#justice for sidneys butt

[existential-labrador]

Sanditon season 2 and 3 announced.

[growingstronglikeahighgardenrose]

Sanditon Season 2: all the news & my thoughts

So, we're getting not one but two new seasons of Sanditon! After a year of tremendous effort on behalf of the Sanditon sisterhood who kept the fandom alive, we'll be looking at a new season. Although I think the biggest thank you probably goes out to Bridgerton, which showed that romance, regency, a diverse cast and butts are a perfect mix to lure audiences.

I want to take this moment to reflect on what I think we'll win, what we'll lose and what we can expect in the future.

1. No Sidlotte HEA

This is probably the most heartbreaking salty news we could get. But I know Theo James, he likes new projects. And after divergent's disaster, I can't blame the boy for not wanting to hang onto another franchise. As a fanfic writer, although mainly an Esther/Babington one, I broke my head for over a year on how to get Sidlotte together. I had to imagine the grandest schemes to get them together. Tom needed 10 000 pounds in less than a month. Even Babington was probably not worth that much. That's over 6 million in today's money if adjusted to inflation. Regency era's England's top 1-2% made that in a full a year, and most of that is probably in assets and investments. And they don't just get to keep that money, most used a good chunk of it to keep their estates running and to pay their staff. Anyone know someone who has a casual 6 million lying around?

There's only two realistic solutions: either have Eliza die: which would be cruel and take years (unless you kill her in childbirth 9 months in), or create a grand scheme that would take months and see Sidney, Crowe and Babington actively work hard on their 'business' while in the meantime Charlotte, Lady Denham and Lady Susan get everyone including the prince regent to come to Sanditon. I kind of accepted they would have a hard time getting out of that plot twist. It was likely that Sidlotte could not be endgame.

Personally, I never felt a strong connection to Sidlotte, and had hoped that Charlotte, like Jane Bennet, would go to London with Lady Susan to recover from her heartbreak, and I kind of hoped James Stringer would eventually go down there for his apprenticeship, where a sort of Captain Wentworth-like situation would come to exist where he is a young man trying to make something of himself. I know Charlotte didn't love him. But I also knew that Charlotte wanted adventure and perhaps needed to grow as a person. But in the new season she'll probably be a bit jaded, closed off, and depressed. And will probably need a softer more available man. Growing up goes with swinging to extremes. She was an open optimist at the beginning, and eventually turned to the opposite, not letting her emotions shine through and being very guarded (@miss-holly-goes-lightly did a wonderful post on this). Adulthood is finding a good balance again.

So while I am saddened, because this brings along a long set of questions like: "Does Sanditon still take place in Sanditon then?" "Where will Sidney live, will he then live in London with his wife?" "Why doesn't he come help his brother the next season or visit his family, as we know Tom will make a mess of things" The show will have to answer these questions in a believable manner.

2. No Beaufort twins

Mollie Holder said on her instagram that the Beauforts wouldn't be returning. This leads to quite a few questions like: where will Georgiana stay then? What will be happening to Mrs. Griffiths? Will Georgiana be her sole ward while the Beaufort's absence is explained as them having married or having become governesses?

3. Who remains aboard

Rose Williams is definitely on board. It's also pretty certain Tom will be there again. Lady Denham is also likely to return. The child actors and their parents were willing, but worried about their increasing age a few months back. Old Stringer said he'd have loved to be part of Sanditon again and to see it continue, but he's well... dead on the show so he won't return. So who will join Charlotte?

Leo Sutter might not return. He plays an important role in the next spin-off of vikings. Vikings has a new season each year. On top of that he's currently busy recording Gateway 6. We don't know how long that might take. And perhaps by the time filming ends he's required for the next season of the Walhalla series. Leo Sutter is a rising star, he might not even have the time to return. Especially for two seasons. At his age and point in his career, he needs to cement his name, or he'll remain b-list while he has a-list potential. So he might have to give up Sanditon for his career. It's sad, I'd love a Stringer/Charlotte future where they both grow to being suitable for each other while becoming people confident in their own abilities. But in the end, I would be alright with it, as Charlotte didn't express immediate interest in him. Writing him out would also be fairly easy, they could just write that despite thinking he had to stay home after his father's death, he went to London in the end under Charlotte's encouragement. Perhaps he could then come back for a guest appearance.

