and have seen some popular theories, so I'm going to sidestep a lot of them and present one I've built since... well, I became a Persona fan as a teenager. MAJOR PERSONA SERIES SPOILERS LIKE THE ENTIRE THING OK? OK. yes even royal.

The P2 PSP additional scenario is so incredibly important and I think everyone missed the point of it. THE PERSONA 2 PSP ADDITIONAL TATSUYA SCENARIO!!!! It's beyond important, because it reveals to us Philemon can have more than one Avatar we know about, just like Nyarly. (Casual reminder he's like half the shopkeeps in P2. Time Count, anyone? Why was the Time Count so hot. Anyway.) Disclaimer: I'm just a casual fan who has played a LOT of Persona and SMT. I haven't gotten around to all of them, but I've played/finished both paths of 1, 2, 3 (and p3p) as well as 4 and 5. Didn't manage to get my hands on Golden but I've seen enough of it. (It's funny you ask about the dance games, they're the only ones I don't have right now! But my roommate does, and will be gone for a few months soon, perhaps I will take the time to start with p4DAN. I'm atrocious at rhythm games though so more than likely I'll find a video. Anyway.) WHAT is Philemon? If we can't define that, we can't talk about The Positivity Guy Ever.

So let's talk about Phil. He's a fascinating character. His Persona is just a form of Himself, But Cooler. And he seems to HAVE no set shape, not unlike Nyarlathotep. People have various theories about Shadows and their origins etc., but Phil is more like that vote of confidence in people. I think, personally, that after the end of Innocent Sin, Phil's been pretty weak. We see in Eternal Punishment he's fading pretty roughly, and has a hard time talking to the party. Presumably ending Nyarly might to some degree fix things when Deja-vu Boy goes home, but... the problem is, we don't know how fixed they truly ended up being, or the full depth of how much he could/did expend!

In fact, the first time we even see Phil without the dumb mask is when Tatsuya decks him. Pay close attention to that fact. To the mask motifs here. I want you to really soak in Phil's everything. He's a leader. A kind soul. He's the good of people. He wants to believe the best.

Anyway, most of these things overlook what I find really interesting as we've gotten more games worth of lore: he and Nyarly aren't the only eldritch entities walking around like that. Yes, Nyx is one too. Yes, it's probable she may even be their 'mom'. It's possible they all came from Nyx initially, but it's also possible (and should be considered) they too may have been outsiders at one point. We need to ask ourselves how far the human collective unsconsciousness can go. Is that sea infinite? Could it affect other worlds? Think about Aion in Devil Summoner Soul Hackers 2. Yes, I am asking you to think about Soul Hackers 2. Deal with it, I don't care. They're sister series. They share many things. SO! Did the shape of the human mind change a bunch of eldritch creatures and make them interact with us even more after Nyx smacked the moon a gazillion years ago? Is there multiple worlds? Weird bullshit? Just the two? Hmm. Well... I, personally, think so. I think he was touched by humanity just like Nyarlathotep, but in the other way. The reason I bring this up is two-fold. The first is Nodens. Now, we don't know much about the actual Nodens, unfortunately, just some speculation. Which is a shame. (If anyone has more info I'd love to have it, ngl. As a pagan this shit fascinates me.) But what we do get on him in Lovecraftian lore can provide us some intriguing possibilities about Phil's everything, which the games love to keep really rather vague. (And this is putting aside that his human Persona is based off the obviously bogus Jungian Spirit Guide, but we love an old guy in a mask anyway. He probably felt that was more 'friendly' for humans, hah.) I believe that Nodens, and Phil by extension, are just as responsible for nurturing and keeping the collective unconsciousness alive and positive. We see the butterfly symbol everywhere. We see it with Lavenza, too. "This is truly an unjust game." So was the bet Phil made with Nyarly, a game he rigged. Phil made the mistake of thinking the Crawling Chaos wouldn't cheat, a mistake he is never making again, I assume, if he can help it. Shit, you could view his boss fight in P2EP as him trying to train the EP crew to beat the snot out of Nyarly, even. But off topic. If Nyarly is basically the father of all Shadows, and they and Personas are the same coin, it makes me wonder a lot of things. The two have always been portrayed as simultaneously diametrically opposed, but also not? They have identical halls in P2. They have similar powers and talents... I think after Persona 3, Phil's remnants sank into the Collective Unconsciousness, to attempt to rehabilitate humanity from what it lost, from what he himself lost. I think Igor took over the room, because he took a backseat to recover. It would go a long, long way towards explaining why only SOME characters have the tier of the Wild Card, which is similar to the 'original' Persona power. (Having multiple.) He was took weak to remain in his Spirit Guide (Philemon) form, and had to abandon it to return to the depths as Nodens... So. Let me go back to Nodens and make some notes about design.

Nodens, as seen here, sort of resembles an iron maiden. It really brings to mind the idea of maybe Tatsuya or someone's humanoid form sleeping within it, doesn't it? Fitting for an aspect of Philemon! ... You probably can see where I'm going with this, but let me pull up some screens to finish the point:

That's right! It's Azathoth, Baby! I believe that unlike mythology, he's yet another aspect of Philemon. Eldritch positivity, in too much force, could be used for accidental bad, too. (Reasons Maruki is my favorite Law Hero, haha.) Let me explain. I think Philemon always existed in... let's call it parts. Azathoth is said to be a dreaming god in whom's universe we all just happen to be alive inside, right? "Dream of butterfly" (Philemon) "Or is life a dream? Don't wanna wake up. Cuz I'm happy here." That sure is thematic to what Maki goes through in Persona 1, and what Maruki's beloved suffers, isn't it? ISN'T IT. The "true reality" he creates... would help Maruki create in the additional Semester--would be something most humans would never pass the muster to even try to control. But we have seen Phil test a few people and find them worth passing before! However, that seems like ages ago. Why has he been so quiet? I think because he was spending time conserving his energy. He believed in humanity enough to give Makoto a push when it was needed in p3 (or femc, if you play her), but otherwise trusted Igor while he restored what needed it. But in Persona 5 Royal, he hand-picked Maruki, didn't he? At first, when I played Persona 5 Royal, I really thought it was some part of Nyarly, but I no longer believe this to be the case. The coloration and symbolism in the background (the golds, the whole garden of eden themes, the way his Palace was laid out), the whole sea of soul motifs in P3Re later... mmm. I have a lot of thoughts about this, but this post is already way too long for one simple ask. So let's wrap up by going one step further and looking finally at Nodens' dialogue to the party in the Extra Scenario in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP). The following is a transcript, you can find a video here:

Nodens: This is the memory of the lost child whom you all seek. Nodens: Memory occasionally brings about much distress and suffering, but it is absolutely vital to distinguish oneself from others and manufacture one's own psyche. Nodens: Ever since it began, life's memory has accumulated unbroken, passing through individual experiences and spanning several generations. Nodens: And so it has given shape to Kadath and the Collective Unconsciousness, thereby becoming a foundation for the next generation. Nodens: Even if the roots of the world are directed by fear and anxiety, never forget that the true essence of life is brimming with joy. Nodens: You must not stop seeking the answer for why life was born in a cosmos progressing towards absurdity and chaos. Nodens: Life brims with joy, bringing about balance in a universe predestined to heat death, and that allows the world to live a long time.

So to answer your question, I think he's taken a much subtler role. I think he's influencing people by pretending to be a Persona for Maruki, because he believes it will help them grow. I don't think he was intending a forever-control vice grip, but rather to prove a point. No matter what, the primordial chaos of humanity will rise up for chaotic good, lawful good, whatever "good" is needed. Azathoth is... interesting. Adam Kadmon is also interesting. But mostly I HIGHLY suspect we may see him again in Persona 6, or at least I'm hoping so. It's my personal pet theory by then he'll be less faded and come back to us in a new form of some kind. He's never had a set one, after all. Now for funsies about the dancing game, well, he's a positive guy, he wanted to just make sure everyone had their fitness regimen checked off. Obviously. (This is a joke.) Did the devs intend this? I'm honestly not sure? Like there's a lot of nods to older Personas in 5 and now 3RE especially, but it's definitely worth chewing on. I could go on and on about things I think he's connected to, but ultimately they have the final say lol. I'm just a crackpot conspiracy theorist on tumblr who really likes Philemon. He and the Room are my favorites. :) Ask me about attendants for additional dumb, sometime, I guess lol.

[onceuponapuffin]

Fanatic Intervention Part 17!!!

Okay, it's been a bit so quick recap: We just spent the evening at a dive bar singing karaoke and learning that 1) Jesus is a 13-year-old rich white kid with rich parents living in L.A. and 2) Muriel is missing. The Angel of Sardis gave us a lovely fishbowl (alcoholic drink since no one in this world has bothered to ask Reader's age because I have more room to play that way) as a reward for singing Taylor Swift (Shake it Off). We pick up our story The Morning After.

Also, since the poll about Sardis tied, I'm taking it to mean that everyone needs/wants more time with him to figure him out. Fortunately people also voted to bring him along, so we get to have LOTS OF THAT!! :D

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major for anyone who's curious.

What music do you think Anathema likes??

Let's do this!!

Beginning || Previous || Next

**********************************

The next morning you sit at the table in the dining room of the massive Ritz hotel suite, staring into your coffee. You have a headache, and no one else seems to be faring too much better. If only it was just a hangover. A miracle from either Aziraphale or Crowley could fix a hangover, but there was no way that a miracle of any size could make your situation any less bleak.

