#a lot of people will never ever ever vote for them because of their ties to the provos

[mrfancyfoot]

Today I logged into facebook for the first time in nearly 4 years and went through every profile in my friends list (like ~300) and purged out all the assholes (anyone who openly voted for Trump, other conservatives, and those who I strongly believe did). I've done this before so there weren't many but there are a number that have been wishy-washy with being outward in their bigotry and it helps me keep a mental list of people that deserve only the most very basic level of respect that I can muster because they certainly do not respect me nor people I care about nor many of their fellow human beings. Most disheartening is seeing friends and family who continue to put effort into engaging with people who argue in bad faith and weaponized ignorance.

I dated a man for nearly a year who went to women's and pro-choice rallies and liberal groups with me and said many times that he "was on my side" but turned out to be lying the whole time because he knew I definitely wouldn't date him otherwise. I'd known him for years before since we ran in the same friend circle. I wasn't the only one he had fooled. He slowly lifted the mask until we were constantly arguing because of his bigoted and racist remarks. His favorite thing to do was act oppressed and show me the most obvious Russian propaganda that he would get upset at me for fact-checking and asking for real sources. He wanted to argue, so what he hated most was when I refused to argue with him. Nothing I said was going to change his mind, so I wasn't going to humor or tolerate it (we didn't last long after that point, but by that time, I was afraid of leaving without an excuse that would be "good enough" for him). He legitimately wants civil war so that he can play survival hero and feel validated in his hatred. It didn't come on quickly and a lot of the comments started as "odd" off the cuff things through the time that we dated. He was very much pretending to be a kind person and once really called out, that pretense dropped. He thought I was more like him and that a lot of my regard and kindness for others is "fake." Because that's what a lot of people like that do - they fake being kind for optics, they are not actually kind people, and therefore presume that everyone else is doing the same thing. It's given me major trust issues.

Can't say this enough: these people feel validation in their bigotry when you continue to associate with them. They need to be dropped. They need to learn that their shitty beliefs mean that they get shunned. Make them feel uncomfortable. Quit tiptoeing around and coddling their delicate little feelings because they might get upset. It's okay for them to get upset because someone was mean and told them they don't like them because they think gay and trans people shouldn't exist. I once made a post about how a raped 11 year old child should never be expected to give birth, was told that it was "god's will" and like 5 people piled on the guy so badly he told us to stop being "mean" to him and was terrified to talk to me at work ever again (I have since cut all ties and no longer work with him). I'm personally extremely tired of playing nice for the sake of possibly "converting" someone - especially because you can be polite in telling someone to fuck off with their beliefs. Their beliefs are dangerous, are going to result in people losing their lives, and a frightening number of them are completely okay with that. We need to stop being tolerant of intolerance. It is okay to cut people (including family) from your life when all their presence does is bring you stress and harm.

In a similar vain, don't let the people who chose not to vote (or "protest voted") stick their heads in the sand to escape blame. They are just as culpable as anyone else who directly voted for Trump and other conservatives. They need to grow the fuck up.

For a lot of liberals, it's really uncomfortable to be confrontational and feel like you're being intolerant of someone, but it's way past time to play hardball and call them out instead of coddling them, especially as we're going into the holiday season where many of us will be seeing family with shitty views and targeted family that may need someone to stand up for them. Let them know they're shitty and inappropriate and a disappointment and unworthy of your regard because they certainly lack it for others. Obviously still be safe, but many of us very likely aren't losing anything of value in that scenario. Not having bigoted family members in my life in any way has made me so much happier.

A helpful tip to those who may find themselves in a confrontation: do not stay engaged. Let your views be known and then disengage. Because many of them love to argue and feel like they're defending themselves (many are addicted to those feelings of hatred and overcoming "oppression"), what they don't like is being ignored and feeling like you're rinsing your hands of them. They don't deserve your stress and constant efforts. There are ways to open a dialogue when they are willing to discuss civilly with an open mind, but if they bring intolerance, just shut it down.

(via jhig8bd0cczd1.png (PNG Image, 744 × 810 pixels))

[qqueenofhades]

There is no law that prevents a convicted felon from running for and becoming president, nor a law that bans someone from being president in prison. Also, if Trump gets incapacitated in someway, many ultra right republicans who equally despise trans people and immigrants and Muslims would happily take his place

And I ask, with all due respect, what is your point?

Do you think I don't know that?

Do you think I am somehow convinced that everything is hunky dory now and we don't have any work left to do?

Are you just determined to be the first of the gloom-and-doomers who show up like clockwork in my inbox, every time some consequence happens to Trump, to morosely insist that no consequences will happen to him? First it was "he'll win re-election." Then it was "the coup will succeed." Then it was "he will never be indicted." Then it was "2022 will be a red wave!" Then it was "he will never be tried." Then it was "he will never be convicted." Now we've moved on, within less than 2 hours of the first US President ever to be convicted of ONE felony, let alone THIRTY-FOUR, "he'll never be sentenced or face a real consequence or lose the election." The goalposts keep moving RIGHT along without even a single pause to acknowledge the difficulty and the value of the progress we have made thus far, and it makes me CRAZY.

Do you people realize how fucking rare it is, both in the world today and historically, for a former (and would-be future) head of state to be held to criminal account by a jury of 12 anonymous ordinary citizens? When that one person, Trump, is the center of the malignant fascist cancer that has spread through this country ever since 2016, and plenty of his cultists are still insisting that it's Trump or nobody for them? When we've actually reached the stage of holding him legally accountable for (some of) his crimes for the first time in his miserable misbegotten life? I suspect that most of you are so deep in the "America is totally broken and the system is useless and we can only Revolute!!!1" rabbit hole that you're bound and determined to argue away every step we take, however slow, as Meaning Nothing TM. Voting? Fake. Fighting to make real progress? Also fake. Everything is fake except our belief that everything is broken and we need the Keyboard Warrior Glorious Revolution!!! As long as you can keep inventing ever more contorted twists of logic to ignore everything else that's happened so far, this makes sense... or something. I guess?

Now we're onto "removing Trump won't matter :(" when a whole lot of people have been fighting day and fucking night to get all the privileged-princess Online Leftists to get off their Che Guevara cosplaying asses and cast a single fucking vote to keep us from full-on-sliding into fascism. A slide into fascism that, again, has been spearheaded and centered around Trump's toxic cult of personality and which is still tied to him in almost every way. Apparently holding him to account (again, which has never happened to him in his life) already doesn't matter because wah wah he won't suffer any consequences. If he loses this election he's probably going to jail for the rest of his life! We would have electorally defeated the greatest threat to the American democratic experiment in 250 years, and frankly a huge part of the fascist far-right hydra that is currently attempting a comeback around the world! This is, yet again:

THE FIRST TIME ANY AMERICAN PRESIDENT, EVER, HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE FELONY CHARGES IN A COURT OF LAW BY A JURY OF HIS PEERS

and yet we're still hearing that nothing matters and no work has been done and removing him will have no effect???

Come on. Come on. I know it's tiring and it's slow and it doesn't go as fast as we want. But every single damn time the process goes another step, here you people are in my inbox insisting that we're still at zero progress and it means nothing, and lemme tell you, I am Tired of it. Come on. You don't have to jump up and down (my own feeling is glee and vindication but still not relaxation, I will not relax until he loses the fucking election and goes to jail), but you also don't need to keep myopically pretending that all the effort thus far by so many people means nothing. Come on.

[greenglowinspooks]

Gävle Goat v.s. two drunk half-ghosts (DCxDP)

—

Tw: alcohol consumption (no way), one(1) mention of sex

Summary: Jason and Danny accidentally burn down the Gävle goat. You all voted for this, and I delivered. Merry crisis, tis the season and all that.

—

Jason wove through the ever-shifting crowd, an irritated scowl on his face.

Kori and Roy had dragged him here to celebrate a successful mission together, but the two had wandered off together not thirty minutes after they arrived, effectively stranding him in an unfamiliar club in Europe.

Now, his only two options seemed to be stealing someone’s car and getting back to their temporary safehouse himself, or waiting for the two to come back for him.

Still, considering the lecture he���d get from Dick if he hotwired a random guy’s car just because he didn’t want to wait for his friends, option one wasn’t much of an option at all.

It was humiliating. He was a crime lord, not a little kid who’d lost their mom in the store.

Jason sighed, slumping against the wall as he watched the drunken crowd swirl together.

He had never really felt at home in places like this, especially not since his resurrection. It always felt like people were staring at him, like they just intrinsically knew that he was other.

Jason startled when he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

“Sorry!” The stranger said, “I just, um, are you okay?”

Jason blinked. The person talking to him was clearly somewhat tipsy, wearing a blush on his face and a slightly loopy smile. How had he possibly snuck up on him? Was he really that deep in thought?

“My asshole friends ditched me, and now I’m stuck here,” Jason blurted out without thinking. The stranger barked out a laugh, clearly surprised.

“That sucks,” he said, leaning on the wall next to Jason. He hummed in response.

The stranger looked back at the open bar, where quite a few people were frantically miming to him. He motioned back to them, clearly hoping for them to stop, before just flipping them off. Jason chuckled at that.

“Those your friends?”

The stranger blushed brighter, the tips of his ears going red.

“Uh, yeah. We’re here to celebrate some legal stuff that I finally got done with, but, uh, they wanted me to go talk to you.”

Jason hummed again, giving the stranger a quick once-over. He was actually pretty cute; he had messy black hair, icy eyes, and an outfit that screamed “I’ve never been in a club before but my friends dragged me here anyways”.

If he was gonna be waiting for Kori and Roy anyways, why not have some fun?

“Well, I am technically here alone, now that my friends wandered off,” he said, looking at the stranger meaningfully.

The stranger grinned brightly, holding a hand out to him.

“Then, d’you wanna hang out with my friends and I? I promise we’re lot of fun! I’m Danny, by the way.”

Jason took his hand, the beginnings of a smile on his face.

“Call me Jason,” he said, following along as the (surprisingly strong) man dragged him over to his friends.

-

Danny was having the time of his life.

The restraining order on Vlad had finally been granted. The abolition of the Infinite Realms’ monarchy had gone through. And, on top of all that, he was on the most incredible club-hopping adventure of his un-life.

And sure, it might not have been the best idea to give ghost alcohol to Jason, the mortal his group had picked up in Germany, but he was taking it like a champ!