Crystal Clarke will reprise her role as Georgiana. Clarke has, since Sanditon, spoken out about the sometimes tone-deaf director and scriptwriters. She had to step in a few times to make sure Georgiana was done justice. She also said she hoped Georgiana, if the show was continued, would get the space to breathe and be independent, instead of playing a minor role as token black friend of Charlotte while under the control of Sidney. It will be complex to have her return without involving Sidney, as his character will have to be written out. I imagine this can be done with a timejump, but the timejump would have to be 4 years to make Georgiana 'of age' as she is 17 in the show. They'll probably place her under someone's care while saying Sidney is "still her guardian, but away". Georgiana is, in my opinion, an essential part of Sanditon. Bridgerton showed the world wanted to see diverse faces. Austen wrote a black character as a wealthy and desirable woman. They simply have to do more with her in the future. Clarke will reprise her role, this time with black writers to do justice to her character. I'm excited to see what will be done.

The actor who plays Arthur, Turlough Convery, is a good actor and mostly in period pieces. However he's never overly in demand, and usually stays with shows for multiple seasons. I think he's quite willing to come back and it means Georgiana would have a friend. I also hope they delve into his character, especially after his "I don't think i'll ever get married".

Matthew Needham and Mark Stanley, Crowe and Babington, are Sidney's best friends. It will be hard to have them come back without them explaining why Sidney is never with them. But I believe they would work well as a duo: the drunk and the one braincell are a fun dynamic. Both are not much in demand, despite that I quite like them as actors. So we might see them returning. Their return would also be vital for the return of a few other characters:

Their return would also be vital for the return of a few other characters:

Charlotte Spencer's Esther Denham is married to Babington. Without Babington returning, how can Esther? And vice versa. Their storyline was also the main romance for me and a big part of the last few episodes. They kinda need to return. Babington is also Sanditon's access point to high society. To cash in on Bridgerton's success they should search that royal connection. Babington is friends with the Prince Regent. On top of that he has the most money. If he hosts a party and Charlotte is invited, this is where they get those grand-bridgertonesque scenes.

Lily Sacofsky's Clara had a romantic subplot with Crowe. In their final unaired scene they went to London together. She could return. However, the chances are quite slim. Clara is in London, and Sanditon takes place in Sanditon. Unless Lady Susan takes Charlotte to London for a while and she meets Clara and Edward there, cooking up a plan to get back at Esther and Lady Denham.

4. Predictions

There's no words to describe the popularity of Bridgerton, so this WILL influence Sanditon. I predict: more sex, more scandal, and even more ahistorically modern ideas and characters, multiple female characters and multiple male characters that each get screentime and their separate storylines and developments like in bridgerton, instead of just Charlotte's pov we follow. Glamorous scenes. And more POC.

The season will start with a timejump in all likeliness (as it is easier so they don't have to focus too much on her grieving). Charlotte will catch us up with what has happened while perhaps narrating over some letters she's written to georgiana and lady susan. She'll return to Sanditon during a summer. Sanditon will have been partially rebuilt with Eliza's money, and many activities will be planned. Sanditon will be in some kind of trouble. Charlotte will still be a planner. Her being very actively involved in things and having a vision was one of the most alluring parts of her character. In the books there was a rival town Tom hated. That might be a bit tricky to adapt so they could introduce some local competition for attention around Sanditon. A local duke hosting parties could overshadow tom's events. Or the social season in London could lure everyone there instead of to Sanditon. Charlotte will try to help Tom with this while getting reacquainted with everyone still in Sanditon, and hearing about the reasons why Sidney/Esther/Stringer/The Beauforts (to be seen) aren't in the show anymore. She'll also rebuild her relationship with Georgiana.

Then one day for an event Charlotte will invite Lady Susan, who will invite her to the London season to get over her heartache à la Jane Bennet. Charlotte will join Lady Susan to lure a crowd to Sanditon. There, she'll be confronted with some of her demons of the past season. Perhaps a pregnant Eliza Campion makes an appearance to rub it in Charlotte's face. In Sense & Sensibility Margaret discovered Willoughby's relationship in a most shocking manner in an almost public setting. Sanditon likes to nod at all Austen books so this could be a nod at that book when Charlotte discovers unpleasant news in a public manner. Charlotte will congratulate her and wish them happiness, and afterwards either a girlpower moment could happen with Lady Susan or Georgiana supporting her, or a love moment. Mrs Campion has tried to talk Charlotte down in front of people in the past, if she did it again, a new love interest could step in at that time to compliment her and then take her off for a dance. That could be an emotional moment for her, as she realized her feelings for Sidney in London during a dance the last time around as well. And she could have her cinderella moment by excusing herself and running off after the dance, uncertain of her feelings. She'll have some grand balls, might be harrassed by a man and risk a scandal, or try and prevent Georgiana from ruin during a scandal.

