#also thinking of making a poll to vote on whether or not i should make a public list of all my plans

[flyingspicerack]

Okaaaay daydreaming time then sleeby nienie eveyone!!

[anistarrose]

Please don't tune out when you get to the non-partisan section of your ballot this November. First off, where state Supreme Court justices are elected, Republicans are trying their darndest to elect candidates who will destroy reproductive freedom, gut voting rights, and do everything in their power to give "contested" elections to Republicans. Contrast Wisconsin electing a justice in 2023 who helped rule two partisan gerrymanders unconstitutional, versus North Carolina electing a conservative majority in 2022, who upheld a racist voter ID law and a partisan gerrymander that liberal justices had previously struck down both of.

Second, local judicial offices will make infinitely more of an impact on your community than a divided state or federal legislature will. District and circuit courts, especially, are where criminalization of homelessness and poverty play out, and where electing a progressive judge with a commitment to criminal justice reform can make an immediate difference in people's lives.

It's a premier example of buying people time, and doing profound-short-term good, while we work to eventually change the system. You might not think there will be any such progressive justices running in your district, but you won't know unless you do your research. (More on "research" in a moment.)

The candidates you elect to your non-partisan city council will determine whether those laws criminalizing homelessness get passed, how many blank checks the police get to surveil and oppress, and whether lifesaving harm reduction programs, like needle exchanges and even fentanyl test strips, are legal in your municipality. Your non-partisan school board might need your vote to fend off Moms for Liberty candidates and their ilk, who want to ban every book with a queer person or acknowledgement of racism in it.

Of course, this begs the question — if these candidates are non-partisan, and often hyper-local, then how do I research them? There's so much less information and press about them, so how do I make an informed decision?

I'm not an expert, myself. But I do think/hope I have enough tips to consist of a useful conclusion to this post:

Plan ahead. If you vote in person, figure out what's on your ballot before you show up and get jumpscared by names you don't know. Find out what's on your ballot beforehand, and bring notes with you when you vote. Your city website should have a sample ballot, and if they drop the ball, go to Ballotpedia.

Ballotpedia in general, speaking of which. Candidates often answer Ballotpedia's interviews, and if you're lucky, you'll also get all the dirt on who's donating to their campaign.

Check endorsements. Usually candidates are very vocal about these on their websites. If local/state progressive leaders and a couple unions (not counting police unions lol) are endorsing a candidate, then that's not the end of my personal research process per se, but it usually speeds things up.

Check the back of the ballot. That's where non-partisan races usually bleed over to. This is the other reason why notes are helpful, because they can confirm you're not missing anything.

I've seen some misconceptions in the reblogs, so an addendum to my point about bringing notes on the candidates: I strongly suggest making those notes a physical list that you bring polling place with you. Many states do allow phones at the polling place, but several states explicitly don't — Nevada, Maryland, and Texas all ban phones, and that may not be an exhaustive list. There may also be states that allow individual city clerks to set policies.

You should also pause and think before you take a photo of your ballot, because even some states that don't ban phones still ban ballot photographs. But whether it's a photo, or just having your phone in general — in an environment as high-risk for voter suppression as the current one, you don't want even a little bit of ambiguity about your conduct. Physical notes are your friends.

[basketobread]

does anyone remember that one popcorn meme comic from like forever ago because it makes me think of these little critters... also is popcorn canon in the bg3 universe??? it should be?? if it isnt, let's pretend gale is the inventor of popcorn.

also, i did a poll a few days ago about whether or not i should free gale from the portal in this new campaign and... the people have voted yes... so i suppose gale will be making some appearances in the lunara comics now!!

[loredrinker]

Could Solas Kill Inky in Place of Varric?

I saw a poll making the rounds days ago asking the age-old question: could Solas have killed the Inquisitor if they, rather than Varric, had approached him during the ritual? I voted no - and now I’m driven to explain why.

I’m not claiming any kind of authority here. Fandom discourse can be sensitive (especially around headcanons), so let’s just agree this is one interpretation among many. And no, this isn’t denial or wishful thinking (though I’m sure some will roll their eyes). I’ve tried to keep this grounded in what the games present and build a case based on narrative structure, context and character logic.

I’m also not saying Solas couldn’t ever harm the Inquisitor. Under the right conditions, it’s possible. But the question is would he have done so in that moment - at the ritual site, in Varric’s place? And for me, the answer is no. Based on where Solas is emotionally and narratively at that point, I don’t believe that outcome fits. 

This post focuses on a Friend and Romanced Inquisitor - those the story frames as emotionally significant to Solas. (I’ll address the low-approval path at the end.)

For this, I want to start with the progression of Solas’ relationship with the Inquisitor as shaped by the events of the games and supporting material. (And of course, the prerequisite disclaimer: these are just my thoughts and interpretations.)

Apologies, it's a bit long.

Emotional Bonds: Solas’ Relationship with the Inquisitor

In Inquisition, Trespasser and Veilguard, we see Solas emotionally compromised by his bond with the Inquisitor - whether friend or lover - through a series of consistent narrative beats.

With a high-approval friend Inquisitor, the connection is built on deep respect. Solas says, “You show a wisdom I have not seen since… since my deepest journeys into the ancient memories of the Fade,” and adds, “It means that I respect you deeply, Inquisitor.” That word - deeply - is important. Solas doesn’t offer praise lightly, and considering what we know of his guarded nature and history, that line should be read as significant.

After Trespasser, he refers to revealing his plans as a “moment of weakness” (The Dread Wolf Take You), yet chooses to confess anyway because part of him wants the Inquisitor to know. When he meets with Charter, it's because he's learned the Inquisition is involved and knowingly risks exposure by appearing in person. And his message: "Tell the Inquisitor I’m sorry" in a faltering voice further underscores that the Inquisitor has a sort of hold on him.

He admits to Rook that during his rebellion, it took him centuries to build bonds with others - but within the Inquisition, he formed bonds within a year. This is yet another beat that tells us that what happened during the Inquisition was exceptional to Solas - it had immediacy, intimacy, and impact.

Strong evidence of the unique role of the Inquisitor comes from the romance path. Solas prepares to reveal everything but retreats in fear. Yet even after ending the relationship, the connection lingers through multiple narrative beats: dream visits, refers to never forgetting her, his letter, cherishing their time more than his victories. The Crestwood scene is most telling: “You are unique... I never expected to find someone who could draw my attention from the Fade. You have become important to me, more important than I could have imagined.” For Solas, the Fade is his sanctuary - where he finds clarity, control, and truth. That a romanced Inquisitor could pull his focus from it is the narrative explicitly telling the player they disorient him. Their emotional gravity is strong enough to draw him away from the only place he’s ever truly longed for. That’s why he runs. So when players ask whether he would have reacted the same way to a romanced Inquisitor at the ritual site as he did to Varric, I feel that dialogue reveals a lot. If they could pull his attention away from the Fade, then it stands to reason they could break his focus mid-ritual. Their appearance could have destabilized him again, just as it did before.

But perhaps what I find to be one of the most compelling pieces is what Veilguard itself tells the player: “The Dread Wolf could not foresee what it would mean to fall in love.” Note the use “the Dread Wolf” here - not Solas. The Dread Wolf is the myth, the feared manipulator. He is supposed to be above mortal emotion, detached and resolute. And yet, the Dread Wolf - not the man beneath the name - is the one undone by love. (How interesting the cut dialogue from Morrigan aligns with this: “And so the Dread Wolf is stopped by, of all things, love.”)

Solas’s Actions Toward Varric Were Not Premeditated 

When Varric approaches Solas at the ritual, Solas doesn’t strike him. He disables Bianca, which Varric has pointed at him - choosing non-lethal intervention - and turns back to his ritual. He speaks to Varric, is composed, focused. There’s no bloodlust or intent to kill. It’s only after Rook topples the statue and Varric lunges at him that Solas stabs him. It’s fast, instinctive, defensive - his control breaking in the middle of a complex, high-stakes spell. And while it’s clear Solas was prepared to incapacitate Varric if necessary, I don’t believe his intention was to kill him (if he truly wanted a fatal outcome for Varric, he would have turned him to stone). I interpret his expression afterward as much: he tilts his head down, his eyes/face fall. This wasn’t premeditated or cold-blooded - it was a response to immediate, physical interference in a moment where precision and focus were everything. Unfortunately, his aim was fatal.

The Inquisitor Would Not Approach the Way Varric Did 

Okay, maybe this part is more subjective, I can admit that - but do many players believe their Friend/Lover Inquisitor would have charged Solas the way Varric did? The Inquisitor is not Varric. Across the games and extended media, they’re portrayed as strategic, influential, and focused on the long game (as I write about here). Varric made an impulsive choice - physically lunging at Solas in the middle of an intense, years-in-the-making ritual. His reaction triggered a defensive response. That’s who Varric is: brave, loyal, emotional - but not really all that strategic. 

By contrast, a friend/lover Inquisitor would most likely approach differently. Look at the atonement ending in Veilguard: they approach slowly, hands out, knowing exactly how dangerous the situation is, yet still choosing to reach him emotionally, rather than physically. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that the same Inquisitor, placed at the ritual site, would do the same? 