He hadn’t thrown up yet, in any case, so clearly it wasn’t that much of an issue.

Danny giggled, leaning up against Jason as they walked along the street, his ghostly friends filling the street.

As the night went along and they all got more and more tipsy, they’d mostly let go of their mortal forms. Despite being surrounded by a bunch of ghosts with death-blows clearly exposed and mythological creatures, Jason didn’t seem to be too bothered. He had an arm wrapped around Danny’s shoulders and was singing along with some of the ghosts in Arabic(?), his lovely baritone voice echoing out amongst the dead and unborn.

Danny just snuggled further into his side, enjoying the novel feeling of human warmth. He’d have to get Jason’s number after this, Danny sluggishly thinks. If he wasn’t freaked out by Danny being dead once he was sober, at least. He found that most people weren’t quite so open to cuddling up to a corpse. Even if that corpse could talk and walk around.

The streetlights around them began to spin as they once again walked into a rip in the veil. Everyone cheered as the lights warped and distorted, the sky becoming neon green and foggy.

Danny stumbled forward on unsteady legs, dragging Jason along with him. He wanted to get to the front of the group, to see where they were going before everyone else!

Jason tripped as Danny continued to drag him along, stumbling off the path and straight off the Realms island they were currently on. Danny, still clinging to him like a lifeline, fell alongside him.

A cheer from the spirits rang out above them, unaware of their mistake, fading as they fell. Before Danny had a chance to call out, though, they fell through another rip in the veil.

-

Jason sat up. He’d fallen face-first into a snowbank, and judging by the pair of legs sticking out of the snow, Danny had a similar fate. He dragged Danny out of the snow by the feet, tumbling over nothing and falling over in a heap.

Danny rolled over, laying down in the snow next to him with both arms around his waist.

Jason just looked up at the sky in awe.

It was most certainly the alcohol, or maybe the lack of pollution, but the sky looked so much more beautiful than usual.

There were so many stars in his blurry vision, and each one twinkled and shone and spun like they were dancing.

With a tremendous amount of effort, he got to his feet, dragging Danny up with him.

He twirled the man in his arms, his legs unsteady as he tried to waltz. Danny giggled, trying to match his uneven steps.

The arctic wind blew over them, carrying with it the snow and ice of the ages. The wind curled around them, spinning in circles around the pair as they danced. Sprites of fire glimmered in the corners of Jason’s vision, glimmering cheerfully. It seemed that something had caught alight, but nothing was going to distract him from the man in front of him, grinning widely with a blush that covered his entire face.

Jason fell over again, collapsing in the snow, and Danny fell over on top of him.

-

Light shimmered down from the snow-covered trees, falling onto Danny’s face. He scrunched his eyes closed, groaning in agony.

He was so, so hungover.

Served him right for agreeing to go out partying with Johnny of all people.

Danny’s head pounded to the beat of his heart, his core humming in rhythm. He buried his face into the fabric beneath him, trying desperately to block out the light from reaching his sensitive eyes.

Where was he, anyways?

The area around him was definitely snowy; even arctic, maybe, judging by how strongly his core was thrumming. Still, he was perfectly warm, laying on top of…

…a person?

Fuck, he was never partying with Johnny again.

Through great willpower, Danny squirmed off of the stranger and sat up, scrunching up his face as he turned away from the sun. It didn’t make his headache any better, though; the snow reflected the light almost as bright as the sun itself.

Fresh snow can have an albedo of 0.9, Danny remembered, a college lecture popping into his head. It had the highest level of albedo of anything on earth. That’s why it was bouncing the light of the sun directly into his poor sensitive eyes.

Of course Danny would wake up next to a strange man and the first thing that he thought of was science facts.

The man next to him groaned, immediately bringing his arm up to block the sun.

“What the fuck did I do last night?”

“I know, right?”

The man went abruptly still. It took all of Danny’s willpower not to laugh.

“…Do I still have my kidneys at least?”

Now Danny did burst out laughing, bright and cheery. And then he groaned and clutched his head.

“Oh gods my head hurts,” Danny hissed, “does this happen every time you drink?”

“Not unless you hate your liver.”

Danny laughed, and they both fell into silence for a few moments. It wasn’t comfortable silence by any means, though; it was unbearably tense and uncomfortable. Danny almost wished he could die on command, if only to get out of this.

“…Wanna go get breakfast?”

“Fuck yes,” Danny said, getting to his feet before helping the other man up. “Your treat?”

The other man laughed loudly.

“We’ve known each other properly for a total of five minutes, and you’re already bleeding me dry?”

“Come on, I’m a college student, it’s basically my job to ask for free food.”

-

The two of them sat in utter silence as they ate, watching the TV in the corner of the diner with a fascinating flavor of giddy horror.

Someone had burnt down the Gävle goat, and from the footage, it was very clearly them.

It wouldn’t be obvious to anyone else, luckily; the video had gone so staticky that it was very nearly unwatchable. But when combining the scene on the shitty box TV to Danny’s (very limited) memories of the night before, it was clear that they had done it.

“…Knew I forgot something that happened last night.”

Danny barked out a laugh at Jason’s comment, which earned him a sly grin in return.

“Better or worse than getting laid?”

“Eh,” Jason shrugged. “With most people? Better. With you? Worse.”

Danny laughed harder, wrapping a leg around Jason’s and waggling his eyebrows.

“Hey, arson isn’t the worst end to a first night out.”

Jason snorted.

“By the way, are you a meta? I just assumed, with the fire and all…”

Danny looked at him in surprise.

“Oh, I thought that was you.”

“What?”

Danny summoned a small burst of wind, twirling it around in his hands, creating tiny snowflakes.

“I can do that,” he said, gesturing to the snow, “but, like, fire? Nope.”

To Danny’s utter shock, a core in front of him pulsed in confusion, his own mirroring it.

Jason’s core. Jason was dead.

Jason looked at him, his face pale.

“Did you feel that too, or am I having a heart attack?”

Danny laughed nervously.

“As long as we don’t get arrested, I promise I’ll explain everything on the way back to Germany.”

—

Notes:

If Jason really was alive, he wouldn’t be for long after drinking ghost alcohol.

I brought up albedo because I learned something new in science class. Godbles

The wisps were Jason’s core forming and activating for the first time. That’s also what got the goat

[frownyalfred]

Do you think new league members ever get surprised by the built-in nepotism? Like Bruce being who he is like codified rules of hero title succession (like Dick taking Bruce's place as Batman and with it, all his founder status) or the Flash being a titled with a long history of being passed down. I mean, Bruce is even planning on Dick inherenting the league to become it's leader.

Do you think new members look at the member handbook, in the students, apprenticeship, partnerships, and sidekicks, and go "huh. That seems kinda... rigged??". Because honestly? If you're great, sure you can gain a lot of respect and power in the league but you'll never gain more power (from admin power to social power to beyond) then the founding members and founding membership can be inherited.

It's an interesting question. I can't speak to the canon responses very much, but I imagine it has a lot to do with people respecting the hell out of Dick Grayson/Nightwing and knowing he truly is the best leader to inherit Bruce's role. Batman's motivations in assigning that role to Dick isn't for some personal benefit, or a continued stake he wants to maintain in the League. He's not giving the position to Dick, essentially, to benefit himself or Dick -- he's giving it to Dick because he truly believes Dick is the best person to pick up the cowl after him. If he wasn't, I don't think we'd see Bruce handing off the League and Batman to someone who wasn't ready or wouldn't ever be ready.

I will also note that this 180 on nepotism is a very very new gen z phenomenon. I'm not saying I agree one way or another, so don't reblog saying frownyalfred says nepotism is okay. But also, we need to take a step back and realize that for a very long time in this country's history, nepotism, especially in "family" businesses, was damn near expected. Parents gave their kids their businesses when they wanted to retire. Dads hired their sons in their offices, etc etc. There were shades of nepotism, too -- giving a random son a title he didn't earn, versus hiring your accomplished son who just graduated top of his law school. It's not as clear cut as people online would like you to believe, that all nepotism is horrible, that all positions are unearned if they are given by family/friends, and that the worst thing in the world you could do is commit an act of nepotism and not, like, anything else more horrible. That's a tumblr/tiktok thing, which I feel I'm allowed to call out as a fellow member of gen z.

The Justice League isn't a business per se, but it is still something Bruce built and funds. So while we might see some mutterings about nepotism, yeah, I don't imagine anyone is going to get in Bruce's face and give him grief for giving his 1) highly qualified son a 2) position he trained for, for years that 3) Dick is ready to take when Bruce is done 4) in Bruce's own damn house (satellite).

Looking at hero succession through the lens of nepotism does the characters a disservice, I believe. We're applying a 2020's phenomenon (which is shedding important light on irl inequality and inequity, don't get me wrong) and ideas of "fairness" when the subjects are vigilantes and heroes.

And, disregarding everything I just said, the League itself does things by vote -- voting in Dick Grayson and having those checks/balances to Bruce's own goals is important, which is why he built them into the League itself. He can lobby the League, propose Dick, indicate his own preferences as a voting member, but if the entire Founders' table disagrees with him? His hands are kind of tied.

[ardri-na-bpiteog]

"just move to Ireland"

I'm gonna be real with you that IRA chants are not particularly well-received in most professional settings here either

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

Indefinite hiatus

I was toying with writing up a long post about what running this blog has meant to me over the years and why I'm stepping away for the foreseeable future, but that feels too dramatic for what's really just me saying "I'm not going to be on tumblr for at least the rest of the year". So, I'll just say I'm not going to be on tumblr for at least the rest of the year.

Okay, actually I have a bunch more to say, but it'll be under the cut.

Politics sucks. And paying attention to it, even in the reduced way I've been paying attention to it over the last few years, is hard. You end up spending so much of your supposedly free time thinking about things you can't change, getting mad about things you can't change, and getting depressed when the people who can change things just keep going in the wrong direction. Even when good things happen, it's just a matter of a few days before something bad happens once again. And vice versa. It's an endless cycle of hope, despair, resignation. Rinse and repeat, and triple speed that cycle during an election year. And I'm tired of it. I'm tired of spending every other year worried about what's going to happen on one day in November. I'm tired of hearing a piece of news and automatically composing a post about it or running through 20 different responses I might give to asks I might get about it in my head.

