#like every other country is one single thing

[freegiselle]

Like I read to one politician, you had already been coup'd after january 6th. Things just couldnt go back to what they were before that. You could had recover from the 4 years presidency, but America let him get away with a fucking violent insurrection... The coup was succesful in the way that he wasnt thrown inmediatly in a cage to rot. Now, in this second term things are going to be different. All restraints are unleashed.

All things you mention, deportations, losing healthcare, dying from religious fanatism and I add american imperialism, are terrible. But they were already happening before!! The problem is that you could try to change them, or at least you had the ilusion of change through a democratic process. Now, if the majority wants an authoritarian leadership, you cannot fight against that by voting...

The future looks grim, for everyone. A Civil War could be HIS legacy. It is unlikely, but for the first time in my life, I believe it is actually possible in the short/mid term. Trump doesnt have any kind of strengh of will. He gets pushed around by people richer than him all the time and it will keep happening. Im not talking exclusively about silicon valley and Musk. The DA contractors and financial conglomerates too. They will see that they keep increasing their power, squeezing every single pond of wealth, pushing other countries to war, stretching the fabric of american democratic institutions until theres is nothing left but the rags. Fuck, this has already been happening for decades, but now, there is no safe net anymore. Even if he dies tomorrow from some stroke, things wont get better. In fact, the worst could come with the succesor. Most probable scenario is that the next fascist that rises as their cult leader wont be a narcisistic moron like Trump. He will be a cunning and ruthless megalomaniac. The path to the White House has been set.

If I have to see one more “we survived him before we can do it again” post I’m going to scream.

So many people didn’t. So many more people are going to die. Women are going to bleed out in parking lots because doctors are scared to give them the abortion they need. Migrates are going to die in detention centers. Kids are going to have their parents ripped away in mass deportations. Potentially millions of people are going to lose their healthcare.

Yes, we keep fighting, but don’t say we survived before. A lot of people didn’t.

[magics-neptunes-things]

You Belong With Me

Hi guys!

I'm finally working on my WIP's. This is a request I received a long time ago, I'm so sorry for the wait. You can find it here.

Please enjoy ♥

TW : Alcohol

When Alessia moved to Arsenal, you were happy because you always found her very talented. You saw her playing during the World Cup and with you already playing for Arsenal, you had to play against her several times.

You love her play, and she seems really sweet, which is not a bad thing. You remember being with Leah in the medical centre when Alessia came to sign her contract. The other blond introduced both of you and since then you are inseparable.

You do all your drills together, you sometimes come together for training, and you sit almost always next to each other on the coach when you are travelling in the country for games.

This summer you even went to Ibiza together, even if there were more pictures of Alessia and Toone, you were there too. And you really had a blast there, enjoying every single day. You come even closer to Alessia, and you have to control yourself to keep your gesture friendly.

You are separated during the national breaks though. For this one you go back to your country, or wherever the camp is, while Alessia stays in England with her national teammates.

This is during the last camp that you realize how much you were fucked up. You missed Alessia every single second of the camp, wanting to hear her voice and talk to her all day long. You missed her smile, you missed her touch, you missed her perfume and even the way her hair whips your face during some exercises in training.

You messaged each other from time to time, but not every day. Sometimes Alessia took a long time to answer your messages and you hated the way your stomach makes you feel sick during this time. You don’t want to be a burden for her obviously, she’s your friend and she doesn’t see you like that.

So, after your return to London, you decide to be more distant with Alessia, for your mental health. Plus, the blonde has a lot of other friends on the team, so she won’t have any problems finding someone else.

You are late the first time you have to take the coach to go to Manchester and play your first game back. So, it’s not a problem to sit in front of Katie and Caitlin while Alessia is next to Kyra, several rows behind.

And since that move, you become more and more distant with her. You take more time to answer her messages, you avoid going to the team bonding and you always have something to do when Alessia proposes to drive you to training.

You see Alessia frowning from time to time, but like you were thinking, some of your teammates seem eager to spend time with her. It’s more difficult for you to find someone to do your drills with. Sometimes it’s Laia, sometimes it’s Steph. You have a great time with them, but it has nothing to do with doing it with Alessia.

You were really thinking that those changes aren’t bothering Alessia. But to be honest, it’s not exactly working on stopping your crush on her.

You have to fight the need to look at you every time you can, your eyes are attracted to her like two magnets.

The fact that you find her more beautiful every day probably doesn’t help either. But now you aren’t even crossing her eyes. When she starts to turn her eyes to look in your direction, you are already doing something else.

From friends you are now strangers and even if it breaks your heart, you know it’s for the better. If you confessed your feelings to Alessia, you would have lost her anyway. Like this, at least she won’t feel strange because of you.

“What’s the matter between you and Lessi?” Leah asks you while you are doing some drills.

For once, Lia chooses to partner with Mariona, letting Leah make them with you. You wait to send her the ball back before answering.

“What do you mean?” you ask with a poker face.

Leah sends you the ball back, not looking at you in the process. You like it that way, it doesn’t give you the impression of being grilled by her. You wonder if Alessia sends her to you, or if this is just a Captain’s duty.

“You were both so close and now it looks like you don’t even talk. Did something happen between you?”

“No” you shake your head. “We just… grow apart, I don’t know. It happens to people sometimes, just like Katie and you. You aren’t as close as you were some years ago”

It’s a poker move that you are making, to be honest. Sure, Leah and Katie aren’t close like before, but they are still friends. They are still talking, joking around and laughing together. Which you aren’t doing anymore with Alessia.

This time Leah looks at you with scepticism. You can see in her eyes that she doesn’t believe you at all. Just like if she knows how you would have killed just to have a hug from Alessia.

“If you say so” she finally says.

She doesn’t believe you, but at least she doesn’t push the subject. You are glad for it. You haven’t talked to anyone about your feelings for Alessia and why you made the decision to avoid her suddenly.

You finish your drills in silence, probably both lost in your thoughts. It’s only when you are finished and going back to the group that Leah talks again.  

“You know that you can talk to me about anything, yeah?”

You raise your head in Leah’s direction, and you feel your face softening a little. She seems really concerned about you. It makes you warm inside.

“Thank you” you smile.

“Anytime”

She gives you a side hug which you answer, passing both of your arms around her waist. You appreciate the girl, not in the way you appreciate Alessia. But under her stern glare, Leah is really a big softie.

