#good luck in the popularity poll not that he needs it

[doodlejoops]

He can’t be beat.

[politicalprof]

On the election:

Thoughts? Sure. Lots of them:

--I have said from the beginning that this is a turnout election. Get me 2016 levels of turnout and Trump could well win. Get me 2020 levels of turnout and Harris would probably win. 2024's turnout is much closer to 2016 than 2020, so the electorate was whiter, more male, and older in 2024 than 2020. The people Harris needed to vote, didn't. Thus Trump won all or most of the swing states, and won the popular vote -- the first Republican to do so since 2004. (This is why I was a not a poll watcher: percentages in a poll do not translate directly into actual voting; in a turnout election actual voting is what matters.)

--I used to ask my classes, "will we have a Black president or a female president first? (Yes, I acknowledged the obvious "Black female" hole in that question.) The Black question was answered in 2008; we now have a further answer in that a candidate of the nature of Donald Trump has beaten two immensely qualified female candidates, one white and one woman of color -- both in low turnout elections. Apparently, America really, really, doesn't want a female president.

--Dobbs didn't matter, at least not as predicted. Women didn't "vote Harris" despite all claims they would do so, at least not at the predicted rates.

--Demography is not destiny. The Latino vote has moved toward Trump in three successive elections. I'd guess this is *because* of his anti-immigrant stances, not despite them: pulling up the ladder after you "make it" is an old part of American political life.

--[edit/added]: it's a global "throw the bums out" cycle. People are pissed for lots of reasons, and fairly or not, the "in power" people are feeling the pain. Such is the nature of political timing.

--The urban/rural split is a hell of a thing in American politics, and it's only going to get more intense over time as rural areas continue to empty but still get two Senators forever and ever and ever.

--There are a LOT of people who don't think of politics in either ideological or governance terms. They're not interested in whether a candidate means what he says or is capable of achieving the ends being promised. Rather, politics for these people is *entertainment.* What matters is the show. The "right" people need to be publicly valorized; the "wrong" people need to be attacked, humiliated, and hounded out of the public square. It's bread and circuses. As long as the entertainment continues they'll put up with the regime whatever it is doing to them in the background.

--Donald Trump remains the greatest politician in American history at dominating the news cycle, and thus feeding the entertainment machine. Every crazy, cruel, cantankerous thing he says gets re-amplified over and over again, driving everything else out of the political ecosystem. It's evil. But it's genius.

--I have long said that Donald Trump will never pay a meaningful price for his crimes, his corruption, and his cruelty. He will die in a golden bed surrounded by a harem of women and teams of acolytes singing his praises. It's not fair. But it's almost certainly true.

--A brief note on tariffs: when America relied on tariffs, the government was much smaller than it is now (meaning it needed less money to operate), and US economy activity was mostly concentrated in the US (meaning that it was hard for other countries to put retaliatory tariffs on US products). Neither of these things are true today. So, good luck with that.

I'm sure there's more. But that's a start.

[d3m0nicdream]

Prom Night: Colby Brock (Part 1)

**Colby Brock Prom AU Poll Winner**

Colby Brock x fem!reader - a budding story about two people believed to be very unavailable to anyone, until they set their sights on eachother.

Part 2 is now up:

Part 2

tags: Slowish-burn, multi-parts, POVs will change in each part, I'll put tags on each part as they get posted. (there will be smut in later parts)

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

There is a difference between being well known and being popular. Y/N was both but Colby Brock was well known.

Y/N was a popular girl in high school. She wasn’t mean to people, she talked to pretty much everyone and she had pretty good grades all in all. Everyone knew her and everyone liked her. Especially the boys, but she would never accept anyone's proposal for dates or hang outs. It frustrated the majority of the male population but they weren't mad per say. They saw it as more of a competition against each other. If you could bag Y/N for just a hangout session, you would be a legend. So of course, Y/N had a lot of the male attention.

Colby Brock. He was a funny guy, he was also known throughout the school. He was nice to everyone, talked to everybody like they were friends, no matter who you were. His stunning dark hair and blue eye combo had all the girls fiendish over him and he would hear them out but politely decline.

While sitting and watching the football players practice, an event she was invited to by the entire football team. Y/N and her best friend Kat sit on the bleachers and witness the calamity that is their football team. Truthfully she felt more like a distraction than anything so with that she yells to the team.

“Hey, I going to head to study hall guys, good luck!” She waves and they all wave back, telling her to drop by again sometime which would not be happening unbeknownst to them. Her and Kat walk down the track but her eyes wander to the marching band, setting up for a football game performance.

"Hey Kat? Is that Colby Brock?" She points to the dark haired boy setting up his clarinet, him oblivious to her presence.

"Yeah, he's a band nerd haha. What a loser." Kat scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"What's wrong with being in the marching band?" Y/N quizzes as she stares at the group and their instruments, she had always wanted to learn how to play an instrument but never had time for it.

"Uh. Only nerds are in band, Y/N. Come on. Haven't you seen like any high school movie ever? Why are we staring at them. We need to go to study hall." She glares at the group and then walks away. Y/N jogs to catch up. She doesn't go unnoticed because there were two boys watching her, one being Colby Brock.

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

"I don't know dude. it definitely looked like she was staring at you. Could you imagine?" Sam pipes up smacking Colby in the arm.

"My best friend bagging the legendary Y/N. That would be crazy!" Sam beams.

"Yeah, hence I'm not doing it." Colby goes back to packing up his instrument. He thought it was so ridiculous. Sure she was pretty but every dude was fawning over her. He would probably be murdered by someone to get to her, he believed people were that crazy.

"Hey, you think her friend Kat would go out with me?"

"Doubt it. She seems bitchy. I don't get how they are friends." Colby heads to his dreaded 4th period class where he's forced to watch people make fools of themselves for Y/N. It was quite painful to witness if he was being honest. As he's walking, he overhears what sounds like a threat by someone to his left. He sees Y/N being pressed up against a wall by some football douche with no escape.

"Sam, follow me." Colby walks up behind the guy, grabbing his shoulder.

"Damn, out here trying to bag Y/N?" Colby smirks.

"I wouldn't hold my breath buddy." Colby whispers in the kids ear while patting his back.

"Back the fuck off. She was just about to tell me she was going to see later. Right, Doll?" He smirks at Y/N like shes a meal and it doesn't sit well with Colby at all. He looks at Sam and he nods over to her. Sam understands him without a word being spoken. Colby grabs the dudes shoulders and yanks him around, pushing him out into the hall where he stumbles and falls to the ground. Colby towering over him while Sam slides by and grabs Y/N to move her out of the way.

"You better get going, class starts soon and you probably shouldn't miss it." Colby winks.

"This is not how you play the game, Colby."

"Oh buddy, I'm not even playing." He waves the guy off. He gets up and mumbles a 'fuck you' to Colby before heading down the hall. He turns and heads to Sam.

"Hey, uh. Thanks for that. Usually I can handle them but he was... persistent." Y/N speaks up immediately as Colby walks up. He waves at her.

"It's all good. We need to get to class though." All three walk to their class together and make it just before the bell. The rest of class, the room is buzzing about them all showing up together.

After class, Colby and Sam leave to meet up with Jake and Corey but they end up finding them first.

"Dude. You seriously got into a fight with Brent Snider? That's ballsy." Corey grabs Colby by the shoulders, playfully shaking him. Colby smiles at his friends actions.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I was just helping someone."

"That someone being Y/N!" Jake flashes his screen at Corey and the boys. Corey's jaw drops.

"Dude. What the fuck. I thought you weren't in the game?" Corey stares at him wide eyed.

"I'm NOT. Look, he had her pinned to a wall, what was I supposed to do? Leave her there?" Colby rolls his eyes.

"I'm going home. I'll see you guys later." Colby pushes through everyone and they look at each other.

"COLBY! WAIT FOR US, DUDE!" Jake yells and runs after him, the others in tow. On the other side of the school, another conversation was being had between Y/N and Kat.

"Seriously! If Colby wasn't there, Brent would have done something to me, dude." Y/N shudders as she goes on about what happened to her to Kat. That was one thing she was afraid of when it came to the guys and this 'game' as they call it. She almost wishes she had someone like Colby around to ward them off. They walk towards the parking lot to their cars.

"Well, I'm glad you are safe. that sounds really scary. Hey.. Was Sam there with him?" Kat asks nonchalantly, avoiding eye contact with her friend who is clearly staring daggers into her.

"Sam Golbach? Yeah, he pulled me out of the corner while Colby was doing his thing. Why?" Y/N could read Kat like a book.

"Oh, uh. no reason. Let's go."