Everyone I know who doesn't pay attention to politics (or at least doesn't run a social media page dedicated to it) seems to enjoy their live a lot more than I currently do. Which sounds way more dramatic than what's actually going on, which is mainly that I want to get to a place where I just don't care. I want the world and its problems to flow off my back instead of weighing it down. I want to stop thinking about what people on the internet might say about something I haven't even posted yet. And that can't happen while I'm tied to this blog. So I'll be staying away from it for at least the rest of the year.

I did have a good time with this blog. I've met a bunch of really awesome people, some who are sadly no longer with us (RIP Blue), and some who I think will carry on the "fight" way better than I ever did. This isn't an admission of defeat, or pessimism about the election. Even if Trump wins, and I truly think he will if we have a fair election, I still won't be back this year. But I'll still vote and I'll still be proud that my silly little tumblr blog had an impact on some people's lives. I may not have the reach of a Tucker Carlson or a Glenn Beck, but I've gotten a lot of messages from people who said they changed their minds about an issue, or even politics in general, because of things I said, and that counts for something. If you guys take anything away from me, I want it to be this: Even the smallest impact matters. It doesn't matter if you only ever reach one person and then stop, reaching that one person is enough. Changing one vote is enough. Changing one mind is enough.

To all my mutuals, you guys are the best. I truly hope you have wonderful lives and I'm sad I won't get to see your names on my dash everyday anymore. To anyone I've ever followed or reblogged from, I couldn't have had a blog without you, so thank you. Yes, even the leftiod psychos, XD. To everyone else, find your own balance and never give into despair and never listen to people who tell you not to try. Even a failed effort is still more meaningful than sitting back and mocking people for trying to improve even the smallest thing about themselves or the world around them.

I won't be logging back in after I post this, so any messages or asks you send, I won't see. I'll still be active (or as active as I ever am) in my discord, so feel free to join there if you want to. It should still be my pinned post, but if it isn't, I'll edit this with a new invite link.

And that's all I've got to say for now.

[batboyblog]

https://x.com/magi_jay/status/1812914966560973238?s=46&t=9ilK5pqP73XDblTtTbb4Qg

This post motivated me to try something different: namely, name a good quality about the Democratic Party and its candidate.

Biden’s most admirable qualities are his general wisdom and steadfastness in the face of great challenges. While I might not always agree with EVERY choice he’s made for a number of reasons, I do think he’s shown that he’s much smarter than people give him credit for.

Furthermore, he’s very firm without being either too standoffish or trying too hard. One of the things I hated about his predecessor (I refuse to name him) was just how anxiety inducing and chaotic he was, something that sucks for me since I’m a very skittish person even if I try not to be.

Biden is steadfast and (media aside trying to make a conflict on him) has never made me feel like I’m on unstable ground. He’s like a rock in the storm:

Stand by him, and we’ll weather through the chaos.

I mean in part thats why I do my weekly lists of what Biden et al are up to, because every week, EVERY single week its something huge and transformative, for the first time in my lifetime people can write "The Case for Climate Optimism" we have a government pledged to ending hunger in this country reduce homelessness by 1/4th by next year we are doing big things in this country

a few political speeches are the pole stars of my politics, the center of what I believe in.

Harvey Milk's Hope speech "I know you cannot live on Hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living" tells me and teaches me to always be for something not just again stuff, and to always be the happy warrior, gotta give 'em hope.

Ted Kennedy's 1980 DNC speech "the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." to always get back up and get into the ring, its not never over till you give up, the Dream Shall Never Die how ever dark it gets if you hang into it with both hands

but most importantly is Ann Richards 1988 DNC Speech, if you've never heard it, you should:

I’m a grandmother now. And I have one nearly perfect granddaughter named Lily. And when I hold that grandbaby, I feel the continuity of life that unites us, that binds generation to generation, that ties us with each other. And sometimes I spread that Baptist pallet out on the floor, and Lily and I roll a ball back and forth. And I think of all the families like mine, like the one in Lorena, Texas, like the ones that nurture children all across America. And as I look at Lily, I know that it is within families that we learn both the need to respect individual human dignity and to work together for our common good.  Within our families, within our nation, it is the same. And as I sit there, I wonder if she’ll ever grasp the changes I’ve seen in my life -- if she’ll ever believe that there was a time when blacks could not drink from public water fountains, when Hispanic children were punished for speaking Spanish in the public schools, and women couldn’t vote. I think of all the political fights I’ve fought, and all the compromises I’ve had to accept as part payment. And I think of all the small victories that have added up to national triumphs and all the things that would never have happened and all the people who would’ve been left behind if we had not reasoned and fought and won those battles together. And I will tell Lily that those triumphs were Democratic Party triumphs.

It is always worth it to fight, however hard it is, however bitter it may feel in the moment to take half a loaf or a part payment, it is always always always ALWAYS! better to take a half step forward than not to move at all, because its not chess, its not a game, its people's very lives

as to what I like about Joe Biden? I could say a lot of things, he's a guy the world has knocked down a lot of times, a lot of struggles and personal tragedies that in someone else could make them hard hearted and cold, but I see a guy who always takes the time to listen

thats who is, always to see Joe on a rope line talking to people is to understand their cares are truly his, he truly and I promise you this wants what's best for people.

and just for a second remember who he's running against, who that guy is on the most basic level, saying he couldn't have raped that woman she's too ugly

so do you want a President who stops everything to tell a kid its gonna be okay, that that kids can do anything, and gives him his phone number and calls him to help, or you want the guy who tells your kids "when you're famous they let you do it, grab 'em by the pussy" up to you.

[which-qsmp-egg-would]

Time for the June Summary! And we've got some WILD results!

Lullah

For the first time EVER, Richarlyson has been dethroned!! Lullah won 11/60 polls, and tied in 2 more polls.

Lullah has been voted most likely to:

Love to sing when she's alone, but hate it when there's people around

Stay up way too late to watch the stars

Have a Hamilton phase

Make paper fortune tellers

Be obsessed with crafts to the point almost everything in their room is homemade

Try to go foraging for mushrooms

Make flower crowns for her siblings

Make Warrior Cats AMV's

Be a fiber artist

Host her birthday party at a "Paint Your Own Pottery" place

Win the talent show

Richarlyson

Despite being dethroned, I'm pretty sure that Richas will never be below top 3. Richas has won 12/60 polls this month, and tied for another one. Richas has been voted most likely to:

Put an object in his tooth gap

Be banned from the kitchen for causing a fire

WILLINGLY put his head in Freddy Fazbear's mouth

Be the first to jump into the pool

Not realise that straight people exist

Dye his sibling's hair in the middle of the night

Sneak out of bed to secretly watch whatever late night TV their parents have on

Be the goalkeeper in a football/soccer team

Eat his shed skins like a leopard gecko

Play dirty in Marco Polo

Play on Roblox

Sneak into the kitchen to eat butter straight from the butter dish

Dapper, Pepito & Sunny

With 7/60 polls won each (Well, technically Dapper won 6 and tied for one), Dapper has been voted most likely to:

Convince her siblings that he has magical powers

Collect trading cards

Perform a science experiment that forces the class to evacuate

Play scary games at a sleepover just to scare everyone

Tell their parent bedtime stories

Have strong opinions about classical music composers

Pepito has been voted most likely to:

Not recognize a parent after they got a haircut, and start crying because Pepito thinks they are a stranger

Get lost in an airport

Crawl into Pepito's parent's bed after a nightmare

Play on Club Penguin

Parallel play with a sibling by watching them play videogames

Accidentally trip on the graduation stage

Be tricked by Pepito's sibling giving Pepito an unplugged controller

Sunny has been voted most likely to:

Win a fashion contest

Cry crocodile tears

Have imaginary family members

Write exclusively in sparkly gel pens

Have a new playground boyfriend/girlfriend every day

Be a picky eater

Host a sleepover

Chayanne

With 5/60 polls won, Chayanne has been voted most likely to:

Be really into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Be super into greek mythology

Be a natural leader in a Lord Of The Flies -like story

Jump on the stage of a talent show to help a sibling with stage fright

Get really competitive at the Splat-A-Lot course

Ramón & Pomme

With 3/60 polls won each, Ramón has been voted most likely to:

Make dioramas

Eat instant ramen at LEAST twice a day

Start a stick blacksmith shop

Pomme has been voted most likey to:

Be at the library every day if she could

Offer free face painting of pride flags at a pride event

Go all out for pride month

Leonarda & Empanada

With 1/60 polls won, and tied for 1 more, Leo has been voted most likely to:

Play on Neopets

Empanada has been voted most likely to:

Embroider in her spare time

Chunsik

With 1/60 polls won, Chunsik has been voted most likely to:

Step outside for 10 minutes and somehow get sunburnt

Now, onto the ties!

Lullah & Empanada

have tied for being most likely to have a sticker journal!

Lullah & Leonarda

Have tied for being most likely to play on Animal Jam!

Dapper & Richarlyson

Have tied for being most likely to try to scare their sibling while they're playing a horror game!

I'll see you all next month! o/

[itzsana-kiddingmenow]

𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝?

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨: 3.5k

𝙖/𝙣: anonnie, i'm so sorry...i've been through the same and it isn't easy...but im so proud of you for making it as far as you did and we'll do it together <3

𝙩/𝙬: changbin is insecure about a lot of things, unheathy methods, fainting and nutrient deficiency, jealousy, sadness, crying, etc.

𝒍𝒆𝒆: changbin

𝙡𝙚𝙧: minho and hyunjin

𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕: @someone-who-loves-kpop-saranghae @jeongins-diary @leeknowstan33 @v--143 @wereallgonnadieonedaybutnottoday @inkedloveandlostpromises @lajanaa @a-wild-seungberry @r00ni1

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞? 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐛s🖤

IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM DO I BELIEVE THAT CHANGBIN IS UGLY. THIS IS JUST FICTION AND IS NOT MEANT TO RESEMBLE REAL LIFE PEOPLE!!! I BELIEVE THAT CHANGBIN IS ONE OF THE PRETTIEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVER SET EYES ON AND I STAND BY THAT!!!

“AGH! Stop that!” Changbin hissed, slapping Hyunjin’s hand away from his skin. 

Binnie scolded himself for wearing a tank top yet again. He just never learned from his mistakes. 

He was just trying to speak with the other members, but Hyunjin decided to bother him by sticking his fingers into his upper ribs, near his armpits. 