Aziraphale, angel that he literally is, had thought to order in breakfast from the kitchens. You look from your coffee to the waiting plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon, heaving a sigh. Jesus, if and when you find him, is an entitled teen. Muriel, friend and precious, is missing. Things are...well, it’s hard to feel happy or optimistic right now. Your companions aren’t faring much better as far as you can tell. Crowley is staring at his phone with a frown, the sound effects of Candy Crush drifting across the otherwise silent table. He’s playing at non-chalance, but you know Distraction As A Coping Mechanism when you see it. Aziraphale has barely touched his food, focusing more on alternating between stirring his tea, and sipping it only to add more sugar. The drink must be nearly syrup by now. Anathema keeps dangling her pendulum, pausing, then setting it down to re-cast her rune stones. You’ve noticed that they keep landing up the same way. Well, you need fuel in your system if you’re going to deal with all of this, so you reluctantly cut a slice of pancake with your fork and bring it to your mouth.

The silence stretches. Well, except for the ambiance; Candy Crush, spoon stir, runes cast, pancake slice. Candy Crush, spoon stir, runes cast, pancake slice. Candy Crush, spoon stir, runes cast, bacon – mixing it up a little. Candy Crush, spoon stir, runes cast

BAM!!!!

The door of the suite slams open, and there stands Sardis with his foot in the air.

He kicked the door down. What...on….earth…

“I FOUND HIM!” Sardis stomps into the suite toward the table, waving his phone in the air, “I FOUND HIM! I knew I’d seen his face somewhere, and I found him!!”

Crowley sits up straight for once in his life. “Who THE FUCK gave him a key?!”

You avert your gaze. The fishbowl was delicious, and he patted your head afterward and told you everything would be okay! Not your fault….entirely.

There isn’t much time for you to contemplate your guilt because Sardis has turned up the volume on his phone, and pressed play on a Tik Tok video. He turns his phone so that you all can see the screen. A boy with dirty-blonde hair is smiling out of it. His hair is longer in the middle and pouffed up with what is probably a standard-teenager’s worth of hair gel, and the sides are very short with...dollar signs shaved into them. It’s just a Tik Tok video, but you can smell the Axe body spray from here.

“Hey guys!” The smiling teen calls, waving at the camera. “It’s me, ya boy Jeremy. I’m bringing back my most popular series. That’s right! You asked, and I’m answering your prayers! Time to bring back Let’s See What I Can Get Away With Because I’m RICH.”

Your face twists in disgust, and you hear Anathema groan.

“I think we’ve seen quite enough,” Aziraphale says, speaking for you all.

“Are...are you sure that’s Jesus?” You ask. Honestly you’re hoping it’s a joke. You’re hoping beyond hope that this...this...caricature of a person is not the same person who you need to convince to help you save the world.

“Oh yeah,” Sardis replies, “That’s him. Right name and everything.”

“Wot? Jeremy?” asks Crowley with an edge of salty sarcasm.

“No,” Sardis says, “His true name. I know everyone’s, remember? It’s the right kid, you have my word on that.”

Truth be told, you’re still not exactly sure what his word is worth, but for now it’s a lead. You glance at Anathema, who shrugs.

“Fits the bill,” she admits, “All my readings have been...unsettlingly clear about the kind of kid we’re looking for, and I mean...” She gestures helplessly at the phone and the video that Sardis has, thankfully, paused. You blink, dumbstruck. Aziraphale said something last night about Heaven cutting corners. Apparently they had cut the corners so thoroughly they’d made a circle.

Great.

******************

Breakfast suddenly became easier after that. Maybe it was because Sardis was the only one who wasn’t completely despairing over everything, and maybe it was because he was suddenly helping himself to the plates of excess pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Suddenly, you noticed Aziraphale wave a finger and the food was hot again – trying to impress company, or be a good host, or both no doubt. You found that your appetite had suddenly returned, along with your need for caffeine. Even Crowley had grabbed some bacon now that, perhaps, there seemed a less likely chance of him having the choice if he waited any longer. Sardis did most of the talking, explaining that the shortest driving route would take 28 hours. Best to get started asap then.

“I am not listening to anymore of your….Us songs!” Crowley growls at you as soon as you get in the car.

“Not all of them are love songs!” You protest.

“No! No breakup songs either!”

“Fine, fair, but what about -”

“And especially no End-of-the-World songs!” He snarls. You’re pretty sure he’s halfway to hissing at you now. “We have enough of that to deal with assss is!” Ah, there it is.

Ever-so-gently, Aziraphale takes the phone out of your hand.

“Perhaps it’s about time someone else had a turn,” he says. Ah, so he’s finally gotten tired of humouring you and your taste in music. Well, it had to happen eventually.

Unfortunately, this means that you all end up listening to Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in G Major. Well, it could be worse, you figure. At least this song has movement to it, even if it does feel endless based on your musical standards. Crowley is driving and silent, Aziraphale is waving your phone around in the passenger’s seat like a conductor’s baton. The backseat is as follows – You, Sardis, and Anathema.

Yes, Sardis is there. Considering the way he found Jesus – or, Jeremy – so quickly, and the way he seems to be single-handedly keeping everyone’s morale afloat, it seemed a waste to leave him behind. Besides, both Crowley and Aziraphale had tried to make him leave, but he just….stayed. In the end, you pouted, they gave up, and now he’s sitting in the middle of the backseat, because you and Anathema have seniority.

Speaking of Anathema, you notice her very pointedly staring out the window. She looks...stiff. Maybe classical music isn’t her thing? Your suspicions are confirmed approximately nine minutes later when she practically jumps up from her seat and grabs the phone out of Aziraphale’s hand and presses stop. The music comes to a halt and silence fills the SUV. Aziraphale looks shocked and appalled.

“Anathema!” The angel exclaims after a moment. You can practically hear him clutching at his non-existent pearls. You can see him resisting the urge to clutch at his bowtie. “We weren’t even finished the Allegro!”

Anathema takes a deep breath. You’re able to count out a solid beat of ten before she speaks.

“I...am not...listening to classical concertos for 28 hours. I don’t care what key it’s in or how many allegros it’s got!”

Crowley snickers and snorts. “Concertos don’t work like that.” He says. You see Aziraphale gently pat the demon’s knee as if to say ‘that’s my man.’

“Well what would you rather?” Is what Aziraphale actually says, “More bebop?”

“Try me, and I’ll play death metal, I swear I will.”

“Um,” Sardis ventures cautiously, “Can I see that for a minute-- thank you.” He plucks the phone out of Anathema’s hand. After a minute or two of swiping, he taps the screen, and the car fills with songs from well-known musicals. Now, although this isn’t exactly to everyone’s taste, no one can find a good reason to outright hate it. No one can manage to find a good reason not to put up with it, and so by the time Music of the Night has melted into Seasons of Love, everyone has settled down and accepted that things aren’t actually all that bad.

“Impressive,” You mutter, basking in the semi-content vibe. Everyone is still a little on edge, but it feels less intense now.

Sardis smirks. “Six siblings,” he says to you with a small nudge.

“What happened to the others?” Anathema asks, tuning in to the conversation.

“Well,” Sardis sighs, “Of the seven of us - myself, Smyrna, Pergamum, Ephesus, Philadelphia, Thyatira, and Laodicea - Smyrna and Philly were the only ones who didn’t get hate mail. Smyrna was always super into the doctrine. She drank the kool-aid, as the humans here would say, and felt it her calling to ‘return home,’ as she put it. Bullshit, honestly. We weren’t born angels, we were made alongside the churches of Christ. ‘S one of the reasons why they don’t actually give a shit about us.”

“And why you worried that your miracles might get taken away,” You add, putting some of the pieces together. Sardis nods. “Wait, a minute,” You say, “You were made??”

Sardis laughs. “Alright Little Moth, you need to pick a lane here. Do you want to hear about my siblings or how I was born human?”

“You were BORN HUMAN?!” You are practically bouncing right now. What...how… “But you said that you can’t change your species!”

“I said your Miracle Enabler can’t change your species,” He replies with a twinkle in his eyes, “Not that it can’t be done. The seven of us were all born human. We made the first seven churches, so we were made guardians, lower angels. Like...lower than whatever the lowest type of angel you know of is. But we weren’t created as angels like your friends in the front seat.” Movement catches your peripheral vision, and you notice Crowley shifting a little in his seat. No doubt that’s a touchy subject that only Aziraphale is allowed to go anywhere near, but he says nothing. “So they all pretend we don’t exist, and look down on us whenever they need to deal with us. Sort of like we’re --”

“Oh, don’t worry,” You interject, “I read enough fantasy to understand the way magical societies view human-born magic users.” You can imagine that being An Angel of God would probably get old real fast if everyone who was supposed to welcome you actually hated you and made sure you knew it. Goodness knows it got to Aziraphale eventually, makes sense that a human-born angel (a huboan? You’ll work on it) would get sick of it a lot sooner.

“And that’s why I like you Little Moth,” Sardis says with a chuckle and a wink. “Anyway, so I know Smyrna went to Heaven. Philly stayed here. The two of us have always been really close, she stuck with me and we messaged and called and visited all the time until recently. I got some messages from her when the world went nuts during the first apocalypse, but I haven’t heard from her since. She stopped replying to my messages.”

Now it’s your turn to shift uncomfortably in your seat. Your eyes drop to your feet and start to fill with tears, so you change your view to the one outside your window.

“I can relate,” You say after a moment, holding back a sniffle and a sob. Deep breath. “Well, I’m glad you’re sticking with us.” You plaster a smile on your face and turn back to him. “Maybe we can find her.”

He smiles. “That’s what I’m hoping.” For a while, everyone is silent. After a few minutes, Anathema offers to put together a playlist with everyone’s favourite songs. The mood shifts considerably as the five of you spend the next few hours excitedly making musical suggestions.