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

:)))) thanks for the love <3

Part 2

[hsr-texts]

find your cinderella

꒰‧₊˚✩彡‧꒱ ┊ ━━━━ chapter two

꒰⸝⸝₊ʚ♡ɞ ┊ streamer!reader x mystery hsr character ꒱

꒰⸝⸝₊ʚ♡ɞ ┊ otome event ꒱

꒰ ☰ WORD COUNT ┊1.5k ꒱

꒰ ☰ DESCRIPTION ┊ ━━ When you do an unboxing livestream for your subsribers, you find an invite to an exclusive event called the "Find Your Cinderella" masquerade gala where you are guaranteed to find your supposed true love, as a rather enthusiastic manager told you. ꒱

꒰ ☰ NOTES ┊hooray it's finally here! and also we get some cameos hehe ꒱

previously ┊masterlist

After seeing the results of the poll, you decided to set up your stream and waiting for the stream to fill up with people.

You grinned at the camera and greeted them, “Hey guys! Due to popular demand, I’m gonna be playing Freya’s Gate 5 for this stream.”

Before turning to play the game already, you noticed some text pop up in the corner of your screen.

“User130 donated 100 credits and left a note: Congrats on getting invited to the FYC Gala! I hope you have a fun time :)”

A grin pulled at your lips. “Thank you so much for the support, User130! And I hope you’re having a great day!”

This specific account has been a long supporter of your career as a streamer. They’ve been regularly sending donations biweekly. Even though they weren’t big amounts, you appreciated how long they’ve supported you even when you were just starting out.

“Alright, let’s get to playing! I’m planning to finish the main storyline here, maybe play some multiplayer with a few friends, and grind some exp to make sure I don’t like, get my ass beaten by the final boss,” you narrated what you were planning for that session, “I should probably level up some equipment too so battles won’t be as hard.”

You continued playing, going through the plot and reacting to it with your viewers. A few laughs here, a comment there, then the occasional “pause the game and then discuss your theory with your viewers” moment.

Taking up streaming was a good idea now that you thought of it. Playing games alone just didn’t feel as fun without someone to enjoy it with you.

Oh.

Another player was requesting to play with you.

You checked the ID.

“GGSWolf”

Your eyes lit up, recognising one of your friends. You clicked “Accept” immediately.

Her avatar popped up next to yours after a moment of loading. Yeah, your lag hasn’t been too good lately but hopefully once you finished setting up your new PC, it’ll be running as smoothly as a hot knife sliding down soft butter.

“Hey,” GGSWolf spoke into voicechat when she entered your world. Although you weren’t entirely sure who she was, you could tell she sounded quite young. Was she a highschooler, maybe?

“Hey, Wolfie!” You greeted, grinning.

“You need carrying? I saw you’re almost about to fight the boss.” Her voice seemed quite nonchalant, like this was about as easy as breathing for her. Sometimes you were envious of her skill when it came to games.

“Yeah! I just need to farm some mats to ascend my Grande so that I can cheese the final boss with the Airstrike Technique.”

“Good idea.”

The two of you entered the dungeon that had the best drop rate for the harp fragments that you needed. It started out great but…

“STILL NO DROPS?!” You exclaimed in frustration, looking at the loot you got for finishing the dungeon quest.

You could hear a soft pop from Wolfie’s mic. Seemed like she was chewing on bubblegum this whole time. “Wow, did all your luck run out after you got that invitation to the Gala?” She commented.

Groaning, you rested your head on your desk. “Maybe…”

“Yeah, my coworkers got invited too. One of them didn’t want to go but our boss said it was mandatory so he ended up accepting the invite too.”

You raised your head, confused. “Wait I thought you were a highschooler.”

“I’m older than that, dummy.”

You checked the chat and saw that they were just laughing at your sudden terrible luck.

“Hey you guys are such MEANIES!” You gasped in mock hurt. But then you turned back to your game, “So do you think I’ll be meeting your coworkers there?”

She hummed. “Well, the first one’s got a pretty distinct personality but the dude is about as social as a rock. You might come across him once or twice. The other one is more chill but she’s got a bit of a sadistic streak.”

“Ohh I see.” Considering the rules of the masquerade, you couldn’t actually find the identities of the other participants. You supposed that the event organiser wanted the event to stay true to the theme of Cinderella.

"Well, since clearly your luck is terrible right now, I can trade you some harp fragments,” Wolfie said. “I need some sword fragments. Prefarming for the new paladin.”

“Oh my god, you’re a lifesaver, Wolfie!” You exclaimed joyously, immediately right-clicking on her avatar and pressing the trade button on the dropdown menu.

She accepted the request and the two of you traded your materials.

Since you still needed more harp fragments, the two of you ended up grinding the dungeon for a couple more runs until you could ascend your Grande.

Bright colors flashed repeatedly on a screen, spelling out the word “JACKPOT”

The casino was lively as ever. The food was delicious, the fine decor provided a luxurious ambiance, and most importantly, adrenaline and pleasure rushed through the air as people lost themselves to the depravity of gambling.

The person grinned, looking at the screen. “Hehe, my luck is wonderful as usual. Praise Aha that I have such luck.”

A woman dressed in office clothing approached her with a device. “Sugo, we received a new report from the folks in the lab.”

They turned to her. “Oh?”

“It’s about the anomaly.”

“Ah, yes, yes, why don’t we discuss this somewhere private?” They collected their earnings from the slot machine and placed all of it in their pocket. One would wonder how they managed to fit such a huge pile into a tiny pocket but perhaps that was just one of the many mysteries of the entity.

The event organiser led her to a private lounge reserved for VIPs. They sat down at opposite sides of each other.

“So what exactly did you want to say?” Sugo asked, taking their mask off. Their eyes flashed with intrigue.

The woman nodded. “Yes, we run a few simulations between the anomaly and other participants one by one. Out of all of them, we found what could be their best match.”

Sugo grinned, quite pleased with this news. “Oh, how wonderful. I can’t wait to see if they’ll naturally gravitate to their best match or end up getting the wrong person, hehe.” They hummed. “But unfortunately we’ll have to cut this scene short.”

“Huh…?” The woman was confused.

“They’re watching us after all. I can’t give out spoilers so soon!”

After that was all done, Wolfie excused herself and left, saying she had to play another game due to maintenance being over. Apparently there was a new update and she really wanted the new banner character.

You decided to end the stream there, telling your viewers you’ll just beat the final boss on the next stream since farming materials for Grande took so long with your terrible luck. A pity.

After turning your setup off, you suddenly realised you forgot to do your groceries for the week. “Aw crap,” you spoke to yourself, going to check your pantry for what you needed.

You typed down your grocery list real quick and dressed up in casual clothes, taking your wallet and placing it in your pocket.

The afternoon sun shone down on you as you walked towards the grocery store. It was quite a stroke of luck that it wasn’t too far from your home. Going to buy stuff you needed didn’t take too long; Though, thinking about it now, perhaps the convenience of having a store so close by meant that you wouldn’t have to think about buy groceries much and that’s why you often forgot to do them.

Ah, well, it wasn’t too big of a deal.

You walked into the store, feeling the air-conditioned air hit your face. How pleasant.

Taking a cart, you made your way to the aisles where you could get the stuff you needed. However, on the way there, you spotted a familiar person.

They turned around and immediately noticed you, eyes lighting up. “Hey, funny running into you here, huh?” Your friend commented, chuckling. “You’ve been pretty busy with your streams, haven’t you? How’ve you been?”

You smiled in return. “I’m doing great! I actually got an invite to this super cool event called the Find Your Cinderella Gala,” you told them.

“Oh right! I actually saw the news on Trotter. Turns out there’s a whole bunch of celebs joining the event. You’re super lucky!” They responded. “I hope you have fun. Make sure to send me some updates and gossip after, yeah?”

“Heh, sure,” you chuckled.

Your friend nodded, satisfied with your answer. “Though, speaking of celebs, I recently got these tickets to a concert. You wanna go with? A bunch of friends are really excited since they like this band a lot.”

You considered it for a moment. It’s been a while since you were able to go to a concert. Maybe it’ll be good for you since you’ve sorta been cooped up in your house, making content for your fans.

[teamthunderdome]

Is this who would win in a fight, or who you like better?

An excellent question!

The question for each fight is always "Who would win in a deathmatch?", so users are encouraged to vote for who they think is most likely to win in a fight.

The Team Thunderdome is a very real and very gruesome game that I, Lasko Wind Machine, personally oversee annually for my own twisted amusement. It is NOT a popularity contest. However, comma, as we have no way of meaningfully moderating the intent behind one's vote, you can vote however you'd like.

For the troubled soul who can't pick just one favorite team, I've comprised a handy-dandy voting guide for the audience's perusal, below the break. Feel free to read it over to your heart's content.

When voting in the Team Thunderdome:

Consider the teams and their composition. Who are the primary players in the deathmatch? Do they form a standard team structure with well-rounded strengths and well-covered weaknesses, or do they excel in one specialized form of attack as more of a glass cannon?