And really, we only have one canonical example of an Inquisitor confronting Solas directly: Trespasser. Just the two of them. And even when the Inquisitor is angry or feeling betrayed - not even a low-approval one is harmed. What that shows me is simple: when the Inquisitor is the one standing in front of him, Solas responds differently.

Solas Had Already Changed His Strategy Since Trespasser 

By the time of Veilguard, Solas is no longer fully committed to the most absolute, destructive version of his plan as originally told to the Inquisitor. In The Missing, he tells Varric in a note that “what must be done, will be done cautiously, and I will limit the damage as best I can,” At the ritual site, he again tells Varric that he has taken precautions to minimize the damage, In the Fade prison, he confirms to Rook that he had a host of spirits ready to help minimize loss of life. And while some players may dismiss this as manipulation or self-delusion, it’s worth noting that Emmrich affirms the spirits still think highly of Solas and continue to support him - suggesting he hasn’t lost their trust. Taken together, these are not throwaway lines. They form a consistent pattern.

This isn’t about excusing Solas - it’s about acknowledging the material the game presents. Across multiple sources, the narrative signals that Solas’ internal direction has shifted. He’s no longer blindly pursuing a path of total destruction. Since Trespasser, he’s made a conscious decision (however flawed) to try to control the outcome - to do less harm. Whether or not he’s lying to himself is a valid question, but the story shows that he believes he’s acting with restraint. That belief defines the version of Solas we meet at the ritual site: conflicted, calculating, and trying - however imperfectly - not to repeat past catastrophes.

The Killing of Felassan Is Not a Useful Comparison 

Some players point to Felassan’s death as precedent for the idea that Solas could kill the Inquisitor - but in my view, the circumstances are entirely different. At the assumed time of Felassan’s death, Solas is either still in Uthenera or has recently awakened from it into a world made tranquil by the Veil. He was still reeling from Mythal’s murder and the consequences of his own actions. His psychological and emotional state was unstable to say the least, shaped by disorientation, grief, and urgency. Felassan, by contrast, had centuries to adapt to this changed world, to mourn Mythal, and to forge new connections. Solas had not.

If we look at Solas’s perspective, Felassan didn’t just disagree - he disobeyed a direct order at a critical time, likely seen as a betrayal not only of Solas’ plan, but also of Mythal’s memory. I also don’t believe Felassan’s death was premeditated, it fits a pattern of how Solas reacts when he’s desperate and his control is slipping. (And don't take this as me agreeing with Solas, I'm simply attempting to provide context.)

I think it's worth noting that Felassan’s death may have changed Solas. One of the regrets Rook confronts in the Crossroads is The Betrayal of Felassan, suggesting the moment haunts Solas. It was a personal failure that may have contributed to the caution and restraint we see from him later.

The Flemeth/Mythal Scene 

Some players also cite the end of Inquisition - when Solas absorbs Mythal’s fragment from Flemeth - as proof that he’d kill the Inquisitor, because he kills Mythal. But that reading feels overly simplistic and overlooks what the scene actually depicts, both in Inquisition and its altered version in Veilguard. And maybe this is where I’ll get the most eye rolls, but here it is: Flemeth is not Mythal - she carries only a fragment of her. And in both versions, the visual and narrative cues strongly suggest she anticipated this outcome.

Yes, it does seem cold that Solas has to kill Flemeth to gain Mythal’s power - taking the life of this powerful woman who has influenced and shaped Thedas. But that’s precisely what makes her lack of resistance so fascinating. She doesn’t fight or flee. She reaches out to Solas, touches his face, and calls him “old friend.” So I have to ask - why? If Flemeth or Mythal truly objected, would someone of Flemeth’s immense power (especially when Solas is still regaining his strength) have allowed it? The most reasonable answer is that she didn’t make this decision alone. As the vessel of Mythal’s fragment, it’s entirely plausible that Mythal’s will/memories/essence - her understanding of what must happen - guided the moment. That doesn’t make it easy, or even ethically clean, but it reframes the act as one of grim necessity, not aggression as it wasn’t positioned as theft, but a sorrowful transfer of power.

And we see this tension captured in a single line of dialogue from Mythal: “While the prison is important, it is not the only goal you seek.” She doesn’t reject Solas’ reasoning - she acknowledges the prison’s importance, and by extension, his need for power to do it. But she also makes sure to take this moment to challenge him. She allows the transfer, as she calls him out about why he wants it. Again, Flemeth’s death doesn’t serve as precedent for Solas using violence against the Inquisitor.

The Atonement Ending Reaffirms the Inquisitor’s Unique Emotional Bond

By placing the Inquisitor alongside Mythal in Solas’s path to atonement at the end of Veilguard, it felts like the writers made a deliberate narrative choice. Mythal - the immortal who shaped Solas and his ideology - and the Inquisitor - the mortal who affected his heart - stand together because both are essential to who he’s become. This pairing is symbolic in my eyes as the Inquisitor is framed as Mythal’s equal in emotional and narrative influence over Solas’s fate. They speak before and after her, effectively bookending the moment that changes everything.

A character granted that level of symbolic and emotional influence in Solas’ arc is not someone I feel Solas would plausibly kill at the ritual site.  

Conclusion 

All of this has been my attempt to lay the groundwork - to trace the story’s emotional and narrative architecture - behind why I believe Solas couldn’t have killed the Inquisitor at the ritual site at the beginning of Veilguard. Could he hurt them later, in a moment of desperation or collapse? Yes, there is the possibility, but I don't think intentionally, likely through an accident scenario. But in that moment at the ritual site? I don’t believe he’s in that place yet.

And there’s also this: Solas never kills Rook. Even when he manipulates them in the Fade and tries to use them to take his place, he doesn't physically harm them. At the end, he tells Rook he doesn’t want to fight them and only attacks when Rook strikes first. So to suggest he would kill a high-approval/love Inquisitor - someone he has a deeper, longer, and more emotionally complex bond with - while sparing Rook doesn’t hold up, narratively or thematically in my mind.

Call it delusional or coping - but nothing I’ve presented here is headcanon (if anyone feels it is, please point it out, happy to expand!). I’ve done my best to stay rooted in the material the games and extended lore provide. And as always, I’m open to counterpoints, things I've not considered and happy to keep the conversation going!

..........

Low Approval Inquisitor

Ok so what about a low-approval Inquisitor? The one who rarely brought Solas into the field, frequently antagonized him, or made decisions he fundamentally disagreed with? That doesn’t mean they were a bad leader necessarily. In fact, it’s entirely possible this Inquisitor maintained high approval with other companions and made principled choices. But from Solas’ perspective, that relationship never deepened into an emotional relationship. In Veilguard, he remarks that such an Inquisitor was "useful" - a cold assessment - before shifting focus to bonds that mattered to him, like his friendship with Cole.

Without shared understanding or personal rapport, this Inquisitor might register to Solas as someone capable of interfering, but not capable of reaching him. If they had approached him at the ritual in a moment of volatility - the outcome could have been very different. I can’t speak broadly, as I’ve only played a low-approval Inquisitor once, and even then it was more of an across-the-board low approval run. But I do think it’s more plausible that this Inquisitor would have been at far greater risk of sharing Varric’s fate.

That said, there’s a counterpoint worth considering. By the time of Veilguard, Solas has made efforts to minimize harm - he even helps to stop the Qunari invasion in Trespasser to preserve some peace in Thedas till the veil comes down. In that light, killing the Inquisitor might risk triggering unrest, something he seemed to want to avoid until his ritual. Whether that restraint would hold in the heat of the ritual is debatable - but it’s a possibility. I’d love to hear other perspectives on this as I know I'll think on this one further.

[best-thing]

Out of all the things in everything, which one... is best?

It's a question we sometimes ask and never need to know the answer to. And finding answers no one needs is precisely the role of the tumblr tournament poll!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this work? Tumblr users can submit a thing via ask, and the thing will be tried against the other things one by one in random order. 1v1 polls will determine which of each pair is better.

Won't that make way too many polls? Oh yes. If we do ALL the polls of the round robin, there will be a number of total polls equal to the square of the number of things that tumblr users can think of, minus that number, all divided by two. That's pretty many. Or perhaps zero. It depends on if this blog gets traction or not. This blog got some traction.

Sooo do you have a solution to that problem? We'll probably discard things that lose all their polls, or enough of their polls, or something like that. They can go on a "not that good" list that will grow over time.

It sounds like you haven't really got a plan. That's not a question!

Why not do a regular single-elimination bracket? We like round robin tournaments better! They're a more reliable way to find out the true relative quality of things. Plus we can have rolling submissions this way.

What kinds of things can be submitted? Submissions should:

1) be a thing. It can be abstract or concrete, alive or not, all are accepted. Examples include "doughnuts", "the letter M", "orgasms", "the Engraved Hourglass Nebula", "being a wizard", "fresh wizard meat cooked over an open fire with a rosemary dry rub", and more!

2) be something that a typical tumblr user could plausibly be familiar with. So "cats" is fine but "the cat that is on the lap of tumblr user fake-example-person" is not. It also can't be "your mom" or similar because that referent changes depending on the answerer. If you're getting specific, make sure it's something the voter could look up. If it's fictional, please include a brief indication of its origin.