It’s the best collection of music you’ve ever heard.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 🖤

Beginning || Previous || Next

[exitvelocities]

mlc favorite character/ship poll takeaways

so this poll ended recently, and i thought it would be interesting to do a little number crunching. image of the poll results and also a graphic of some ao3 ship tag stats under the cut.

general disclaimer that this is just for fun and i'm not an academic, etc.

li lianhua and ot3 are king

llh/ot3 won by a handy 24% by itself before we even start adding up the rest of the numbers. ot3 did not surprise me at all since i already knew ot3 was big on tumblr, but somehow llh being the favorite caught me off guard. it's probably just that i'm rarely a protagonist person and mostly hang around with other perennial side/background character likers; it really should have been obvious.

overall favorite stats

llh won handily, with over 40% of the vote. fdb and dfs were much closer, and I was surprised by which came out on top!

li lianhua: 41.2%

di feisheng: 26.6%

fang duobing: 22.8%

overall ship stats

ot3 won by a large margin! dihua was fairly steady, and there's a surprisingly low number of pure fanghuas on tumblr, especially when contrasted with the overall ao3 stats further down.

difanghua: 47.2%

dihua: 30%

fanghua: 13.4%

the "other" option

from tags, the main reasons people used the "other" option in no particular order:

difang, almost exclusively with fdb favorite (one person picked llh, no one picked dfs)

couldn't pick

no preference/like all equally

only one person actually named a different favorite from the three given options iirc

favorite character vs favorite ship

so, this was the original purpose of the poll-- i was curious to see if ship preferences would fall along favorite character lines. granted, including difanghua threw a wrench in that a little bit. i considered running it with difang instead and placing difanghua in the "other" category but ultimately decided against it since i felt it would just heavily skew the poll to "other" winning and lose out on a lot of favorite character information. so what did we end up with?

people are least likely to ship the thing their favorite character is not in (see: fdb/dihua, dfs/fanghua)

dfs lovers are more likely ship dihua than difanghua

fdb fans are more likely to ship fanghua than llh fans

llh and fdb faves are more likely to ship difanghua than solo ships

that's literally it; the breakdown of ship by character is in the poll results

ao3 stat observations

fanghua is the overall most popular ship but is literally cut in half in english fandom; it's smaller than both dihua and ot3

dihua is pretty consistent and actually slightly higher in english fandom than overall at the moment; non-english dihua fic is mainly in chinese and russian

difang has 45 overall fics, 10 of which are in english

the vast majority of ot3 fics are in english

it's interesting that ot3 seems to absorb fanghuas moreso than dihuas, but that vibes with my very unscientific observation that there seem to be a lot of fanghua-leaning ot3ers

keep in mind that the overall numbers INCLUDE the english fic. how did i end up with this count? what does 'multiship' mean? see the methodology section at the end.

tumblr vs ao3

the contrast is interesting! dihua is strangely steady.

dihua: 30% (tumblr) vs 28.4% (eng fic) vs 26.7% (overall fic)

fanghua: 13.4% (tumblr) vs 17.3% (eng fic) vs 34.5% (overall fic)

difanghua: 47.2% (tumblr) vs 19.8% (eng fic) vs 9.2% (overall fic)

conclusions

honestly there are none, lol. i just thought the breakdowns are interesting! also i'm hardly unbiased, so feel free to make your own conclusions with the information presented.

ao3 methodology

i did this really quick and dirty yesterday afternoon and can't guarantee 100% accuracy. i didn't check for the overall tag, but this method left about 5 english language fics unaccounted for. there may also have been slight overlap in some categories.

difang: anything tagged difang EXCLUDING dihua, fanghua, and ot3 tags

dihua: anything tagged dihua EXCLUDING difang, fanghua, and ot3 tags

fanghua: anything tagged fanghua EXCLUDING difang, dihua, and ot3 tags

ot3: anything tagged with the ot3 tag

multiship: anything tagged with dihua AND fanghua but NOT the ot3 tag

gen/other: anything NOT tagged with ANY difang, dihua, fanghua, or ot3 tags

[raayllum]

so i deleted my poll & here's why bc it is both. sad, strange, and a little hilarious. for TLDR, skip all the way to the end

this is what it was gearing towards as of this afternoon & this is why it got weird.

for clarification, the poll was meant to investigate, because i was curious, how many people i had potentially influenced in my writing(s) about callum analysis wise. i actually expected option 2 to be the most common (aka that people already saw him that way) since that's what i've found in my circles; most of the other rayllum writers and shippers i've spoken to reached those conclusions themselves after S2 or S3, if not earlier. so option 1 being the most popular was the first big surprise, as was as many people picking "want to see the results"

here's where things go from surprising to weird. earlier this afternoon, the poll was sitting around 120-ish people and had been in that vein for most of the week since it was published, climbing maybe a few votes every day after the initial boom in a variety of the categories the first like day and a half.

then, steadily, over the course of 5-10 minutes, anywhere from 5 to 15 fresh votes flooded in... all to the same category of "nah i don't see him that way." which wasn't That strange, except

the fandom troll, who is notoriously obnoxiously loud about Not liking this interpretation of callum, also has a tendency of making sock blogs and sending anonymous asks to bait you over and over again, no matter how many times you block them. for Years.

then the number continued to steadily climb solely in that singular category, doubling and then tripling. now, i'm not going to say there couldn't be *check statistics* 50 people who don't see callum as being willing to sacrifice the world for his loved ones/help aaravos if rayla or ezran's lines were quit literally being held at knifepoint, But

When the poll started, I acknowledged the bias the poll would likely be prone to, as my followers - by virtue of following me and seeing and presumably agreeing with what I post - would probably skew in favour of the interpretation, and this was reflected in 6/7 days of the poll's backing, with 60-78% (roughly 70-80 people) of participants leaning towards a shared interpretation. "Nah I don't see him that way" also rose steadily in terms of votes throughout the week day by day, but never cleared more than 8-10 individual people (you're troopers, I respect you, and I hope having the "snake boi Callum" tag makes it easier for you to blacklist accordingly so that you can enjoy your fandom experience)

The Snake Boi Callum interpretation is popular enough in fandom that we actually had a fandom event for it a few months back, plenty of people participated who I felt I wasn't familiar with as well as people I knew I would, and the pieces of art/fic/playlists regularly got 50-150 notes. If there are 50+ people who disagree with said interpretation, they are, generally speaking, not a group who's often actually making things for the fandom at large in terms of fic, fanart, other forms of creation, and not a ton of meta weekly or monthly about the topic and/or outside of that general wheelhouse, either. The 'pro' side is conversely a lot more active; most of the people who have written fic about said topic(s) aren't even me, but other cool lovely talented individuals over the past 3-ish years

The initial wave of votes happened when I posted the poll in the "snake boi Callum," "Rayllum," "tdp," and "the dragon prince" tags to reach a broader audience beyond my more immediate active follower range (as like, 90% of my followers are lurkers, which - respect). This is when it would've made sense if there was going to be an uptick in "nah I don't see him that way" to build

Instead, it happened 6 days into the poll when it was already decently buried by tags, I had recently self-reblogged it back into my accordingly biased circles, and rather than having a general variety, only a singular category went up by close to 40 people in like 3 hours. I tend to gain anywhere from 6-10 followers a week (for example, this week was 6) so that also does not account for the massive leap in a very short amount of time

Therefore, keeping to roughly 125 votes for posterity, and when removing the originally 30-ish or so people who voted for "see results" (significantly less than the first category, but more than the second by a decent margin) as well as the real 10 votes for "nah, I don't see him that way," approximately 85 people voted explicitly in favour of Snake Boi Callum / one of the first two options in general, with my meta being cited as the biggest influence. This is also with me rounding up the numbers of the other categories to likely more than they were, but I want to account for the potential error of my memory, as I wasn't keeping track of where things were super specifically before it started to smell like meddling.

Again, it's not that there couldn't be 50 people with that opinion, it's just that 40 of them, Realistically, did not suddenly come out of the woodwork in the span of 1-2 hours to consecutively vote in only one (1) category 6 days after that would've actually, marginally, made sense in terms of tagging / seeing it in the main tags.

If you're wondering why I presented all my ~ evidence ~ it's because if not, I'd probably be labelled as a liar and/or dismissed (it's happened before, unfortunately) and honestly, it ended up being a little funny to dig into how presumably nuts this got.

TLDR;

Anyway if you ever feel like you're deeply insecure and worried that you're idiotically clout chasing, remember you will never be as Embarrassing as the guy who made close to 39 sock blogs in one afternoon to try and 'one up' someone over an opinion they have regarding a children's tv show protagonist who's believed biggest flaw is that he Loves His Friends.

better poll that cannot be screwed with will follow

[sparky-is-spiders]

Re: my poll, because its way too early to start thinking about The Data but also I am thinking about The Data.

Respect JE for holding out a steady third, but I honestly expected it to have way more votes. I think I underestimated the number of jm shippers who prefer jon/tim and jon/gerry.

(Also, I've decided that the people acting incredulous about je on my poll is more funny than annoying I think. Yeah its a popular ship lol. Sorry to break the news to you)

I think I've seen more jon/tim voters stating their case out loud than jon/gerry shippers, but the latter is still keeping a few paces ahead, which is interesting in and of itself, but I haven't done a full count so I may be misremembering.

A few people have brought up jon/basira and jon/helen, which aren't ships I usually think about but which I can see the appeal for.

I have also acquired a new messy oil spill ship to have brainworms over because the only thing better than one jon is two jons. If you know you know.

To my fellow jon/sasha truthers out there I know the number is small but I see you.

I want to know how many jon/peters were misclicks. So far nobody has come forward to even mention it (aside from one person who found it confusing lmao). I even more want to know who has it as their favorite and why. Like not in a judgey way I like them too I'm just so curious.

Initially included "platonic or romantic" at the last minute but now I sort of wish I had done two separate polls because I want to see the data, but I really don't want to do this to my notes again its been scary.

For example a lot of jon/daisy voters specified platonic, which is Fair and Valid (I like them both ways), but now I want to know how different the results would look if I had a poll for platonic and a poll for romantic.

Jon/daisy and jon/gerry got the most "platonic" specifications so would they crush that poll? Would jon/tim take the lead?

Also curious what including jm would do to the tim and gerry voters but I don't want to see my NoTP blowing up my notifs like that. Tbh I'm sure someone's done it before anyway lol.