Leah passes her arm around your shoulders and drags you near the team who is having a drink pause. It’s at this moment that you cross Alessia’s blue eyes. She gives you a tentative smile, which you answer with an uneasy one before hurrying to take a bottle of water.

Later that day, you were getting out of the showers, sure that no one was still here. You went to the medical team for a little strange feeling in your tight. It was nothing but you still had a massage before going to the shower. Only Steph and Beth were still there, and they told you goodbye when you entered the shower.

You took a long and hot shower, waiting for every part of your body to be really relaxed. It took time but you finally managed it.

No one was waiting for you at home, so you take your time to get dressed and prepare yourself. You were grabbing your bag when the door opens, and you froze when you see who is entering the locker room.

Alessia.

She seems surprised to see you here too and stays still for some seconds before opening her mouth.

“Oh, I thought you were already home” she says softly.

“I’m going now” you answer, passing next to her to reach the exit.

“Wait”

Alessia grabs your arm, and you froze once again. Alessia releases you very quickly, taking your frozen state for discomfort. She doesn’t realise that your stillness is because of the warm feeling that this simple touch makes you feel.

“Sorry” she mumbles, looking at her feet. “I was wondering… Is everything fine? We don’t talk like we used to”

You bite your lips softly before answering. She seems really touched by the situation and you feel your heart break a little more. But you shake yourself mentally. It’s for the better like this.

“Yeah, everything is fine” you smile. “Look I have to go; I have a meeting with my agent. See you tomorrow?”

“Are you coming to Beth’s?”

Beth is organising a team bonding tomorrow night, and you said you were going before Alessia answered. A mistake you usually aren’t making but you were unfocused while answering the invitation.

“Yes”

“Cool” Alessia smiles awkwardly.

You smile back before going out of here. Your cheeks are so red that it could have been used as decoration for an Arsenal video.

Coming here was a bad idea, you knew it. You almost wrote to Beth ten times to say that you weren’t coming, but you are still here, sandwiched on a couch between Laia and Mariona. Both girls were yapping in Spanish, Mariona’s hand somewhere on Lia’s knee. You were happy to be seated here though, at least you don’t need to talk or anything.

You saw Alessia looking at you several times, but she looked away every time you were looking back. Maybe your plan is starting to work, you thought with relief. Alessia talked almost all night with Lotte and Emily, far away from you. You can’t help but feel a little jealous though, hearing her laugh resonate in the room from time to time. But you shouldn’t feel that way.

She wrote to you yesterday and you ignored her text once again. You feel bad about it, but you don’t have the choice.

You may have drunk a little too much cider that Lia brought back from her training camps in France. Your teammates swear that it wasn’t with alcohol, but when you look at the bottle it’s said it in fact does have alcohol. Only a little but for those like you who aren't drinking alcohol at all, you don’t need a lot of it to feel your head start spinning.

You were looking at Myle sleeping when you hear a part of the conversation between Alessia, Emily and Lotte. You wish you wouldn’t have.

“So, how was the date Emily arranged you?” Lotte asks Alessia.

You feel your jaw contracting, without being able to really control your muscles. You stand up, mumbling something about the bathroom to Laia who looks at you with concern before getting out of the living room. You actually go to the bathroom, locking the door behind you before splashing cold water on your face.

Who did you think you could convince? In all your stupidity, you didn’t think for one second that Alessia could look for someone else. Of course she will, and you know that she probably has thousands of people waiting for her. She’s perfect and you are lousy.

You jump when you hear someone knocking at the door.

“Y/N? Are you okay?”

You are relieved to hear Lia’s voice and not Alessia’s. You take a deep breath before answering, you want to be sure that your voice will be okay.

“I’m fine. Just freshening up a little”

You close the tap and take another big breath before going out. Thank god your eyes aren’t red, and your cheeks aren’t flushed. Otherwise, you would have been screwed.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Lia asks after having looked at you with a perfect arched eyebrow.

“I think I’ve been sick of the cider. It’s maybe better if I go home. Can you tell Beth? I don’t want the others to make fun of me”

You see her hesitate some seconds before answering.

“Don’t you want someone to take you home?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine” you shrug.

“Y/N.”

Lia grabs your hand, and you look at her, like a child is looking at his mother before being scolded. Lia just used what Kyra calls her “Mom’s voice”, but you got the feeling perfectly well right now.

“Don’t you dare driving, am I clear?”

“I won’t Lia, I swear” you smile softly. “I’m just going to walk home, and I will come back to take my car tomorrow. Really, don’t worry I’ll be fine, okay?”

You don’t really know if you will be fine, but you find your tentative lie pretty good actually. Lia seems to believe it anyway, not suspecting for a second that you probably will go home to cry in your bed. And pretend a hangover to stay at home for the next 24 hours.

Lia finally nods and says goodbye, letting you go to grab your jacket and your shoes. It’s only when you close the door behind you that you realise that no one saw that it started to rain. Which isn’t surprising because you literally live in London. But you still don’t have an umbrella or anything to hide under.

You sigh and start to walk. You aren’t leaving far away from Beth’s house, it’s only a ten minutes’ walk. Hiding your hands in your pocket, you cross the road and hurry a little bit. The fresh air is great for you, even if it probably would have been better without the rain.

“Y/N!”

You would have recognized that voice between every voice in the world. Even if she’s running and your ears are full of the noise of the rain.

When you turn in her direction, Alessia is crossing the street too, without a coat or a jacket or anything else other than her jumper.

“What are you doing here? Do you want to die from pneumonia?” you ask, your concern making you forget that you are supposed to ignore her.

“I just… I need to understand”

Alessia is looking at you, her beautiful eyes scanning your face and your eyes. But you don’t hold her gaze, preferring to look somewhere behind the street.

“No! Stop not looking at me!”

That sentence has the good point of surprising you enough to make you look at her. The rain sticks her long blond hair to her face, and you must take it on yourself not to clear that said beautiful face.

“You need to tell me what the matter is! I can’t remember when you stopped hugging me to say hello and I don’t understand why you are suddenly ghosting me. What is happening? What did I do?”

There is no escape for you now. You still can pretend that she’s imagining things and answer her like you said to Leah some days before. People just grow apart at some point. It’s sad, but it’s life. But you know that Alessia won’t believe that.

“You did nothing, Lessi. It’s just complicated” you sigh, passing a hand on your face.

“Then talk to me! Together we can work on it!”

“It doesn’t matter” you try to avoid the subject, walking away from a few steps.