Consider the individuals and their feats. Sometimes, a well-put together team can't crack a single individual. Back in the good old days before Tumblr, in the 1989 Team Thunderdome, Team BOSTON CELTICS completely folded against Team BULLS simply because one Michael Jordan was on the team. Sure, Jordan's teammates all died before he could clench the win, but because of his individual bravery, I was kind enough to revive them (so as to make their next match less boring).

Consider your personal bias. It's up to the individual whether you choose to ignore or accept your bias. You could take a pragmatic, realistic approach to the question, or you could vote more with your heart. I have no way of measuring how you will be voting, in fact I'm only interested in the emotional energy I can siphon from your subconscious mind when you place a vote! so no one will be judging you if you vote for the team you like rather than the team you think can fight.

Establish a victory condition. Think of ways one specific team could win. From their shoes, work out a way that they could defeat individuals or groups on the other team. Perhaps their strongest individual is the key to their defeat, and once killed, will take the rest of their team with them? Perhaps the two teams will try to think of some feeble escape attempt that will never work against my colosseum, and then backstab the opposition as happened in Team Thunderdome 2006: Thunderdome Harder? Oh, and, obviously, mirror the hypothetical for the opposite side once you've established a victory condition for one.

Pick a side and vote. This is often the most difficult step simply because of how final the decision is, but it's a step we all must take if we want to see the results and make a difference before the poll expires give our home team the emotional-support they need to WIN! I spoke quite at length with tumblr staff to get them to include a no-takesie-backsies polling system, but it was all worth it in the end.

If you're losing, spread propaganda! This is obviously going to be different for everyone, but just because a team is losing by a certain percentage, that doesn't mean it's "Joever" for that team, as the kids say these days. Perhaps the opposing team didn't take your logic into account, but you can still warn your friends! Don't let them fall into the same trappings as the opposition - make the world know exactly how Team MCDONALDS previously defeated Team THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF FRANCE in the third annual Team Thunderdome, and could apply that experience here in their fight with Team WENDY'S. Remember that if you support an obscure or otherwise-underestimated team that somehow made it to round two, and you have a great deal of knowledge about their abilities, you can reblog with your team's accomplishments or submit a detailed team profile to this blog directly! I deliberately selected a number of incredibly obscure teams for this exercise, so the public deserves to hear about their accomplishments to better inform their voting!

As with all good fights, the outcome isn't set in stone by strength. It's determined by the team's collective fighting spirit, not the power difference between teams. Because of this, and certainly for no other nefarious reason, it's very important that the audience gives their emotional support! And as always,

Good luck to all participating teams!

[topazshadowwolf]

We are behind you

Sorry to Horror and Killer, you both tried hard. Congrats to Cross! You won against a guardian of positive emotions! Now it's Cross vs. Ink and Fell vs. Error! Will Cross succeed? AND what about Fell? Can he pull off another win against the Destroyer of Worlds? Does Red have what it takes to defeat the Puppet Master yet again?! Oh man, how is this going to go?! I'm WAY to into this poll XD

Cross vs Ink

Error vs Fell

---

“sorry, boss,” Horror sighed as the three watched the polls come to an end.

“It is alright Horror. It was a bit much for me to ask of you when I could not even beat him last year,” Nightmare replied.

Killer was sitting on the right side of Nightmare, slumped over so his front half was resting on the desk. He had been glaring at the computer for an hour, once it was clear that he could not win against Fell. There was disappointment coming from him, and it was understandable.

Nightmare reached over and patted Killer on the back. “You did well, too,” Nightmare stated.

“thanks boss, still…,” Killer sighed.

“Still what?” Nightmare said as he put a tendril around both. “Look at the results. Sure, you both lost, but your results were closer than Dream’s or Reaper’s.”

There was a hesitant knock on his office door, and he looked up from the computer screen. “Come in,” he called out, watching the door slowly open.

Cross peeked in and looked at the other two before his eyelights settled on Nightmare, “is this a bad time?”

“Nonsense, come on in,” Nightmare smiled. He then stood up from his spot at his desk and gave both Killer and Horror a pat on the head. “Do not sulk. You both did well.”

He walked over to Cross, who shifted nervously for a moment before looking at Nightmare with a determined look. “i did it. i won. i defeated your brother in this popularity contest, dad!”

What emotions stirred within him as he looked at his youngest son henchman? Slowly, he stepped forward and put his arms around Cross as he didn’t have words to speak. Cross saved his last ‘dad’ for this moment, and for some reason, that hit him harder than he expected.

“heh, told you i found you a new dad,” said a voice that ruined the moment.

“Reaper,” Nightmare muttered as both skeletons ended the hug. “You are still here, it seems. And losing to Ink.”

“yeah, it’s ink. your son said it; this is a popularity contest,” Reaper said, eye sockets half-lided.

“Now that he has used his last ‘dad,’” Nightmare started in an attempt to correct Reaper.

“yeah, sure, whatever you say, point is, i’m death. ink is the guardian of creation. of course, ink is more popular than me,” Reaper said with a yawn. “i’m still here to avoid hearing my brother telling me to try harder. no reason to when it’s no contest.”

Cross looked down at the floor. “guess i’m against him next….”

“You are, but you have a chance to win. You have enough of a ‘fanbase,’” Nightmare glanced back at Killer to make sure he used that word correctly. At a thumbs up from both Killer and Horror, he looked at Cross, “that you have a chance of succeeding.”

“and hopefully fell will beat error for you,” Reaper said before floating off. “well, with this over, i’m heading home. good luck, cross. it’d be nice if one of nightmare’s sons one.”

Nightmare felt himself bristle as Reaper left. “That pest… I need to figure out how to keep him out.” He just wasn’t fond of that one near his mortals…

“not sure you can keep out death when mortals are here, boss,” Killer spoke up, and Nightmare frowned at that.

“We will see about that… regardless,” Nightmare smiled at Cross. “Well done, now prepare yourself. The next target will be harder to defeat. Prepare for the day, everyone. There is no use sulking over something we can not change.” 

Nightmare noticed he was missing one of his followers, though. Dust had been quiet for some time. He will have to check to make sure that one is alright.

Still, this was Cross’ moment, so Nightmare placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “We are behind you, win or lose.”

[in-my-shifting-era]

The Cheerleader And The Freak Pt3

Links to Pt 1 Pt2

Summary: After a miscommunication and harsh rejection Eddie is trying to win back the heart of his favorite Cheerleader (Reader)

Warning: some mature themes. Minors don’t interact. Swearing. Jason being an ass to Eddie and Reader

Authors note: My poll determined a part 3 to this was wanted. I’m sorry it’s a bit short. I’m leaving trying to make it so if wanted I could continue on with the reader and Eddie relationship. Would we want to make this a series?

———————————————————————————————————

After your interaction with Eddie at family video you weren’t in a pit of dispare. The thought of seeing Eddie at school when Monday finally rolled back around actually brought a smile to your face; until the reminder of the audience of your rejection. Word spread around like wildfire at that small town high school.

You quickly push any negative feelings about the interaction away determined to make the day a good one. When you pulled up to school everything seemed normal. You got some stares as you walked into school but nothing you couldn’t shake off with a smile. Making your way to your locker and opening it to get you books for your first class of the day has become routine at this point. As you closed your locker a familiar body was leaning against the lockers beside it. You jumped back slightly but relaxed quickly when you are met with they shy smile of Eddie Munson.

“Let me hold your books for you.” You can see how nervous he is as he looks at you through his wavy bangs. You offer him a comforting smile before you speak. “Did you Eddie Munson come to school early to carry my books for me?”

Eddie’s shy smile turned to a blush. “I did. I’m gaining your trust back and thought this was a good first step.” You hand your books to him gently but stop as his hands touch yours. “I don’t want you too feel like gaining my trust is a chore, but I do appreciate you actually caring to fix things.” You let you hands slip from his slowly and start the stride to class. Eddie not far behind the blush still on his cheeks.

Eddie did this for you for every class. He’d rush to your class after his own and wait outside his arms open for your books. To those around he may look like a lost puppy following you around but truely you loved just having him around and getting to talk to him between classes. When lunch hit he didn’t stay by your side sadly. You say him sitting with his Hellfire friends, sending him a small wave as you say at your spot at the ‘popular table’.

Eddie blowing you a playful kiss back caught Jason Carvers attention. “That freak is really pushing his luck hanging around you after what he did to you y/n.” Your eyes grow wide at his comment and you quickly look at Chrissy; seeing her apologetic look realizing it must have slip. “It was a miscommunication on both ends. We talked about it and he apologized. No need to puff out your chest Carver.” You dig out your packed lunch from your backpack hoping the blonde would drop the subject. Sadly no way in hell Jason would do that when it involved Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson.