Also to the .7% of jon/melanie enjoyers. I see you also. I am so so curious about you. I agree but I want to understand not just what made you like jon/melanie but what made you choose it above all the other options.

No conclusion or broader point cause its been like a day lmao. Instead I will leave you w/ this last Fun Fact that originally the poll contained jon/gertrude instead of jon/peter. I ultimately changed it because I was too embarrassed to reveal those particular brainworms to a potentially large audience but now part of me wishes I hadn't been such a coward.

(Other thing I could've done: "what's your favorite jonship" and just not mention jm at all. It'd clog up my notifs with propaganda for my least favorite ship but also it'd be funny as hell I think).

Ok I gotta move the laundry I think. Goodbye.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Are you an anticapitalist? you are good either way just curious

No, I'm not.

It's not a perfect system, but one need only look at indexes like the Global Freedom Index and the Human Development Index and observe which countries are at the top and which are not. One need only look at the correlation between economic growth and the decline of illiteracy, decline of child mortality, decline of reproductive burden on women, lower hunger, higher education, higher life satisfaction, and many other things.

An imperfect liberal system is still better than a perfect illiberal system.

“Beware the cult that sells you a utopia, because any dictatorial action can be justified by such a false vision.” -- Rio Veradonir

Heaven is a utopian, perfect system. And what can you do there? Nothing. It's ruled over by a tyrant and nothing you do matters. It's perfect before you arrived, and it's no better (or worse) after you arrived. You can't change anything, you can't innovate, you can't make an impact. Something that is already "perfect" cannot be made more "perfect."

Just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean it can be improved. Free speech + the marketplace of ideas is not a perfect system that ensures truth and sanity always prevail, but attempts to "fix" it always make it worse. No one screws things up more than utopians. -- Colin Wright

Maintaining that "perfection" requires authoritarianism. We see this every single time. How else do you maintain a "perfect" system? How else do you protect that "perfect" system from imperfection? And what can't be justified in the name of maintaining that "perfection"? History has a bodycount of the horrors arising from attempts to enforce "perfect" systems. Yes, it has been tried. Many times.

So I'd much prefer an imperfect system that nobody controls than a perfect system enforced with an iron fist.

Philosophically, I'm not an anti-capitalist for the same reason I'm not anti-democratic or anti-science. I'll let Jonathan Rauch explain this.

Liberalism’s great contribution to civilization is the way it handles conflict. No other regime has enabled large and varied groups of people to set a social agenda without either stifling their members’ differences or letting conflict get out of hand. Bertrand Russell once said that “order without authority” might be taken as the motto both of political liberalism and of science. If you had to pick a three-word motto to define the liberal idea, “order without authority” would be pretty good. The liberal innovation was to set up society so as to mimic the greatest liberal system of them all, the evolution of life. Like evolutionary ecologies, liberal systems are centerless and self-regulating and allow no higher appeal than that of each to each in an open-ended, competitive public process (a game). Thus, a market game is an open-ended, decentralized process for allocating resources and legitimizing possession, a democracy game is an open-ended, decentralized process for legitimizing the use of force, and a science game is an open-ended, decentralized process for legitimizing belief. Much as creatures compete for food, so entrepreneurs compete for business, candidates for votes, and hypotheses for supporters. In biological evolution, no outcome is fixed or final—nor is it in capitalism, democracy, science. There is always another trade, another election, another hypothesis. In biological evolution, no species, however clever or complex, is spared the rigors of competition—nor are the participants in capitalism, democracy, science. No matter who you are, you must conduct your business in the currency of dollars, votes, or criticism—no special fiat, no personal authority.

[..] Order emerging as each interreacts with each under rules which are the same for all (order without authority): just as that idea links the great liberal systems, so it also links the great liberal theorists. Darwin is known to have been strongly influenced by the economic ideas of Adam Smith. “The theory of natural selection,” writes Stephen Jay Gould, a paleontologist and historian of science, “is a creative transfer to biology of Adam Smith’s basic argument for a rational economy: the balance and order of nature does not arise from a higher, external (divine) control, or from the existence of laws operating directly upon the whole, but from struggle among individuals for their own benefits.

[..] The disadvantages are serious, and must not be passed over lightly. First, the notion of empowering a vast, amorphous, unsupervised mass of voters and traders to make crucial social decisions defies all common sense and intuition. Instinct sides with Plato: it makes more sense to have the wisest man decide who gets what or who should rule. That is why learning democratic values and market values, which make the judgments of democratic and market systems “feel” right, takes centuries of cultural development and years of personal education; it is why people who are used to an authoritarian moral climate have such a hard time switching to the mechanisms of democracy and markets, and so often make a botch of it. Second, open-ended, decentralized decision-making systems are perpetually unsettling. They cannot be counted on to reach any particular result, and often, since they put no one in particular in charge, they reach results which don’t particularly please anyone. The only constant is change, and change is unnerving and sometimes painful and wasteful. Leaders go in and out of power, sometimes too quickly to hold any course; markets shut factories and move jobs. No one can count on staying on top. But the advantages of the two systems are enormous. They are flexible, which means that they adapt readily to change. They are broadly inclusive, and so make the most of human diversity. (Anyone can vote, anyone can own.) Yet by and large they are stable, despite being both flexible and broadly inclusive. And so they are liberal in this important sense: they allow us to be relatively free to be ourselves, each to make the contribution that suits him, with comparatively little risk of upending the whole system. -- Jonathan Rauch, "Kindly Inquisitors"

In principle, if I've got a great idea, I could topple McDonald's or Microsoft or Amazon. You may scoff, but where are MySpace, Kodak, Blockbuster, Blackberry and whoever ended up with Palm? These were once some of the biggest organizations in the world. Look at the impact of Tesla. Any company is only as good as the last product or service they released, and past performance is no guarantee of success in the future. If you don't stay relevant, your business dies. Just as any political leader is only as good as their latest ballot, and any scientist is only as good as their latest ideas.

Evolution is behind the market game. At any point, you could be obsolete and at the wrong end of "survival of the fittest." After the rise and fall of all the purported "iPod killers," look who actually killed the iPod: Apple. It doesn't really exist any more, it's just the Music app on your phone.

People looking for a perfect system are looking for certainty. They want to know what the future will be, and more importantly, be able to control it to suit their preferences. They want to circumvent the rules of the game which apply to everyone (equality) and have the authority to decide - and enforce - what the result should really look like (equity). And they will decide what people really deserve.

But evolution has no certainty, as it's undirected. Changes to the environment are unpredictable. As soon as you try to direct evolution, you have an authority figure creating something that suits their own particular purposes, and the natural, erratic process of evolution has stopped. You now have creationism and the authoritarianism that goes along with it.

The beauty in these liberal systems is the same beauty in evolution itself: uncertainty. We need to get more comfortable with that.

One particular area where I'd argue the system is imperfect is where the evolutionary process has been short-circuited. Companies with questionable ethics put #BLM or a rainbow flag on their Twitter account for free, trot out a statement riddled with fashionable social shibboleths, and people look away from their business practices, tacitly deciding that they're comfortable with them by buying the next product, the next service, the next update.

Kind of like Passover, but with hashtags instead of lamb's blood. If you make the right offering, the Hand of God will pass by you and not look beyond the blood on the door.

We've already seen what can happen with consumer backlash. Netflix, Disney, Bud Light, Target. You don't have to agree with the basis for the reaction, but all bore the brunt of consumer dissatisfaction and paid the price. Some adjusted course, some doubled-down, some have committed to gaslighting the consumer, putting ideology above their core business.

The point, though, is this: what do you put up with as a consumer to have what you want? If you're discontent with a business' practices, then what have you done to force the pressure on them to adapt, to evolve? And why not?

Evolution requires pressures for survival.

To those who have a "smash capitalism" sticker, where did you put it? The bumper of your hybrid SUV? The case of your iPhone 14 Pro Max? The back lid of your ASUS Zenbook Flip?

Now imagine a world where this actually came to pass. Capitalism has been smashed. The means of production has become public, part of the government. The telecommunications companies, the tech companies, the automotive companies, the manufacturing companies are all no longer privately owned and in competition, but by the government. The same government which runs departments that function like the DMV, creates a Ministry of Truth, and which can't get a healthcare website to stay up.

The government doesn't need to compete against itself, so it doesn't need 5 mobile services. One will do just fine. There's no competition for customers who want faster speed, so 6G, which would have hit in 2030 is no longer a priority. Where is anyone going to go? 5G will be good enough for the next 30 years. The government's not a corporation, so it doesn't need to - and shouldn't - make a profit from its services.

It doesn't need to make a better, more feature packed phone next year, because it's not competing with anyone. It can just keep producing the same one for the next 10 years. And there's only one because who needs all those brands when they're all now under the government umbrella? Phase out Google Pixel, phase out the iPhone Pro/Max/Plus models that are status symbols of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie classes, and cut it back to one iPhone SE. Since the telecommunications and tech companies are now government entities, there's no longer any pushback to putting monitoring software on every phone the government makes in the operating system the government installs, on the network the government controls.

There's no longer a need for 10 different compact SUVs competing with each other, so it cuts this back to one. And some government bureaucrat who doesn't really understand cars doesn't see why you need an SUV anyway, since it's just a jacked-up hatchback, so a pen-stroke from somebody in a government office sees those go away in the name of efficiency. The factories can all produce the same design, not a multitude of different ones, because that's a bureaucratic headache.

The streaming companies are all no longer competing against each other, since they are all subsidiaries of the government now. So, why do we need so many shows in production? And why do they need to earn money anyway, other than to fund more productions and line the pockets of shareholders? And what sort of content do you think they're going to play now that the government has a monopoly?

I could keep going.

Now, where are the evolutionary pressures? Every sector now functions at the speed, efficiency and innovation level of the government (i.e. very, very low).

If you doubt any of this, look around at the automotive and technology industries of non-free market countries. And I don't mean "western company X has a factory in Y." I mean, what is Y's own industry like? What is it producing?