But Alessia doesn’t seem to hear like this. She hurries to close the distance between you again, grabbing your arm once again. Her fingers are cold like ice on your skin, making you shiver. She must be freezing.

“It does matter, Y/N, fuck!”

You look at her with wide eyes. It’s maybe the first time you hear Alessia swearing outside of a football pitch. She looks genuinely upset. Seeing her like this isn’t easy for you, you could give your life for her. You never wanted to see her sad.  

“We were closer than anyone and now you act as if it never mattered to you. You said I did nothing, so what is it? Are you in trouble? Did you meet someone who is too jealous for you to hang on with me?”

You roll your eyes, suddenly annoyed when you remember that she went on a date with someone else several days ago.

“I’m not the one trying to date someone else” you grumble.

It takes Alessia by surprise. The blonde doesn’t seem to know what to answer to that, before finally opening her mouth.

“How does it even have a point with any of this?”

“I…”

“Y/N please…”

You groan, passing both hands on your face. Everything is so complicated and Alessia will definitely catch at least a cold or something. But she keeps pressing you and between the cold, the cider and all the feelings you have for this girl, you can’t contain yourself anymore.

“I like you, okay?” you finally almost shout in the middle of the street. “And not like you like a friend likes you, I like you. I’m the girl who fell in love with her straight beautiful best friend. I tried to fight against it, but I can’t, Alessia.”

You take a big breath, looking at Alessia’s drenched face. How is she still so attractive under the rain? It’s unbelievable.  She’s silent for now, looking at you with wide eyes and her mouth a little agape.

“You’re just so perfect and I didn’t want you to hate me, so I thought that if I drift apart from you, it will be better. But it’s not working at all. I can’t forget you and now you’re here looking at me and all I want to do is kiss you.”

You finally remember to breathe again and it takes some time for Alessia to finally talk again.

“You… You like me?” she finally manages to say, stuttering a little.

“Yes, I do” you sigh.

You wanted to add that now you really need to go inside and ask Beth if they can borrow some clothes. Alessia would probably need the ones from Viv, because there is no way that she can fit in something belonging to Beth.

But suddenly Alessia is grabbing your face with both of her hands, tilting it just a little to be in the right direction and then… Then she kisses you. Her lips are on yours and your brain is short-circuiting. You need several seconds before answering her kiss, finally processing that it’s really happening.

When she feels you kissing her back, Alessia lets go of your face with one of her hands to grab your neck and deepen the kiss. During this time, your arms went around her neck, keeping her close.

You don’t know for now what is happening in her head, maybe it’s just a one-time thing. So, you better remember every single second of it.

Alessia’s body is cold against yours, but the taste and the softness of her lips are amazing. Even better than what you imagined.

When the kiss ends, she presses her forehead against yours and your eyes automatically go for her lips.

“Less, let’s go home. Your lips are blue” you whisper.

You take her hand and pull a little on it for her to follow you. Which she finally does, following you under the rain. Your house is closer than hers, so you don’t hesitate before taking her here.

You wipe the puddles of water on your wooden floors while Alessia takes a hot shower, and she makes tea while you take yours. The effect of the alcohol seems to have been forgotten thanks to your talk with Alessia. Or maybe it’s the kiss.

It is definitely the kiss.

When you come back in the living room, wearing your pyjamas short and an old jersey from your national country, Alessia smiles shyly at you. She was looking at the steam from the mugs on the coffee table in front of her.

“We probably need to talk” the blonde says softly, when you are seated next to her on the couch.

“Yeah” you breathe, looking at the mug between your hands. “Look, if you want to forget about that kiss…”

“No, I don’t want to! Y/N you need to… Give me that” she cuts herself.

She takes the mug from your hand to put it back on the table, next to hers. You turn a surprised gaze on her when she grabs your hands, taking them between hers. Her hands are way hotter than before, really pleasant on your skin.

“You need to stop pretending I don’t like you back. I do like you. Maybe I realised it very late, but I do.”

You blink your eyes as you look at her, shocked. You didn’t expect this to be quite honest. You had time to prepare yourself for many eventualities during your shower and the one where Alessia announces that she got carried away a little is the one you thought the most plausible. Alessia is romantic. Which romantic people would refuse a kiss in the rain?

“I thought we were just friends, but when you stopped talking to me, it made me realise that there was more. I missed you, every single second. It was hard but it made me realise that I never really had friendly feelings for you.”

You were looking at her intensively, not missing a single word or a single facial expression. It seems too good to be true.

“But… You are straight” you frown.

“Haven’t you seen the TikTok trend “Gay for her” ?” she rolls her eyes.

You roll your eyes too but look at her again when she squeezes your hands. You love the feeling of her skin against yours.

“What if we try and it doesn’t work? I don’t want to lose you” you whisper.

“What if it does work? We can go at the pace we want, how we want. We don’t owe anything to anyone.”

It seems so easy saying like that. You finally address her a small smile, which she returns without any hesitation.

“I never thought you would reciprocate my feelings” you admit. “I think I will need time to deal with that information.”

Alessia laughs and you can’t hide your smile. You love seeing her happy and the way her eyes are sparkling make you understand that she is right now.

“We have all the time” she promises.

You are always smiling when you raise your hand to slowly stroke her face with your fingertips. Her lips aren’t blue anymore and her cheeks are even a little pink. She’s so beautiful.

“Can I kiss you again?” you ask with a soft smile.

Alessia smirks.

“You don’t need to ask for that.”

[a-student-out-of-time]

An Important Reminder In Trying Times

Hey everyone, Mod Bubbles here.

I know that I've said over and over that I don't like talking about politics on here, but I really feel the need to say this:

This Is Not The End.

I understand things probably seem really bleak right now. A lot of people are going to be hurt by this, and the sheer amount of fearmongering and worst case scenarios are inescapable. But the country and the world are not going to change overnight. To be honest, it may not change very much at all in the next four years. I'm not a political scientist, so I can't tell you that for sure. There's a lot to be concerned about.

What I can tell you, as a student of history, is this: not only have we survived this once, we have survived this every time.

Think about it this way: every single tyrant, every single right-wing representative, every single emperor and colonial power, every corporate scumbag and power-hungry lunatic. No matter how many of them have ever come to power, held onto power, and tried to make themselves seem invincible, not a single one has ever held back humanity's progress and not a single one has proven to be invincible.