3) be good. Or at least not bad. We are trying to find the best thing, so submitting "transmisogyny" or "smallpox" or whatever isn't going to be accepted. We also won't accept anything that it would be fucked up to apply a value judgment to, like a demographic of people or something like that.

4) not be a fandom thing. There are so many other tournament blogs for those, and they bore me. No fictional characters, works of fiction, films, shows, franchises, songs, video games, musicians, writers, actors, etc. Less specific options like genre or medium are allowed. For example, "Sherlock Holmes" or "A Study In Scarlet" or "Arthur Conan Doyle" would be disallowed, but "detective fiction" is allowed. Something that's fictional but not from a specific source, like "wizards", is allowed. (Some of these are going to be difficult edge cases and they will just be judged by my gut.)

What do I need to send in my ask? You can just include the thing itself, but if you wish you may add explanation about what the thing is and/or propaganda in favor of it being the best. These will be included with the poll. Unless I forget, which I usually do. These will not be included in the poll because it creates a significant amount of fuss when adding polls to the queue.

What if the options are two very different levels of specificity on similar subjects? Vote with your heart. Is more specificity better or worse?

Why are you pitting two bad bitches against each other? It is our calling.

What determines whether you include a Wikipedia link on a poll? Our finely tuned reference-inclusion criteria consider such factors as an average person's familiarity with the thing, whether we feel like it (it makes the post take longer to write) and whether we remember to (remembering things is hard). We do try to post a link for both options if one is included for either, though this is not always possible.

You sound familiar. Are you some other gimmick blog? We have the distinguished honor of being the same person-posting-as-if-she's-an-organization as the prestigious @meme-conservation and the elegant and insightful @bad-time-analogies!

I'm mad (and not in a fun pretend way) about one of the options getting votes when I hate it and/or strongly prefer the other. In fact, I think that people liking this thing may be What's Wrong With Society. May I annoy you and/or others by ranting in the notes about it? No. This may get you blocked.

Can I submit my orientation, gender, or other essential element of my identity? No. That would be fucked up (see above). Do you want to find out that most people prefer frozen yogurt over your identity?

I'm upset with how you handled my submission in some way. That's not a question! Perhaps "running a gimmick blog and handling people's submissions in a way they don't like" is the real Best Thing.

I have a different question. Perhaps you should ask it instead of waiting for us to anticipate it!

[cautious-soup]

Ex-Bully!Satoru Gojo x Fem!Reader

Summary: Sequel to my Bully!Satoru Gojo story.

You and Satoru spend time together, all the while pretending the two of you together aren't a disaster.

CW// discussion of non-con

A/N: READ ME!! This is an experimental chapter, I'm dubious on whether or not this is a good direction to take the story. Please vote in the polls at the end of you like this direction!!!

ALSO please vote after reading on which JJK character I should write about next!! Tysm, and please enjoy this new chapter :)

✿❀✿❀✿

2 months. That was how long Satoru had gone without touching you. That time was part of an eternity to him, an eternity where he never got to see you again. It was endless at best, and maddening at worst.

The world really was on the side of awful people. That he was able to see you again at all, hold you, kiss you—what right did he have?

"I don't completely forgive you, it just isn't possible," you'd said, and he understood.

He told you he was sorry, but not for hurting you. No, if he could go back to when you both first met, he'd do it all over again—nothing felt as good as taking from you.

He was sorry for wanting to hurt you, for reveling in it, craving it.

It wasn't his secret to keep, so he told you as much.

"…that's fucked up," you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. "You say all of that while I'm alone with you?"

Satoru looks down and wrings his hands. It was the day after the cafe, and Satoru invited you to the hotel he was staying at. You obliged his invitation, against your better judgement. Every interaction you had with this man was against your better judgement really. Now, you were both sitting on the couch in his hotel room, trying and failing to have a productive, adult conversation.

"Have you…been to therapy at all?" He asks carefully.

"What good would that do when I still…" you sigh, "Every part of my being is screaming at me to get away from you…and every part of my being is pleading for me to stay with you."

Madness. 

"I can't," Satoru looks at you, "I can't promise I won't end up doing something selfish—something that'll hurt you."

"Well yeah, you clearly can't control your impulses," you snort. 

"I can control them I—Y/N, I've never been this way about anyone but you. I beat up a guy at a party for cornering a chick once,"

"So you're a hypocrite?"

"…at best."

More silence.

Nothing about this was safe or sane. You were a rabbit twining itself with a wolf who was never satisfied. How long before he devoured you whole?

Maybe you were a masochist.

"I don't know what it is about you," Satoru said lowly, gazing at you, unblinking, "I get things from you that I can't from anyone—anything else." 

Satoru is closing the space between you, clutching your shoulders, "Y/N, you have to get away from me. I know you said you'd give me a second chance but I don't deserve it. Whatever you choose to give me won't ever be enough…"

You know that. You know that, and yet.

"You are so mentally unwell," you sigh.

"I learn from the best," Satoru joked, letting go of you.

"Hey, you went crazy way before I did," you say, and Satoru shrugs, "I dunno, you definitely could've called the campus police on me or something."

"Oh so we're victim blaming now?"

"No of course not I'm just saying th—ow!"

Satoru rubs his shoulder, "Ok ok, sorry. My fault."

"Yep."

"…"

"…"

"…can we please make out now?"

"You finally learned how to ask for things?" You ask, shuffling over the couch cushions toward him.

"Yeah, I studied for years," Satoru hummed, laying his hands on your waist and pulling you forward.

Your lips come together, and the most agonizing bliss washes over you.

Nothing else feels like this. Nothing.

✿❀✿❀✿

Recent Search History:

Whats codependantcy

(Did you mean codependency?)

Is codependantcy bad?

(Did you mean codependency?)

Codependent relationships example

Am I a bad person?

I'm in love and it hurts

I feel insane

Does she think about me as much as I think about her?

✿❀✿❀✿

"Oh my god, stop asking,"

"I thought consent was a good thing—"

"Yes but not every two minutes," you whimper, wrapping your legs tighter around Satoru's waist, "Please just," you can't finish. You've never wanted him this bad. It's embarassing.

But Satoru is flushed too, mouth wet and half open, eyes lidded and entranced with you. 

"Before…" you start, and Satoru dazedly meets your eyes. You feel yourself getting flustered—his looks really were unfair.

"A-ah um, before you always said I wasn't your type, um…" you don't let on how much it got to you, all of the comments about you being "plain" and "a 6 at best".

But you were only human.

Satoru's brows bunch together, and he sighs, letting his forhead fall against your shoulder.

"I was just being a dick…" he murmured, "Um…fuck I really am the worst,"

"No," you sit up slightly, "No, you don't get to sulk. You made your bed, now lie in it."

"…well I'm lying in a bed now," he says, pulling away from your shoulder just enough to look at you.

"You're annoying," you sigh, pulling Satoru's face towards yours and kissing him again.

✿❀✿❀✿

How do you want it?

I don't know.

Please—tell me.

I don't know just…stop asking. Do what you've always done.

…ok

✿❀✿❀✿

"Whatever I want?" You ask, glancing up at him.

"Anything," he says, "Please, get anything you want. Even if it feels impulsive."

Earlier in the hotel room, Satoru laid panting beside you and asked, "What do you, haah, what do you like to do around here anyway?"

You'd shrugged, "Eh, there's nothing to do around here besides eat and shop. I like the movies best. The malls are nice too, especially the more expensive one, though I mostly just do window shopping there…"

"…window shopping?" He'd asked. You realize it must be an unfamiliar concept for someone like him, seeing something you want and not having it immediately.

He looked at you strangely after you explained. The next thing you knew, you were at said expensive shopping center, with Satoru encouraging you to pick out everything you wanted.

"Well," you say, sipping a 10 dollar pistichio latte, "This is definitely a start."

Satoru smiles indulgently at you. He's been looking at you the whole time, actually, watching you flit about every store, urging you towards the most expensive items and laughing at your reactions to the prices. 

He kept steering you towards clothing stores too, and picking out clothes for you like a fussy parent. He did have good taste to be fair. 

You were still flustered though— Satoru didn't do anything to hide the dark satisfaction that crossed his features whenever you emerged from a dressing, room covered head to toe in obscenely expensive clothes he'd chosen for you.

"Anywhere else you wanna go?" He asks, watching as you finish your coffee.

"Hm," you look down at the floor surrounding your table. An army of bags were at both of your feet. Satoru insisted on carrying everything, but after a while he just looked like a walking pile of bags himself. So you took as many as you could carry. Even between the two of you, it was still overwhelming.

"…maybe we should head to the car and uh, put these away,"

Satoru looked down at the bags, laughing, "Sheesh, did we really get this much?"

"I guess so," you say.

"Then, let's go see a movie,"

"Which one?"

"Whichever one is most popular at the time of reading," Satoru says.

You both go see a movie that's very relevant. You let yourself order items off the theater menu you didn't know existed.

"Why's this place have waffles?" Satoru snickered.

"Why're you soaking yours in so much syrup?" You ask, watching as the waffle practically drowns.

"The more sugar the better," he says simply. 

The person in front of you turns and scowls, and you smile apologetically.