“Why did you even ask the freak out anyway? The whole basketball team is at your feet and you want some trailer park trash. You’ve always been difficult but this is a new low even for you.” Chrissy begins to intervene when you cut her off blinded my anger. “Don’t call him that Jason, he’s not trash. He’d treat me better then any of you jocks could.”

The blondes hand hits the table in front of you hard gaining the attention of tables around yours, including the Hellfire table. Your scared eyes find Eddies concerned ones for a moment before Jason’s angry voice pulls you away. “Go after the freak all you want. You’ll realize all he wants is to get into you pants and brag about it to his little cult followers. Don’t come crying to us when he shows his true colors.”

You stand up quickly from the table feeling more eyes on you then ever before. “You’re a real asshole Carver.” You look in the direction of Eddie to see him still seated at his head seat at the Hellfire table with a look you can’t quite distinguish. Leaving your lunch behind having lost any appetite you had and march out of the cafeteria trying to stop the embarrassed tears from falling.

Not having a destination you keep with your swift steps until you’re stopped by a strong hand on your shoulder turning you around slowly. Your teary eyes are met with Eddie’s soft brown ones. His hands gently cup your face his thumbs wiping the tears that have spilled onto your cheeks. “What did he say to you.” His voice is calm but you can see in his eyes he is in protective mode.

“He heard about what happened. He was calling you names.” Eddie’s shoulders relax a bit as he pushes some hair behind your ear gently. “After the way I treated you I deserve whatever Carver had to say about me.” You sigh lightly and move away from Eddie’s gentle touch and close your arms around yourself. “He said something else.” You look up at Eddie with soft eyes. “He said you just want to get into my pants to brag about it to your friends.”

Eddie laughs lightly at this. Something you didn’t expect and makes your heart sink slightly. “I don’t think I’d fit into your jeans sweetheart.” You give him and unamused glair and he puts his hands up in surrender. “Sorry not a time for jokes. I’m not aiming to get into your pants by making up for my mistake. I want to show you how you’d be treated if you were with me. I’m not doing this to get anywhere near your pants.” The dorky smile you fell for falls onto Eddies face.

You smile softly at this. “So you’d hold my books for me if we where dating?” Eddie’s eyes light up as he nods excitedly. “I’d hold books for you. Open and hold doors. I’d treat you like the princess you deserve to be treated like.” You look away to hide your blush but Eddie pokes you side. “Don’t hide from me now. I want to see a smile before you leave.”

You let a smile find your face as you look up at him. “Im not going back in that cafeteria. Would you walk me to my science class early?” Eddie nods and bows dramatically out stretching his hand to you. “I’ll guide thou wherever thou want to wander m’lady.” His awful shakespearean flair added to to the sentence makes you smile widely. “You’re a dork Eddie Munson and I really like it.” Eddie’s dimpled smile returns. “I have a lot more dorkyness where that came from. You’re in for a treat sweetheart.”

[scratchybongvt]

MASCOTS READ MEAN TWEETS! (Sidemascots 1.13)

Stay tuned for a poll at the end!

Starring…

THE SIDEMASCOTS!

Vinicius: Season 1!

DISCLAIMER: None of the tweets are sent by real people, nor do they reflect the author’s opinion on each mascot. No offense to anyone intended.

Vinicius: “How does it feel to not work for Divertidos por Natureza for a long time?” Well, I was on multiple rehabs during the past month, and I was also busy working for the Sidemascots now! What? “Just a friendly reminder that the Carioca sisters exist and do breathe.” Oh, haha.

Sumi: “How does it feel to be the only surviving member of the Miga-Quatchi-Sumi trio”?! How does it feel to see ME survive?!

Miraitowa: -_- (The tweet he’s reading is “Default Olympic mascot”, classic.)

Burke: “Can we just appreciate the fact that he’s the only non-mascot to be in the Sidemascots?” Hey, I’m the unofficial mascot of Atlanta United! Oh, wait a minute, “Atlanta United?! Good luck beating Inter Miami, eh?!”, Hey, I’m also a fan of Messi!

Wenlock: “You’re named after a town in Shropshire, but promoted London?! Thin ice, whoever you are.” Hey, Olympic mascots don’t need to promote the host city! Also, I’m tirelessly trying to improve tourism in Much Wenlock! Just you wait!

Borobi: “Am I allowed to talk about your indigenous origins?” No mate! “How about I speak in Yugambeh”, oh haha.

Tina: “How does it feel to be an AC Milan fan for a week”, every day I think of the Inter Milan ultras holding large missiles in their hands, I’m scared.

Honohon: “Did you meet Uzumin? He’s so cute, cry emoji, cry emoji, cry emoji.”

Uzumin: Mina-san, konichiwa!

Honohon: Is that you?

Uzumin: It’s me! Let’s be friends!

Honohon: Oh, um… okay.

Uzumin: YAAAAAAAAAY!

Vinicius: THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE IN THE SIDEMASCOTS… YET!

Miraitowa: -_- (Another “default Olympic mascot” tweet)

Burke: “How many Miraitowas are there in this world?” Let me guess. “Two.” Oh haha.

Wenlock: “QUICK! BEFORE CRACKHEAD KNOWS THIS! IN SIDEMASCOTS 1.9 YOU GUYS-“

(@crackheadfromsainsburys shoots a laser beam on Wenlock’s head)

Crackhead: *gasps* Wenlock, are you okay?! Oh no…

Sumi: “Sumi, it’s Mukmuk, Miga’s dying. Help.” :/

Burke: “Atlanta United? So support a proper club!” I STAND BY THE GREAT CITY OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA! What? “Go to the real Georgia in Europe, dumbass”. Well yeah, but… but… LONG LIVE ATLANTA!

Vinicius: “You’re named after Vinicius de Moraes? I thought it was Vinicius Jr.! Get it?” Well, I do respect him a lot. That musician of course.

Tina: “Did you know that one of the Flos is going to cover Aladdin Sane?” What?

Sumi: It’s a David Bowie album.

Tina: Ohhhh… what?

Sumi: He’s a lad insane.

Tina: What the heck are you talking about-

Borobi: Scroll, scroll, scroll… Oh, finally, the one not about my indigenous origins! “Can anyone tell me how the AFL works?” Finally! It’s basically- wait… “I only know that the Suns are shit. Hahahahaha.”

Burke: Don’t worry, Borobi, it’s okay if your boyhood club receives some “rude comments”

Borobi: Thanks, mate.

Burke: Though it’s going to take some time to realize that Aussie rules aren’t popular in every other country, ha.

Borobi: OH COME ON MATE!

Sumi: “American black bear with flappy hands?! Are you drinking too much Red Bull?!” Well, I’ve seen someone who drank Red Bull a lot. It’s just that I don’t remember…

(@crackheadfromsainsburys shoots a laser beam on Sumi’s head)

Crackhead: SHUT. UP.

Burke: “Miami 2 Atlanta 1? Oh no, the best team won.” Suarez’ on fire, my defense is terrified!

Borobi: “1 matchday in and you got COOKED by Auckland?! It’s like a baby wrestled an adult!” Look, sometimes I wish I could return to the Gold Coast United days mate. I’m loyal to the Gold Coast.

Vinicius: WHAT?! SUMI’S DEAD?

Crackhead: He’s not dead, just in a coma.

Vinicius: (sobs)

Crackhead: Look, I’m-

(Vinicius chokes Crackhead)

Vinicius: HOW DARE YOU!

Uzumin: Don’t be koi – Let’s swim against the current. (Badum tsss)

Honohon: …

Uzumin: Get it? Koi? As in koi fish?

Rockstar Flo: There’s a starman, waiting in the sky…

Tina: Is that Aladdin Sane?

Rockstar Flo: No, it’s Ziggy Stardust.

Tina: What?

Rockstar Flo: You’re too young to understand Bowie darling.

Tina: But I’m fifteen-

Borobi: “Did anyone see the Gold Coast Titans? They’ve been missing from the finals mate.” Look, sometimes, I want to go- ohhhhhhh… WELL, HOW DARE YOU MATE!           

Vinicius: Look at what you've done to your idol!

Crackhead: (gasps) I forgot…

Vinicius: Did you read “The Catcher in the Rye”?

Crackhead: NO! (sobs) I’M A MONSTER! (runs out of the studio) A MONSTER!

Miraitowa: Right, all of the tweets you guys sent to me are all about me being a default Olympic mascot. I QUIT!

(Vinicius puts on the defibrillator onto Sumi’s chest)

Vinicius: CLEAR!

Sumi: GAH! WHAT HAPPENED!

Vinicius: We were filming a Sidemascots episode and you collapsed.

Sumi: Ack, my heart hurts.

Vinicius: You deserve a rest buddy.

Uzumin: Hey!

Honohon: What?!