There were countries throughout history, especially in the 20th century, that fell under brutal dictatorships and saw countless lives lost. Did the people just give up and accept it? Fuck no they didn't. They fought back. Many of them lived to see democracy restored to their lands in their lifetimes, or fought to see it restored in their children's.

From Europe to Latin America, while many countries still have their issues, they endured and their people have survived. Their governments were not invincible, just as none ever have been.

Regardless of the outcome of this election, the world will go on. People will not just roll over and accept whatever horrible things happen, the fight will continue and we will do everything in our power to carry on as we always have. We'll carry on to achieve bigger and better things.

Let me also be clear: if you feel the need to cry, please cry. If you're afraid, don't pretend you're not. If you're angry, allow yourself to feel that anger. But if you're seriously contemplating giving up or hurting yourself, please don't.

You may hear all this news and ask yourself, "Bubbles, what's the point? What can I do about all this?" I've felt that way too, I have for a long time. I understand completely. It's scary and overwhelming, but I'll tell you exactly what you can do to fight against that: you can be kind.

Do you want to know where the most tangible change in the world begins? It's never at the top. It begins with people like us on a communal level, where we reach out to help others. Whether that means we help our neighbors, our friends, or any strangers we can.

Going out of your way to start fights, looking for someone to blame based on the flimsiest justifications, and just being cruel because you're angry, those aren't how you change anything. Those just add to the problem.

Here's just some ideas on what you can do instead:

Get away from the news, stop doomscrolling, mute doomers, and turn the TV and news apps off. This will get you out of a negative feedback loop that'll make you feel worse and more powerless, which is what they're designed to do in order to maximize traffic.

Remember to eat, sleep, brush your teeth, take a shower, take your meds, and do everything else you need to do to stay healthy.

If you or someone else really feel like leaving the country for your own safety is best, you can still work do so. But please don't convince yourself that if you can't, it's over.

Give back to people as much as you can. Show the people in your life who support you that you care, and that all that they do for you matters.

Donate to good causes you believe in.

Stand up to bullshit whenever you see it.

Do not give up on your dreams and ambitions. One bad leader does not mean your future automatically ends. Stop worrying about any potential apocalypse in the future, because you can do that even on the best days, and instead work toward a future that you CAN achieve.

There's this pervasive and very inaccurate idea that it's only the president who gets to enforce policies on the country. This ignores governors, the House of Representatives, Congress, mayors, and the countless other leaders involved. And it ignores you.

You do not have to spend the next 3 years and 364 days doing nothing but feeling miserable. In fact, that's the last thing you should do. Fear and despair are the weapons they wield, and they only have as much power as you allow them to have over you.

If your view of politics is that you just have to vote for the "right one" and then everything will be utopian, or that if people vote for the wrong one" then we're headed for a terrible dystopian nightmare, I have to tell you that that is incredibly reductionist and also very dumb. I can also tell you from personal experience that it's not them who make the real changes where it's needed.

A friend sent me a video that really opened my eyes on this situation: Adam Conover, the guy behind Adam Ruins Everything, said he's not worried about all this. Why? Because he and some friends were able, through their own power, to make real positive changes in their community. They were able to bring homelessness down in their district by over 38% through their own efforts.

And he's right that, as a silver lining to all this, it made more Americans than ever take a stand against all the horrible shit they were seeing and get involved with solutions.

Speaking from my own experiences as well, when Hurricane Helene devastated my area, it wasn't the politicians who came and repaired roads and power lines, it wasn't them who brought in food and supplies to everyone, and it wasn't them who worked tirelessly to save people still in need. It was everyone in our local communities.

The people at the top have never really cared about anything more than your money and your vote, but the people around you care more than you may believe they would. Hell, even strangers on the internet care more than you'd believe.

Now, even if you've made it this far, you may be wondering "What about when he starts outlawing and banning things?" To that, I say look at Prohibition and see how well that went. Politicians have only ever operated under the idea that banning something will make it go away, and it always does the exact opposite. And if you're still worried, you can get involved with organizations that fight to support these things being available and regulated.

But by now, you may also be wondering "What if I can't get involved? What if I'm too young or I don't have the money, or my parents won't let me?"

Then just be kind.

Stop looking for enemies to blame. Don't martyr yourself for some nebulous cause or the idea that your suffering increasing means the rest of the suffering in the world will go down. Don't torture yourself by telling yourself that you didn't do enough.

Show compassion, show support, show love and genuine care toward people who need it, including yourself.

"But there's so many shitty people in this country and the world, why should I-" Stop thinking that way. This isn't about them, this is about you and how you can make a difference. There will probably always be shitheads and power-hungry morons, but that does not negate the fact that you can choose to be different. You can choose to be kind.

Kindness is a sword that you have to learn how to wield. Wield it responsibly and use it to help others. No matter how small or insignificant it may be, YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

I say all this as a 29-year-old who spent most of his life feeling scared and miserable about so many current events, convincing myself I'm useless and selfish because I was worried about so much and I hated myself for all of it. And I've decide I'm not going to do that anymore.

During the last right-wing era, I managed to help build a whole community out of my love for Danganronpa. I created friendships, relationships, and there are people alive right now because I chose to do so. Because I chose to use that community for kindness. I want to keep building from there by going into streaming and reaching out to more people.

I won't lie to you and say that I'm not scared, because I am. But I'm also not going to let fear change who I am. I want us all to be better to ourselves and others, because that is how you defeat hate. It starts with you.

And if you're still concerned, let me share with you a quote from The Great Dictator, a movie made in 1940, when World War II wasn't even at its height yet:

To those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish…

Please take care of yourselves out there, everyone. We'll get through this, just as we always have.

[webanglikethat]

to every single queer person out there—trans, gay, bi, pan, ace, nonbinary, however you identify—let me just say this: I am so, so fucking sorry. SO, SO, SO FUCKING SORRY. I am furious. I’m pissed off beyond words. english seems like a forgotten skill as I'm typing this. I am so sorry.

we never deserved this. we never fucking deserved this.