But Satoru wouldn't stop talking during the movie and making you laugh, and his hand somehow made its way up your thigh. 

Some part of you wanted to recoil, but another part of you wanted to lean into the tough tenfold.

This isn't normal you think, lacing yours and Satoru's fingers together.

✿❀✿❀✿

"How's your head, by the way?" 

Satoru glances away from the road at you, confused. You hesitate, then clarify, "When I slugged you with my graduation mug."

"Oh!" He says, "Yeah I'm fine. You should've hit me harder to be honest."

"Yeah I get it, you're the worst. God, how do you still manage to keep the conversation about you?" You ask, exasperated.

"Hey you asked me this time," he says. 

"Ah, this is it," you say after a few minutes. Satoru nods, pulling in front of your house.

"I'll help you bring the bags in," he says, and you nod.

Your parents were the type to have the garage door closed even when they were home. You never had any way of knowing if they were gone until you went inside.

And alas, they were home.

Your mom stares at you and Satoru from the kitchen. You watch her work through everything in her head, watch her eyes dart from him, to you, to the host of shopping bags you're both carrying, to the red spot on your neck that you didn't bother covering up.

"Oh my," she whispers.

✿❀✿❀✿

A/N: HERE ARE THE POLLS PLEASE VOTE THANKS

Just realized you can't have two polls in one post so here's the other one

Thanks for reading sorry for all the chaos lol

[neighbourhoodspidey]

close your eyes, give me your hand

gn reader and wanda (no powers au)

summary: you would love her in any way you can and show her in all the ways you could (is that good enough of a summary?)

a/n: i think it's better when the fonts for the summary, notes etc is better when it's tiny. do let me know if it's the opposite though i'm still trying to work my way around. i listened to the poll and the other 30% won. i’m not sure if i wanted to make it smutty or not but i think the fluff was needed. the history between me and the title is saddening. if you can guess what it is you will have my love. also some fluff was needed after the devastating weeks i’ve had. and sooo i thought, along with the vote, maybe i could write something for wanda, who does deserve and need all the love. she is special and lives in our hearts. leave anything in the comments section spam with love spam with your lovely presence LETSGOOO

warnings: nothing, just pure fluff and reader reassuring wanda. proofread although there might be…drumroll…mistakes left behind. but do let me know if i missed anything else

w/c: 2.28 k (i think i got it right)

Everything was wrong. She wasn’t even sure she looked good in the dress she was wearing, that she had to practically dive through her wardrobe to find. So she did the only sensible thing, she took it off and tried another one.

But it’s not like she, or even you could walk out of this. You already accepted to go to the dinner party along with Pietro, Monica and Darcy. A dinner that was rare, seeing as Pietro was climbing the scales of being an international athlete, Monica was an engineer in aerospace and Darcy was running her own art gallery. And with you being bakery owners it was complicated to gather around everyone from different states. That’s why backing down was not an option.

It doesn’t mean it was not stressful. Sure, the thought of seeing her brother along with her bestfriends warmed her heart. But the negativity slowly took over. For no apparent reason.

She could hear your faint hums in the living room, dancing to the music you would always play for whenever you’d get ready. It made her smile, just hearing you sing the lyrics with a grin, without caring whether you got them wrong or not. If only she could go downstairs and sing with you, twirl in your arms as you delay going over last minute details but she can’t.

It was never like this. Maybe it’s because her introversion went from interesting to boring. Maybe she wasn’t an interesting person at all. And she can’t even dress well enough to go out-

“Wanda?” You called her name. Though your voice was soothing it wasn’t enough to drown the plaguing thoughts.

God she wanted to cry but she couldn’t because that would mean having to do her makeup that she spent her time doing all over again. Even more when you stepped closer, your hands gingerly reaching for hers.

“Hey…what’s wrong, lovely?” She intertwined her hands with yours, playing with your fingers, words mulling over and over in her mind. Should she be truthful? She doubted you’d scoff it off but she was being ridiculous, nearly crying as if she’s a teenager who wants to make a first good impression on their date.

You waited for her to speak, not wanting to rush her, but still comforting her in any way you can, stroking the skin of her arms, silently letting her know that you’re here for as long as she needs.

“I just…” It’s an attempt, a slow one but an attempt nonetheless. “I don’t know, does this dress look good on me?” She expected for you to laugh, or even chuckle, but you did not. Your eyes were gazing warmly at her, as if the answer is evident to you.

“I think it looks wonderful. You are wonderful.” That was the only word that came to your mind but if you were being honest, you would say so much more. The only thing you’re capable of doing is admiring every intricate detail of her outfit. “Is that…is that what you’re worried about? Because we have time, you know. The reservation won’t be over until an hour.”

“That’s the thing.” She slowly drops your hands, nodding to the pile of clothes on the ground. “I tried so many– but I don’t know, they don’t seem to fit me. And you’ve been waiting enough and I don’t want to waste your time…”

You turned to look at the clothes, dresses, suits, skirts, blazers all scattered. It made your heart sink, though you could tell there was more to her worrying about her clothes. You lift her chin, making her meet your eyes, away from the growing pile of anxiety. “Waste my time in any way you want, I won’t leave.” She playfully rolled her eyes at your remark and you shared a sparse but genuine laugh. “Wanda, you’re amazing in anything. Actually, you are amazing. More amazing than the word amazing and that is…well…amazing.” It was oddly sweet how you clumsily stumbled on your words but you were honest.

“You’re not saying that because you feel like you have to, right? I mean it’s okay if I don’t look good. I don’t even know why I bother going out these days I’m so- I don’t want you to hate me, and I don’t want you to think I’m awful by saying that, I know you don’t but you can and I–” You interrupted her ramble by raising her hands to your lips, kissing each knuckle, lingering on the one that bears a special attachment symbolising your dedication and love. Then you turn her hand, kissing the inside of her wrist. 

“I promise you. And there’s nothing that can make me change what I say, what I think or feel about you.” Your words, your touch, makes a pleasant heat bloom in her chest. Even the way you’re looking at her right now, like you feel tethered to her. “If…if you want, I can show you.” And god, your voice was low, in a calming whisper, similar to how you would speak in your most intimate moments. 

“But…the reservation?” It was not a bad idea. But she did wonder what you had in mind.

“I’ll be quick.” You tapped the tip of her nose, making her bite your finger in retaliation. “Hey!” 

“Alright, alright…show me. But if we’re late-”

“Darling, we won’t. Trust me.” You kissed her, chaste but sweet, and sealed your promise. You raised your eyebrow in a silent question, to which she nodded. 

You then led her to the vanity, making sure that her whole body can be seen, and stood right behind her, eyes never leaving hers in the reflection. Your hands found themselves around her waist, holding her near you, the warmth of your body blending with hers. “I don’t see anything that I won’t like. Or that anyone won’t, for that matter. I see someone who is beautiful, has a beautiful soul and mind. You’re caring, kind…and so attentive. And funny.” As if on cue she makes a funny face, about to protest when you kiss her cheek. “Yes, your silly dad jokes play on rewind in the back of my mind, yes I tell them to others and mention that it’s all you.”

“You’re just being silly…” The flush taking over her face gives her away. Though she doesn’t deny it, she does try to hide but you don’t let her, tracing her face with your soft palm, your eyes still focused on your reflection. “Look up, baby. We’re not done here yet.” It takes everything in her to control herself from hiding in the confines of your arms but she listens. You press a kiss to her neck to express you’re proud of her, admiring the goosebumps rising on her flesh. “It’s true. I tell everyone, as soon as they ask me about you, how you can be funny.”

“But I’m not necessarily talkative?”

“It does not make you not, not funny. Besides…you have non-verbal funny traits too. Like when you would flop down on the bed after a long shift of baking cookies, how you would swear in Sokovian and whenever you’d tilt your head when you’re angry. Although, that’s hot if I’m being honest here.” She tries to hold back her smile but she can’t, it even forces a laugh out of her. Your hands then spin her around, making her erupt in giggles. “And your laugh…I swear that’s the only thing I want to hear. I could be in the busiest of streets and I’d recognise it. Nothing can make me forget anything about it…or your voice, for that fact. It’s a song that I will never get tired of hearing.” 

It was like you were reciting your vows, but even better. Like you were extending them. And she liked it. The cruel voice slowly dimmed down to nothing, being chased and crumpled by your reassuring tone, carrying her to safety and warmth.

“And your clothes. When you told me about your emo phase it made me fall harder for you. Leather jacket, smokey eyes, knee-high socks and skirts? I would let you do anything to my heart. Seriously. And even if you’re not dressed like that anymore…your shirts, your pants…how you would wear sweats for when you’re staying in, sundress for when it’s casual or long dresses for when you need to go out…” Your hands were now on her sides, sliding down, as were your eyes, as if slowly memorising her. “You’re gorgeous in anything. Especially when you’re wearing my clothes.”

The heat she felt in her chest now traveled to the rest of her body, a welcoming sensation, and you’re the cause of it. A cause she happily accepts. 

“Maybe I should wear more of your clothes then…” She can’t even speak anymore, too caught up in your devotion. Nearly everything else is ignored but you.