Every shriek the younger earned only increased his need to hear more of them, but Hyunjin got his share of karma soon enough. 

“Rank every member by how ticklish they are?! Oh, that sounds like fun!” Chan smirked evilly, everyone’s eyes moving to either Hyunjin or a certain maknae bread. 

“Okay, so Hyunjin and Jeongin are tied for first.” Minho started, humming while he thought. “Then Hannie, definitely.”

Jisung started coughing, a blush appearing on his face. Lino thought for a few more moments before speaking again. 

“Then it should be Lixie or Chan hyung.”

At once, loud arguments broke out. Both Chan and Felix started shouting at the same time and Minho yelled for them to stop. 

“There’s no way you’re less ticklish than me and Lixie!” Chan protested, Felix nodding his head with an offended look. 

“But-!” Lino tried to defend himself, but it didn’t work out in the end. 

So next on the list was Minho. 

“NOW it’s you two.” Lino commented quickly before anyone had a chance to tease him because of his position in the top three. 

Everyone agreed. “Oooh, I can’t decide between Seungmin and Changbin!” Minho groaned, thinking as hard as he could. 

Meanwhile, both mentioned members started to flush deeply, glancing at each other in embarrassment. 

“Let’s have a vote!” Jeongin proposed, and everyone quickly agreed. 

“Who votes for Seungmin hyung?” Jeongin asked, putting his own hand up. 

Surprisingly, everyone agreed, including Seungmin himself, that he was most probably more ticklish than Changbin. 

Changbin grinned happily as everyone else began to tease each other, excluding him. 

So there he was, at the bottom of the list. At the moment, it seemed great to Changbin.  

Nobody could tease him considering they were higher on the list. 

But as Changbin learned, it wasn’t always the best in every case. 

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Changbin groaned as he flexed again in the mirror. He has been working so hard in the gym, yet he was unable, in his opinion, to improve his body for their upcoming performance. 

He hadn’t changed at all, and he was sure that STAY’s would hate him for it. 

[NOT TRUE AT ALL HE’S SO FUCKING PRETTYYY]

His mind began to flash with all the things they would call him. ‘The least popular member AND the least improved?’

Binnie swore that he would break down crying if he thought anymore, so he walked off to try and distract himself. 

Minho walked by him in the kitchen, squeezing his belly playfully. It was meant to be a show of affection, but at the moment, Changbin started overthinking, believing that Minho was teasing him. 

His eyes welled up, and he blinked rapidly to extinguish the tears before they threatened to drop. 

Lino, however, had noticed the rapper’s empty response to his affection, especially at something that would normally earn him at least a giggle. 

It was all over when dinner happened, and Changbin was already out of it, leaving the members to believe something was wrong. 

They tried with their greatest efforts to involve him in their conversations, believing that he felt left out and lonely, but the only fruit of their efforts were empty replies and few-word responses. 

After some concerned glances at each other, Jeongin decided it lighten up the mood by prodding Binnie’s ribs twice, earning quiet squeaks and jolts. 

After that, all the members began to coo and giggle at him, smiling at him and playing with his hands to try and cheer him up. 

At the show of affection, Changbin’s cheeks flushed a rosy color, and the once dimmed sparkles returned to his eyes. 

“Binnieee! You look so cute blushing for us, do it some more?~” Chan teased. 

“Our chubby, cute Changbinnieee~” Hyunjin giggled, squishing at the boy’s cheeks. 

Changbin’s mind only caught onto one word. He had tried so hard to distract himself from it, but his overthinking returned as his mind began to spiral uncomfortably. ‘Chubby.’

The other members must have noticed that he blanked out, because he suddenly snapped back to reality and heard multiple concerned voices calling his name. 

Changbin smiled and excused himself, locking himself in his room the first moment he got. 

The other members sat in silence, staring at his untouched plate of food and empty glass of water, wondering what they did wrong. 

Over the next few days, the dorm was uncomfortably silent, the once loud and cheery dwaekki now practically living at the gym, not coming home even to eat proper meals, though Chan noticed their box of protein powder and electrolyte packets getting considerably lighter. 

Changbin still spoke to the members, however his flame had distinguished and his smiles seemed more strained, and the rapper had now seemed to be struggling to keep himself upright. 

The others had constantly tried to get him to take better care of himself, even taking it to the point of where they tried to force meals into his throat. 

It only barely worked, and now the members had even less time due to comeback schedules. 

Minho and Chan started to take tolls on their health too, and small worry creases began to form on their faces. 

In general, the group had no time for breaks, and when they weren’t performing, they barely saw Changbin at all. 

The members started to dearly miss the happy, responsible rapper, considering he was their light during all the hardships of comeback season. 

But once, they got a break, and was ordered by the company to stay within the building. 

The members shuffled awkwardly into the dorm, the energy changing since they realized that it would be the first time together in the dorm in a long period of time. 

Everybody ate quietly, and soon enough, Hyunjin couldn’t handle it anymore. “What happened here?” He scoffed sarcastically. 

He quickly stuck his fingers up Jisung’s shirt, earning a high pitched yelp. 

Quick as lighting, the group was back, talking to each other, grinning in happiness. 

After dinner, they battled the maknae down onto the couch and went to town, releasing all their stress through their tickling fingers. 

Jeongin was screaming, out of breath and begging as Changbin quietly held his arms down, smiling when the maknae looked at him with teary, pleading eyes. 

A sudden surge of jealousy suddenly struck the unprepared rapper, who flushed as he watched all the member’s fingers wiggling onto the youngest’s worst spots. 

Ever since the day they had ranked themselves in the list, Changbin noticed a considerable difference in the amount he got tickled, noticing the others always getting each other and not him. 

He started to realize that maybe it was because he ranked so low, because they wanted someone with better reactions, someone who was more ticklish. 

Insecurity flashed before his eyes, and his chest hurt as he tried to hold back his tears for the umpteenth time that week. 

Changbin hadn’t even realized that he had let go of the maknae’s arms, and that the others had been staring at him. 

Changbin’s vision went blurry, and his stomach cried out again for food, but yet again he shoved the feelings down as he reached for his water bottle. 

After determining that it was empty, he stood up to refill it, and regretted it as dark and white spots swam in his vision.

Binnie stumbled backwards, startling the others as they reached out to catch him. 

“Hyung? Are you okay?” Hannie gasped, noticing the older stumbling over himself. 

Felix immediately stood up to help him, taking the bottle from his hands and running to fill it. 

Seungmin stood up and wrapped his arms around his waist, gasping quietly when he felt just how much weight Changbin had lost to his unhealthy methods. 

Changbin groaned in pain, wrapping his arms around his stomach and shuddering. 

Suddenly, his entire body gave up on him, sore and spent from the long hours of gym with no energy intake. 

Lixie ran back with the water bottle just to let out a loud scream as Binnie collapsed. Luckily, Seungmin was able to safely lower him to the ground, where the others began to panic and shout, trying to wake him up. 

Changbin shook in pain for a few seconds before slumping completely, and Chan ran to get the building doctor. 

Hyunjin shook his head unhappily. He had seen it all coming. 

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Changbin woke up with a jump, feeling fingers running along his side. His eyes felt heavy and exhausted, and he almost shut them again. 

“See?! I knew that would wake him up!” Binnie recognized Minho’s voice. 

He heard multiple voices around him murmuring, and he watched as Jisung grabbed and yanked him into a hug, and he sank into the younger’s hold. 

He felt more arms wrap around him, engulfing him in a wave of warmth and love. 

All at once, shame and embarrassment overwashed Changbin’s senses, and he sobbed suddenly, the sounds weak and broken as everyone’s hold tightened, like a strong anchor he could hold onto in the darkest of times. 

He cried and cried, wailing quietly and trembling in weakness. 

Binnie’s stomach hurt so badly, and he cursed himself for being such a fool, for making a big scene out of everything. 

But a voice cut him off. “Take this.” Chan kneeled down to reach his sitting position, placing multiple pills and a glass of water in the rapper’s hand. 

At his confused look, Chris explained. “Nutrient deficiency. Overworked and underfed.” He firmly pressed them into the boy’s palm. 

Changbin felt embarrassed, for being knocked over like a weak child, and when he looked down in shame, Chan realized that he was being too harsh for someone who had already received punishment enough. 

“I’m sorry, bunny. We should have been taking care of you…but we didn’t. I thought you knew better than to do that.” Chan didn’t speak in a angry tone, but a soft, concerned tone, not accusing or harsh. 

Changbin sniffled and glanced at the leader with watery eyes. “I’m so sorry, hyung...” He whispered, more tears splashing onto his clenched fists. 

Chan’s expression softened as he wiped away Binnie’s tears, the other members staring in slight shock. 

“I-I just wanted to look better, for the fans. I don’t wanna look chubby!” He cried out, finally letting out the words that had been plaguing him for so long. 

“I don’t want to be hated…I didn’t want any of this…” He whimpered, gasping for breath as Chan’s eyes widened in horror. 

Minho stared at the leader in shock, and Hyunjin suddenly felt guilt hit him like a truck, remembering his earlier comment to the older that had made him blank out. 

The members hugged him tight, and Chan even sat him on his lap, wrapping his arms around his waist protectively as Changbin finally swallowed the pills slowly.  

He whined as Chan pressed in a little deeper, though the leader decided to leave it to another day, and everyone carried the rapper back to dorm. 

Lino immediately started up the stove, ready to cook food. Felix grabbed the chocolate bars from the fridge. 

After Changbin had taken a much needed shower, he walked into the hall just to see the hall set up for movie night; tons of food and blankets were placed everywhere, along with a fresh batch of brownies. 

He looked around for the members, but nobody was there. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms fasten around his waist, and yank his frail body into the air.

Binnie squealed in surprise, and he stared at Hyunjin as the younger easily manhandled him, carrying him bridal-style to the couch. 

Changbin didn’t want to admit it, but watching the dancer lift him like he weighed nothing caused his lee mood to flare up. Badly. 

The other members appeared suddenly, kissing his cheeks and playing with his fingers, causing him to flush a happy rosy pink.  

They sat Binnie down and took turns feeding him food, and he groaned happily at the taste that he had missed so much, happily taking the food from everyone. 

Felix tapped his cheek twice to tell him to open his mouth, and Changbin hesitated as he eyed the brownie in the younger’s hand. 