I am sorry that you’ve been betrayed like this, that we’ve all been betrayed like this. I’m sorry that SO MANY of our damn votes weren’t counted, like we don’t even matter. like we’re just numbers on a page that they can toss out without a thought. like we can just be erased, as if we do not exist, like we’re puzzle pieces that don’t fit into their perfect picture, so they just throw us out, discarded, like we were never there in the first place. I’m sorry she just conceded, just gave up. left us hanging. just handed us over like we’re some afterthought, like we’re collateral damage in this disgusting twisted fucking game. as if our lives, our rights, everything we fought for, meant nothing. she just rolled over and let us get steamrolled, like we’re just noise, just numbers on a page, just nothing worth fighting for. do they even care that real people, people who trusted her, who put their hopes in her, are being crushed by this? and not only in the US. we ALL believed in her. and ... she ... just ... she was gone. just like that. and we’re the ones who have to pay the price. we’re the ones left with our futures on the line, wondering what rights we’ll have tomorrow, if we’ll even be safe tomorrow. and she just… gave it all up. handed us over to people who are hell-bent on erasing us, who’ve been clear from day one about what they think of us, what they want to take away. how do we even make sense of that? how do we believe in ANYONE? how can you abandon us in the lion's den and yet demand compassion and trust? to trust in the very hands that have left us to bleed, to burn, to fight alone?

we deserve better. we deserved someone who would stand with us when it mattered, who wouldn’t just throw in the towel and walk away when things got tough. we’re not just collateral. we’re not disposable. we’re human beings with lives, with love, with the right to exist without fear. we aren't statistics, diagrams, names forgotten on a wall. we are queer, and we are real. and she ... just left us to face down a nightmare she knows damn well is coming. so how dare they tell us to “keep faith” when they’ve shown us that our lives were never worth the fight to them. we needed someone who would dig in and say, “no, you can’t have them. not now, not ever.” and instead? we were left out in the cold to fend for ourselves. like always. like fucking always. and this isn’t just some political setback for us. this is our lives, our right to exist. we’ve fought and bled and stood through hell just to claim an inch of ground to live openly, to love who we love, and to be who we are. we deserved so much more than empty promises. and we won’t forget this.

right now, it feels like every warning, every fear we’ve had has come to life in the worst way. and let’s be real—what’s next is terrifying. I will not sugarcoat it. rights are going to be stripped away, our existence denied, our safety threatened. trump hasn’t hidden it; he’s promised it. this was supposed to be our home too. but they’re pushing us out, forcing us to hide. so please, if you need to, go back into the closet. change states if that’s what it takes. hell, think about leaving the country if you can, because it’s becoming clear that staying might mean risking everything. you do not owe anyone anything, just think of yourself first. you are your own priority.

and god .. Love. Love—something so pure, something so simple—has been twisted into a reason for others to hate us, to fear us, to hurt us. we were never supposed to be the ones people saw as a “threat.” that label should belong to hatred, to racism, to homophobia, to everything that has poisoned this world. but instead, somehow we are the ones they call dangerous. we are the ones they want to erase. and it’s maddening. what kind of world are we living in, where the fight to just exist is an endless battle? was it not love that led Eve to take that fateful bite, trusting in the bond she shared with Adam? and if love is the foundation upon which humanity was built, how can we be faulted for following its lead? of all the things we could hate, and we chose love.

if this moment feels like it’s too much, if it feels like everything you’ve fought for, every piece of yourself you’ve worked to own, every right, every dream, every bit of safety is collapsing around you -- I get it. I feel it in my bones. it feels like drowning, like being swallowed whole by a storm that never ends. the shore seems so far away. but listen to me: don’t you fucking dare let them break you. don’t let them get that satisfaction. don’t give them that power. we are not here to let monsters erase us. we’re here to outlast every single one of them. we’re here to survive and thrive. we are queer, we are real, we exist, we will continue to exist.

their power, their hatred, their cruelty—it won’t last forever. I know it's difficult to see the light at the end of this tunnel. but they are the ones who don’t belong in a world built on compassion, on love, on freedom. You are the real thing. You are here. You deserve to be here, and you deserve to feel safe, loved, and free.

if you’re feeling like there’s no point anymore, if this all feels like it’s too damn much to take, please just hang on. this fight is brutal, and sometimes it feels like it never ends. but I’m begging you—don’t give up. don’t let them have that final victory. don’t let them silence your voice, your light, your life. scream, cry, punch walls, call someone, reach out, hold on to whatever will keep you here another day, another hour. do whatever you have to do to survive this moment. because you’re needed. we need you. the world needs you.

you might not see it now, but you are a part of something big, something powerful, something they wish they could destroy but never will. you’re part of a legacy of resilience, of love, of defiance against hatred. every queer person, every person who has ever had to stand up against a world that told them they shouldn’t exist, that they should be crucified, erased, beaten up, has carried that legacy forward, passed it down so we could be here. so you could be here. and they did not survive all they did, did not fight, did not sacrifice so much just for us to lose hope. we’re still here because others fought and held on. now, it’s our turn. we owe it to them, to ourselves, to hold on with everything we have, to fight with everything in us.

and one day, I promise you, I truly pinkie promise you, that you’re going to wake up in a world that has moved beyond these hateful voices. one day, you will wake up in a world that sees you, that values you, where you don’t have to fight just to exist. you deserve to live in it, to walk in the sunlight without fear, without shame. they don’t get to take that from you. they don’t get to erase you. they don’t get to win.

this moment is hard. it’s beyond hard. but you, every single one of you, are worth it. you are not alone in this fight. you are surrounded by countless others who feel this too, who know this pain, who are holding on right alongside you.

so please, hold on. you belong, and nothing they do can change that. they cannot snuff out your light. they cannot erase your legacy. they cannot undo the love you were born to spread.

stay. fight like hell. be louder, be prouder, be everything they tell you not to be. because you are worth every ounce of this battle. and we will see the day they’re gone. we will make it through.

we too shall rise from the ashes.

to my queer family, my phoenix.

[masterflight8058]

This is so ridiculous that I hate even responding to it, and I know that I have a better chance of convincing a whale to prowl the Serengeti than for the poster to actually read my response with a half way open mind, but for the possibility of just one person reading this and taking it to heart I will sacrifice my time.

First things first, Donald Trump has said again and again that he is not going to touch abortion, this issue deserves to be a state issue and most states have law on the books that provides for abortion. Any claims beyond this are flat lies.

Numerous things are presented here and I want to address them individually. First I’ve been there, we thought my wife was pregnant for a while early in our marriage, a time when neither of us felt ready or wanting to go that direction that early in our marriage. We never considered any option besides keeping the child. Very, very briefly (minutes) I considered the “what if” of if we blessed another couple who could not have kids of their own. There are so many options out there for situations like this. However it is exceptionally selfish to prioritize your comfort or convenience over another life (or even the possibility of another life).