“Maybe you should. But again, I’d like you, love you in everything. And…” You let go of her hips, making her miss your touch but you lifted her hands again, this time to your chest, placing them on your heart. She can feel the regular beating rate, how steady it is. “I can explain what you do to me in words. I can explain what you do to me with my body. My heart, my senses, everything– they are locked on to you, Wanda. I can never hate you. I can’t hate my best friend, my lover, my wife. Not for the simplests of reasons, ever. And…even if you doubt it, you are human, Wanda. You’re allowed to make mistakes. I’ll walk you through it if you’d allow me. You’ll never be alone because you’ll always have me and your friends. You are loved and appreciated by everyone.”

She felt a tear fall, then two, then four more. She wrapped her arms around you, pulling you close, your words a soothing balm, the shouting voice in the corner of her head completely forgotten. 

“I love you.” She brokenly whispers, arms tightening around you, not letting you go, refusing to let you go, even if you’re not leaving.

“I love you too.” You kissed her hairline, swaying your bodies, giving her all the time she needed to process. She pulls away from your shoulder and grazes her lips against yours. You allow her to engulf them in yours in a passionate, tender embrace, a testimony of your words, how you feel for her, always felt for her.

Her mind is now blank, not being able to focus on anything but your hums, your scent, your hands holding her face in place, until air was necessary again. You break apart, softly gasping, eyes heavy with desire. A sweet, innocent kind.

“I’m lucky to have you. You know that, right?”

“I’ll be in every dimension you are, Wanda.” You kissed her tears before pulling her closer to your chest, enveloping her with warmth. She could now hear the music playing in the living room again, as if it’s a reminder. She is supposed to be here. She belongs here. With you. 

You hold her in silence before she kisses your lips once more again, holding herself back, or else she knows you wouldn’t make it past the door.

“Do you…do you still want to go? I’m sure they’ll understand, we can reschedule. Or just eat at home if that’s what you’d like.” It seems you were trying to hold yourself back too, eyes flicking between her swollen lips and the ones that stuck you in place.

“I’m…I can do it. With you. I just need to take care of this mess and my makeup-”

“I’m on it. I’ll take care of it. Do you need anything else?” 

“Hmm…” She ponders, heart racing at your eagerness. An inviting, but not invasive eagerness. “Maybe just one more kiss…and you, here. That can be taken care of later.”

“Right, got it.” You stepped near her again, wrapping your arms around her hips, offering her anything she wants.

You’d spend an eternity doing it, all out of love, and genuine devotion, and your reminders will always be eternal, in any moments needed.

[froggibus]

hello hello! froggi i have something rotting my brain and i would love to hear your thoughts on it, but by no means is this something you have to answer!

how do you think gojo satoru and nanami kento (and anyone else you'd like to include!) would feel about having someone pack lunches for them? like real, thought out, balanced lunches in nice containers and thermoses with little drinks and maybe notes

i can already see the confused first years, yuji and nobara gossiping about whether they're dating someone and megumi being weirded out gojo isnt just buying something like the rich boy he is

Sack Lunch - Satoru Gojo, Nanami Kento & Suguru Geto

Pairing(s): Satoru Gojo x gn! reader, Nanami Kento x gn! reader, Suguru Geto x gn! reader

Genre: fluff!

Word Count: 667 (Gojo's), 685 (Nanami's), 680 (Suguru's)

Summary: a day in your s/o's life when you pack a lunch for him

CW: established relationships!, jokes about dying/being widowed (Gojo's--though they are not necessarily married), lots of cutesy stuff, Gojo acts like a child

anon you are the first person ever to call me froggi (and i kinda love it omg)!! i have not answered a request/ask in a hot minute, but this one was too cute to pass up! not sure if you wanted headcanons for this or not, but i got really carried away :') hope this is what you wanted! also i really feel strongly about Gojo having a 90s lunchbox collection that he is very proud of! - also!! the Valentine's Poll is open if you guys have any ideas of what you want for our Valentine's event this year!! you can vote here - also thank you @l0serloki for helping me with writing nanami!!

Satoru Gojo:

“Satoru!” You shake your head at the man as he slinks past the kitchen.

He pops his head in, white hair falling over his eyes. “Yes?”

“Don’t forget your lunch.”

“You made me lunch?” He coos, surging forward to pinch your cheek, “you’re so cute.”

You roll your eyes. “No one should spend as much money on food as you do.” You chastise. “And I want to make sure you don’t only eat sweets today. I can’t have you dying on me at 30.”

“Pft, I’m gonna live forever!”

You shove the metallic Sailor Moon lunchbox into his hands. “Keep eating what I make you and you just might.”

“Aw, baby,” he practically sings, “look at you, trying to take care of me.”

He playfully ruffles your hair, but upon seeing your scowl, drags his hand down to your waist. He leans in and presses a sloppy, needy kiss to your lips. You stand on your toes just to kiss him back, rubbing your hands up and down his back.

He pulls away blushing, lunchbox in hand. “I’ll see you later! Love you lots!”

You wave to him as he heads out the door, “love you too!”

Even when he gets out to his car, the grin on his face doesn’t fade. He might have teased you a little, but only because he was so honoured that you even thought to pack him a lunch. The cute Sailor Moon lunch box that totally isn’t his is only the icing on the cake.

—

Nobara and Yuji stare at Gojo in disbelief. The man has his feet propped up on his desk, whistling a song as he peels a mandarin. A mandarin. The sight of their teacher eating an actual, real fruit is jarring. 

Yuji elbows Nobara gently, “has Gojo-sensei finally lost it?”

“He must have, have you ever seen him eat real food before?”

Gojo rolls his eyes behind his blindfold, popping a slice of the orange into his mouth. He listens to his first years gossip about him as he makes his way through the lunch you packed. You really outdid yourself with this one, he has to admit.

It’s all of the foods he likes, cutely displayed in pink containers that match the glittery exterior of the lunch box. You even packed him strawberry mochi, homemade and neatly bundled. There’s a note in there, too.

Please eat all your fruits and veggies, I don’t want to be a widow. 

Lots of love!

Y/n

Gojo stifles his laughter at your note, but he can’t stop the flush that creeps up to his blindfold. Not only did you pack him a lunch, you wrote him a note. He can’t wait to come home to you and tell you how much he loves you.

It’s when Gojo gets up to use the bathroom that Yuji makes a mad dash to peek in his lunch box. “Sailor Moon?!”

Nobara leaps to her feet, joining Itadori at the desk. “There’s a note, look.”

Fushiguro sits at his desk, softly chewing on the sandwich that you also made for him this morning. He shakes his head at his nosy peers, wondering why they care so much about their ridiculous teacher’s life.

“From y/n?!” They cry out in unison.

“Did he steal this from someone?!” Nobara exclaims.

“Did he do something to y/n’s boyfriend?!”

The pair share their conspiracies on just how Gojo ended up with a homemade lunch and a handwritten note from you, oblivious to the way Megumi snickers at them in the back. 

Finally, he can’t take it anymore. “They’re together.”

Their eyes practically pop out. “They are?!”

“Yep,” Gojo leans against the door to the classroom, smirking at his students.

“And it’s…like that?” Yuji asks quietly.

“It’s like that.” Gojo raises his eyebrows for emphasis.

All three First Years cringe, groans filling the room. Gojo smiles proudly though, already figuring out how he’s going to tell this story to you when he comes home to you.

-

Kento Nanami:

Nanami’s cheeks tinge pink as he makes his way to the door and sees you standing there. There’s a massive grin on your face and you’re holding a grey lunchbox in one hand and a coffee thermos in the other. Despite this being an everyday occurance, Nanami still isn’t used to it.

“I packed your lunch.”

He leans in and presses a soft kiss to your lips, grabbing the items from your hands. He sets them on the small table just next to the door to free up his hands before immediately wrapping them around your waist. He caresses your sides gently, almost as gently as he kisses you—trying to show all his gratitude and love for you with a single gesture. 

You’re flustered when he pulls away, straightening out your clothes while you find your breath once more. You watch Nanami as he grabs his lunch and coffee from the table and pulls his keys out of his pocket, clicking open the lock on the front door.

“Oh!” You call to him just before he steps out. “There’s some extra snacks in there, just in case Yuji wants them!”

His dark eyes fill with admiration, his face falling into that soft look he saves for those closest to him. “You really are the greatest.”

You giggle, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he says. “Have a great day today, dear.”

“I will!” You wave at him from the door as he walks to his car. “Oh! And please don’t forget the cutlery at work again!”

“Will do!” His words are punctuated by the closing of his car door followed by the roar of the engine.

You shut the door but the grin doesn’t fall from your face. These mornings are always a highlight for you.

—

Nanami is exhausted by the time he makes it to his lunch hour. Him and Yuji had been running around all afternoon chasing some low grade curse. The second his watch beeped to indicate lunch time, Nanami was already headed to the crosswalk to head to the park across the street, Itadori in tow.

It’s a beautiful day out, the warm sun heating the wood of the park bench just enough to keep it comfortable. He has his most recent novel open on his lap, his lunchbox on the seat next to him. Yuji sits on the other side of his lunch, happily snacking on the extra things you packed for him.

“Y/n really is the best, Nanamin.” He says through a mouthful of food, “packing you all these snacks and keeping you healthy.”