The idea that anyone would want the government in charge of innovation and industry, rather than merely enforcing the liberal rules of the market game, is disturbing. Seriously, has anyone who is an anti-capitalist ever actually looked around at their life and realized what it would be like for there to be no market competition, and for the idiots in government to be in control of the means of production?

The core driver of the free market, as with biological evolution, is competition. Competition for survival and relevancy. It drives innovation, efficiency and downward pressure on prices. Take that away and what do you have? Which countries best exemplify a system with no competition? What are you willing to give up to eliminate free market competition and become more like them? Or, perhaps, why haven't you already moved there? What's keeping you living in this oppressive regime? Not enough frequent flyer miles?

When the Berlin Wall fell, in which direction did people migrate? When people risk their lives on ramshackle rafts to escape from one country to another, in which direction are they fleeing?

If you ever wonder which system is better, ask someone who immigrated from their country of birth to your country of birth why they went to the trouble. Buy your Uber driver, your Amazon carrier, or your dorm's cleaning staff a coffee and an hour of their time to tell you their story. The idea that a free market, where you can work your way up in the world, improve your situation for yourself and your family, needs to be taken away and torn down, is something that only the privileged and well-to-do have the luxury of proclaiming.

"Luxury beliefs are ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class, while often inflicting costs on the lower classes." -- Rob Henderson

And once again, I know it's not perfect. I said so up front. I think many of these corporations need to be better ecologically and in terms of their manufacturing personnel practices. But how you do that is by creating market pressure.

But as far as I can tell, at least some of the blame for this can be laid at the feet of consumers who have become complacent, respond to the distractions of empty virtue signalling, and are too comfortable to make sacrifices for their high and mighty principles. People lose their nerve when it comes to criticizing China ("what are you, a racist?"), and get distracted when the culprit makes cheap, easy LGBTQWERTYALPHABETWTF signals, because now they're an "ally," and personal interest supersedes the greater moral mission.

If you want the market to go in a certain direction, then you have to generate the evolutionary pressure that forces it to do so. You have to play the game - just as you have to play the science game, the politics game - not throw a hissy fit that you should be exempt from the rules or get to steal the ball so nobody else can play. If that sounds too hard, then it's probably not as big a priority as you'd like to believe is it. But how hard do you think it would be to live in an economy completely devoid of any evolutionary pressure whatsoever?

It's much easier to whine about "the system" while standing in line with your Apple Watch out to pay for your next Venti decaf soy pumpkin-spice latte with extra whip. But just know that everybody around you is rolling their eyes.

[patzweigz]

i was someone who voted negatively on your genderbend poll. i just got curious and stopped to see if you'd said anything about the results, and i wanted to say i find your thoughts interesting and appreciate you writing them. it's not something i truly see very often, but approached from an actual standpoint of exploration i can see where there would be appeal. i also found it interesting that you mentioned both the difference in people who relate heavily to characters and the lack of people genderbending couples to be gay specifically, because it made me stop and examine the fact that me and my partner actually do that constantly. we frequently take popular straight couples and read them as being like us, since my boyfriend's presentation is much more like "girl who is a gay man" than anything more clear cut. i guess the real point here is that i've always trusted gender itself to be something very nuanced and something the person experiencing it knows better than i do, but i hadn't put a lot of thought into the myriad reasons why and how someone could experience a more theoretical, fictional exploration that i and people i know had previously experienced as mostly negative. a lot of the time it probably still will not be for me, but i think i can recognize more of what i consume as being fundamentally a similar thing. anyway, i hope you have a great day

OMG thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

i'm elated to know someone read what i had to write, lol. i appreciate hearing your perspective-- especially the note about making straight couples gay! it seems that's often the most widely accepted form of fictional gender exploration in fandom circles, when it happens at all; it reminded me of the more general trend of taking straight couples and saying the man in them is a he/him lesbian, which people do with a varying degree of seriousness. i also think on the trans people i know in my life who, for a variety of reasons both chosen and not, are perceived differently than their internal sense of gender (in a manner almost exactly how you described your boyfriend, even). hell, this even applies to me! which is probably another why i'm a fan of the trope, frankly.

at any rate, though, i'm really glad that we (collective we here) are in a place where discussion about it can be tabled as opposed to shut down entirely. thanks again for your message!

[misc-obeyme]

Writing Update

Okay, so I know my poll has like 5 days left but the headcanons are so far in the lead, I can't imagine it changing during that time!

The funny thing about the poll is that it might not even be an accurate reflection of what my followers really want? I have over 700 followers now, but only like 40 poll votes lol. I don't mind or anything! But I have to assume that people who didn't vote just don't have a preference? And if that's the case then you non-preference-havers are absolutely winning lol.

Well, anyway, based on what those who did vote have voted for, the headcanons are totally winning by a lot!

The thing is, I kinda feel like most of the requests I get are for headcanons. So while I might post some that I come up with myself, I'm mostly going to leave that up to requests!

Which means in the meantime, I'm going to work on some of the other things. I was surprised at how many votes the daily chat scenes got, so I will be continuing that series. I'm going to do the rest of the characters, but I also have a few chats that I wanted to do for characters I've already done (yesss of course one of them is Barb lol).

I'm also probably going to do some of the other things, too, even though they haven't gotten many votes.

In the end, I always just write whatever makes me happy, but I was curious to see what kind of things people were interested in. I'm not too surprised by the results because my headcanon posts always get a ton more notes than any of my other stuff (with the exception of Solomon's Warmth which somehow has the most notes of anything).

I know OC and MC content isn't as popular, but again... I do this for fun lol. And I have some of these, so I might post a little about them. I haven't decided yet. I personally love learning about other people's MCs and OCs! So if you want to tell me about them, please do!

I really loved hearing from all of you during the event, so please remember that my ask box is always open for anything!

[missuscislunar]

Hoshi*ga*Hoshii Sparkles Again

In today's issue, we are lucky enough to sit down with one of the most popular Venusian musicians, Hoshi*ga*Hoshii. We get to hear more about her new release The Sun Glares at You along with her past and future. Please enjoy this illustrious interview!

Thanks so much for meeting with us Hoshi!

Thank you for having me. It is always a pleasure with Cadenza.

First things first, congrats on the new album! It's a little different from your usual sound.

That's what most critics are describing, aren't they? I'm not sure if I truly understand what is different about it. What, pray tell, makes this one different than the others?

Ah well...uh...

Don't worry--I'm quite patient and tolerant of criticism.

Oh no! It's nothing negative at all! I'm just nervous describing your own music back to you.

A fair fear, but needless. I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know your thoughts. Music is one of the many ways we can connect with each other without touch. It is something that startles and comforts us. Your thoughts may mirror mine, and I am curious if we have that connection.

That does ease my nerves, thank you. One thing I can say is you seem to have gone for a slower tempo for most of the songs on this album. I remember your debut album was quite fast paced.

Ah, is that why people find this one so different? I can agree I am much more reflective than I was when I first started. I was eager to prove myself after several denials from agents and labels. I could feel my dream of performing on stage so close to my fingertips and always falling before I could grab it. Those days were tough. I felt very foolish for leaving my previous occupation to run after a frankly frightening goal.

What was your previous job if you don't mind me asking.

I was a professor in mathematics and astral predictability at Aphrodite's University on Venus.

Wait, that's one of the most prestigious universities in the solar system.

I was very close to reaching tenure when I left. At the time, I was kicking myself for leaving. My dear students wished for me to become a singer. Their faith in me provided faith in my own abilities. Some were able to come to my first concert. There were several times I was close to laughing on stage due to their enthusiasm.

I'm sure any student would go wild over their math professor becoming a major performer.

That is a true assessment!

That explains a lot of the mathematics referenced in your lyrics as well, right?

You are correct. I tried to steer away from it when writing, but theories always have a way of weaving themselves back into my work. In this album, I focused more on Earthling mathematics. I found their thinking quite interesting.

Speaking of Earthlings, this will be their first time experiencing an album release from you! Do you have any things to share about yourself or Venusian culture for them?

It is a shame it has taken Earth this long to connect with the rest of the solar system, but most of their kind have adapted quite well with our societies haven't they? As for Venusians, one thing that comes to mind is our skin tones. We run at pretty high temperatures like our home planet, and our skin can change color due to the heat within us. Some of my people are fully different colors like pink or blue, and some are like myself with colors on different parts of our bodies. There are even some who can only change when they feel a strong emotion or randomly during a sneeze.

As you can see, my arms and legs gradually change to dark blue. I am lucky to have flickers of glitter on my skin so it truly looks like the galaxy is on my person.

Thank you for your explanation! I suppose it makes sense to ask you--weren't you recently voted as the Vision of Venus for the fourth time?

That is true! I never expect to receive such an honor as there are others who are equally as deserving of such a title. Not to play into stereotypes, but Venusians are very particular about aesthetics so I am genuinely surprised when we are able to come together about an opinion.

With you, I believe your people will always have a positive opinion. For example, your signature outfit for this tour has been trending for days now!

I'm also quite fond of it! I usually don't perform in long gowns because I dance a lot on stage. However, I broke my ankle and couldn't move. The gown we decided to be the signature outfit was one that my stylist had been eyeing for an event. After my injury, they decided this would be the best time to use it. Fate had their eyes on this situation it would seem.

We hope you have a speedy recovery!

Thank you. I have been faring well, but I am eager to move more on stage. Seeing my background dancers makes me quite envious. I want to join them.

Your performances so far have been equally electrifying! I genuinely didn't know you were injured until now.

That is the most pleasing news to hear. I cherish my time on stage, so I put all of my effort into it.

Thank you so much for spending time with us today, Hoshi! As always you bring a calmness that is unlike any other. Any last comments for your fans?

Thank you as well for you time, Cadenza. For the readers, may your skies be filled with stars. As you see them above, they will guide you to your dreams and wishes.