At the last moment she'll succeed in her goal and lure a crowd to Sanditon's events that will put Sanditon on the map. Either the local competitive duke, or someone from London will be impressed with her, but she won't be ready to marry yet. I trust that by the end of the second season, she'll finally have a realisation that she's quite happy with how she's living her life and how good her work is, and that she has finally stopped feeling sad. So the second season will stop with her atop a cliff, letting go of the traumatic loss she suffered on that same cliff a season before. By the end of the season, one or two love interests will be set up for the last season.

So the nudity and big romance will have to come from elsewhere. Georgiana will get more agency and action in the next seasons. She could be trying to tempt Charlotte in joining her adventures as a single wealthy independent woman. She might even leave to find her place in the world via boat, returning to where she was last truly happy: Antigua. The second season could maybe end with Charlotte overlooking Georgiana's boat leaving from the previously mentioned clifftop. Another option is Georgiana falling in love with a local man and taken an interest in the town. Financially speaking, Georgiana could be the only one able to save Sanditon. But I don't think she owes the town anything. Another option is the writers focus on Georgiana navigating her relationship with Otis, who might be back home for a holiday after navy duty. We could also see some political debates à la Poldark S5 about freedom, servitude, independence and so on. The first plan for Georgiana doesn't even have to exclude the second, she could decide to sail away with Otis to find their place in the world. In any case: race shall not be brushed under the carpet and Georgiana will kick some shins on her way to her happy ending. In Jane Austen, we have rarely seen a woman who tried to elope, or escape her guardian, get a happy ending. Georgiana Darcy, Eliza Williams, Eliza's mother, ... they're all tragic tales of women falling for bad guys who try to steal their virtue or take their money. And in the end they always become dependent on men again. I hope in Sanditon Georgiana will learn and grow herself, instead of being coddled by men. A lot could be done.

Esther and Babington could be a very cool insert if the actors join. They can really connect the high society to Sanditon. They could host balls, invest in Sanditon or drive the London plot. But they can also be an emotional backbone to the show. Esther married Babington, but she wasn't in love yet. I'm not a fan of the edward/Esther angle. After all he did, I rather she hated him with burning passion and never spoke to him again. But he could try to blackmail her and ruin her reputation in London. Perhaps become some kind of Lord Whistledown. With Charlotte coming to Esther's aid. Esther's plotline could be about learning to trust people and open her heart again. Perhaps she could have a conflict with Babington about him wanting a family and she still being uneasy with marriage, let alone children. Maybe they could have a fight, with one of them going to London. In their separation they might realize they love each other. And then the other comes back home from London with Charlotte and they fix everything. Another route is them having a fight, Esther going to confront Edward or Clara about their blackmailing or maneouvring. Babington thinks it's because she doesn't love him, but actually it's because she loves Babington and wants to be rid of her past. But she gets into an accident and Babington only realizes the truth later on, leading to a happy ending.

Other things I'd love to see: Mary finally growing a backbone and telling Tom to either be open about his affairs and finances or be gone. Arthur and Diana growing a backbone and telling their brother he's a fuck up. Charlotte realizing Tom is stupid. Lady Denham appointing Charlotte or Arthur to head of Sanditon after showing their worth an entire season. Tom being repentant. Diana getting over her fears. Arthur getting a love interest. Crowe being in Sanditon, I just love him. Kisses. Healthy love interests that aren't broody and traumatized and in need of fixing by women. Jane Austen's men need to do their growing ON THEIR OWN. And then they earn their brides.

5. What we'll lose

- A Sidlotte ending: once the new season comes out, Sidlotte is no longer headcanon.

- A happy Esther/Babington ending: they married and looked happy, despite Esther's rushed turn around. If they're in the new season, their marriage won't be perfect. They'll have conflicts, just for plot. Whatever headcanons we had for them will probably be falsified. We might come to dislike them or their relationship. I've seen almost all my ships crumble to dust on the rocks of multiple seasons dragging out relationships and piling on conflict just to keep it interesting.

- A part of what made Sanditon Sanditon: we'll lose many faces we've come to love. And the dynamics and relationships will therefore change a lot.

- Fanfics become dated: I know it is the problem of every fandom, but it's one I regret all the same. Part of why I love Austen fandoms is the fact that the books are written. The characters and relationships won't change. With 2 new seasons coming, all fanfics out there will become dated. The millions of hours authors put into Sidlotte fics will perhaps become barely read when Charlotte gets new love interests. All the headcanons I and many others wrote down for Sidlotte, Esther/Babington, Charlotte/Stringer, will officially become silly fantheories. I've been there a couple of times before that shows changed the entire course and personality of certain characters and then you can't help but feel exhausted and sometimes annoyed because these are your babies and you had dreams for them, and the writers took them in directions that sometimes don't do them justice. But it's canon so you gotta accept it. Sometimes fantasy is nicer than a writer toying around with storylines and characters just to create drama. And I'll have to write my characters in a new way that fits the characters based on the info from the new seasons. I might fall out of love with them. Ah, the burden of being a shipper weighs heavy.