Nanami offers the boy a half grin, though he’s tempted to remind him of his table manners and how rude it is to talk with food in his mouth. He takes a sip of the coffee in his thermos—still warm from this morning—and relaxes farther into the bench. You always make it just the way he likes it, no sugar and hardly any cream. 

He reaches a hand into his lunchbox to grab the small container of carrot slices when his fingers graze something else. He closes his novel and leans over to examine the paper he’s just grabbed.

Hope you’re having a great lunch today, honey. Made with love

To the moon and back,

Y/n

He tries to hide his widening grin and reddening cheeks by pretending to cough into his arm, but only succeeds in drawing more attention to his flustered state. 

“Are you okay?”

Nanami nods, catching his breath from his fake cough. The heat starts to fade from his face. He pulls his head out of his elbow and turns to address the boy, only for his eyes to widen in horror as he realizes the First Year is clutching the note that was just in his hand.

“Woah,” Yuji’s eyes widen. “It’s like that? You really are lucky, Nanamin.”

Nanami breathes a sigh of relief, glad it was Yuji that found the note and not Nobara or Gojo. Had they found it, he would never hear the end of it.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I am lucky.”

-

Suguru Geto:

Suguru is shocked when he sees you waiting for him by the door with a small, black bag in your hand. He tilts his head at you when your eyes meet his, as if asking you what you’re doing.

“I threw together a couple of things,” you explain. “For lunch.”

He’s never been cared for like this, never had anyone to pack him a lunch. A million thoughts cross his mind. Thank you, you’re the best, how’d I get so lucky? Of course, none of that comes out.

Instead, he utters a simple, “...why?”

He cringes at the sound of his own voice, bracing himself for you to be disappointed. Luckily, you don’t offend easily and your smile never wavers.

“Well, you were complaining about Satoru only ever wanting to go to sweet shops—and that you were sick of eating lunch alone, so…”

You look down to his hands, suddenly too embarrassed to face him. It felt like a great idea at the moment, but the longer Geto looks at you, the dorkier the idea feels.

Geto closes the gap between you, grabbing your hand from under the lunch box handle. “Thank you,” he mumbles against your lips, tugging you closer so he can taste you better.

Relief floods through you at his words of gratitude. You lean into the kiss, relishing in the way he feels against you.

“I really do love you, you know?” He says softly when he pulls away, the bag now hanging from his hand.

“I know.”

He looks at you expectantly, giving you the same look he does when you’re acting like a dork or giving him attitude.

���I love you too, Suguru. Now get going! I don’t want you to be late.”

He offers you a small wave before he heads out the door, wondering exactly how he’ll return the favor when he gets home.

—

Satoru stares at Suguru from across the table in the teachers lounge. Even with the blindfold on, Geto can tell the man is eyeing the food he has spread out in front of him.

Gojo raises a finger, about to open his mouth.

“Not a word, Satoru.”

His best friend chuckles, dropping his hands in surrender, and goes back to eating his pastries out of a cute pink box. Geto goes back to his own lunch. Though you claimed you just ‘threw together a few things’, he knows that’s far from the truth.

It must have taken you an hour to prepare it all, at minimum. Not only did you make his favorite meal, but you also packed him steamed, honey coated carrots, a slice of homemade banana bread, and a small thermos of his favorite roasted rice tea.

He pops open the lid of the thermos to smell it, the familiar toasty aroma filling his senses. It smells like home—like the nights where he can’t sleep and you bring him a cup of it mixed with sweet honey.

“What’s this?” Satoru snatches the lid from the desk, flipping it upside down and letting a small piece of stationary fall out.

Suguru groans, reaching desperately across the desk for the lid, only for Satoru’s jaw to fall open. He lets the paper float back down to the desk.

“What?” He demands.

Gojo offers him a teasing grin. “Y/n and Suguru, sitting in a tree….”

Geto scowls and grabs the note before Gojo can pick it up and tease him more. Any annoyance he was feeling at the fellow special grade fades away when he sees your handwriting scrawled across the paper.

Hope Satoru doesn’t give you too much trouble today. I love you so much, can’t wait to hear about your day when you get back

All the stars in the sky,

Y/n

Satoru must not see the way Suguru’s cheeks redden at the sight of the note—or if he does, he doesn’t say anything about it. Though he teases, he couldn’t be any happier for his friend as he watches him read the words on the note over and over, a growing smile on his face.

-

masterlist | jjk masterlist

[thepalladium1]

UPDATE REGARDING THE LEGENDSWAP STORY

okay so . hello folks, specifically those who have followed me specifically for the legendswap comics! big announcement that may be disappointing to hear, but;

i will be discontinuing the comics where luminous cream and the trio explore beast-yeast.

before you all freak out, i swear i have my reasonings, AND a better solution! my reasons are that i started legendswap as an au that i didn't put much thought into, and when i made the comics, it also sort of followed this process. my point being, legendswap doesn't have a fleshed out storyline, only bits and bobs of various ideas floating around in a less-than-coherent jumble. following this, i've been thinking harder about where the comic's leading, and this made me realize that there's bound to be plotholes that i can't rework without retconning the already released pages. (e.g, since silent salt replaces white lily, how would i integrate him into the story this early on? what is white lily and dark enchantress(aka crescent faerie)'s ties to one another? how are the other ancients doing? what was the reason for luminous cream deciding to bring along the Trio on his trip to beast-yeast, considering they are just kids? etc etc, i could go on cause ive been thinking and yeah, it's just too much for me to reintegrate into the story as of now)

anyways, my solution! i polled recently as to whether i should make a legendswap ask blog or if it was simply unnecessary, and you guys have voted for yes! so that's what i will be doing to flesh out this au; i'll be making a part ask blog, part comic series where you can either ask me or the cookies directly questions that will, in turn, progress the plot and let you find out directly about the world itself :) im already working on getting the ask blog ready, and i hope to be able to have it out by tomorrow at the latest. (currently im just working on a banner, and... something else, but the latter is not important)

so! what does this mean for the comics so far? this means that, for now, they are no longer canon and should not be interpreted as such. you can see it as a short look into what i've planned for the dynamic between the cookies shown so far, though, as their personalities are still going to be depicted that way! im sorry to disappoint you all, i really am, but since im no longer flying in blind and have an idea for what i want for the au, i do think that this ask blog would work much better than a chronological order comic. (plus, it means you can see and interact with your favorite cookies sooner rather than having to wait months on end just to see them :) ) (the prologue is still accurate to what i have planned, though, so that can still be interpreted as canon)

i understand how disappointing this sounds, but this is genuinely what i feel is best to expand on the au moving forward. thank you all very much for your support for the au so far, and i hope to continue to make more legendswap content for you all for a long while!

- thepalladium

[tdvotes]

Welcome to Total! Drama! Tumblr!!!!!!

Now that we've wrapped up our analysis on every vote in the canon Total Drama series, it's time to mix it up a little.

This will be something of a crossbreed between Total Drama, The Ridonculous Race, and the Tumblr tournaments that have been so popular recently. Here are the rules:

All 100 contestants from Total Drama and the Ridonculous Race will compete.

Because of this, there will be no submission phase. Instead, there will be a "team building" phase. Click on the form below to submit two or more characters who you think should be on the same team. You can also submit a team name if you like. Once we've received enough submissions, I will put together the teams based on the information received. Please submit as many teams as you want.

The characters will initially be split into 10 teams with 10 players on each team.

I will call each player by their in game name. That means, for example, Mildred Stacey Andrews O'Halloran will be called Blaineley, and Valentina Escobar will be called MacArthur. While this rule applies to me, you can call the characters any name you want.

We will probably put each pair of Ridonculous Race partners on the same team, as well as Katie and Sadie, Amy and Samey, and Wayne and Raj.

A typical episode will be split into 3 polls, each of which will last a day:

On day 1, a challenge poll will pit all the teams against each other. Vote for the team you want to WIN the challenge.

On day 2, a campfire poll will pit the members of the LOSING team against each other. Vote for the player you want to ELIMINATE.

And on day 3, a final poll will pit the two players with the MOST votes against each other. Again, vote for the player you want to ELIMINATE.

The player who loses that poll will be eliminated and have their total stats revealed, both for the canon series and for our game. The stats will include how many votes they received vs how many votes they mathematically could have received, how many elimination ceremonies they went to, how many times they won invincibility, and more.

Teams that won the challenge may or may not receive an extra vote or two in the next challenge.

(Obviously, since the polls last 24 hours each, and I need time in between polls to tally the results, and my schedule will not always align with the time the poll expires, each episode will last slightly longer than 3 days.)

Feel free to submit roleplay, propaganda for or against a certain player or team, or virtually anything else you wish. You can also use DMs as a confessional, either as yourself or as a character.

Language: if it's allowed on the Canadian version of Total Drama, it's allowed here. (For those unfamiliar, they do allow phrases like "arts and crap center", "I'm gonna frickin die", "It's beef testicle bourginion", and "The Sucky Outdoors", but they bleep out other swear words. As another example, Lindsay's rant against Heather is entirely bleeped out in the Canadian version, whereas in the American version it is replaced with a load of PG insults.)