Uzumin: Water you up to today?

Honohon: …

Uzumin: Get it? I was meant to “What are you up to today?” But instead, I say “Water you up to today?”

Honohon: You’re the worst.

Uzumin: PLEASE, DON’T LEAVE ME HONOHON!

Someity: I’ve deleted all of the mean tweets!

Vinicius: WHAT?!

Sumi: You can’t do that!

Someity: I can and I just did. I don’t need anyone to make fun of my diet. Mic drop.

Vinicius: …

Sumi: …

THE SIDEMASCOTS!

Crackhead: CLEAR!

Wenlock: AH, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

Crackhead: Please, forgive me for what I’ve done to you today!

Wenlock: Why is she suddenly praying for me today?

Vinicius: Uh… you’re a deity.

Wenlock: REALLY?!

Sumi: REALLY! And because of you we’ll officially grant you lifetime aura insurance!

Wenlock: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Vinicius: Anyway…

VOTE NOW!

Vinicius: For the next 24 hours, you get to choose who will fill the vacant slot in the Sidemascots!

Sumi: Choose between…

Vinicius: Ettie (the Paris 2024 mascot kind!)

Ettie: VIVA LA PARIS!

Sumi: Zakumi!

Zakumi: Zamina Mina, eh eh, Waka waka eh eh eh!

Vinicius: Tom!

Tom: Don’t you start…

Sumi: Tani!

Tani: PLEASE! THIS IS MY ONE AND ONLY CHANCE TO ESCAPE FROM NORTH KOREAN SPIES!

Vinicius: Moongcho!

Sumi: I don’t think he’s okay…

Vinicius: A Bull?

(Perry puts his hat on again, tired of Phineas and Ferb references)

Vinicius and Sumi: PERRY THE BULL?!

Vinicius: You have 24 hours to vote…

Sumi: SO VOTE, NOW!

Vinicius: I recommend you vote for Tom.

Tom: WHAT?! DON’T VOTE ME! THESE GUYS ARE SH-

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 3, MATCH 2

Admin's commentary: II.Ulászló (Vladislav II.) was unexpectedly popular in this poll, but has he ran out of luck this time? Stay tuned y'all!

***

I.Károly (Karol I.) - but be honest, we all know him as Károly/Karol Róbert 1301-1342

spent the first few years on the throne fending off antikings, namely Václav III., who then gave up and passed his claim onto Otto of Bavaria, whom Károly subsequently defeated

upon his ascencion to the throne country basically ruled by the feuding nobles, also know in this period as oligarchs, he managed to consolidate his reign and regain most of the royal power trough a combination of warfare (Rozgony/Rozhanovce 1312 HELLOOO) and appeasing them with court functions

I don't even know where to START with this guy's reforms - seriously, he minted the first gold coins in Hungary, instated the banderial system (levy of the royal army from the soldiers drafted by the cities, comitates and nobles, look it was a big deal, just trust me), reformed the administation of the country and so, so much more I can't get into; basically, this man was Maria Theresa before Maria Theresa

he mostly avoided wars because of the bad shape of Hungarian treasury, though he did lead a couple of them (conflicts with Venice and Wallachia)

initiator of the 1335 meeting in Visegrád with John of Luxembourg and Casimir III. of Poland; basically, we have him to thank for the name Visegrád Four

(admin is from Košice, so he has just inherently won in her eyes because of Rozhanovce)

@tunderilona said about him: #károly róbert sweep he literally reformed the entire country

@cdqueer said about him: #hes got that anjou rizz (perfected by i. lajos <3)

@tonhalszendvics said about him: #of course károly robi had to fight off everyone in his first years#he was crowned officially in 1308#he fucked up two times before that#i mean you need to be crowned in székesfehérvár by the archbishop of esztergom with the holy crown#third time the charm he did it

II.Ulászló (Vladislav II.) 1490-1516

I'll be honest, at this point we were at the end of the last lecture of the semester and trying to wrap shit up, our professor didn't say much about him as a person

rule of Jagiellonians in Hungary is generally remembered as a bad time, what with the continued Ottoman expansion, economic downturn and several uprisings

this dude in particular is remembered as "king Dobrze" (dobrze - "good" or "well" in Polish) for his habit of just agreeing to everything

at least he had the decency to pave the way to much more competent people by signing a treaty of succession with the Habsburgs, at the same time, he married Ferdinand I. to his daughter Anna, honestly the best decision this man has ever made

there's also some hillarious stuff with him marrying the widow of Matthias Corvinus and becoming a bigamist, but we didn't talk about that on our lectures

basically just a massive L of ruler, if this bracket was about the worst king of Hungary, he and II.András would square off in the finals

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

"Fuckin' A, Kim. I've got your back." (Punch the lieutenant on the shoulder.)

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "You two make a cute couple, you know that?" The lorryman spits.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant exhales and resumes his regular calmness.

EMPATHY [Challenging: Success] - You sense slight embarrassment for the outburst. Or is it pride? Impossible to tell.

"Now that that's settled, we have a couple of questions."

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "Whatever you say, *officers*." He waits impassively, cigarette smouldering between his fingers.

"What was that *argument* all about?"

"What are you hauling?"

"We're done for now." [Leave.]

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "It's about... biological determinism. Natural law. The sorting of the races." He spits on the ground.

"Not the most popular topic nowadays, with the Coalition in charge and all. You might want to *change the topic* -- that is, bury your head under the sand like common sheep."

"I get it. Someone has to be the unpopular guy."

"Oh, so you're just a racist. Makes sense."

"To be honest, I can't really remember what that means. Please explain."

"On second thought, let's talk about something else."

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "I'm not *just* racist. Look, I've read *books*," he gestures with his cigarette for emphasis. "The science of racial theory has all been proved, even if some people don't want to accept it."

"People who've studied these things say that *you* and *me* are superior by design." He glances at the lieutenant. "So, naturally, we Occidentals should be in charge. Obviously you can see the merits in that."

"Okay, what else have you thought up?"

"Yes, I can really tell you're a prime example of superior design."

"Right. I've already made up my mind. Wanna hear it?" (Jump ahead.)

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "Open your eyes. Haven't you noticed something different lately? An unfortunate downturn, maybe? When members of the superior race cease to believe in their innate superiority, they stop competing for resources."

"Yeah? What's the problem with that?"

"Okay... and?"

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "This concerns you, policeman, so you better be *vigilant*. The kipts are showing a good game lately, same with the mesquitos. And the other intruder species too." He throws a sharp glance at Lieutenant Kitsuragi. "They're on the precipice of cultural victory."

"Wait, what's this *cultural victory*?"

"Uh-huh..."

Say nothing.

"Right. I've already made up my mind. Wanna hear it?" (Jump ahead.)

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "It's what the kipts of Boogie Street are going for -- right under our noses. And the others too, on the radio. Heard any *chansons* lately? Heard any *mottettos* or *lieder*? No. Dominating culture is how they plan to win. They say so themselves."

"Uh-huh..."

Say nothing.

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "It's true." He pushes on. "Also, you need to realize the dangers of *mixing races*. Who knows what might happen if people don't stay in their birthplace? You might end up with a new sub-race, with unknown characteristics, leading to extra competition. That's why you've got to *control* the offspring."

"Yeah. I think I can get down with racism."

"Yeah, I'm *not* down with this -- why don't you go fuck yourself?"

"Okay, sure, whatever. I'd really rather talk about something else."

Going to assume this would win based on the results of the last poll.

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "Don't push your luck, runt." The man gives you a disgusted look, then turns his attention elsewhere, ignoring your presence.

That ends the conversation with the racist lorry driver, but there *was* another topic to discuss with him.

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "Looking for something, runt? Come to tell me to fuck off again?"

2. "What are you hauling?"

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "Not much anymore. I'm here to pick up some cargo, but the dockworkers are on strike, so... it's a sit-and-wait-on-your-ass situation."

"Wait, how long has this been going on then?"

"What kind of cargo are you supposed to pick up?"

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "The strike? They've been at it for a while. A month, two months maybe?" He gestures towards the lorries. "But *this* here is just the last week or so."

"What kind of cargo are you supposed to pick up?"

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "Apples."

"Apples?"

"Fair enough. I got some other questions."

RACIST LORRY DRIVER - "Yeah, apples... I take it you had other questions?"

RHETORIC [Medium: Failure] - He's given you the run-around. Let's be honest, you were *bested*.

We don't actually have other questions.

3. "We're done for now." [Leave.]

FRITTTE (sic)

I missed the text popup. Let's enter the store.

Yellow roses. Dozens of them. Tulips too.

A melancholy pop song plays on the radio.

TARE MACHINE - The tare machine stands in the corner. A sign says: "ONE BOTTLE = TEN CENTS".

"What is this machine?"

[Leave.]