- Perhaps we still lose a HEA: Season one ended with a happy babington/Esther and an unhappy Charlotte who learned a lot, and a Sanditon that was saved. Although Sanditon has been extended for two seasons it's possible that if the ratings for S2 aren't good they may still cancel the third season. If they don't learn from their mistakes and end season 2 on another cliffhanger even Esther's relationship and sanditon may be at stake. If they're getting 2 seasons they will also not marry or engage charlotte in the second, meaning Charlotte will still be single by the end of the series if they cancel season 3. The whole reason we wanted more seasons was for charlotte to have a HEA. So I'm really fearful that she'll be put in another hard spot. They at least need to get her happy by the end of S2.

6. What we'll gain

- More sanditon content

- More regency era content and images and music which is always lovely

- Seeing our favourites again

- Hopefully we get to see new challenges and romance and humor and tense moments and scandal and drama that will be fun to watch

- A Georgiana story arc: a black woman in a realistic historical setting living her life, being wealthy, and England just having to Deal With It. And as cherry on top she'll be written by black writers.

- Happy endings (hopefully)

- New hot men! This is a guarantee

- Perhaps LGBTQ+ representation with Arthur

- Frustration at Tom's antics (guaranteed)

- Maybe some interactions with Charlotte's siblings

- Esther Babington content

- New material to write fanfics and metas about

- Over 8 hours of viewing pleasure

[fortunatelylori]

Realism in Sanditon

Since detractors of this show are adamant about how unrealistic and how not accurate to the time period Sanditon is, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite realistic details that make Sanditon stand out from the fray of period drama adaptations.

Sidney’s portrait

One thing that really bugs me in period dramas is how portraits always look exactly like the real person they’re supposed to represent. Take Mr. Darcy for example:

It’s almost as if someone took a picture and then put some brush strokes on top of it, doesn’t it?

Except that things were hardly ever as simple as that because not all portraitists were so good as to paint a replica of one’s face and because sometimes, even if they were, as in the case of Thomas Lawrence who painted everyone who was anyone during the Regency, including the regent himself, they were obliged to tweek reality from this:

to THIS: 

Which is why I take such delight in Sidney’s portrait. You could see how this:

could be the inspiration for this:

But it doesn’t quite fit, does it? Me thinks Sidney should have asked for his money back. That painting does not do him justice.

The ball scene

One thing period dramas are known for is their ball scenes and the beautiful, albeit strange to our modern eyes, dancing. However should we really expect that these balls would have looked like perfectly choreographed scenes of obviously trained dancers in period costumes? I mean look at this:

(neither one of these are mine. I picked them up on google. if you recognize your work, let me know and I’ll add the credit)

This looks more like Swan Lake than a night at your local club, which is what a ball ultimately was. And speaking of clubs, anyone whose ever been to one knows that not all dancers are created equal. So why should they have been during the regency? Surely you’d have differences in proficiency based on whether or not you had had a dancing instructor or if you had a musical ear or not (even people during the early 19th century would have been born with no ear for music) or even how much practice you got (someone who lived in London, for example, would be expected to be a better dancer simply because he/she got more opportunities to dance than someone who lived in a small, remote village) and on and on.

And it’s exactly that realistic disparity that Sanditon portrays so wonderfully.

For example, you can tell from the scene that Esther Denham and Georgiana Lambe are the best dancers of the lot.

Look at those pirouettes!

Georgiana even manages to look graceful while dancing with grease lightning Arthur over here: 

At the other end of the spectrum, we have sweet angel Charlotte who loves to dance and will stand with anyone who will partner her but … she’s not very good, is she?

She looks like a limping dear, bless her. 

And then you have the men .... The Sandition fellas, not unlike men today, all have their signature moves!

The annoying guy who does the chicken dance:

The older guy who “escaped” from home and is now partying like it’s 1768:

And … Arthur doing his best Michael Flatley impersonation:

This is a long way of saying that when you say that the ball in P&P 1995 (for example) was more accurate than the ball scene in Sanditon, you aren’t actually talking about historical accuracy and even less about realism but rather what you have been taught to expect from a period adaptation.

Also please do tell Mary Bennet, who garnered praise for her renditions of “Scotch and Irish airs”, that Scottish music at a regency ball was unheard of.