I may introduce game elements that happened or were mentioned in the real show, including but not limited to non-elimination / double elimination rounds, tiebreaker polls, returning players, immunity idols, team swaps, merging teams or eliminating an entire team if a certain team becomes too small, etc. Depends on how the game goes.

While I reserve the right to run the tournament however I want, here are the rules on tied polls:

If a challenge poll is tied for last, the tied teams will either battle it out in a tiebreaker poll, or have an elimination ceremony for each, or have a combined elimination ceremony, depending how I'm feeling that day and how many players are left on each team.

If a campfire poll is tied for first or second, the tied campers will all compete for the final marshmallows.

If a final marshmallow poll is tied, it is at my discretion whether to make it a double elimination, non-elimination, or tiebreaker.

With all that out of the way, the team building form is linked below:

Again, please submit as many teams as you want!

Signal boosting all the tournament blogs I know below the cut!

@tournament-announcer @mysterycharacterbracket @sea-creature-tournaments @freaky-fellers-tourney @guess-that-ship @doofenshmirtzjingletourney @yall-hate-kids-tourney @mystery-classic-lit-bracket @halloweensongbracket @badlysummedupmoviestournament @trioswag-competition @ferbracket @whosthatcharacter-bracket @cartoon-character-competition @blueboybracket @girlgeniusbracket @tmblrsfavshow @autisticgirliesbracket @weird-al-song-tourney @super-shapeshifter-showdown @died-but-not-dead-tournament @siblingshowdown @disneyvillainbracket @dwampyverse-tournaments @best-green-character @orangecharactersmackdown @battle-of-the-dads

[qqueenofhades]

I just read an article on The Conversation that states: "Today, most data has Trump narrowly beating Biden in the national popular vote, albeit within the statistical margin of error." (Source for that data: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/)

In your opinion, is that true? How can that be possible after everything Trump has done? After the Insurrection? I'm terrified 😕

(For reference, the original article can be found at https://theconversation.com/five-reasons-why-trumps-republican-opponents-were-never-going-to-beat-him-223288?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Weekend%20Conversation%20-%202888329325&utm_content=The%20Weekend%20Conversation%20-%202888329325+CID_fceedfd21410eb8a7b6fd6e1124d9d54&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=five%20reasons)

Short answer: no, I don't think it's true.

Long answer: no, I really don't think it's true. Here's why.

Broader context. A Republican has won the popular presidential vote only twice in the 21st century, and in the first of those occasions -- 2000 -- I use "won" very advisedly. We all know, or at least we should, about all the fuckery that went down in Florida with Bush vs. Gore and SCOTUS stepping in to stop the recount (which almost surely would have gone to Gore) and handing Florida, and thus the presidency, to George Dubya Bush by a mere 537 votes. Dubya then did win re-election and the popular vote/EC in 2004, in the throes of patriotic war fervor and the GOP's Swiftboating of John Kerry (who was a pretty terrible candidate to start with). Other than that? None. Zip. Nada. None. Even in 2016 when Trump squeaked out a win (and thus the presidency) in the Electoral College, he lost nationwide to HRC by over 3 million votes. He lost to Biden by 7 million votes nationwide last time. Also, the reason the GOP loves the antidemocratic Electoral College is that it always works in their favor, and because red states with relatively scant population are given the same power in the Senate. That's why California, with 40+ million people, gets two (Democratic) senators, and Wyoming, with 400,000 people, gets two (Republican) senators. There is just no way that red states can get the actual raw numbers to win the popular vote against heavily blue urban population centers. The only one that comes close is Texas, and while it's something of a white whale for Democrats who think fondly that it'll surely turn blue this election cycle (and then it doesn't), it's not giving all its votes popular-vote-wise to Republicans. So yeah. The numbers aren't there. Biden is about 99% certain to win the popular vote, but because this is America, the question is whether the EC will follow.

(Although, I gotta say. In the deeply unlikely event that Biden loses the popular vote but wins the Electoral College -- i.e. the exact same thing Trump did in 2016 -- the right wing would lose their fucking minds and it would be incredibly hilarious. Also, we might finally get some red states willing to sign up to the National Popular Vote Compact, which is just a few ratifications away from going into effect. As noted, the Republicans will cling onto the Electoral College with their last dying breath because it's the only thing that makes them competitive in nationwide elections. If it fucked Trump, they might finally listen to ideas about changing it.)

The media are incredibly biased, and so is Nate Silver. Silver first rose to prominence as an independent geeky Data Guy elections whiz-kid, and was relatively good at being unbiased. That is not the case anymore. He's now affiliated with the New York Times and has started echoing the smugly anti-Biden framework of both that paper and the mainstream media in general. I'm not necessarily saying his data is total bunk, but he's extremely eager to frame, narrate, and explain it in ways that artificially disadvantage Biden (in the same way the NYT itself is all in on "BUT HIS AGEEEEE," just as they were with "BUT HER EEEEEEMAILS" in 2016) And that's a problem, because:

The polls are shit. Like, really, really shit. Didn't we just go through this in 2022, where everyone howled about how All The Data pointed to a Red Wave and then were /shocked pikachu face when this was nothing more than a Red Dribble of Piss (and frankly, the best midterm election result for the ruling party since like, the 1930s?) We've also had major, real-time proof that the polls are showing a consistent pro-Trump bias of 10 or more points, which is a huge error and keeps getting corrected whenever people actually vote, but the media will never admit that, because TRUMP IS WINNING WE ARE ALL DOOMZED!! We heard about how Biden might lose New Hampshire because he wasn't even on the ballot and that would be a critical embarrassment for him. He cruised easily with 68% (all write-in votes and FAR more than any other Democratic "candidate.") Meanwhile, Trump won New Hampshire by about 15% under what the polls had predicted for him (after doing the same and barely squeaking over 50% in Iowa, one of the whitest, most rural, most Trump-loving states in the nation). The number ballparked for Biden in the NV Democratic primary was something like 75%; he got over 90% (and twice as many votes as any candidate in the Republican Primary/Caucus/Whatever That Mess Was). The number for what he was supposed to get in the SC primary was in the high 60% (driven by the media's other favorite "Black voters are abandoning Biden" canard); he absolutely crushed it at 97% statewide. When Biden is winning by whopping margins and Trump is underperforming badly, in both cases by gaps of ten percent or more, it means the polls are simply not showing us an accurate state of the race. This could be because of media bias, bad data, selective polling, inability to actually connect with voters (especially young voters, who are about as likely to eat a live scorpion as to pick up an unsolicited phone call from an unknown number). This also shows up in:

Special elections. We've heard tons of Very Smart Punditry (derogatory) about how Democrats kicking ass in pretty much every competitive election since Roe was overturned in 2022 totally means nothing for the general election. (Of course, if the situation was reversed and Republicans were cleaning up at the same rate, we would be hearing nothing except how we're all destined for Eternal Trumpocracy... wait. no... we're still only hearing this. Weird.) In the last special election in early February, Democrat Tom Suozzi won back his old U.S House seat (NY-03) by over eight points, after polls had given him at most a two- or three-point edge. (Funnily, once again a Democrat did far better than the media is determined to insist, so Politico hilariously called a thumping eight-point win "edging it out.") This represents almost a 16-point blue swing from even just 2022, when The Congressman Possibly Known as George Santos won it by 7 points. On that same night, a Democratic candidate in a Trump +26 district in deep, deep red Oklahoma only lost by 5 points, marking another massive pro-blue swing. This has been the case in every special election since Roe went down. Apparently blah blah This Won't Translate to the General Election, because the media is very smart. Even when Democrats (historically hard to motivate and muster in off-year election cycles, or you know in general) are turning up in elections that don't involve Trump to punish terrible Trumpist policies, we're supposed to think they won't be motivated to actually vote against the guy himself? And not just them, because:

Trump is a terrible candidate. Which we know, and have always known, but now it's really true. We've had up to half of Haley voters stating they will vote for Biden over Trump if that is the November matchup (which it will be). Haley, amusingly, actually outraised Trump in January, because it turns out that the Trump Crime Family's open promise to send every single donor or RNC dollar to pay El Trumpo's legal fees hasn't been a terribly effective message. We had Republicans in NY-03 telling CNN that they voted for the Democrat Suozzi because they're so fed up with the GOP clown show in the House and don't think Republicans can govern (which uh. Yeah. Welcome to reality, we all knew that ages ago too). We have had up to a third of Republican voters saying they won't vote for Trump if he's convicted of a felony before the election (and technically he already has been, but we're still hoping for the January 6 trial to go ahead). Now, yes, Republicans are a notoriously cliquey bunch and might change their minds, but for all the endless bullshit BIDEN SHOULD STEP DOWN BECAUSE DEMOCRATS ARE DISUNITED narrative the media has been pushing like their kidnapped grandmothers' lives depend on it, Democrats aren't actually disunited at all. Instead, Trump is in chaos, the GOP is in chaos, sizeable chunks of Republican voters are ready to vote for someone else and in some cases have already done so, and yet, do we hear a peep about how Trump should step down? Nah. In related news, did you hear that Biden is old?!?! Why isn't anyone writing about this?!?!