--Cadenza Magazine

[yellowhollyhock]

Alright, here's my analysis of the data. I've never taken a single statistics course, don't know how to finish this sentence,

How the Turtles Compare in the Open Poll

Leo and Raph are about equally popular; that's not surprising. Donnie pulls ahead, also doesn't shock me, and--wait wait wait whaaaat. Mikey is the least popular? But but but. Look at him though he's such a sweet little guy. He's funny he's competent he has so much potential for angst, why didn't people--oh wait I didn't vote for Mikey either asldjfls.

This seriously does surprise me, though. I see a lot of Mikey content in the fandom, I was always under the impression he was one of the more popular. So is there some sampling bias, because I don't post about Mikey very often? Probably. Is that sufficient to explain the gap? I don't know, that's a pretty big gap. Especially considering how much Mikey writing and Mikey art. From this alone I am concluding that we don't always draw or write about our favorites--and this holds true for me. I do have a lot of Donny stories, but even they tend to feature Mikey quite a lot, and if there's a turtle I write about second-most it'd easily be Mikey (although I haven't written about any of them in a while asdfadsf).

I also wonder if the fact that I didn't specify the iteration put Mikey at a disadvantage. Because lots of times even Mikey lovers I find have one Mikey that they just find annoying--which tbh always surprises me I love all of them alskdjfla. Well I mean I can't claim to know all of them, tmnt is endless, but I've yet to meet a Mikey I dislike. He is usually given the trait of being the annoying one though, and with him being annoying in different ways in each iteration, it makes sense that a multiversal poll (I guess that's what I'm calling this, no it's not implying anything confusing I think this was a great choice, I make great choices, especially in words, help I'm stuck in the parantheses lsjfdlakjsdkfj) would skew the results against him (whew I keysmashed my way outta there oh wait oh no asldkfjalskdjag). That's just speculation though.

Each Turtle's Data

Leo fans are very evenly split between drawing and writing. Lowest percentage of 'other' votes within Leo votes. Ah, the traditional turtle is enjoyed in traditional ways. He's balanced, versatile. One thing I would be curious about with Leo specifically is how much specifying iteration would change his data. I suspect not much--I feel like regardless of which Leo I see a fair amount of art and writing--however I suspect if it were Rise Leo it would be more writing, because there are so many stories exploring how the movie affected him. I don't think there's a Leo I would have predicted less writing and more art for.

Raph is also very close to even, with only just more writers than artists. He does have more 'other' votes as well. I would say his data shows the most variety. In a way, this could make it feel like there's less on him than there is. Raph and Leo both split close to even between writers and artists, but Raph got more votes for other, putting votes for 'Raph, write' behind 'Leo, write,' and the same for drawing. So if you're looking for a specific type of content about Raph (which is the way we usually search, right?), it might seem like there's less on him generally since it's all more spread out.

Don Don really is the People's Choice, huh? (J'hanna reference brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Dongel shipper). Between 1987 Donatello 'I can take you wimps' The Turtle, 2003 severely traumatized sweetheart of all time Donny, and Rise Canon Austism Tello, the numbers are not surprising. Anyway here is where we see the biggest spread, and it looks like Donnie fans are most likely to be artists, with almost half of his votes for drawing! Which is kinda cool because Donatello makes things with his hands. He's not usually portrayed as the artsy turtle, but the care we see him put into making things for people he cares about and the way he sometimes attaches his worth to how well it's received or lives up to what he had in his head--fun correlation.

Mikey, while he only got a few votes, is our winner as far as percentage of 'other' votes. Which also surprised me. Maybe it shouldn't, though, he's a very useful character for comedy, which means incorrect quotes and screenshots. I honestly expected a lot of Mikey fans to be writers. He's such a versatile charatcter to write for, whether you're wanting a few laughs, catharsis, action-packed plot, shipping. He's so dynamic and so much deeper than he often presents. And I see a lot of writing on him. Idk y'all I think this poll just didn't reach the Mikey fans. Or the Mikey fans aren't on tumblr? idk.

Open Poll vs Yellow Circle

Before putting the poll out there I posted an unrebloggable version only intended to reach my followers, in order to get an idea of what type of bias I would see in the circulated poll after, as well as the ways what I'm likely to see differ from what's theoretically out there.

One bias: I am clearly posting about and following those who post about Raph (I mean I ran the March for Raph event, I don't think surprises anyone). Looking at the numbers, I think this filtered itself out when the poll was circulated, but it is still worth bearing in mind that a poll I posted is more likely to have the data skewed in Raph's favor.

Another bias: hardly any Mikey votes. This is where I was glad I did this because I didn't expect that, I think of myself as a Mikey lover and forget sometimes that I really don't post about him. Mikey lovers aren't likely to follow me, too many of my posts are Raph essays and Donny incorrect quotes. Looking at the numbers, this bias is evident in the circulated poll. We can assume that if this bias weren't present we'd have more Mikey votes, but the difference is still so significant that I believe we would see a gap still, just not as much of one.

Also an interesting difference: Leo and Raph were evenly split in the open poll, but in the check-yellow's-bias poll, we had more Leo artists and more Raph writers.

That is all.

Thank you to everyone who participated! This was fun. My curiousity is satisfied. Perhaps I will revisit this data and come up with more questions, but not this week. After school is over (or maybe in a few years idk askjdflsa)

I'm curious about the correlation, if any, between someone's favorite turtle and their participation in the tmnt fandom. Like, are there more likely to be drawings of Don and stories of Mikey (random example)?

Other= gifsets/screenshots, incorrect quotes, analysis or reaction posts, video clips and compilations. Probably something else that I forgot.

please vote and spread!

[aheadofgold]

What Anger Teaches

I have been angry lately.  It’s a pretty popular emotion for me.  I usually think it’s my problems that make me angry.  Today I wondered if it’s my anger that makes my problems.   

I'm angry all the time and minor things set me off.  Stubbing my toe, my coworker, traffic, my dog. But my anger is there to begin with, before any of these things have happened, and it causes me to see a situation as something to be mad about.  I reverse engineer my way into excusing my expressions of anger instead of acknowledging that the anger underlies everything to begin with. 

I wonder if this original anger is causing these expressions. These outbursts. If I was not already mad, would traffic bother me like this? I wonder if the traffic is just an excuse for me to vent my anger, and that it’s not really about the traffic at all. 

I notice that I use anger to cover other emotions.  When I look back at my youth and the humiliation I experienced, I get mad, because it’s embarrassing to have been humiliated.  And it feels unjust and wrong, and I don’t feel like I deserved that.  I get mad about it. I also get curious about what it covers. If I start to look at my anger as a foundation, what is beneath and beside it?  If I recognize that my problems don’t make me angry, but that I am already angry and it causes problems, I feel it open space for me. 

When I get mad I can understand that I'm not mad about that thing in that moment.  I’m just mad about everything all the time, and it was going to be this thing or some other thing that allowed me the opportunity to get upset and vent that anger out of myself and into the world.  So it’s no longer about that thing in that moment.  I don’t have to act mad toward myself or my dog or traffic.  I can start getting curious about my anger as a whole. 

My anger covers my shame, my disappointment, my sadness, my wishful thinking, my pessimism, my misfortune, my unluck, my frustration.  What if I called these things by their correct names, instead of shoving them under my anger, and gave them space to work themselves out?  

People, rotten children, the trashcan options I have to vote for, the invasive species slowly strangling our landscapes, the mass extinction of species, the job I don’t find fulfilling, my loneliness.  

Is this all anger?   

Changing my perspective helps. Moving my body, doing some yoga, going outside and finding something to do on the land. It’s good to start peeling back the layers of anger, seeing what’s inside there, and also good to discover more constructive ways to move through this.  

I took Eugene (my dog) for a walk today through the cemetery.  It’s interesting to think about death.  I wondered if I would be buried there.  Then I wondered if they are accepting new bodies.  Then I wondered if I wouldn’t rather be composted, which I would. 

There was a man somewhere along the way and my first emotion was anger. But I stopped and questioned it. I was angry because he scared me.  It was wild because at first I was annoyed by his presence.  I thought, look at this asshole who I'm going to have to interact with and deal with or awkwardly avoid.  Then I realized that I didn’t want to see him or be near him because I don’t trust him because I'm scared by unfamiliar men.  It was fascinating.  As if I would have to justify my presence or the words I used.   

Usually I'm just mad at people as my default. My first thoughts are anger. It was wonderfully freeing to discover it was not anger. It was so much more, and deeper, and move intricate than anger. It is fascinating putting new names to emotions, and trying to work out which word matches what I'm feeling.  Literally figuring out my emotions. 

Bratty children repulse me. 

I am scared by many men. 

I feel sorrow at the loss of life and habitat everywhere. 

I feel overwhelmed by invasive species. 

I am baffled by the bloodlust of world “leaders”. 

I am proud of courageous people. 

I feel joy at the sight of the moon. 

So many different things behind the shield of my anger. 

I feel like water that has started to move, and the stream finds all these cracks and crevices to leak into.  I’m seeing this firehose of anger losing speed and volume to each of these drinking pockets.  Each new emotion becomes a new outlet for the massive pool I've always simply called “anger”, and it’s starts to drain it. I feel a loosening between my neck and shoulder blades as I write about it. 

I got home and watched a video and Bob Proctor was talking. He said something along the lines of “We have the ability to think anything that we want to think.  Thoughts dictate emotions which drive actions.  Mental activity does not equal thinking.  Perception, reason, the will, imagination, intuition are thinking.” 

I know what it feels like; my intuition.  It’s the same feeling as when I pray or cast a circle.  It’s an interesting feeling that I get curious about. I can think whatever I want, I just have to decide what I want to think.  Often when I think of things, my first thought is “that wouldn’t work”.  Instead of watching more videos or playing a game or eating or going to bed, I decided to allow myself some time to think what it would look like if it did work. 

Being a good yoga teacher feels great. 