Charlotte’s hair

I’d wager to bet that even Sidney’s butt was less controversial than the fact that Charlotte wears her hair down. Half the Sanditon tag is filled with people that are just unusually angry at this small, and rather inconsequential, choice.

That being said would they be satisfied with a very simple, not thrills bun like the one Elizabeth Bennet wore in the 2005 adaptation?

I would say no because at the time the film came out, people hated how badly her hair was done. But here’s the thing: Charlotte is even poorer than Lizzie, has 11 siblings and most likely no actual chamber maid that might assist her with the kind of hairstyle people complaining about the hair choice actually want:

So if you really wanted to go historically accurate with Charlotte’s hair you’d go with a very simple bun that would then be covered by one of these monstrosities:

“I have made myself two or three caps to wear in the evenings since I came home, and they save me a world of torment as to hair-dressing!” - Jane Austen, 1798

I, for one, would much rather have Charlotte’s hair down than whatever poor Jane is wearing up there.

The dandy

We all know the term and I assume the man who invented it, Beau Brummell:

The Dandy has come to represent the height of men’s fashion and elegance. Fun fact though: that super high collar and cravat that Mr. Darcy is so fond of wearing?

That was designed so the wearer was forced to keep his nose high up in the air, which was particularly useful because of the less telegenic habit of snorting snuff that regency men engaged in. So if you are truly committed to historical accuracy please imagine Mr. Darcy with brown snot coming out of his nose from now on.  

There is no brown snot in Sanditon thankfully but Sidney and his friends do engage is some heavy duty smoking using these long, frilly cigarette holders:

I think Sidney just about pulls it off which I assume is as far as anyone could pull off this trend

In addition to that, there’s a great deal of cane wearing with these characters even though those walking sticks aren’t assisting them to walk in anyway which makes canes truly the eye glasses you wear when you don’t have an eyesight problem of the 19th century.

Between the cigarette holders, the useless canes and the mad hatter look:

Sanditon exposes the dandies for what they truly were: part innovators, part fashion victims. 

All of these examples aren’t really meant to convince you that Sanditon is 100% true to history (it’s not) or even that it’s more accurate than other Austen adaptation. 

Rather what I hope you take away from this is that Austen adaptations in general are not a play by play documentary on the regency period but rather fantasy, Disney versions of 19th century England. Sanditon challenging that image is not actually a bad thing or inherently less accurate than any other adaptation out there.

[mongoose232323]

Honestly ... Has NO ONE Seen How This

Plays Out In These Last Four Years??

Unless You Kiss Donald Trump’s Butt 24/7

Trump Will Trash You To Hell And Back!!

Donald Trump Is Literally Turning On Everyone!!

From The Article

Donald Trump, in his final days, is turning bitterly on virtually every person around him, griping about anyone who refuses to indulge conspiracy theories or hopeless bids to overturn the election, several top officials tell Axios.

The latest: Targets of his outrage include Vice President Pence, chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Secretary of State Pompeo and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Why it matters: Trump thinks everyone around him is weak, stupid or disloyal — and increasingly seeks comfort only in people who egg him on to overturn the election results. We cannot stress enough how unnerved Trump officials are by the conversations unfolding inside the White House.

Top officials are trying to stay away from the West Wing right now.

Trump is lashing out, and everyone is in the blast zone: At this point, if you're not in the “use the Department of Homeland Security or the military to impound voting machines” camp, the president considers you weak and beneath contempt.

Trump is fed up with Cipollone, his counsel. Some supporters of Cipollone are worried that Trump is on the brink of removing him and replacing him with a fringe loyalist.

A source who spoke to Trump said the president was complaining about Pence and brought up a Lincoln Project ad that claims that Pence is "backing away" from Trump. This ad has clearly got inside Trump’s head, the source said.

Trump views Pence as not fighting hard enough for him — the same complaint he uses against virtually everybody who works for him and has been loyal to him.

Pence’s role on Jan. 6 has begun to loom large in Trump’s mind, according to people who’ve discussed the matter with him.

Trump would view Pence performing his constitutional duty — and validating the election result — as the ultimate betrayal.

A new fixation: Trump has even been asking advisers whether they can get state legislatures to rescind their electoral votes. When he’s told no, he lashes out even more, said a source who discussed the matter with the president.

And in an Oval meeting Monday night, Trump spoke with House Republicans about voting to overturn the result on Jan. 6 — a desperate vote that even Trump has privately acknowledged he's bound to lose.

The person who has the worst job in Washington, according to multiple administration officials: the incoming head of the Justice Department, Jeffrey Rosen.