FRITTTE CLERK - "Hm?" The clerk looks up, out of her magazine. "Oh. That's the tare machine."

"Yes, but what *is* it?"

"I understand now. Thank you."

FRITTTE CLERK - She knits her brow, confused. "It's... a machine for tare? You know. You find tare outside -- like, bottles or whatever -- and put it in the machine. Then it gives you money."

"I see. And how do I pick up tare for the machine?"

FRITTTE CLERK - "You need a bag I guess? We used to have some but we gave them all out, so..." She shrugs awkwardly.

Feel free to use it if you find a bag, though. I'm sure there are some… out there." She points outside. "Somewhere…"

2. [Leave.]

SAINT-BATISTE PHARMACEUTICS - A small cabinet on the wall is filled with various medicine bottles, nasal sprays and blister packs. They all bear the Saint-Batiste Pharmaceutics logo.

FRITTTE CLERK - "Uhm, just ask me if you need anything from Saint-Batiste. We don't stock prescription meds, but we do have nosaphed, drouamine, magnesium and hypnogamma."

"What do those products do?"

"Who is Saint-Bautiste?"

[Leave.]

FRITTTE CLERK - "Uhm... I don't know, let's see... Nosaphed is a nasal spray. Drouamine is a really good painkiller. Magnesium is a dietary supplement. Hypnogamma is..." She stops.

"I don't really know what Hypnogamma is. I guess it makes you feel less shit? It's recommended to use after lots of partying, studying, or exercising."

"Can you be a little more... specific?"

"Thank you for explaining, miss."

FRITTTE CLERK - "Uhm..." She chews her bubblegum absent-mindedly. "No, sorry. I'm not, like, a doctor or anything."

TUTORIAL AGENT - NOSAPHED heals +1 Health. DROUAMINE heals +3 Health. MAGNESIUM heals +1 Morale. HYPNOGAMMA heals +3 Morale.

2. "Who is Saint-Batiste?"

FRITTTE CLERK - "Saint-Batiste? You know..." She nods slowly at the cabinet. "The pharmaceuticals company?"

"Saint-Batiste Pharmaceuticals? The one that sells meds out of Saint-Batiste?" She points to the cabinet. "That one? There?"

Despite dying earlier, I don't feel I urgently need any of this medication at the moment. At least not until we sort out our money situation.

7. [Leave.]

KNICK-KNACKS STAND - You see several packaged raincoats fill a low shelf beneath a display of croissants and juice bottles. The raincoats are transparent, except for the big 'FRITTTE' slogan on the back.

"What's that?" (Point to the raincoat.)

[4 real] "I want to buy a raincoat."

[Leave.]

FRITTTE CLERK - "What is what?" The girl leans over the counter to see what you're referring to. "Uhm, it's a raincoat?"

"If you want to buy one then it's only four reál." She taps on the glass counter. The raincoats patiently await purchase.

We don't have that much, unfortunately.

FRITTTE CLERK - "Welcome to Frittte! Feel free to look around or something, everything is out on the shelves." She returns to her magazine.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Easy: Success] - What's that magazine she's reading?

"Before we go on, what is this Frittte?"

"What's that magazine you're reading?"

"Let's proceed, I have some questions for you." (Continue.)

[Leave.]

FRITTTE CLERK - "I don't know -- Frittte?" She shrugs.

"And what *is* Frittte?"

"Why is it written with three T-s?"

FRITTTE CLERK - "A 7-to-11 grocery store?"

"Why is it written with three T-s?"

FRITTTE CLERK - "I think they think that extra T makes it *funkier*..." She chews on her gum with disgust. "It doesn't."

2. "What magazine are you reading?"

FRITTTE CLERK - "You mean this?" She looks at the cover boasting a colourful photo of two girls kissing.

"This is Pop-Stars, it's got, like, famous people in it? It's not for sale."

COMPOSURE [Easy: Success] - Looks like it also has something called 'Police De La Mode' featured on page 34. This speaks to you.

[redrascal1]

Disney now truly 'a decaying mouse'.

The above comment was coined by a disgruntled Marvel comics fan who cancelled all of his considerable conscriptions to the comic firm when they sold to Disney.

And ...how very right he was. Because that is a perfect description for Disney, a company which for all its faults was nevertheless guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of viewers and created a starry wonderland for children. Its animated films were classics and Beauty and the Beast (original version) was Oscar nominated.

Fast forward to the 21st century.

Adam Driver has confirmed what I suspected; that originally Disney never intended Ben Solo to return, or for his character to be redeemed at all. He was hired to play the villain.

It was Rian Johnson who recognised both his potential as a character and Adam's talent for expressing emotions just with his face. Rian Johnson who saw the chemistry between Adam and Daisy. Rian who removed the mask, Rian who coaxed superb performances from Adam and career best Mark Hamill. Rian who continued with the message of hope that was the heart and soul of SW.

Rian whose film was practically erased so Ridley could strut around like Captain Marvel - another odious man hating Disney 'heroine'.

And so DLF could continue with their ultimate goal; the erasure of the Skywaker/Solo family and their replacement with a character seen as vastly superior ...simply for having the right genitalia.

The JCF will be delighted. Their insistence that Finn is meant to be Rey's love interest - if she has one, I seriously doubt that - has been confirmed. They will revel in their smug hate of Kylo - and Adam, who has committed the ultimate sin in being a white male.

Looking back at TFA, all the signs were there. Rey's origins and costume - similar to Luke's. Rey claiming the legacy sabre to the theme of binary sunset. Her instant bond with Han. The hug she got from Leia. Accompanying Chewie on the Falcon. Even her ability to speak Shiriwook!

Rey was created as Ben's replacement, the 'good girl' opposed to the 'bad boy.'

But, I ask: why?

Why did Disney want to kill off ALL of the Skywalkers and replace them with a nobody? Why not make Rey Han and Leia's long lost child?

Why erase Lucas's legacy family?

The only explanation I can have is they wanted to create their own characters. Free from everything Lucas, whose franchise they desired, but not his characters.

Ironically, Finn fans who accused reylos and Kylo fans of 'racism' choose to ignore that the real victim of racism in this trilogy is Loan Tran. Her treatment in TROS was a disgrace - but you didn't see Kelly whining on social media, unlike their hero. Even more ironic, Disney are the 'champions of woke' yet remained curiously silent post Boyega's revoltingly misogynist comments on social media.

Oh, how I hate being right. Right that DLF wanted SW but not the Skywalkers. They believe firmly that the franchise will continue to be a huge success without the Skywalkers, thank you very much.

Maybe it will. Maybe there are enough Finn and Rey fans out there who will make her forthcoming film a hit. But two things make me ponder...

The box office takings for The Little Mermaid, Indy 5, and of course TROS.....were not as huge as they thought they'd be. And there is a LOT of controversy already surrounding the live action Snow White - and it hasn't been released yet!

And....remember the poll? Kylo winning the popularity contest by a landslide?

I do.

Good luck, DLF. You're going to need it.

[redjaybathood]

Why I personally liked the poll reference:

Look, it wasn't yet another crowbar joke. It wasn't a poll like in RH/A or B&R, just for an echo of a fucked up thing DC did in the past - even then, it's kinda... hard to say is it an easter egg for the sake of an easter egg, kinda like MCU does; or is it a commentary. With the previous iterations being Morrisson and Lobdell, I don't expect much.

But webtoon seems to get it. Yeah, okay, there is a poll - Bruce shows it to Jason (and correct me if I'm wrong, but where do people get the idea the poll was sourced by Bruce?) - and more people lean toward no, Batman shouldn't keep the new Robin - which, you kinda can interpret it differently. I, for one, would not let Batman keep the new Robin. Or any Robin. Like, okay, don't start with "but he wanted that! he would be doing it anyway!" etc etc bc you clearly don't know what you sound like; the one argument I can accept is "Robin is for kid readers to project to" but this is not, like, in-universe explanation. Imagine being a random Gotham citizen. And a boy younger than you, could be your son, could be your brother - is out there risking his life? Is it something tolerable? Does it not feel like you failed, as a citizen, if you put children in this position? "they want that" - okay, you could say the same about kids that start working at, like, fourteen, or earlier. They surely want to work, because they want to eat, or live in a house, or have any basic necessity their peers have for granted. Kids shouldn't be working - we have laws against child labor for that exact reason (I am forcing myself not to derail on that topic). So a society where a kid works is a society that failed that kid. A city where a kid is a vigilante is equally a failed one. So put yourself into the shoes of a random-ass Gotham citizen and check how you feel about it. Should, indeed, Batman keep the Robin? Like, good luck stopping him! But should he?

This is not a question of whether Robin should die. Or whether this Robin is cooler or lamer than the previous one. Not for me, at least.