Seungmin appeared behind him and snuck his hands under the boy’s shirt, suddenly tickling him everywhere, and through the rapper’s giggles, Lixie managed to get the brownie in his mouth. 

After the small incident, Binnie was unable to focus as his lee mood drove him mad, every touch by another member had him flinching, and it didn’t help that he could hear Chan trying to muffle his laughter as Felix kept poking his side. 

Changbin felt like he needed to start provoking somebody to tickle him; there was no way he would be able to sleep with this lee mood. 

He suddenly leapt onto Hyunjin, digging into the boy’s sides and hearing loud squawks of laughter. 

Soon enough, he let up, hoping that Hyunjin was willing to try and take his revenge somehow. 

But it just caused the entire group to start wrecking Hyunjin, and his loud screams drowned out Changbin’s frustrated groan. 

That night, Changbin was unable to sleep, staring at his phone. He felt more energized though, probably because the members shoved so much food down his throat his stomach was threatening to burst. 

He threw his own arms over his head, wondering what it would feel like to be pinned down so tightly that he couldn’t move, and wrecked in every spot until he went insane. 

He watched some clips of the other members tickling each other, and he noticed the absence of clips of his own, though it was clear that he did tickle the others a lot.  

Changbin turned off his phone and set it on the bedside table, making sure to keep his arms up as he imagined it. 

Usually he was holding the member’s arms above his head, but sometimes when Chan tried to do it to him, he ended up being too strong and yanking his arms down himself. 

Changbin whined to himself. Sometimes being the strongest member was a blessing and a curse. 

He finally put his arms down as the cold air hitting the underside of his arms started to feel uncomfortable.

Changbin turned and shut his eyes just as he heard the bedroom door open. 

Opening his eyes just a little, he spotted Minho and Hyunjin standing over him, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe, they would tickle him awake. 

“I know you’re awake, Binnie.” 

So much for that. Changbin slowly opened his eyes and stared at the two as they got into bed with him, on either side. 

Once they had turned Changbin into the jam spread on their sandwich, they wrapped their arms around him. 

It was peaceful and quiet, and Binnie momentarily forgot all about his need for tickles, just enjoying the moment with his members. 

Suddenly, an unbearable tingle began at his side, and he grunted before grabbing Hyunjin’s invading hand. 

“Don’t.” He said, though he didn’t mean it. 

“Oh, I think we should, shouldn’t we?” Minho responded, and Changbin noticed his face burning. 

“N-No!” He yelled, Minho’s grip on his wrists suddenly becoming known to him. He squirmed weakly, which was noted by the dancer. 

“Did you really think we’d not notice the way you were watching earlier?” Hyunjin giggled, watching Changbin’s eyes widen. 

“So, Binnie. Were you…jealous, perhaps?” Lino teased, leaning in slightly knowing that it would fluster the rapper. 

“No! W-Why would I be?” Binnie deflected, and Minho released his wrists. “I guess we’re done now.” 

Desperate, Changbin replied. “Wait! Okay, maybe I was a little…j-jealous.” He looked down at the end, and the other two cooed playfully at him. 

“Did you wanna get wrecked, oh big, tough, Binnie?” Minho teased, watching Changbin’s face turn the color of roses as he whined. 

“Is that what you came here for?” Changbin asked, his tone hopeful, which definitely startled Hyunjin. 

“What do you mean?” The tallest asked. “I mean, wouldn’t you rather get someone else, you know, someone more ticklish than me?” Changbin whispered, not wanting them to feel uncomfortable. 

There was a quiet silence, and Changbin glanced up to see the two staring sadly at him. “Is that why you were upset for so long?” Minho asked, and Binnie nodded slowly. 

“I’m so sorry, baby. We should’ve shown equality, but we didn’t.” Minho gave the rapper a quick apologetic hug, suddenly guilty. 

“But now, we’ll wreck you the way you deserve.” He gestured to Hyunjin. 

“What about the others?” Binnie didn’t want to wake up the sleeping members. 

“They’ve gone to the other dorm to get something, it’s just us.” Minho reassured, and Changbin didn’t even notice Hyunjin pulling his arms up and sitting on them. 

Minho sent a teasing poke at Binnie’s ribs, the boy shrieking and trying to yank his arms down to protect the spot…just to realize that he was immobile. 

“Hyun-JIN! Get ohohoff!” Changbin burst into loud giggles as another pair of fingers walked right into his bare underarms, and Minho concentrated purely on his sensitive hips. 

After some time of his cute giggling, Binnie felt a little guilty. “Hyuhuhung! Stohop fohor a sehehecond!” 

Minho slowed his fingers so they were just tracing in the crevices of the boy’s ribs. The light sensations sent tingles shooting up Binnie’s body. 

“Go rougher…I feel like you’re getting bored.” Binnie pouted sadly. Lino’s face softened, and Hyunjin smiled reassuringly before speaking. 

“We’d never get bored with this~” And the tallest started to lightly wiggle his fingers across the boy’s neck, eliciting the cutest giggles from the rapper beneath him. 

“How about we go rougher anyway, since our dear Binnie asked for it?” Lino asked, smirking down at the pinned rapper. 

The two suddenly started scribbling wherever they could, switching between spots as fast as they could. 

Changbin was in shambles, laughter growing louder and louder as he tried his hardest to escape, but just couldn’t. 

“See? You’re the least ticklish, but look at how you’re laughing now.” Minho grabbed a small mirror from the bedside table and shoved it in Changbin’s face. 

Embarrassed, the rapper tried to turn his head away, but when Hyunjin held his chin and forced him to look at himself, Changbin saw himself. 

So content and happy, grinning ear to ear in joy, small tears resting on his rosy face. 

Changbin never expected himself to look as pretty as he did, but his chest grew warm in fondness, looking at his own reflection as he giggled involuntarily. 

“See? You look so pretty for us, giggling like that~” Minho cooed, fingers still tickling at Changbin’s side as his other hand held up the mirror. 

Lino decided to move further up, slipping his hand under the boy’s shirt and squeezing his upper ribs, switching the mirror to his phone as he pressed record. 

Binnie cackled with laughter, the cute sound making Hyunjin smile so hard his face started to ache. 

“AAAHAH! IHIHIT TIHIHICKLES!” He laughed loudly, falling apart as he tried his hardest to yank his arms down, but couldn’t as Hyunjin sat on them, and his weakened state didn’t allow him to use his strength. 

He didn’t even know there was a camera recording him until he heard Hyunjin speak.

“Isn’t he so cute?” The tallest stuck his fingers into Changbin’s outstretched armpits, and the middle screamed as two pairs of hands tickled him to pieces. 

“STOPSTOPSTOHOHOHOHOP! HYUHUHUHAHAHAHA!” Binnie was falling apart already, throwing his head in every direction. 

“STAYs, you wanna see how ticklish he really is?” Minho followed by blowing a looong raspberry right onto the sensitive area along Binnie’s top ribs, the spot easily accessible due to the tank top that Changbin just couldn’t stop wearing. 

Hyunjin pointed the camera to his face right as the boy howled with laughter, high pitched squeals and cackles following as his sensitive spot was abused relentlessly. 

His feet kicked wildly in the blankets as small tears fell down his red face. 

“NAHAHAHAHA! PLEASE-AGHAHAHAHA!” He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so hard, his lee mood satisfied and content. 

“OKAAAY—! IHIHIMDONE HYUHUHUNG PLEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAP!” He finally screeched, his now hypersensitive body trembling in exhaustion. 

“Only if you admit you’re beautiful!” Hyunjin yelled over the loud laughter. 

Changbin shook his head, and Minho only blew harder into the sensitive skin, while Hyune decided to help by lightly tickling the rapper’s neck. 

“OKAHAHAY OKAHAHAY! YOU WIHIHIN! IHIHIM BEHEHEAUTIFUL!” 

Minho let up, relishing in the dwaekki’s tiny giggles as he rubbed at his body, loudly panting. 

The three ended up sleeping together anyway, and Changbin was first to get wrecked in the morning as well. 

Wanna know why? 

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Chan crowded into the bed with the other kids, too lazy to head back to the other dorm. 

He knew Minho would take care of things there anyway. 

Suddenly 5 phones lit up, and Chan warily opened the official Kid’s Tiktok. 

😼 posted a video: our baby bunny 🐷🐰^^

[imperiuswrecked]

Time to read Namor (2024) #1

I personally think Namor would rather die than ever admit his weakness to enemies.

Aaron has never been able to write Namor's noble arrogance & pride correctly.

S.M. 39 - Sub-Mariner 1939 (creation year)?

I want to physically slap Namor out of his depression so hard that my hand breaks on his perfect cheekbones.

Someday, a writer will remember Prince Byrrah exists and then the toxic royal cousin rivalry will be back on! He def would have been at the forefront of this misadventure to lead Namor into trouble.

Finally a bit of in character-ness, Namor being annoyed that the humans weak prison and ripping through the bars like it's nothing.

I can't recall, was it that awesome Namor fanfic that first introduced Namor gaining strength through blood (aka the Blood-Mariner) or was it in a comic? I'll come back to this point later to check.

Action/art in this book is great, I do love the artists so much.

He's so sad, a depressed mess.

Stingray??? This man is always around when Namor is beat to hell and tied up by humans, I swear. Except the last time he was put on display and not in a hospital bed, and it was Walter who captured Namor. (Sub-Mariner 1969 #19)

I mean the fish never spoke to you before Namor but that's ok, I know you've been knocked on the head a lot of times in your life. (Kidding aside, The fish in the Marvel universe don't talk, that's Aquaman's thing. Namor has a mild telepathy that let's him persuade/command them)

Which is the better sea pun? World War Sea or Searebro? Vote below

The thing is the Atlanteans have always been treated that way without anything to stop them?? Like the kids who were left to die on the shore in Aaron's Avengers, what repercussions did the international world instigate when that happened? It was only ever Namor who stood up for his people, and tried to implement change in the surface world's governments. Heck he finally got Atlantis/the ocean into the UN back in 2018. It's not like the humans have ever cared about the oceans or Atlanteans, so while I get the urgency Walter should have just said "Attuma said your ass looks fat and you're an ugly skank, and he insulted your mother" bc then Namor would have been rushing to beat him up. lmao.

Sorry it's just really funny to me that Namor in the past would have left everything in an instant the moment Attuma even glanced at Atlantis. The (Defenders comic? need to check) scene where he just fucks off back into the ocean always lives in my heart.