The consensus is he has no earthly idea the insanity he is in for.

The next month will be the longest of his life.

Another reflection of Trump’s state of mind:

As Axios reported Monday night, the president got his personal assistant to email Republican lawmakers a PowerPoint slide (above) attacking McConnell for being "the first one off the ship," and absurdly claiming credit for the Senate majority leader’s victory in his Kentucky re-election.

That's quite a message to send two weeks out from crucial runoff races in Georgia, where Republicans need to stay unified.

Where's Jared? A source told Axios that Kushner, who yesterday participated in a tree-planting ceremony in Jerusalem Forest's Grove of Nations, "is focused on the Middle East."

It's a perfect visual encapsulation of Kushner's absence — on the other side of the world, planting a tree with Bibi and accepting plaudits, while Trump discusses mayhem with Sidney Powell.

https://www.axios.com/trump-white-house-conspiracy-theories-d95450a4-c7a3-4579-a568-0473b18529c9.html

[perfectirishgifts]

How Sidney Powell’s ‘Kraken’—Pushed By QAnon—Went From Cable News To Trump Mainstream

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/how-sidney-powells-kraken-pushed-by-qanon-went-from-cable-news-to-trump-mainstream-2/

How Sidney Powell’s ‘Kraken’—Pushed By QAnon—Went From Cable News To Trump Mainstream

Topline

Ever since Trump-aligned attorney Sidney Powell went on Fox Business and promised to “release the kraken”—a reference to her plot to expose baseless accusations of voter fraud and overturn the election results in favor of President Trump—the phrase has exploded in popularity as a rallying cry among QAnon supporters and members of Trump’s orbit, and become a butt of jokes among others as her nationwide legal effort fails at almost every turn.

Powell’s legal efforts to overturn the results of the US election are quickly falling apart

Key Facts

Powell, a former federal prosecutor who rose to prominence as former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s attorney, first uttered the phrase—which is a catchphrase from the 1981 movie “Clash of the Titans”—on Fox Business in mid-November during an interview with Lou Dobbs, claiming Trump’s legal team had a mountain of evidence to overturn the election results in several key states.

Since then, the Trump campaign has cut ties with Powell as she floated increasingly unhinged conspiracy theories and the “Kraken” conspiracy theories have been almost entirely debunked, but the phrase has lived on as the attorney continues her longshot bid to change the results of the election.

After Powell first used the phrase on November 13, the word “kraken” racked up hundreds of thousands of interactions on Facebook, according to the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle. 

QAnon conspiracy theorists—who have a known ally in Powell—have embraced the catch phrase as a “masterstroke of the plan to overturn the election results,” according to Mike Rothschild, who recently published a book about conspiracy theories and tracks QAnon online.

Right wing personalities, including David J Harris Jr. and Austen Fletcher, and other members of Trump’s legal team have adopted the phrase as well, giving it a huge boost online. 

At the same time, the “kraken” has become a target of mockery among Democrats and even some conservatives: “It appears the only Kraken being released will be the @SeattleKraken next year,” Gov. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) tweeted Monday after Powell lost another court case.

Crucial Quote

Reached for comment Monday, Powell dismissed those who criticize the “kraken” as a collection of conspiracy theories. “That’s what they always say,” Powell said. “I’m obviously over the target. The fraud is blatant.” 

Key Background

Powell has filed lawsuits in battleground states across the country, including Michigan, Georgia,  Arizona and Wisconsin, with little success. On Monday, a federal judge threw out her lawsuit in Georgia. Powell filed an emergency appeal Monday night.  

Chief Critic 

“The claims in the Kraken lawsuit prove to be as mythological as the creature for which they’re named,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Monday. “Georgians can now move forward knowing that their votes, and only their legal votes, were counted accurately, fairly, and reliably.”

What To Watch For 

QAnon followers believe that Powell’s “kraken” legal case will eventually end in the Supreme Court, where the justices will overturn the results of the election, a hope that is not steeped in reality. “They think everything is leading up to Trump’s hand-picked justices seeing the wisdom in all these dismissed suits and using some non-existent mechanism to award the election to Trump,” Rothschild said. 