Yeah, no, I know Bruce makes it out to be that Jason doesn't know the city as well as he thinks, that the city hates him, that he surely did something for the city to hate him, probably misunderstood what the city really needs... but he's wrong. He's like. Very wrong. Jason wasn't wrong, the stolen bike wasn't worth Batman's involvement, the teen who stole it didn't deserve to go to jail over it, and the breaking up of the stolen goods fence ring was, indeed, not going to amount to anything while there are people who answer to people who answer to people. He might have been wrong because the change should come from the bottom as well as from the top. But that's it, folks. He's right about everyone else.

Like, I don't know if you should take the poll at face value at all. If you should believe Bruce. Maybe Gotham citizens do hate the new Robin, the previous one was cooler. But if that's what's behind their answers - like, fuck them? Jason is right, and being popular with the masses has nothing to do with it. He's not canvassing for voters, pun not intended.

IDK, I just vibe with this issue. And honestly don't get where the criticism comes from.

[nell0-0]

Late but to the response of saying Adaman is kinda popular, he is. I’m just assuming more people picked Pearl Clan because of either liking an individual character more(looking at you Ingo) or preferring the wardens in general to the ones in Diamond, considering people’s thoughts on Melli(though I actually enjoyed his character)

In TrueGreen7’s annual Pokémon Awards, for best character of the year, Adaman did get enough suggestions to make it as a nominee while Irida didn’t(though I’m assuming she would’ve if they had one more spot). Ingo also was a nominee and got fourth, losing to Volo, Larry, and Arven(who only beat Larry by 0.2% of the vote, which is funny to me) so at least one of your favorites got on the board. A poll on Twitter also showed people were more excited for Adaman than Irida coming to Masters. I also seen a lot of people say they went with the Diamond Clan solely because of Adaman. My guess is because of his design, his chill attitude with hints of deepness like his argument with Melli before the Electrode fight, his funny lines, and being a character that was nice to you from the start.

Though, overall, I think both leaders got a lot of love from the fandom and it’s well deserved. Good luck on finding Irida in Masters though(apparently Adaman isn’t that hard to get but Irida can take days to find even one of. Guess it fits them well)

I'll admit that Melli is a double-edged sword (but he's funny pfpfpf, at least most of the time). Doesn't help that the other warden in the Coronet Highlands is Ingo, who's much more popular and actually tried to help instead of hinder the MC. That's kinda their dynamic, though, and I don't think Ingo's character would have stood out this much (aside from the obvious of how tf did he end up in Hisui and WHERE'S EMMET-) if Melli wasn't like that. Take the first wardens you encounter for example.

Despite all the wardens being pretty solid characters by pokemon standards, I find myself way more charmed by Lian or Calaba rather than Mai or Arezu. So, there's that.

And besides, you said it yourself, when it comes to clan leaders Adaman is the more popular one if you don't take the clans and wardens in consideration.

Thanks for the good luck anon, Irida still hasn't come home so I surely need it ^^

[bllsbailey]

Kamala's Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Weekend

If the current Democratic Party weren't so evil and hell-bent on destroying America, I would feel a little bad for Kamala Harris after the weekend she had. 

The polling keeps getting worse, her gaffes so embarrassing, and Trump is hitting his stride as the Harris/Walz campaign implodes around her. 

The October surprises she had lined up to destroy Trump have yet to impress- does anybody care about yet another series of Russia Russia Russia accusations or Jack Smith revelations? Who is listening, other than the insane people at MSNBC? There is NOTHING Harris can do to change anybody's impression of Trump, so any progress she might make will have to come from her own persuasive power, not hitting Donald Trump. 

Think about that: Kamala Harris needs to persuade people that she could be a good president. 

Good luck with that. 

Meanwhile, Donald Trump had a fun weekend. Kamala Harris wants you to believe he is too old and tired to be president. I might be persuaded if she had a better track record judging such matters. As it is, I saw this and smiled. 

— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) October 20, 2024

Trump's McDonald's stunt was so charming, so effective, and so eye-catching that I did not see a single clip from a Sunday Morning show on Twitter yesterday. Nobody cared because Trump's charisma kept your eyes locked on him. He made his point about Kamala, and the clips of him interacting with people in the drive-thru were pure gold. They were all supporters, of course, but the interactions were natural and charming. 

“Mr. President, please don’t let the United States become Brazil!” pic.twitter.com/ZEgujQMS35— Margo Martin (@margommartin) October 20, 2024

The MSNBC crowd is trying to go with the "Donald Trump is senile" meme as if anybody will listen to the same crowd who assured us that Joe Biden is sharp as a tack. Donald Trump just smiles as he munches on french fries and chats up people at the drive-thru. 

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 20, 2024

Who will take the word of a network that broadcast this just days before Joe Biden collapsed live on camera in the June debate?

— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) October 17, 2024

The smell of flop sweat and panic wafts from the campaign offices in Delaware. As well it should. Kamala made not one but two horrendous gaffes this weekend after skipping the Catholic Al Smith dinner, sending a cringe video instead. When two Christians praise God at her rally, Kamala tells them they belong with Trump. 

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 20, 2024

Christ is King! Jesus is Lord. "You belong at the other rally." Apparently so... Christians, Kamala wants you to vote for Trump. 

— KamalaHQLies (@KamalaHQLies) October 19, 2024

Ugh. Bad look. Telling Christians they belong with the other guy is not a good recruiting tactic, especially since it is so on the nose with Democrats. The party that takes God out of its platform is now telling God-fearing people that they aren't even welcome at rallies. Come back when you change your gender and they will talk with you. 

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 19, 2024

But it doesn't stop there. Harris later agreed with a protester that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. There wasn't any ambiguity--she literally said that the protester was right. 

In other words, in one weekend, Kamala tosses both Christians and Jews out of her coalition. A winning strategy for sure. 

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 20, 2024

Kamala is already losing the Muslim vote and just offended a whole lot of Jews and average Americans who support Israel's war on Hamas. Evil and stupid. 

At this rate she will offend every voting bloc out there. 

— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) October 21, 2024

And you can see the results in the polls, with an increasing number of them showing Trump ahead not just in the swing states but also in the popular vote. That is remarkable since almost everybody assumed that Harris would win the popular vote while potentially losing in the Electoral College. That is still more likely than not, given that Blue states like New York and California will give her enormous majorities. Trump will bring her majorities down, but Harris has millions of votes banked. 

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 20, 2024

Nate Silver, who still gives Harris a reasonably good chance of winning the election, doesn't sugarcoat how things have been going for Kamala Harris lately:

Last update: 1:45 p.m., Sunday, October 20. The data continues to be pretty negative for Kamala Harris. There are now three recent high-quality national polls that show Donald Trump leading — a difficult circumstance for Harris, given Democrats’ Electoral College disadvantage — and her edge in our national polling average is down to 1.7 points. National polls don’t influence the model that much, and the race remains basically a toss-up, but it’s not hard to think of reasons that Trump could win.

Clearly, Senate Democrats in tough races have an eye on how Kamala Harris is collapsing and aligning themselves with...TrumpHitler. Multiple Senate candidates are now running ads highlighting their willingness to work with Donald Trump. No word about their working with Harris on keeping the border open though. 

Endangered Democrats brag about Trump ties in final stretch https://t.co/JyenxEoYwh— Axios (@axios) October 18, 2024

Trump may be a dictator-in-waiting who is worse than Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini, according to Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic, but not so bad that they won't cozy up to him. Trump may be itching to put Joe Scarborough in jail, but Senate Democrats have opened their eyes to the fact that half of America might like that. 

RealClearPolitics shows that Trump is ahead in all the swing states, although within the margin of error. Whatever the specific number in the poll, the trend is Trump's friend. 

— Francisco G. O. Lon (@FranciscoG84692) October 20, 2024

After this weekend, Kamala Harris is probably hitting the bottle. Who could blame her? Weekends don't get much worse than this. And even with her experience with being part of the Weekend at Bernie's administration, this has been a particularly tough couple of days. 

The irony is that, given all this data, you would assume Harris is dead in the water and should be updating her resume--there are likely jobs making fries at McDonald's, or perhaps sinecures at liberal universities who seem happy to employ plagiarists--but Harris is running against Donald Trump, and lots of people hate Donald Trump. 

Harris' floor is higher against him than almost any other candidate you could imagine, given how deranged a lot of people are in their hatred for Trump. That means she still has a shot. 

Before you think--as I suspect--that some other nominee would have won in a walk, remember that if the nominee had been somebody else, then all the variables might not have lined up this way. Just as hatred of Trump is durable, he has also been totally defined, while some other candidates might have faced challenges that Trump does not. No negative attack against Trump has any power because he is the most well-known man in the world. 

So, who knows what things would look like with a different candidate? We only run the experiment once. Trump is the guy, and things look very good for him. 

Go vote. Bring a friend or ten. After all, polls don't vote. People do. 