While I see what Aaron is trying to do, I don't trust him enough to carry it out because while he's set up Namor to be sympathetic in the past by the end of his use of Namor in Avengers/Enter the Phoenix, Namor is the one who was blamed for everything without any acknowledgement of the help he gives to humans, etc.

Here.

This is where I really feel that Aaron doesn't get Namor. I understand a lot of people see Namor as this cruel character but he's not. He can be capable of cruelty but he really did not start being so cold until he was an adult. It's not until after WWll, after the deaths' of his mother, Fen, his wives, Dorma & Marrina, and finally his younger cousin Nita, that Namor really changes into today's modern interpretation of the character. You can actually see his character progression into what most people know him as in the 2000s and beyond comics, but younger Prince Namor?

Prince Namor is arrogant, and brash, and prideful, but he was also kind and selfless. He was happy once.

Compare Aaron's flashbacks to Busiek's in Namor: King in Black and there is a world of difference in how they are written. Aaron's has never shown that he has the writing range of being able to write Namor's less mean side. I should say more innocent side? Because he does have one, one that believes that he should be a protector of his people. This kinda behavior is something I expect from Prince Byrrah, who was always selfish and cruel and put a lot of emphasis on him being the Heir to the Throne. This isn't the first time Aaron's written about Namor's younger self, in his Avengers, he also wrote him like this, but killing a shark just for fun.

*sigh* I knew it was coming bc of the preview of coverart but we really are back in the old suit. I do like how the artist added some flair, but I will be honest that I already miss his slutty fish net pants. Of course I wouldn't be complaining if we got Namor back in his speedo.

The worst of it was just how right I was about how Aaron really fails to grasp Namor's character. That's always been my complaint about the writer.

If the setup was in the hands of another writer I would love it bc I love Fantasy Court intrigue & battles.

However I do have to say the artists have been really great and I can't wait to see what they do next!

[sasukeless]

The most jarring thing with SS is that they dont even have platonic chemistry. So when I read a sns fanfic that write them as friendly, it seems so ooc. In canon, Skra look so shy in Saske's presence. They dont have this "we have known each other for awhile, we are confortable with each other" vibe. Its weird.

I read a fanfic recently and they were having a heartfelt platonic conversation and the only thing I could think of was "Wow they never spoke so much word to each other in canon, nor said anything with this much substance to each other."

People love to say we, as sns, are biased so thats why we ignore ss bond but I have shipped a lot of pairings and I could always recognized when the rival pairings made sense and had chemistry even tho I didnt ship them.

lmao yeah ss always try to say everyone is biased if they don’t like their ship tbh even to people that don’t even ship sns, it’s just their only defense if we are honest. and yeah i have tons of ships i hate and i still can admit they make sense as much as i want to pull my hairs out wishing they didn’t

i never deny that sasuke cared for sakura in part 1 because he did, she was his teammate and he grew into her that way but when people claim they have a deep profound bond it’s so ? because there’s not a single interaction that indicates such. her crush literally creates a giant gap because sakura reduces herself to a shy super femenine girl when she’s directing herself towards him and represses her actual personality, despite how clear it is that sasuke doesn’t like her back and rejects her.

and even if ppl love to claim that he always loved her/had a crush on her, sakura can’t even move sasuke with his words and i’m not making this up even SHE admits it when she runs to ask naruto to bring sasuke because only he can and in his second confession when she herself declares that all she can do is beg and cry because she’s unable to get close to him. i mean one of the most jarring things to me is how sasuke despite being decided to leave the village he evolved his sharingan anyway when he heard naruto’s feelings. if he and sakura share such a profound bond why didn’t he upgrade his sharingan when she was begging him to stay and telling him she loved him? hell why does sasuke sharingan NEVER upgrades for sakura when we are told the sharingan is tied to love? he didn’t even blink while trying to kill her at the bridge yet each time at vote sasuke has to make sure to tell naruto why he HAS to kill him.

but anyway i’m gonna be honest, i believe post war sasuke would’ve been fine being on friendly terms at least but sakura deciding to keep pursuing him romantically and chasing him in his travels like gaiden stated is what ruined any possibility of ever being truly close completely that even in gaiden we are shown sasuke didn’t even stay long enough to take a picture together in almost a decade

[alfredosauce50]

I’ve barely seen any content on Kuro, which is a shame because a lot of people seem interested in him. After many months of requests and a decisive popularity vote, I’m going out on a limb and the feeling in my gut to present this absolute dish.

2p! Japan headcanons

He’s sharp, blunt, and even a little mean, but makes it a point to live a carefree life. He does whatever he wants with no regard for others. Everything comes naturally for him, and he doesn’t falter. Or does he?

Appearance

You’d have to kill him before he gets a bowl cut. He had one as a kid and has not looked back since. Instead, he likes his hair on the longer end so he can tie it in a bun or short ponytail. If not, he might rock a shaved updo tied at the top.

Kuro is on the shorter end—whatever 5’6” may be to you. He also goes out quite often, either to play at the batting cages or enjoy night life. For real baseball games, he has to run a lot under the sun, so he has an athletic build and a slight tan. Swimming is also something he enjoys, and in the hotter months when he frequents the beach, he picks up a crazy tan from his trunks.

He has a good sense of fashion. He might not go all out like a lot of young folks do, but he does dress smart. Some of his go-to’s are loose blouses, harem pants, and shirts with kimono sleeves cut at the elbow. Any longer and he’ll tell you it’s too much. He also has ear piercings and a lot of tattoos on his neck, arms, and back.

Personality

He’s a quiet extrovert. Kuro may not talk much, being such a private person, but he enjoys being in the company of friends. In fact, he keeps a tight circle for the sole purpose of hanging out. Anything more and it’ll feel as if he’s being pried into. Regardless, he does like his group, even if he won’t openly admit it (he always shows up).

He has an Osaka accent. It sounds much more casual than the Tokyo accent, and may even come off as rude. While most people call idiots ‘バカ,’ (baka) he calls them ‘アホ’ (aho). If he were to say ‘very,’ he would say ‘めっちゃ’ (meccha). “この水着はどう？めっちゃめっちゃ可愛いじゃん？” (How about this swimsuit? Isn’t it cute?) And he’s holding up the raciest bikini you’ve ever seen. Pro-tip: don’t bring him clothes shopping.

On top of being nonchalant, Kuro is very blunt. He won’t hesitate to tell you his opinion whether you asked for it or not. How the shirt doesn’t suit you, that you’re slow at washing up, or you’re bad at something. It’s only tolerable because he’s right 99% of the time, and he doesn’t mean anything by it. If you understand and respect that, you’ve already gotten past his biggest quirk.

“This chicken is kinda dry. Did you use flour instead of potato starch?” He crunches on a piece.

“That’s how fried chicken is usually made.”

“Not a fan.”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.” You say, reaching out for his plate. He holds it away from you.

He keeps you on the edge. Kuro comes off as neutral most of the time, but can switch it up instantly. You had an inkling he was teasing you with his nonchalance (e.g. suggesting a sexy bikini for you to try) but you can never guess when he’s about to change. Just when you least expect it, he’ll have the slyest smirk on his face. “But you put in so much effort to make it for me. I’ll clean off the plate, even if it tastes bad.”

Kuro can be a little shit. Aside from making fun of you, he loves getting on your nerves. Purposely blocking your way, scrambling up your food when you’re trying to take a picture, and even lifting your skirt to see what’s underneath. One slap and an earful later, he’ll stop. He’s always testing your patience, but he knows you well enough to stay just under the threshold.

He’s very cynical. About people, things, and ideas. Again, it’s hard to hold it against him when he’s usually right. However, it gets particularly bad when there’s jealousy involved. Since he’s emotionally constipated, he’d rather say hurtful things than to admit he’s the one who’s hurt.

“He’s only being nice to you because he wants to get in your pants.” He remarks, lifting a cup to his mouth.

“I would ask if you’re speaking from experience, but you’re not really nice to me.” You walk to the door with your things, not sparing him so little as a glance. “So at least he’s doing something right.”

“Who said I’m trying to get in your pants?”

He’s not protective until the very last minute. Kuro trusts you to be responsible and to find your way without his help. The independence may be healthy, but he’s there when you need him—even if he has something to say about it. Essentially, he’s kind without his words matching his actions. Kuro will buy a whole basket of things for you if you’re short on money, but not without calling you dumb first. “Stop putting things back, dummy. I’m paying for everything.”

Interests

He’s a popular tattoo-artist. Kuro is excellent at drawing—his designs are unique, dark, and more on the explicit side, which his clients can’t seem to get enough of. Because he’s always booked out, he spends a great deal of time in his studio. He has surgeon hands, can concentrate for hours on end, and wears glasses while he works.

At home, he’s coming up with new designs for his portfolio. If you watch him work, he’s always ready to pop the question. “So, when will you let me do your tattoo? I can do anywhere you like.”

He’s a pervert. Aside from making suggestive or riqué comments (like wanting to tattoo you on questionable places on your body) he consumes a lot of adult content. Weirdly enough, he’s pretty subtle about it. The only person he openly talks about it with is Alfred. For that reason, you call them the ‘degenerate duo.’ Not that you need to be privy to their conversations to know how he is.

Kuro loves baseball. He has his own bat, glove, uniform and everything. Games are harder to organize when it requires so many players, but he’s more than happy to play a mini one with you. If not, he’ll go to the batting cages for a swing.

He’s a night owl. When he’s done with work for the day, he’ll take you out to town. The bars, izakayas, and arcades in Japan are fantastic. Now, it’s midnight when you both head out, and he’s not tired at all. One of these days, you might suspect Kuro is a part of the sleepless elite.

Psychology + romance

Being friends with him is already hard enough. He’s mean, sly and a total pervert. But when he’s not those things, he’s smart, kind, and knows how to have fun. If you make that trade and stay around, you’re well on your way to being a valued person in his life. And if you keep up with him, your chemistry will develop from there on out.

He can’t resist someone who can go toe-to-toe with him. If you can hold conversations with him, great. If you can bicker with him, even better. It’s not really conflict he’s looking for, but an equal. It’s comforting to be around someone who thinks like him, or at least, understands him. Being with you will be effortless, and he’ll find himself looking for you, again and again.