Every single state without exception has verbiage allowing full on abortion if the life of the mother is compromised. Look it up I challenge you. Beyond that every doctor promises a standard such as the Hippocratic oath, to do no harm. Knowingly allowing a patient to die like this is at minimum medical malpractice and has nothing to do with abortion law. This lie while emotionally tugging is so very blatantly a lie that it is absurd that it is still being pushed.

I would love to see an example of the legal statute that gives any male coach any excuse to “strip off her pants and peep at her genitals.” Then the poster brings up trans issues, I have no idea why that’s here, I cannot find any way to link that to this discussion. No coach should EVER be alone in a private location with ANY child under their leadership, it’s never good or appropriate. I won’t even go into the suicide statistics for situations like this, they are no where near as bad as the poster claims.

The poster claims as many as hundreds of thousands of people are going to die as a result of this, beyond that being ridiculous and an insult to any reader’s intelligence by even presenting such an absurd number; over a hundred million abortions have taken place since 1973, that is a known number.

Lastly as I stated this is all moot as Trump is not going to touch federal abortion law, and they are already legal in most states with many more laws passed in yesterday’s elections. I will say I am proud of all the lives that will be undoubtedly saved by my vote for Donald J Trump, a reduction in armed conflict, a safer country due to improved border security, and for so many other reasons.

To the men who voted for Donald Trump today:

When your girlfriend gets pregnant, and you’re not ready to become a father, and you’re forced into a position that cripples you emotionally, financially and irreversibly, remember: you did this.

When your sister’s pregnancy turns out to be ectopic, and she can’t get the life-saving medical care she needs and dies a completely pointless, preventable death, remember: you did this.

When your 12-year-old daughter is raped by her soccer coach — after he’s legally allowed to strip off her pants and peep at her genitals, because the existence of trans kids terrifies you — and she steals your shotgun and kills herself in your garage, remember, first and foremost: you did this.

Hundreds of thousands of people are going to die because of the decision you made today.

You did that.

[autistichalsin]

I also think a lot of you are failing to comprehend just how long the right, particularly the religious right, have been planning this. It hasn't been since Trump. Hasn't been since Dubya. Hasn't even been since Reagan.

It's been since desegregation.

The right, livid at being told they couldn't stick black children in crumbling shacks with a single teacher anymore, coalesced together. Evangelicals used to be pro-choice; they viewed the idea of life beginning at conception as a distinctly Catholic viewpoint, and fundies HATE Catholics. But they got in bed with each other, agreeing to use the issue of abortion to rally each other to roll back protections for Americans of color.

They weren't very subtle about it, either, and that's the frustrating thing. One of Nixon's staff had a cartoon villain monologue talking about how obviously the war on drugs was a war against liberals, the poor, and people of color, going after only drugs they used, and renaming the ones both used to create more stigma against those groups while making the "right people's" usage seem harmless.

People are now better at tracing our woes back to Reagan, but even that is an oversimplification. Reagan was a middle domino, not the first and not the last. Still, he accelerated the toppling, and so did Dubya.

By the time Bush v Gore happened, it was too late, but people didn't realize because 9/11 happened soon after, and Americans jumped at the chance to sign their civil rights away in return for security theater. The Patriot Act was a Trojan Horse, plain and simple. It was only years later that people would realize just how much fell apart because of Bush v Gore (And by the way? Bush's legal team for that case are SCOTUS judges now). Counting would later reveal Gore won Florida, and therefore the Electoral College; SCOTUS just ruled to stop counting, just because. It was "stop the count" before Trump.

Everything after that has been a rapid escalation that for reasons I can't comprehend, Democrats denied at every turn. They weren't doing that, of course, and if they were, we had safeguards in place to prevent them, they were just a fringe lunatic group of fundies that no one would pay attention to.

Now the idea that women shouldn't vote is mainstream in the Republican party. We could have stopped this, if Democrats had acted when there was still a chance in the aftermath of the stolen 2000 election, but instead they happily hopped into the lion's mouth because they were convinced the Taliban's lion was scarier.

And now that abortion is gone and the 19th amendment is in mortal peril, evangelicals are so close to ending desegregation too that they're salivating.

A decades-long lesson in "when they show you who they are, believe them the first time" being ignored to disastrous results.

Next time a religious fringe group signals their intention to conquer their own country by force from within, including terroristic attacks on healthcare providers like Dr. Tiller, listen to them. That warning isn't for Americans, by the way- it's too late for us. It's for Canadians, for our friends across the pond, and everyone else who still has a chance. We learned the hard way, but you don't have to.

[vacuously-true]

"Yeah I acknowledge that the world would be better with a Harris presidency than a Trump presidency but I feel like she didn't fully earn my vote so I voted for someone else or didn't vote" what do you think voting means??? Voting means you think things would be better with one of the options than the other. That's all it means. That's how this works. What are you fucking talking about.

"Democrats deserve to lose for being imperfect even though they're better than Republicans" this isn't a beauty contest, we aren't giving them a tiara for their virtue and style and sending them home and then no one has to think about it anymore. There are consequences.

"Democrats didn't deserve to win" do women and queer people and people of color and poor people and people in every country around the world affected by US policy deserve to live through four more years of Trump???

Trump is on track to win every single swing state, but by narrow margins in every single one. That's about turnout. That's about leaving the first question blank. That's about third parties. Some people still do not understand how our democracy actually fucking works. You have to vote for the world you think is going to be better, between the viable options. You have to vote for the country you want you and your neighbors to live in, between the viable options. If you're still voting like your vote is an endorsement of every single thing the candidate says, does, or believes, so you don't vote for the viable world you know to be the better option, you don't understand how this shit works.

[jewishvitya]

I put the pictures under the text for. Reasons.

The thing about being called a self-hating Jew is that people who know me, know I love who I am as a person, even while seeing myself as a work in progress. And even more than that, anyone who knows me knows I love being Jewish. It's the core of me, the first thing about me, the only outlook I know to have. I'm Jewish before I'm a parent, before I'm queer, before I'm an artist. Anything, everything. Both chosen identities and not. I can't fathom any other existence for myself and I wouldn't want it.

Also, I didn't complain that I see Israelis as human beings, I complained about how often I think "no, our soldiers didn't do that" only to see horrifying videos and pictures. It's a complaint about how awful it feels when I'm wrong, and the awful things I had to see just to confirm it to myself.