[the-firebird69]

The number is dropped and that is of warlock mostly Macklemore luck they dropped considerably over last night and because of this battle it happened with the max all over the world they started attacking them and we hear Counter-Strike sir being developed everywhere on the warlock and to knock them out and it is going to start rather soon not later but the number went down regardless

-off Island they lost about 1% off 9.5% and really it's down to 8.4% and it's going to start dropping it's kind of been holding there when saying they're going off here and there and they really aren't they doing a lot and the only Island figures dropped between the two islands is about 17% cuz people left for their and dropped to about 16.5% and reprisal has not occurred yet and they're in battles everywhere but they're not very huge they will be shortly and they're going to try and get the ships up north and then going to try and get the sudo empire bunkers they've been fighting there but not massive fights the max attack and they're going to try to attack the Max and they're going to see they need stuff and they're going to go berserk and we're prepping now

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera we can't wait actually it's going to be a hell of a battle as it show people what these people to like in their horrific. It's also going to drop the number of idiots around mostly Trump

They did lose stuff in the Western hemisphere from the stashes and caches and yesterday in the eastern hemisphere on average of the eastern hemisphere is at about 35% empty the Western hemisphere is about 34% empty right neck and neck and Trump gets only about 5% from each so far it is a half of it he used up half of it trying to defend himself already and Islands will be under siege all of this stuff is going to be hard to fight over in a moment and they did stop at around 30% or 25% actually and it's been sitting for a week and also does not it's going to increase dramatically

-other things in the news bja is trying to push Trump out and fire him it doesn't seem to be working that good I was telling him he's ordered to leave and that's not working and we're waiting for us and things to happen and it'll kick him out yeah that people are doing so we're going to Friday along cuz he is a nasty piece of s*** and a b**** and we can't stand him anymore. Were going to cut him loose. And yeah he's out of here forever and what a piece of crap that guy is too many people complaining about him

-couple more things in the news Donald Trump is going down now it shows him winning in the polls and then popularities up and it's not true he's winning the polls and we think it's artificial and he's putting articles saying that he's more popular when he's not and he did with the economy and the media is being attacked and his people are being pulled out and they have to be they're wrong and his his percentage is going down out of the 8.5 % he is about 2%, that's not very good and he's getting smaller and other people are attacking and soon he won't be there

-there is another flotilla and invasion Force ordered and 70 to 80% of it is trumpsters and it will start lopping them off they're sending about 0.15% with each wave of attack and it's most of the attack for us and they are dwindling is doing this during the revolutionary war too is an incentive loser insipid loser is a horrendous person on the battlefield because he doesn't know what he's doing and he's a fool he sucks really bad. There's other people there having with him who just don't have to stay there anymore and he's getting cut loose which brings us to the next point

-his relations with people are so bad and what he says and does are so horrendous and he's saying things to people's face that he is being cut loose from every job he has globally no matter what he's doing and he's shunned in Monaco they said we don't want you here you're a bum and you smell your clothes are worn out you're disgusting looking and you're giving us all the finger cuz you're disgusting creton. They're calling him a bum and tell him not to use that appearance and you just keep showing up her son and daughter say who cares doesn't look like us he looks like a bum and an ugly one and a lot of people say it too what are you supposed to be anyways the troll and they're kicking the s*** out of him but besides the plate he's not worth it there and the point and he's not wanted and it's going to come up with real soon and he's going to get kicked out

-there's a few other things happening it will affect this idiot

-the presidents of the United States has been called into action by a lot of groups to try and stop this guy and they're trying to see if they can help because they see you can't do it and they're going to order groups of people into straighten it out and take his stuff and the order of the president and it's going to start today and were going to see some changes

He's not making threats and talking in space dividing and to Biden and it doesn't make any sense what he's doing and he is saying he's threading our son and we say you do that and they hit you but okay and I hit you personally and you don't get a new brain that has your memories you moron so it's gone like that for a while

Thor Freya

Olympus we went out of this and we need this guy out of here and now

We're trying a lot of stuff and we'd like other people that help out

Hera Zues

We'll see what it is the guys mooch and a parasite that he wants to mooch off us it's time for him to move along

Nuada Arrianna

[nozoditz]

I think a lot of the people reacting negatively specifically to the character development can be boiled down to "but it wasn't my childhood husbando."

Old-guard fans were largely defined by hating the canon love interest and the canon ship. You couldn't trip without landing on five Masaya hate fics or rants about how Ryou or Quiche was better because they weren't "boring" and "perfect," or that Masaya's character depth was too little, too late.

New heavily focuses on Masaichi (or I guess the kids are calling the ship Ichisaya now) as its emotional core, going through pains to show how Ichigo goes from shallow attachment to genuine investment, how Masaya learns to care about her and starts growing past his hidden misanthropy, and shows that depth in his character right away and in almost every episode. You can really see why so many of the new fans love him and, for that matter, ship canon.

Meanwhile, the rest of the male cast... well, Quiche gets a lot of fleshing out and appeal as everyone's favourite problematic yandere stalker, but that's specifically because he exists in contrast and opposition to Masaya; Kishigo shippers seem to feel that their ship is being treated less as an option to appeal to those fans and more as an existential threat to Masaichi, even if it was always both.

And if you like a boy who isn't one of those two, good luck. Sure, they'll get their important plot beats from the manga and maybe one piece of depth that was hinted at in the original, but they don't get focus episodes. Tart and Ryou get some pieces of backstory and character focus, but Ryou especially loses a lot of what he had initially aside from a few key moments, is never presented as a real romantic option for Ichigo (though they do push Ryoureta like the first anime did, and that actually gets further than it did back then), is never suspected in or out of universe as being Blue Knight, and doesn't have the conflict of "is he trying to break up Masaichi because of practicality like he says or does that flirting mean something" because he isn't in love with Ichigo and actually seems to be telling the truth about wanting to focus on the mission. And Keiichirou and Pie were always minor characters, but here they barely get to do more than they did in the manga.

Focusing on the boy many of the old fans hated (specifically in the Anglosphere; the lack of ship hate in Japanese fanworks and the character polls while the manga was running indicate that Masaya was perfectly popular there) and not giving as much development to the ones they liked makes these people feel that what made TMM TMM to them is gone, because it was important to their experience. That, in turn, made it feel important to the fandom as a whole. Heck, if you look at any first impressions or pre-series hype for New from people who hadn't seen the old anime or read the manga, one thing that keeps popping up is that they all thought Quiche was the canon love interest, because fandom osmosis told them he was the popular one!

So if you like the girls or Masaya, you'll be staring at the anti-New whiners wondering where their heads are at, because there's so much character development and growth in this version and it does so well with its characters... the main five and the canon love interest, and arguably the evil love rival, though Quiche fans have been bitter too because so many of them wanted their ship to be canon back in the day. New dropping the ball on most of the boys is a visible flaw, but what it's done for everyone else is so good that people really need to shut up about how there's "no development" when there clearly is.

i get that the original tmm will always reign supreme but we not gon act like new didn't improve on the extension of the characters. it's not perfect but this is genuinely one of the few remakes ive seen that actually does not look like trash next to the source material in this aspect

i saw someone saying "is the character growth in the room w us rn" or smth like that about it, but it's like it IS!??? lettuce's growing confidence is more palpable & accessible, to the point where it's so shocking and refreshing

mint isn't just posh and stuck up 24/7, she's loving while keeping the same teasing streak she was beloved for. not to mention she has this unbreakable thirst for bettering the environment

zakuro isn't an indifferent lonewolf archetype and deeply cares about her friends & community rather than her withdrawn individualism. and if you like zakumint it's obvious how much she respects mint this time around and doesn't just put up with her! and all the while she still manages to maintain her cool girl essence and mystique that she was iconic for

this one is really huge to me, which is ichigo isn't reduced to the being just a lovergirl. i'm not saying that i hate how she was in the og but most of her character was about crushing on aoyama. and not to say that she never gave a fuck about anything else, but this time around it's more obvious how deeply cares about bettering the world around her and saving and maintaining it

another big one and personally my all time fav thing about the reboot are all the scenes of the mews coming together with an unmistakable bond of friendship instead of them just being thrown together for the sake of humanity. they're genuinely close this time around and it's so endearing. they're constantly expressing their love for one another, embracing and saying how thankful they are to be together and it's so warm and beautiful

not to mention other things like the mews all being able to use mew aqua with those cute ass magic wands. and the spotlight is shared much more in terms of each girl's personal plight

the mews (particularly lettuce) actually acknowledging the origins of the aliens and the fact that earth doesn't actually belong to humans was crazy to me too. THERE'S SO MUCH!

like you can shit on pacing, artstyle and scene rewrites all you want ill give you those willingly, but character development??? no i don't think so cuz look at the material!