Teaching peace and meditation feels great. 

Blogging feels great. 

After writing these things, a strange thing happened. My thoughts felt incomplete. They felt unfinished. They felt false. I felt the need to qualify them.  I wanted to add “but...” And thankfully I’ve been doing all this work around my anger and I've been paying attention to what I'm feeling and sitting with it and trying to name what I feel. It was amazing to realize that it was doubt. The “but...” was just doubt inside me raising its hand. I’m usually so interested in what it has to say.  But the joy at having uncovered another emotion overrode the desire to listen to it. It gave it a name, called it out, and it lost power.  

I can choose what I think. This doubt doesn’t complete my thoughts. It doesn’t finish my sentences. It’s not the truth and the judge and the deciding factor on what does or does not happen to me. It’s just an emotion. Like any other. Thank you for raising your hand. Hello doubt. You can sit down, and I can move on. 

It felt like I turned an obstacle into a path. 

I woke up this morning and the cat pissed me off.  But then I remembered that she didn’t, because I'm already mad, and that was just a flare up; an expression of the anger I always carry. So my plan is to notice that I'm angry.  Then, dig.  Is this anger, or is anger covering something else? I’ve discovered a backlog of emotions. There is shame, disappointment, embarrassment, lack of control or decorum, uncertainty, unclarity, unawareness, self-absorption, tryharding, manic, grace, gratitude, joy. It’s been amazing to feel things.   

I wonder what’s on the other side of this.  More perspective and more challenges.  More opportunities. I want to keep opening myself and finding space and courage. 

[jadelapis]

Wanted to talk about this a bit (the poll is still going on Mastodon because tusky as a client lets you set polls for 30 days even though the instance I posted it from (elekk) doesn't allow that normally. So if you have a mastodon account that federates with elekk and I must stress that Mastodon dot Social and Mastodon dot Online do *NOT* you can vote here. )

I was genuinely baffled at some of the reblog tags I got, but I didn't want to influence things while the poll was going on (here) so I kept my mouth shut.

Q & A below the cut

Question: Why did you pit these two bad bitches against each other?

Answer: Because I am a romantic at heart, even if I don't act like it, and I may have a weird sense of what's romantic (I really romanticize death, as an example, and I don't just mean ThanZag from Hades Game). Basically, sometimes I think about stuff, and wonder which is more romantic, and often times, I cannot decide, and make a poll (usually just on mastodon) to make people suffer / pick for me. On Mastodon there's a tradition of making one of your poll options "Spider-man" partially as a "I can't pick" thing and partially because until relatively recently you could not see results in an ongoing poll without having voted in it. Sometimes when I'm feeling "mean" I make polls where you can only pick one, there is no Spider-man option, and you don't want to pick anything.

But this combination (which I will talk more about below) was picked because I couldn't decide for myself which was more romantic. I joked on Mastodon that I was gonna post this first day of Pride to tear Sapphics apart, but it was only a joke. I love both pairings. I will discuss Bias below as well.

Question: Why these two moments?

Answer: Because I knew one of the moments I was thinking about as super romantic was from Dungeon Meshi, and I wanted a moment I felt was complementary from another popular series, TLT. I did *not* pick my favorite moments from the two, it's more that the moment from Gideon the Ninth (choosing death) complemented the Farcille moment (choosing life no matter what) better. There aren't a lot of other moments in Farcille / DunMeshi that stood out to me when I was preparing the poll, and if I added multiple TLT options, that would be unfair to that fandom, because that would split the vote and the DunMeshi choice would be certain to win. Basically: I picked a single moment from TLT because this *single* moment from DunMeshi would not leave my mind. If you're curious, my favorite Griddlehark moment is probably choosing a lobotomy because of your grief / not wanting to digest your closest friend / "friend". Maybe someday I will feature that in a poll against a romantic moment from another pairing (not necessarily Farcille) but not right now. Maybe something will come to me next pride. And provided someone reminds me, When TLT fandom is fed / more active (read: When Alecto is out) I can run this poll again.

Question: Are you biased?

Answer: Everyone is biased about stuff. As much as we like to pretend we're objective, we're not. You wouldn't tell a researcher they can't study something that matters to them because they care about it, right?

To give an example from a college class from over a decade ago, a researcher that partakes of cannabis on occasion isn't banned from doing surveys about "Should we legalize Weed", that researcher needs to acknowledge (at least to themselves) that they have some investment in seeing weed legalized, but if they work on the study with that upfront, it's fine. Also, even if someone did not do drugs, that doesn't mean they're objective and have zero opinions on it. Maybe they have harsh beliefs in stoners going to prison, for example.

ANYWAY....

This is a tumblr (And mastodon) poll, I am not writing a thesis I am done with college. I like both pairings. I probably currently like Farcille more in the sense that I've been well-fed lately, and I am still waiting for an Alecto the Ninth announcement. If you're paying attention to my reblogs, A couple times a week I queue up a bunch of stuff while browsing tumblr. DunMeshi is really active right now, so I have a lot of fanart I can reblog. I do reblog TLT stuff too, though one of my dear friends has not read Nona the Ninth yet, so until they tell me otherwise, I am not reblogging Nona the Ninth spoilers. (I personally don't care about spoilers in 95% of things, but I realize a lot of people do so I try to be considerate, but yes I often forget to tag spoilers, I should probably make sure this is in my pinned post but you can always request I tag something as long as it is within reason). I also reblog Hades I and II and Umineko stuff among others. I am multi faceted, but if you only see two reblogs in the middle of the night from me, right now the odds are they're DunMeshi fanart reblogs.

I am a fan of both series and both pairings, though I have yet to write for either series (and I don't know if I ever will. Other than my recent Mother 2 / EarthBound fic I haven't written fanfiction in over a decade. I would like to write more Fanfic when it comes to me though)

If Alecto the Ninth is out before June 1st next year (and I haven't been driven off the site in disgust of its current transphobic bullshit), I will rerun this poll. I just put it in my calendar.

I hope that clears things up.

And while the poll was in a jokey sense, I DO hope you enjoyed it, even if you're bitter Griddlehark lost and blame me. And I *do* hope you have a happy pride (unless you're a TERF then fuck you).

Happy Pride Got a Yuri-themed question for you :))))

Which is gayer (or if you prefer: more romantic)

(Using LI as an abbreviation of "Love Interest" for the sake of space) and YES I know there were other moments I could chose, but I felt these were the best two to pair against each other.

[lenteur]

you're so precious !!! i'm sorry i've been away for a couple of days, work is really busy because it's christmas time and ugh STRESS

i'd love my job more if some customers weren't so rude all the time. i had an absolutely horrible call today with a guy who thought that trying to intimidate me was the way to go. (he didn't get far but he really got on my nerves.....) i wish some people were nicer to employees :( honestly i don't know what i want to do as like, a full time thing. i'm interested in a lot of crime stuff (not committing crime but solving it!) 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

maybe a bit of both?? 💕🥺 you're so sweet omg!! :(

oh my god SAME, i share ur pain 😭

it definitely does :( whenever i get into a new group, i always like to read about them so i can get to know a little bit about them (and see who shares my mbti or birthday if possible haha) and on kpop profiles, they always have their little "who's your bias" poll at the bottom. i get curious all the time and i just vote on them to see, and it's hurtful when i see one member has like 50k+ votes and the member at the bottom will have a couple hundred thousand :( i honestly hope no k-pop group ever reads into these because they can be damaging :( i mean, i know we all have our favourites but i love all members of every group i'm into equally. no one is least liked than the others <3

i'm definitely the same when i get into a new group, i have to paste the names into google to make sure i'm spelling them correctly 🤣 that's okay!!!! i forgive you in advance 💗

i'm EXACTLY THE SAME. my favourite show is criminal minds and every time i see the killer coming towards someone, i'm like LOOK OUT and then when someone gets hurt, i turn to my boyfriend like "HOW DARE THEY NOT LISTEN TO ME YELLING" 🤣 i think i am the worst person to watch things with. in the cinema, i'm as quiet as a mouse but in my own house, i do talk through things (unless the other person tells me to shut up)

i signed up to a stray kids secret santa and i followed this person who liked one of my gifs and then two minutes later i got an ask saying "this person is your secret santa" AND IT WAS THE PERSON I FOLLOWED !!!! like what r the chances <333 we became moots but they don't know it's me............. i hope.........

i hope we can definitely keep in touch once i've revealed myself <3 ily already, you're just so lovely and even though i'm a ball of crippling anxiety, i LOVE talking to you ❤ you made my heart SMILEEEEEE, i am sending you the biggest virtual HUG EVER 💚🥰

YES to all of those groups !!!! it'll never happen but i want a 2NE1 cb. my heart still hopes, i was OBSESSED with them !!!! was literally listening to "pirate" when i saw you liked everglow. they're so so underrated 🙄

their debut song was probably one of those songs where i was like what the hell is going on >.< i really did not like o.o, it wasn't until i watched their perf at mama that i was like THIS IS CATCHY :( loona deserve better honestly :((

also.... i have to ask...... do you like cats 🐈

(i know. u are the highlight of mine (brb kinda sobbing bc ur so sweet)

—svt secret santa 🎅 🎁🎄

It's okay 🤗🥰 you never have to apologise for something like that. Especially because you're braver than the marines for working in service (from what I've gathered 🧐🤔) I'm so sorry you have to deal with people like that man 💔 I don't know why people seem to think shouting and threatening is the way to go... I think the best way to make others understand you and help you with your problem is to be nice and cordial to them 💓 At least, that's the way I see things. And, whenever I go to a shop, I always try to compliment the people working there so their day isn't all sadness and frustration ♥️ Sending you good vibes and giving you big hugs for the holiday season 🫂💙💪

Yeah, especially for nugu groups, you'll only have one or two popular members (aka the ones they send on a bunch of shows to make the group more known) but the rest will be forgotten 😭😭😭 I've learnt to not look at those surveys and go on with my life 💕