Now, I want to make it clear: Trump's chances of winning are not zero, and they are not inconsiderable. We need to face that fact and deal with it accordingly. Large chunks of the country are still willing to vote for white Christian nationalist fascism. Trump still has plenty of diehard cultists and the entire establishment Republican party in his pocket, and it's been made very clear that Putin is bringing the full force of his malevolent Russian fascist machine to bear on this election as well. Case in point: we spent four years hearing about HUNTER BIDEN HUNTER BIDEN SECRET CORRUPTION GIANT SECRET BUSINESS SCANDAL, and it turns out that the GOP's "star informant" has been actively working with Russian spies the whole time and fed them complete bullshit disinformation, which they were eager to repeat so long as it might hurt Joe Biden. (And it would hurt Ukraine, so, twofer! I cannot emphasize enough how much it was all a deliberate collaboration by some of the worst people on earth.)

In 2016, people naively assumed that Trump could never win, and so they were especially willing to throw away, spoil, or otherwise not exercise their vote, or throw purity hissy fits over HRC (likewise fed at the toxic teat of Russian disinformation). That was exactly what allowed Trump to squeak out a win in the EC and put us in the mess we are currently in. If people act in the same way in 2024 that they did in 2016, Trump's chances of winning are drastically increased. So once again, as I keep saying, it's up to us. If we all vote blue, and we get our networks to vote blue, Biden is very likely to win. If we don't, he won't, and Trump will win. It's that simple. We had better decide what we're doing. The end.

[psychhound]

spiritkeep lineages

okay howdy howdy!! more spiritkeep posting oclock!!

for those just joining us for this journey, you can find the announcement for spiritkeep: a therapeutic ttrpg here and the rest of the posts about it here :)

so the third place winner of the poll was to talk about lineages, aka what type of people you can be in spiritkeep

in spiritkeep, all pcs are human. however, these humans come from various lineages based on who their ancestors were and whether those ancestors were magically influenced. lineage isnt the exact same as race - people from the same lineage can be from different races if that's what you choose to do in your game - but does act as the fictionalized stand in for what we think of in the real world as race in order to explore those concepts in a safer way. in-world, lineages tend to be referred to as your folk

depending on how you design your campaign's world, people of different lineages may live in integrated societies, or rather in communities built around and for people like them. lineages might be seen as equal in an equitable society, or you might use lineage to explore narratives about racialized injustice and harm

there are no canon ways that the lineages look, what their belief systems are, or their cultures. thats for the table to flesh out during collaborative worldbuilding, for the gm to decide, and also for the pcs to influence during character creation. lineages invite player expression and exploration while working very hard to abandon the phrenology-like mechanics of certain other games

art depicting a sunfolk knight and a naturefolk/wisp shepherd by @paladinbaby - ID in alt

each lineage comes with a short description of their ancestors' magical influence, what minor magic the lineage has, what magical effect there is when a character of that lineage is under duress, and then some questions to guide you during character development

in this developmental draft of spiritkeep, the currently available lineages are animalfolk, aquafolk, dreamfolk, plainfolk, naturefolk, sunfolk, wispfolk (or just "wisps"), and mixed lineage. plainfolk are what we'd consider to be regular humans. they don't have any inherent magic, but i promise i still found a way to make that interesting :)

you can vote below to learn more about these lineages!! i'll post about the two lineages with the most votes as well as explain how mixed lineages work

if you want to see more of & support this project you can check out my fundraising sales!! here is the one for early development and promo materials (like the awesome art up there!!) and here is the sale to fund certified therapeutic gm training :D

[brucewaynehater101]

Adding on the "all planets must agree to war for the emperor Tim to agree", to make sure the leaders of allied planets aren't ganging up on someone else for their own gain, each planet should have a referendum. The population of each planet must vote in high percentage that the war is for a cause they're willing to die and kill for. I'm sure C4 are doing their best to prevent those types of leaders in positions of power, but also I think Timothy "Mr. Backup-plans-for-days" Drake would have several different types of preventions in place just in case.

Another post talking more about this

I do like this agreement. Giving the ruling government of each planet total say over their planet's population in regards to them being sent to war *would* be horrid. It would be better if the populace voted for whether or not they agree to risk their own lives for that cause.

C4, in this case, would preside over the polls to ensure there are no temperings and allow everyone the choice to vote.

I'm not sure what an appropriate percentage would be... Because that's the percentage of people unwilling to sacrifice themselves or their loved ones or whatever the cost may be.

I'm also not sure if planets who "abstain" or vote against the war would thus be forced into it if the majority chooses to do so. Perhaps, if their populace doesn't want to fight, they may still provide aid through production, supplies, and other means?

[takataapui]

bog tour - countdown to 1 year of games

T MINUS 1 DAY - decide what I write next!

If you've been seeing my posts so far, you may have noticed I started 16 days before April 1st, but only have 15 games. Well, today is a bit of a mix of things! I'll have an overview of stats, overall reflections on my first year of games, future plans and sneak peaks, and, get this, a poll of some current ideas I have, so you, my lovely blog readers can decide what game I write next, so stay tuned till the end of the post for that!

Stats

Gross revenue: $545.38USD Payments: 152 Views: 6,568 Downloads: 1,304 Itch followers: 1,304 8 of my 15 games are wetland themed!

Reflections

Gosh, where do I even start! I think one of the best things this little venture into ttrpg design has given me is community! From the unofficial Wanderhome discord server giving me my very first foray into ttrpg content with prompts for playbooks aaaages ago, to joining KiwiRPG, Aotearoa's collective of ttrpg designers, to the Creekside Community Center, which is the full of the most lovely welcoming cool people (I mostly lurk but when I do post, everyone is so kind?!), to my little tumblr ttrpg design circle. People being excited about my games with me is delightful!!!

I could mention boring things like formatting, layout, graphic design, font, software, art, and more, but eh.

Instead I'll mention the sheer innovation present in indie ttrpgs. I've seen some of the most creative, genius, well-crafted content in my entire life within indie ttrpgs spaces, and sometimes they have 2 comments and have the worst formatting you've ever seen, or are just on a google doc.

Instead I'll mention that way that the community enfolds beginners and people who need assurance.

The themes that I've explored in my ttrpg design, many of which I am not yet ready to explore directly, instead needing the distance but also closeness of the lense of ttrpgs.

Community is such a key part of ttrpg design, at least to me, and I feel so held by these communities. Thank you to every person who's interacted with my games, whether by playing, rbing, liking, or even just looking at them. If you've left a review, or a comment, or an emoji reaction on a discord promo message I wrote, ngā mihi nunui.

I hope, in the next year, I can make more games about being Māori. About being takatāpui. About being queer. About hope. About determination. About endurance. About love. About community care. And yes, about wetlands.

Future plans/sneak peaks

I've got two games in progress right now! One is Star Waka, a game about Māori spaceship crews. I have previously posted some small snippets, but have decided to start fresh so no sneak peaks of that besides what the playbooks will (likely, maybe) be:

Ringatoi - the Artist

Rangatira - the Chief

Kaikaranga - the Caller

Kairarangā - the Weaver

Kaumatua - the Elder

Tohunga - the Expert

Rangatahi - the Youth

Kaitiaki - the Guardian

As well, I've got a whole game finished, which I'll be releasing... tomorrow, on my 1 year anniversary! Here's a sneak peak:

What should I write next?

Thank you if you've made it through these bog tour posts, or even if you've come straight to this poll, thanks too! So, here goes, which should I write next?

[yellowasasunflower]

Hey everybody! Long time no poll.

I’ve been rethinking Under Raven Wings since the announcement of Caleb’s limited myth.

As great as I think the story could be as I have it planned now, I’ve had a second idea for how to execute Caleb’s story and I wanted to know everyone’s thoughts.

As it stands, his “quest” has to do with being a warlock and MC discovering who his patron is and how his patron chose him/he met his patron. It’s tied to a hella traumatizing event that MC doesn’t remember.

Alternatively, Caleb would essentially be tied to the creation of the Steel Watch. I don’t want to spoil too much of this idea in the event that you guys choose it, but he was one of the early blueprints, full of all kinds of malfunctions and too much independence.

I was kind of debating this already when I was in the concept stage, but without any info on his limited myth, I just stuck to my warlock idea.

Besides a minor revision or two and a rename for the fic, it wouldn’t change things for where the story is at now, considering it’s still in the exposition stage and Caleb isn’t introduced until late.

I could also merge the two ideas together (I do have a concept for how that would work), but I’m not sure if that would just be overkill and make Caleb’s story a muddled mess.

As for a fourth option, I could use one of these ideas for this fic, and make his companion quest the other for the other LI’s fics?

I might put this one on pause and switch gears to a popular vote on which LI is getting their fic first until after the myth is out and I’ve had to time to flesh out the story better.

I’ll do a poll later for whether or not I should hold out for Caleb’s fic first and which LI I should potentially do instead.

OFC Infold would put out a teaser for Caleb’s myth just AFTER I’ve done a design for him and started his fic…

In the meantime…

If it’s one of the first two choices, I’ll lay the other one out with all spoilers on my blog. Don’t worry too much about missing out on an interesting story, pick according to your interests.

**The Steel Watcher Caleb, abridged edition, is available on my blog now! It’s called Steel Beast.

[forsetti]

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

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

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

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

I’m angry because he deserved better.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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