Further Reading

The Kraken: What is it and why has Trump’s ex-lawyer released it? (BBC)

Sidney Powell’s Georgia Lawsuit Gets Thrown Out In Court (Forbes)

For Trump advocate Sidney Powell, a playbook steeped in conspiracy theories (Washington Post)

‘The People Have Spoken’: Sidney Powell’s Michigan Lawsuit Gets Shut Down In Court (Forbes)

From Social Media in Perfectirishgifts

[sc87confessions]

This is Halloween, Halloween

“Aw man I need to stop on those hot dogs at the games, they’re gettin to me” Jake tried to say as he was strugglin to breathe with a new physical trainin course that the departmen was puttin y’all through

“It’s all your fault (Y/N)” he said smilin

“How is it mine? I don’t drag you haha”

“Yep for havin Sidney like you”

“If he liked me he would’ve said so by now” I said as I was startin to feel tired too

“He probably doesn’t know how to tell you or maybe he wants to make sure you feel the same way”

“Yeah whatever. Anyways did you get your Halloween costume already?”

“Yeah it should be comin in today”

“Cool”

You guys were exhausted as you headed home around 7pm when you saw that you had a text from Sid

 Sid: Hey you doing anything tonight? You read as you thought why he would ask you so late

You: Nope just got out from work why?

Sid: Wow so late?

     Genos throwing a Halloween party

You: Sounds fun

Sid: I’m sorry its late notice but I wasn’t sure if you’d want to since its mostly family

You: Its cool

     Let me check if the guys would like to come

   Is that okay?

Sid: Yeah of course! And costumes are a requirement since there will be a contest according to Geno haha

You: LOL I’ll let you know in a few thanks!

 You texted your boys to see if they were up for it since it was late. Of course none of them turned down an invitation to a party, especially a costume one, man they were like kids sometimes.

You let Sid know that y’all were comin so he sent you the address. You were really excited to finally wear your costume as you and the guys had agreed to dress up as Justice League, Jake was Superman, Casey was Batman, the others were Flash, Joker, and you of course as Wonder Woman

 As you showed up to Geno’s, Jake turned to you and said “Sid’s not goin to be able to take his eyes off of you butttt I won’t be surprised if he’s a bit intimidated to even say hi haahah”

“What are you sayin?” you said oblivious

“You look hot” the boys said in unison

“Thanks guys” you said tryin not to blush

You rang the bell, as Phil opened the door and saw you, he said “Princess Diana welcome and prayers for Sidney” he chuckled.

As you said hi to everyone, every person told you that you looked just like Wonder Woman and they couldn’t wait to see Sid’s reaction when he came back from the store, the kids really thought that you guys were your characters as their faces lit up.

You were outside talkin to Flower’s wife, Veronique, when you felt someone tap your shoulder, sure enough it was Sidney. Veronique smirked knowin damn well you had stunned Sid.

“Hey Sidney” you said

“(Y/N) you look stunning, well beautiful, uhhh hi, how are you?” he stuttered

“Great, how about you, strugglin over there?” you teased him

“Uhh yeah just a bit” he said scrunchin his nose in the most adorable way, “So Justice League eh” “I dig it” Why is Jake Superman though, like he looks like him but you guys decided to have matching costumes?”

“Nah we just all agreed that he looks like him just as they agreed that I supposedly look like this” you said referrin to your costume, “why is someone jealous?”

“Well you do play it perfectly” he replied dodgin the last question. You noticed that he was dressed as baseball player

You guys went back inside as you couldn’t help but stare at his ass in those pants

One of my weaknesses BIG BUTTS

You guys had a great time playin a bit of beer pong which you and Jake were winnin at

“Ok so I’m not worried about Jake but I never would’ve guess (Y/N) killin it” said Patric

“Why because I’m a girl?”

“No not that, you don’t seem like the one who’d play beer pong”

“Why?”

“Uhhh you seem like a goody two shoes”

“Well I’m full of surprises sometimes” you joked back

You guys took pictures normally and posin in your characters pose

Finally Geno announced the winner, Jake and yourself

You noticed that Sid didn’t leave your side but didn’t say much to you either

The boys however loved teasin him about your costume causin him to blush like a redhead in the summer

 As it was around 1am the boys had gone back home to rest, when you realized that Jake had the keys to the house.

You were a bit tipsy from havin a little more than a few of your favorite, Jack and Coke.

You asked one of the girls if they could take you home as Sid of course offered to instead.

The ride to your house was quiet as you noticed that he turned on the radio and changed it to country music, Tim McGraw’s “My Best Friend” was playin as he turned to look at you but didn’t say anythin.

When you guys arrived he walked you to the door but no one answered. Your truck was there but you knew the guys were exhausted from a long day at work and trainin

“Sooo, should we head back to Geno’s?” Sid asked as he tried ringin the bell again

I wonder if this will work

“Nah I have an idea”

“What?”

“Hold my stuff please” you handed your purse to him

Your room was on the second floor with a balcony that was on top of the entrance, you were goin to climb in. Once Sid realized that he started panickin a bit

“(Y/N) are you crazy?!” “Get down!” “Now!”