Kuro changes his habits for you. He could have the chance to do anything in the city, and yet, he’d give that up to do groceries with you. He’d rather pick out fruit and veg with you than go out with his friends. At that point, it’s pretty obvious he has a thing for you. He knows it, his friends know it, but it’s only you that stays oblivious. “These apples are better. Just weigh them as the cheaper ones so we can save some money.”

After all, how could he? He said so himself he wasn’t interested in getting with you. Kuro never lies, but here he is, lying to your face to protect himself. He can’t be vulnerable to save a life. Everything he ever says to you is a testament to that. Being blunt, being negative, and making fun of you is just how he avoids his feelings.

Because of his dishonesty, there will be rifts in the relationship; you start thinking he just simply doesn’t like you. And it can’t be mended by his other love languages. He could do everything in the world for you, but it feels substantial for how much shit he gives you. “I washed the clothes,” or “I made curry,” may as well be a nicer way of saying what he already has: I don’t like your food and you don’t know how to do the laundry.

The breaking point is when you both argue for the first time. Jealousy is a cruel mistress, and he just made a rude comment about the person you’re seeing--then how you have bad taste. Kuro regrets everything the second you start crying. His eyes go wide and his heart just sinks. The pain in your voice is jarring, and the way you look at him goes to show how he’s treated you.

“You’re always so mean to me,” You raise a hand to wipe away your tears, but it’s no use when they keep falling. “You never say anything nice about me. If you don’t like me, why do we even see each other?”

He’s too ashamed to say anything. The rest of the night is quiet, and you’re still upset because he hasn’t offered any closure. Just when you’re about to give up on him, he does the completely unexpected. While you’re getting ready for bed, he’s watching from the doorway with his arms folded. “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

If you agree, nothing will happen—maybe except keeping you close enough so you don’t leave. After a night or two, he’ll give a proper apology for being unfair to you. But if you keep sleeping with him, it won’t be long before he gives in to your expectant stares and leans in. Only then does he give you the closure you’ve been waiting for: a slow and sensual kiss. He draws out every movement he makes just to feel your lips.

Kuro is an emotionally-intense lover. He feels very deeply, and can be quite sensitive. If you’re perceptive of him, he’ll return the favor tenfold. His affection is more of a constant thought than anything, but that’s what makes touching so intoxicating. Not a single brush goes unnoticed, and he relishes every hug he gives you.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I’m relatively new to the fandom and have really enjoyed a lot of your posts… I have a question that I couldn’t quickly find an answer to in searching through your tags…

What’s the deal with streaming? Like, I listen to BTS. I enjoy them a lot, I listen to a pretty even mix of all their albums though I probably like MOTS:7 era the best). Some days I listen to them like all day lol (if I’m cleaning the house or something) and I listen to them a lot in the car or while working. I’ve enjoyed some solo releases more than others so I naturally streamed those more. but like the more I start following accounts on here and on army twt the more confused I get about the intense pressure to stream constantly? I’ve heard that people play certain songs (or albums I guess?) on repeat on mute and/or have dedicated streaming devices they keep going all the time.

Not to be negative or rude at all but like…what? Maybe because I’m new to KPop and have never followed it until BTS but that just sounds so weird and… idk the word, maybe disingenuous? Again I do not mean this as an attack I am just genuinely confused. Wouldn’t BTS themselves want us only to listen if we were actually enjoying it and not out of some competitive attempt to get better ratings? It feels so odd to me, like that is not how I would behave with any other artist that I love. I would only ever listen to them out of a genuine desire to hear their music. But there seems to be so much weird shaming out there for when/if songs are not streamed heavily enough? And for any other artist I would just write that off as a difference in taste among the fandom, but here it’s treated like a personal wrong against the artist…?

But as I say that I’m sure there’s more to it… I have definitely seen people talking about payola or chart manipulation so idk. If I should google this instead, just tell me to, I just have already tried and didn’t find that much clarity, just a bunch of people on quora and Reddit talking about certain songs not getting streamed enough.

Anyways this is super long, sorry if it annoys you. Just thought you seemed knowledgeable and levelheaded enough to ask? Love your posts. All the best.

*

Ask 2:

Okay wait I’m the anon that just asked about streaming and I went and re-read your post about “inorganic success” — I had read it before but somehow I didn’t put together that the 24-7 streaming is an attempt to combat payola or like go up against it I guess. Okay. That makes more sense. I still feel like there’s a weird focus on charting but I guess if it’s about getting more concert venues and more radio play it makes sense.

You can ignore my last ask then I’m sorry if I’m being dense or something lol.

***

You haven’t at all asked a stupid question. Your confusion is easily explained by you being new to k-pop, and everyone new to this madhouse asks this question eventually. I’ve talked about this before, but can’t find the post for the life of me so I’ll briefly go over it again.

First, you need to understand what k-pop is. K-pop is a system that gamifies music consumption. Competition is something you’ll see in the music industry regardless. Western stans such as Arianators, Barbz, and the Beyhive have organized around streaming goals and efforts for at least 10 years now. But there’s no other music industry that explicitly emphasizes competition among groups and fans, the way the k-pop industry does.

Competition is baked into its DNA:

From the idol training system under agencies with supposed specialities that are treated like warring houses a la Game of Thrones (a mentality created by the Big 3),

to the music shows where fans are encouraged to vote daily and weekly for the best artists and where wins are tied to streaming numbers,

to the highly publicized year-end award show criteria that outline key metrics for wins in streams, sales, and fan votes.

Basically, the k-pop industry creates a clear hierarchy of talent and acclaim for artists in their system, directly stokes fan participation in buying into that hierarchy, and the numbers are the easiest litmus test/short cut to settle the question of who is at the top.

And all of this is served with a cocktail of parasocial delusion and entitlement that has (more easily manipulated) fans thinking their perceived investment into their faves, earns them the right to micromanage their fave idols’ careers. All of this benefits the labels and industry because they’d rather have you more engaged (even if toxically), than not.

Everybody here buys into this system despite what they’ll tell you, some just manage to keep their wits and perspective to prevent getting sucked in, while others fall headfirst into it.

And so, like I said in my ‘inorganic success’ post you referenced, the focus on streaming is part of fans really just playing the game. Excess is something you’ll see on the charts in any case, whether in k-pop or in the West.

The difference with BTS and ARMYs however, is in the why of how the fandom streams. Essentially, you’re more likely to find people just as passionate about the music itself as they are about giving that music its due in hard numbers and consequently, recognition. You’re more likely to find fans like this in the ARMY fandom, than any other, in my opinion. Some people forget that the og ARMYs were k-pop fans first. They were fans who intimately understood how this system worked, they understood why the Big3 maintained dominance in k-pop for literal decades, and they saw the worth in the music BTS made, loved it enough to invest time into the playing the game better than anyone else at the time - pushing BTS from nugu status to where they are now, competing well outside the realm of the k-pop system but in a space that remains complex and highly competitive.

Another aspect that differentiates how ARMYs stream vs other k-pop fandoms, is that due to the sheer size of the fandom in absolute numbers, the average ARMY typically streams less than a typical k-pop stan. Basically, in other fandoms the typical stan has to stream more per person to have even a fraction of the gains seen in the ARMY fandom. ARMYs also aren’t doing anything other fandoms aren’t doing, it’s just that so far, they’re more efficient at it and don’t have to worry too much because BTS makes music that keeps attracting more fans, adding to the size of the fandom. They’ve also generally stayed away from more illegal methods given the intense scrutiny and animosity the fandom has faced for being part of the reason BTS upended the ordained hierarchy in this space. It sounds silly but it’s true.

But that’s only one side of the story. The other side is that in the fandom, everybody here really just does what they want. And many people genuinely enjoy listening to BTS that much and that intensely. Going by personal experience in what I observed before I became ARMY, I noticed that many ARMYs are Type A and organized - people who like and study data. The first time in my life that I saw someone create a spreadsheet for fan theories on a k-pop MV, was when an ARMY made one for I NEED U MV. I’m not sure what it is about BTS, but from the beginning they’ve attracted the sort of fans who genuinely enjoy listening to music often, people who enjoy creating and playing around with playlists, and people who track and measure applicable data. So your assumption that the people who stream like this are people who don’t actually enjoy the music, is wrong. In my opinion. For a lot of ARMYs, streaming and appreciating the music isn’t mutually exclusive.

Personally, I listen to music a lot. And I’ve always been that way, so when I became ARMY, I just sort of naturally fit into that culture. The sort of music BTS makes is a joy to listen to, I play their stuff literally everyday and it feels like the most normal thing in the world for me to sleep to Serendipity sometimes (in my sleep playlist which includes brown noise and rain sounds), or to do laundry to Let Me Know playing, or to drive to UGH and Set Me Free Pt 2 playing. I have multiple accounts because I listen to all kinds of music all the time, and it’s just convenient for me to have things set up such that I can flip on a playlist in every situation I’d want one on.

But like I said, the reality is that everyone in this fandom does what they want. It’s true there are certain people in the fandom who obsess over streaming, these are typically chartmys and akgaes, but most other people stream however they like. Fandom in general is a pressure cooker environment so I don’t blame you for noticing that pressure, but at the end of the day you really should just do what makes the most sense to you.

ARMYs generally recognize the reality of the space they are in, they recognize what it means for BTS, and most simply tweak their normal listening habits to maximize the gain and support to BTS. Plus sometimes it’s fun to play into fandom’s initiatives as a way to connect with other fans (such as in streaming parties).

I ended up rambling but let me know if this answered your question.

[hello-nichya-here]

Do you think Lula might try to patch things up with Israel considering the rally that just happened in Brazil?

Let's make one thing clear here: the rally was not pro-Israel. Not really. The flags had a pentagram instead of the star of David, and people in said rally were saying shit like "We support Israel because they're CHRISTIANS like us."

The rally was really about a bunch of useful idiots that sympathize with fascism and straight up neo-nazis (some of which were friends with or direct descendents of the actual nazis that fled to Brazil after WWII, including the monster JOSEF MENGELE himself) who support the wanna-be dictator, and sadly Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, PRETENDING to give a shit about the Israel situation solely because Lula finally grew a pair of balls and called out the genocide against palestinians - and thus the supporters of Bozo the clown are now trying to use that as an excuse to impeach him, as yet ANOTHER attempt to ignore the results of the elections in which Lula defeated the fucker in 2022.