The pogrom part. Not what I said. And not remotely what I meant. I didn't say "they deserved pogroms because they were zionists." Early aliyot were often made up of refugees that didn't have many other places to go because other countries didn't want us. And I spoke about this before. I'm not pretending every single Jewish person moving to Palestine was some malicious conqueror aiming to ruin Palestinian lives. I don't think anyone could ever "deserve" pogroms. Just like I don't think I "deserve" to be hiding in a shelter from missiles.

I said that, when there's a movement working with the British to create a state on top of the lands they're already living in, there will be uprisings, and those uprisings can't be used as evidence that Palestinian hostility is motivated by nothing but antisemitism. We know antisemitism was and is a problem not just in Europe but also in Arab countries, including Palestine back then, but acting like they had no reason to be against a state that always meant to take over their lands, for the benefit of another ethnic group, at their expense, makes no sense to me. Any group would try to resist that regardless of who's doing it. Even Ze'ev Jabotinsky acknowledged that. In The Iron Wall, he said "Colonisation can have only one aim, and Palestine Arabs cannot accept this aim."

And, a Nazi calling me a Zionist as an excuse to be antisemitic towards me isn't "leopard eating face." Nazis will be part of every movement they can weaponize, and they will act badly in it. It's not the same as the movement itself turning against someone. When I saw a different neo-Nazi using Palestine and sharing holocaust denial, I made a post about it, and among the people who shared it there were both other anti-Zionists and Palestinians. That's just a fucking Nazi. That's how they are everywhere.

[hella1975]

it’s so cool that you’re going backpacking I’ve always wanted to do that! do you have any pictures or tips for ppl who want to go?

giving an early twenties gap year girlie a free pass to talk about when she backpacked europe is a DANGEROUS thing yes i will gladly talk in detail at length about it thank you so much. hold my hand. you're not going anywhere. stop struggling.

my europe trip!!!

so we did 11 cities in 9 countries in 28 days (france, belgium, germany, netherlands, czech, slovenia, hungary, austria, italy) staying at least one night in all of them except germany because THAT COUNTRY WANTS ME DEAD. here are some tips for people wanting to do something similar:

the official interrail pass is a LIFESAVER we literally paid ~£240 for a global 7 day pass and it meant we got over a dozen trains that individually would have all been £100+ like you save a STUPID amount of money

you don't have to book all your accom in advance. we booked for the first 2 weeks which was good bc we were still finding our feet and it made it less stressful, but for the last 2 weeks we would book accom literally as we got the train to the place in question and it made it much more flexible bc if we liked a place we'd just stay there another night

hostelworld is a really good app for this, very affordable while still being legit

BUY YOUR OWN PADLOCK! a lot of hostels have lockers to put your things in but will charge extra for a padlock to keep it secure

imo seat reservations on trains are generally a waste of money. take this tip w a pinch of salt bc i travelled in the non-tourist season, but we always managed to get seats on trains no matter how busy it was and booking seat reservations (the single time we did it) led to us wasting about 15 euros each to sit in different carriages, and then we were delayed and missed the 2nd train so didn't even get our booked seats AT ALL and we decided from then on to just firm it and not reserve any and honestly we were totally fine

look into the public transport of the specific place you're in beforehand. it is 100% better to utilise the public transport over getting taxis or walking everywhere but a lot of people get intimidated and waste the fact that most european countries have amazing public transport. the only thing i will say is to just check how people get tickets, if it's tap-on tap-off (a majority are), if it's paper tickets then where to validate them etc etc

if you're a female or female presenting solo traveller then at all times of year this is a VERY COMMON THING and is generally very safe. every hostel offers female only dorms and a lot of other travellers are very chatty, so it's easy to make friends or at least make sure people Know You're There. i had a couple instances of being the only girl in a 12 bed mixed dorm which made me very very antsy, but i was travelling with a man and i always made an effort to seek out any other girls in a hostel and ensure we all checked on each other

don't leave anything out in a hostel unless you're okay with losing it 😭 i thought i'd be okay bc im so paranoid i refused to leave ANYTHING out when i wasn't in the room and some fucker STILL took my goddamn sliders of all things

portable chargers, making sure you have the right adapter, charging your phone at any opportunity etc etc. the last thing you want is a dead phone. it's my mantra when travelling ANYWHERE that as long as i still had my passport and my phone then everything else could work itself out and that's coming from someone whose CARD GOT SHREDDED IN VIENNA AND GENERALLY HAS CARTOONISHLY ROTTEN LUCK WHEN ABROAD. ALWAYS be vigilant about these two things

do the tourist things! go to the famous sights! i mean this so seriously! but also try find little hole in the wall spots too! my highlights of the trip are very traditional things like the colosseum and the eiffel tower and lake bled etc etc we even did a couple big bus tours that were really fun but then i also have the time we went drinking w locals in zaandam and wound up dancing in this really random bar we never would have found otherwise or the restaurant we found in paris hidden behind a whole other building where they sat strangers on the same table and we got a 3 course meal and a bottle of wine for 20 euros like try get a good mix of Known Sights and Hidden Gems

skincare products will be a godsend after one 11 hour train journey too many fr keep some moisturiser on you at all times 😭

on that note also, you'll figure this out as you go but try pack your bag tactically bc there's nothing worse than being 5 hours deep into a train ride and realising you Desperately Want something that you know is right at the bottom of your massive fuck off backpack

i know i said i swear by hostelworld but SOMETIMES hostels work out more expensive than some shitty hotel or an airbnb so make sure to check ALL accomodation options. our last stop of the trip was 4 nights in rome and it wound up being significantly cheaper for us to stay in a 2* hotel right in the middle of the city than it was to get any of the hostels that would have put us on the outskirts

final tip is if this is truly something you want to do then START PLANNING!!! backpacking is a super affordable way of seeing a lot of beautiful countries in one go. it really didn't take me as long as i thought it would to save for this and i'd say if you're being really disciplined you can do the whole thing (the WHOLE thing like travel, accom and spending) for just £1k. i also think staying in hostels and getting trains and lugging a big bag around is actually much more rewarding than doing it a fancy way. like it forces you to interact with the country you're in and that doesn't always happen if you just get fancy hotels. go go go!

here are some of my fav pics!!! tho i am not good at taking pics so bear with also 10 pic limit so ill reblog with more bc i took hundreds

paris:

brussels:

köln:

prague:

[allie-leth]

Hey ya'll, gather round, time to talk about what happened and what's next. I normally avoid having anything super serious on here, but this warrants it.