Oh 👀👀👀 I see you're a fellow criminal minds enjoyer 😊 I think this is a big clue as to who you are 🤭🧐👀 Who's you favourite? If I had to guess, I'd say Dr Reid (is that how you spell his name?). Let me know if I'm wrong 🤭 Mine is Penelope and I really like her little flirtations with Derek (I hope that's his name 🤞 it's been a while since I last watched an episode) I don't watch it as often now because I used to have nightmares about the killers 😭💔 TMI TMI !!! And, I'm the same 🤣 I can't help but comment every single thing on a show I'm watching on TV (I got that from my mom 💕) but at the cinema, I'm the one getting mad when there's someone talking 😭🤣 Call that duality if you will 🤣🤣🤣

No way 😳🤯 What are the chances of that happening? I would've been so shook if I was you 😱 I wouldn't know what to do 🤣 Hopefully the stayblr secret Santa event is going well for you 💞 I don't know how you manage to juggle with two events at once wow! I always stuck to only one because, knowing myself, I'll mix things up and then the one reviving my messages would wonder if I'm okay 🤣🤣🤣😭

Awee 🥺🥺🥺 the feeling is mutual 💓 You're so sweet and fun and kind and I can't wait to know more about you 🫶 Sending you the biggest virtual hug back bestie 🫂

Even if they never have a cb, I'll consider the Coachella reunion like their last ot4 comeback... The lengths we go to as blackjacks to keep hope 💔 Literally when you sent me the mouse game episode, it was already in my recommended videos on yt 😱 I was so shocked! And I see we both like everglow 👀 We were meant to be 🫂💓 I would've followed you and we would still be besties, even without this event 💖 I can't wait to have a nickname specifically made for you 🥰 with an emoji as well

Kind of a controversial opinion but o.o was kinda okay for me. I mean it's certainly not the best song that I've ever heard but I did enjoy it a bit ☺️ Still would've preferred if the entire song sounded like the second verse but yeah, I did enjoy it haha

Uh do I like cats? Is that even a question? OF COURSE I DO 😍😘🐈 (the caps were necessary because I had to show you how serious I am about my love for cats) I actually plan on adopting one 💗 But I have to see if my apartment and the area where I live match with the cat. I don't want to make a rushed decision. I want to give it the best conditions ever 💖 Do YOU have cats? If so, what are their names? I would've asked for pictures but you can't send them on anon 😔💔 I'll ask for some when you reveal yourself 🥰

You're so sweet too 🥺😭 I don't care if I look like a fool rn you're too kind and adorable and precious to not smile and feel warm all over 💖

Wishing you a lovely weekend and a lot of fun for the holidays ☺️💕

[sylviakent]

How Hinge Disrupted Online Dating with Data

The sites below cater to an older demographic and make it easier for seniors to try online dating. Action Step: If you’re looking for love, make sure to mention it on your profile. They're just looking to hook up. You can specify the age range of people you're looking to meet in your profile, and you can even see when potential dates were last active on the site, saving you from messaging dead accounts. It depends on how long the long-distance thing is going to last. Which of the following romance movies are you going to watch? For sure, but it's much more practical than romance movies would have you believe. How much jealousy are we talking about here? Too much drama to keep straight. נערות ליווי במרכז Yes, I keep in contact with all of them. No, I don't keep in contact with any of them. Since November 2014, contact and interaction beyond the first message per person requires a premium (i.e., paid) subscription. So if you're curious about what type of person you should be dating, then take our romantic relationship quiz right now!

If you don't sense this kind of "fireworks" feeling after the first few dates, then they're probably not the ideal person for you. Then we agreed to meet for happy hour drinks that weekend. Signing up to the service is pretty easy, all you need is an Android or an iOS device and the app itself. Users typically reach out to the company, often through Support, when they need to fix an issue. What stood out about them? It's out there, but most people will never find it. The next time you find yourself engaging in one of the following behaviors, consider how you could turn the situation around and approach it from a more mindful perspective. I could have drawn them separately, but it will turn out that presenting them as overlapping bars makes it easier to think about the overall fraction of Democrats voting for the Civil Rights Act. Well, think about someone that you may have been attracted to in the past. These types of people will not only grab your attention, but they may be the key to making your ideal relationship an everlasting one. Nora DeKeyser is a professional matchmaker and relationship coach and has helped over 20,000 singles.

This is referred to as "romantic chemistry," which is the spark between two people in a relationship. Sometimes, this spark is ignited through mutual interests and in-depth conversations, but some people can simply feel this through their instincts. If you’re an active blogger (i.e. at least once a month) yet don’t feel like you would call yourself a creator, it would still be great to have you participate in IndieWebCamp. ’ or ‘Would you feel comfortable if I kiss you? Yes, but I don't take it that seriously. But understanding what the heart and mind require to work through the process can help when figuring out the next steps and finding the courage to take them. Maybe you're a geek in the streets and a freak in the sheets - there are plenty of apps where geeks can just find a hookup, too. We have a lot of options and lists from which you can choose from, you are welcome to click here and find out why we are the best dating service in town. Vangelis himself was absent, due to influenza, but the doors eventually opened and the guests were welcomed in with champaign and delightful little snacks including little balls of chocolate that were so good they're actually worth mentioning here.

A good profile also increases your chances of meeting someone special sooner than you thought. Would you classify them as a nerd, athlete or someone who is just plain popular? But, have BTS had any girlfriends and if so, who were, or are, they dating? So, what do we mean by "types" of people? Dua's boyfriend is a professional model, so, what better excuse to get him in her music video? Which of these would you call your famous boyfriend? Yes, I'm so ready for this. Yes, a few times. It's really nice, but I wouldn't say it's phenomenal. He went on to say that Filipina girls are not materialistic and were only concerned that their partner be truthful, responsible and devoted. Flamingoes because their mating dances are lit. When it comes to the dating world, guys and gals are often spending time with people who aren't their type. Who knows what happened. It depends on who I'm around. It depends on why they aren't family-oriented. Q: Why does this cost $25?

[qqueenofhades]

i'm genuinely curious... is it even possible to win in states like florida and texas at this point? even in georgia, after it flipped blue in 2020, the republicans rushed to make things even harder for marginalized voters (i'm pretty sure that's why this runoff is happening a month earlier? i could be wrong, but that's what i've read). with everything so divided between the democrats and literal fascism in the gop, i feel like every time we make any kind of progress they'll strip it back and make things even more difficult. i really don't mean this to sound cynical, and i'm so sorry if it does, i'm just curious. i wasn't old enough to vote in 2016 (i still had a few months before i turned 18) so i feel like my experience w elections in this country has generally been so much division that's only gotten worse

Yes, it is possible, and I'll tell you why:

Fascism is not inevitable.

This is not Pollyanna-ing, or "hopium," or whatever else the professional doomsayers like to jump in with (borne of the same school of thought that brands happy endings in fiction "unrealistic," because clearly the Real World is nothing but pain and suffering all the time) whenever someone expresses cautious optimism for the future, as if it's a coolness contest to see how to be the most pessimistic all the time. I'll tell you how I know: because if the Republican Party in its current incarnation thought that its ideas were genuinely popular or actually supported by the American public (and not just a grudging corollary of WAH WAH GAS PRICES!), they wouldn't spend absolutely ALL THEIR TIME doing their damndest to suppress voters. They wouldn't dwell endlessly on imaginary fraud, make endless voter suppression laws, run psyops convincing younger (and thus liberal-leaning) people that it's a waste of time to vote, etc etc. They are SHIT SCARED of any change that makes it easier for the general public to vote, because they know if they do, those people will vote, the Republicans will lose power, and due to the shifting demographics that see old Republican voters dying out and picking up only a minority of the next generation, they will not get it again. They are especially horrible right now because they are TERRIFIED, especially after seeing those Gen Z numbers for the Democrats. But because youth turnout overall was still bad, they likewise bought themselves a few years more to hang on. Still, the future is ours, not theirs, and they are fucking losing it.

Basically, the gamble the GOP made in this election was that they could howl about The Economy (which is doing shockingly well overall, despite high inflation etc), and voters would just ignore all their ludicrously dangerous nutcase beliefs on abortion, democracy, election denialism, etc, and vote for them anyway, even though they offered absolutely no plan to fix it apart from their usual method of blaming the Democrats for everything. Well, to say the least. That did not work. Election deniers running for positions where they could majorly influence state elections got across-the-board thumped, and abortion rights won everywhere, even in home of Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul (ugh) Kentucky. Voters do care about The Economy, but they also do care about basic things like bodily autonomy and representative democracy, and they aren't willing to throw those things away and go full MAGA even if WAH WAH GAS PRICES. That matters, and it will also matter in 2024, when we have to do this all over again.

Likewise, the Republican establishment/media is finally starting to visibly turn on Trump-- not because he's literally the worst person alive, but because they're realizing what an electoral liability he is, and all they care about is power. Once Trump is in the way of that, they will get mad at him, but Trump won't go away quietly and will do his best to burn them down on the way out. If the GOP is turning against Trump, there may also be less opposition if or, pray God, WHEN the DOJ finally fucking indicts him and drags his stupid orange ass to jail. That is likewise a good thing.

Anyway: yes, Democrats (and democracy in general) can win in Florida and Texas, if they put in the bottom-up effort rather than immediately trying to flip the flashy and high-profile offices. Both of those states have been institutionally designed to maintain the crazies' power, and it works very well. But if people keep putting in the work, it will not be forever, and the Republicans know the tipping point is not far in the future. There are more of us than there are of them. Fascism is not inevitable. It works by disheartening you and making you decide that there's no point in fighting, because it will just happen anyway. That is not true, and it needs to be challenged whenever it turns up as "received wisdom." Because. Yes.

Anyway, once more and as ever: Vote every election, especially if you are under age 45. Vote Blue. Make the Fascists Big Sad. Repeat.

Thank.