There's video recording of Bolsonaro (who has never been shy about wanting to turn Brazil into a dictatorship again and actually said the words "I'm pro torture, and this country won't be fixed until at least 40.000 people are dead") full on saying "We can't allow the elections to happen, otherwise I'm gonna lose."

The police tried to prevent people in the northeast region of Brazil (where nearly everyone is pro-Lula) from voting, to try and tip the escala in Bolsonaro's favor. They STILL claim Lula's victory was a fraud.

Finally, on January 8, 2023, his supporters tried staging a coup, fully inspired by the shitshow the USA had when Trump lost (and something that Bozo the clown had ALREADY said he wanted his supporters to do were he to ever lose an election) by invading government buildings. They stole and destroyed lots of valluable art-pieces - lots of which were from jewish people that either fled from nazi Germany before they were sent to concentration camps, and some that actually BEEN in said concentration camps.

And this was not a case of "Maybe they just didn't know what it was", not fully at least, because like I said, Bolsonaro's supporters have VERY strong ties to the nazis. They have done the sieg heil in his homage, say Brazil should have a nazi party, and have tried to make schools say the holocaust never happened. Some of Bolsonaro's ministers have also said shit like "Brazil's economy won't get better until we get rid of all the jews" and a fucker actually copied one of Hitler's speeches, on camera, wearing a nazi-inspired uniform, with one of Hitler's favorite classical pieces being played in the background.

As for Bolsonaro, the slogan he chose for himself "God above everything, Brazil above everyone" is clearly inspired by "Deutschland über alles" (Germany over everything). After his victory in 2018, SBT, one of the TV channels that supported him the most, used the slogan "Brazil - love it or leave it" which the dictatorship Brazil was under used for 21 years as a not so subtle threat to exile people who opposed them (and exile was the KIND fate they could be given, considering the people tortured daily in prison, or full on murdered).

So no, I don't see Lula trying to patch things up with Israel to try and win the support of these people, because they don't actually care about Israel. This was an anti-democracy rally, filled with nazis, and if they were to rise to power again, and not destroy themselves from the inside like they did during the pandemic, it would be the worst case scenario as it'd mean one less government calling Israel's genocide against palestinians AND a bunch of antisemites in power trying to make their own reich, putting all the jewish communities of Brazil in danger.

Remember folks: Israel does not represent all the jews in the world, no matter how much it desperately tries to pretend that it does. Calling it out for commiting genocide is not antisemitic, and supporting it does NOT mean making sure jewish communities will be safe - as you could see, in my country's case, it could mean nothing but a stepping-stone in making said communities the targets of actual nazis, pushing them to exile or something way, way, way worse.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

New Rule: Identity Crisis | Real Time with Bill Maher

And finally, New Rule: now that we're all recovered from St Patrick's Day, let's make it the last one. You know, I never understood Irish Pride or any pride in anything other than what you've actually accomplished. And as holidays go, St Pattie's is kind of malarkey. You don't get presents like Christmas or candy like Easter or joyless appointment sex like Valentine's Day. You don't even get a Peanuts special.

There's just a parade. And what rights are we marching for? The right to drink in the day? Do we still need to take to the streets in a public expression of support for Irish migrants?

I think now more than ever we need to stop talking about the things that make Americans different from each other and start honoring the things that make us the same. So let my people, the Irish, lead the way because again, the Irish think I don't give a shit.

But, I do give a shit who wins the next election. And outdated racial pandering is one reason Democrats lose elections. When Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi put on Kente cloth, I don't think it earned them one vote for their powerful emotional ties to Ghana.

Here in California, we're now segregating kidnapping. Really. California doesn't just have amber alerts for missing children, we have ebony alerts for black children and feather alerts for Native American Kids. What is that we look for them by listening on the ground?

Look, even if you like identity politics, this kind of thing is antiquated. From 2010 to 2020, the number of people identifying as multi-racial in America went up 276 percent. One in five newlyweds now are in an interracial marriage. And that number goes up to 100% in ads for Subaru.

You couldn't do a remake of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" today because almost 100% of Americans approve of interracial marriage. Especially with rich in-laws. And 95% of white women would leave their husband to marry Idris Elba. Idris Elba who says, "As humans we are obsessed with race and that obsession can really hinder people's aspirations." Actress Raven-Symone agrees. She told Oprah, "I'm tired of being labeled. I'm not an African-American. I'm an American." She says, "I don't know what country in Africa I'm from. My roots are in Louisiana."

And you don't have to agree with that, but it's a point of view a lot of people have. It should be respected. Morgan Freeman says the way to finish off racism is, "stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man."

There's even a movement now to ban racial questions on the census, and many of its leaders are people of color like Professor Sheena Mason who says, "to undo racism we have to undo our belief in race."

The liberal group moveon.org formed in 1998 to urge Republicans to move on from the Clinton impeachment. Today's Democrats should move on from identity politics. It's not working. It's not working for them or for us. Democrats are hemorrhaging the very voters they think they're pandering to.

The Financial Times writes, "Democrats are going backwards faster with voters of color than any other demographic," and suggests the reason is that, "A less racially divided America is an America where people vote more based on their beliefs than their identity." Exactly. Far-left liberals are living in an old paradigm. Americans don't fit into into neat little boxes anymore.

Who has the number one country song right now? Beyonce. Lil Naz X won a country music award, and he's black and gay. And a brand ambassador for the waspiest purse in America, Coach. The biggest new star in country is Jelly Roll who was a drug dealer, then a prisoner, then a rapper and then a face tatted country music star. Not to mention a giant middle finger to the idea of staying in your own lane.

No, in America now, you're allowed to be many things all at once and that's a good thing even when it's really stupid.

Look, we're all Jelly Roll now. We're sloppy, complicated and contradictory. Two-thirds of Republican voters support weed legalization. And 41% of Democrats own or live with someone who owns a gun. Ms Marvel is Pakistani. And the winner of the last two NBA dunk contests is white. The new Captain America is black. And Spider-Man is black and Puerto Rican, just like AI George Washington.

Latinos make up half of the Border Patrol. And the name of the coolest black dude on the planet is Lenny Kravitz. Ru Paul has a ranch in Wyoming that does fracking. Really. And has a fortified compound with a bunker to die for. And somehow the leader of the Village People was straight. Really. Je just went to the YMCA to work out. And the leader of the Proud Boys isn't an old white guy he's Enrique Toreo, an Afro-Cuban. He burns crosses on his own lawn.

Caitlyn Jenner is a pro-Trump transwoman who supports a ban on trans athletes competing in women's sports. And there's even an LGBTQ organization called "Gays for Trump." And why wouldn't there be? Gays love drag queens.

Our black president was half white. And our black vice president is half Asian. And Tiger Woods is, oh we don't even have the time.

My point is, look, you're still building your politics around slicing and dicing people into these fixed categories. Democrats need to get the memo that you can't win elections anymore by automatically assuming you're going to get every voter who's not these guys.

The more you obsess over identity, the more you ignore the bread and butter issues that win and lose elections. The real issue is class, not race, and the real gap is the diploma divide. And the real future of the party and maybe democracy depends on Democrats figuring that out.

==

Prediction: Trump will win, because even if the Dems wanted to change course on this identity politics bullshit, there are far too many identarians who have been elected into it on that exact basis. Look at The Squad, where every single one of them is a pathological liar who plays only by identity cards.

They can't undo a decade of abandoning their core constituency, the working class, in favor of privileged woke academic elites in the span of only six months. Even if they wanted to. Not with the wingnuts still around, doing what they've been doing for years: sucking up all the oxygen and screaming about their imaginary oppression. And there's no sign they do.

[buttdawg]

Vince

There's really not a lot I can say that hasn't already been said. It looks like Vince McMahon's downfall in 2022 was just a warmup for what's happening in 2024. This time the allegations are a lot more detailed and horrific. Apparently Slim Jim decided to pause their sponsorship deal with WWE and that seems to have spooked TKO enough that Vince resigned.

Compare that to the scandal in '22, where Vince seemed to be in big trouble, but there didn't seem to be enough leverage to oust him from the company, then he finally did step down, and then he ended up coming back. This time things are happening much faster, and people are speculating about the complicity of others in the company. "What did Triple H know and when did he know it?" That sort of thing.

I'm just some dork on the internet, but it looks to me like Vince is running out of road. Pre-2022, he could rely on his majority shareholder power to wield unlimited power in WWE. I was kind of surprised he stepped down in 2022 at all, so when he used the majority shareholder power to get back in, I wasn't too surprised. They said it was just so he could preside over the sale to TKO, but that's over now, and they've been reducing his influence over WWE ever since. Now he's resigned completely, so all he has left are the shares he has in TKO, which he was in the process of selling off.

The way I understood it, he had so many that he couldn't sell them all in one go, because that would tank the stock, so he had to do it in big chunks over several months. That's assuming he intended to sell it all in the first place, and maybe his plans have changed now. Still, he's not going to have TKO or WWE to back him up in the future. They're going to want to cut ties with him quickly, so when all is said and done, it'll be Vince facing these allegations without the corporate machine behind him. I don't know how much that matters. I mean, he'll still have his vast personal fortune and legal resources, but this feels different. If that NDA gets voided, there could be even more allegations that come to light, and he'll come off looking even worse.

Realistically, he'll probably die of old age before he faces any real consequences. That sucks, but at least there can be some sort of dismantling of Vince's reputation. In 2022 he made that last appearance on Smackdown and fans were chanting "Thank you, Vince" and it was pretty sickening to hear. Maybe we're finally nearing the end of people trying to pretend like Vince McMahon was some sort of genius promoter. I don't think anyone's going to be thanking him much from here on out.

As for TKO, hopefully this will lead to some sort of purge of whoever was complicit in all of this. I'd be very surprised if we ever saw Brock Lesnar in a WWE ring again, and there's probably more names that'll come out of this. WWE claimed to do an investigation into all of this before, and apparently they weren't very thorough, so whoever's behind that will have to face the music. The Royal Rumble's tomorrow, and right now the most interesting part of it sounds like the press event after the show. I don't know what Paul Levesque's role in all of this was, but it's hard to believe he worked for WWE for 29 years and had no idea what Vince was up to. He voted against his return in 2023, so that means something. I have to think his career in WWE management will never be the same after this.

However it shakes out, hopefully this will allow TKO to clean house and put it all behind them. And maybe that'll put more pressure on other promotions to clean their houses... Well, I'm probably being too optimistic.