“SHHHH Sidney ShuSHH” you said puttin your finger lightly on his lips

“Watch and learn but please don’t look at my ass”

“Well its right in my face so sorry” he said sarcastically

“Wooow look Sidney what I can do” you said as you climbed up pretty quickly and got your hidden key to open the balcony door.

You came back down to open the front door to get your stuff from Sid

“I can’t believe you just did that” he said to you in shock

“I’m full of surprises sometimes” you said “thanks for the invite Sidney, I had a nice time tonight”

He hugged you goodbye and you told him to please text you when he got home.

 Sid: Just got home

You: aweomme thks Ssid goodnightt

Sid: Lol get some good rest, Princess Diana ;)

 This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.

[existential-labrador]

Sanditon Vent

So I’ve been thinking a lot about Sanditon - even more than usual I mean - since the announcement, or lack thereof, that it won’t be renewed by ITV. My initial thoughts and feelings were ones of despair and outrage. Remember my totally dignified (yeah right) emotional meltdown on here at the end of season one? I was all like, SCREW EVERYONE I’M LEAVING THE FANDOM. But after some time to calm down, lick my wounds and cry a bit, I thought, I can do this, I want a season two, I am all in! That took a lot of energy. So now, the thought that all of that energy was for nothing, is too much. I can’t. I can’t even. I just can’t. I have to believe that another broadcaster will pick it up for a second season. I have to. Accepting that season one was the end is not an option for me, or for most of us for that matter.  Anyway, the whole announcement led to some smug and quite frankly unnecessary comments from some people on here about how the first season was trashy but we just went along with it because we wanted a second season. And I’m not going to lie, at the time of the finale and even some parts of the show, I agreed with a lot of those comments. As much as I was invested I felt like the plot was very soap-opera-y (technical term) and a bit all over the place and the sex and nudity was only there for a shock factor, Though objectively speaking I still think the sex and nudity probably was unnecessary, there is no-one on this earth who will change my mind that Sidney’s butt is a pivotal character in this show. Much like David Bowie’s crotch is pivotal in Labyrinth, though both are sadly uncredited. But seriously, I have been giving the plot and story arcs a lot more thought. Yes a lot of it was ridiculous, particularly Sidney’s ending...but...when you really think about it, was it any more ridiculous and soap-opera-y than Austen’s other stories? Now stay with me on this before you become enraged. Firstly let me say Austen is my favourite author and I worship her so I am not criticising her in any way. Her stories and her writing are incredible and I adore her. All I’m saying is, when you really break down the plots of her stories, Sanditon doesn’t seem so far off base. Imagine the other books weren’t already established, respected stories, imagine you were seeing them played out for the first time on T.V. Lizzie and Darcy are finally making headway when WHAT’S THAT? Lizzie’s younger sister has eloped with the guy Lizzie previously flirted/had an attachment to who also happens to be the ex-best friend of Darcy and who ruined his sister’s life?! Imagine that on T.V.! For the first time! Soap-opera-y! It is my favourite book of all time but it is! Oh I can’t believe Captain Wentworth is going to marry that other woman thinks Anne...WHAT’S THAT? She’s fallen off a wall and nearly dies but then falls in love with that other guy who lost his wife?! Edward looks like he might propose to me, thinks Elinor, but WHAT’S THAT? He’s secretly engaged to a woman I now have to pretend to be friends with? And then I think they’re married but it turns out she went for his brother instead?! And don’t even get me started on Emma! NEED I GO ON PEOPLE?!  The only difference here apart from obviously superior writing because Jane is Queen, is that her other books are already established, respected stories. Also the sex and nudity etc. which we can all agree is unnecessary but hey, let’s not take it so seriously and enjoy it as a modern take of stuff that...guess what...would have happened. Even Jane herself does not deny that people have sex. Yes it was scandalous (naughty Wickham) but I’m gonna say Sanditon made it pretty clear having sex on someone’s floor is not cool.

Now I’m not saying the show is flawless, far from it! And I am aware I am saying all of this as someone who trashed the finale myself at the time and honestly I would still rather the series had been a mini-series and wrapped it up. But I feel better having given it more thought. And really, had Sidney and Charlotte really been through enough in Austen terms? Most Austen characters don’t get together for years! And the hardest parts of their journey are often in the middle/or towards the end of their relationship. Let’s just hope now, that Sidlotte get the ending they deserve. And by god if a broadcaster can’t give us that, then fanfiction will! Write or die guys! Write or die. Shout out to my Sanditon ladies, love you all <3