First, no one tumblr user caused this. Don't get mad at people on here for being apathetic, for doubting harris, for refusing to vote. They are the symptom of a broken system, not the cause, please be kind. They're far more ideologically aligned with you than those selling the apathy and reinforcing the status quo. The infighting and turning on each other is the desired outcome, please don't do that. That's how we got here. Now take a deep breath, lets move to what happens next.

Not much will likely change over the next year, you will see a lot of bullshit in the news about bills being passed and other things that attack people, but most of that will get watered down by the court systems and judges and get escalated to higher courts. Like with Florida's "Don't say gay" bill that got watered down so hard as to be almost meaningless, most of what passes over the next year will have no teeth when it's actually implemented. The point is the news headlines and fearmongering, using a scape goat (Queer, POC, immigrants) to sell success to people who have been told those are the problem with this country. Many things will be passed, very few will matter.

If you're in a deep red state, you will likely see anti trans/anti queer items on the docket next year. It's extremely important to vote against those and to get involved, if you can, to make sure everyone votes against those. Those are the real dangers, those are the real weapons. The point of all the items in the headline, all the fear, is to sell apathy and fear to get laws like those passed this time next year or this time in two years. But those won't come for a year or two, and some won't even be implemented for a year after that. That means that for the average person here, if you're in a red state, expect a 3 year timeline before you start seeing laws implemented that actually hurt you. I'm sorry, but if you're in a red state, those are likely coming.

If you're in a purple state or a weird red, like utah, expect that 3 year time frame.

HRT likely won't be limited in any real way to adults, if you see all those "water is wet" studies about trans topics, those studies were done to protect the process and treatments in times like this. Those represent a solid basis of proof that doctors associations won't want to move away from. There is a possibility that supply side regulation is done to artificially create shortages, but that would hit a lot of older cis woman just as much, so I don't see that as likely. I do not have enough information on hand to make any comments on hrt for ftm, I'm sorry, but I'm not involved enough in that process to have the knowledge to make comments.

There will be a lot of laws that are passed over the next 4 years that cause long term economic damage. Most of these will take 10 years to really show their face despite what the headlines show. This isn't great, but it's not going to destroy your life tomorrow. Amusing side note, the US downgrade that happened in the early 2010's was actually because of a prediction of partisan politics creating divides that cause situations exactly like this one.

I've said this before and will say it here again, find community irl. It's the single most important thing you can do. They will have the best resources, the best shoulders to lean on, the best people to be there when things seem bleak. If you've been too scared to go to events that interest you, to find your community, please let this be the sign that forces you out of your shell. Community will be your true savior over the next 4 years, please find it. Find ANY topics that interests you, it does not matter what, just any topic with groups that meet weekly, and start going. Every. Week. Week in, week out. You will make friends, it will take a bit, but you will. You can find community in that. I found mine in the kink and rave communities by doing exactly that. You can too, in whatever community you desire, but you just have to go and be there. I love ya'll, things will be okay. If you are truly scared and need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out and I'll reply as soon as I can. 💜

[early-bird-special]

PROLOGUE ▷ START

The sun peers up over the horizon. As the light ascends the skyline, the vast stretch woodlands in one direction and city buildings on the other come apart from their gloomy backdrop. These touches of the light bring increasing definition to the path laid before you, twinkling on the hoods of cars left abandoned on the roadside. You duck down out of view beside one.

As darkness fell the night before, you had emerged from a long widing country backroad to find a corner store perched at a desolate intersection. It carries some promise, you suppose. It is something at the very least. You only had time to survey the exterior. Darkness was closing in and the last thing you'd want is to be trapped, unable to see your hands in front of your face with something or someone that can sense you better than you can sense it. Instead, you'd retired to your hiding spot and spent another restless night assigning a scenario to each bump in the night, decrying every single one the moment it crossed your mind and feverishly attempted to distract yourself with what could be gained by waiting patiently till the first light of dawn.

If the odds are in your favour, you may find the goods you're looking for if you look carefully. You suspect that while it is very likely long picked clean, you might just find even one overlooked necesity untouched in the shadows. Then, you can mark this day down as a glowing success.

You straighten up and glance over your shoulder. You see movement.

Theres a man staring back at you in the car window.

You steel yourself, your hand goes for your weapon but,-

It's just you. It's your reflection. Once you dislodge your heart from your throat, you feel the urge to laugh it off, but thankfully you remember that it's best held in. Remain silent. Even if you think you're alone, you know better than to trust that you are.

You are regardless, a welcome sight. You find some comfort in meeting your own eyes, of seeing yourself…just as long as you ignore the way your hair has taken a likeness to a bird's nest and the frantic energy that never seems to leave your eyes.

You rarely see yourself these days; even now you can barely make yourself out in the low light and murky surface. Yet, when confronted with such an expectant expression, you've just got to tell him what he wants to hear. You'll think it to yourself, at least.

"You're doing great out here today, Cheap. You're on schedule, you're sticking to to the plan... just keep it up and this will all turn out fine!"

Self-assured, you release a deep breath and keep your chin up, your head on the swivel and wind between the shadows that remain, drawing close enough to survey your destination and make your next move.

Beyond the shattered and cracked front panes, the darkness of the convenience store is opressive. The light of dawn has only brushed the exterior, but you need only wait for more to be revealed as the inkyness recedes. You listen for footsteps, shuffling feet, skittering, laboured breathing, and all manner of things you'd rather not hear... But all you can make out are the fluttering of flyers on the lamp posts and the sign up front creaking as the wind catches on it. The coast is clear.

You made your choice the night before. You have a distinct plan of entry. Though you may not know what awaits beyond those walls, you have what you deem to be reasonable expectations for what you may find…and what you won't.

[sophieinwonderland]

I find the reason people vote for Trump to be ridiculous.

"I will vote for him because he is going to fix the economy!" but his past policies pretty much only benefited the top 1% and economists criticize his 2nd term planned policies, saying they are going to hurt the US economy.

"He will protect liberty!" but what about abortion rights? Is that protecting liberty?

"Better security!" Trump doesn't care about climate change despite the fact it is the biggest threat we face, and he also doesn't want LGBT+ individuals joining the military (fewer soldiers = less military power).

I'm sure there are more. America, please don't vote this buffoon into power again.

All of this! But let's add more to it!

"I will vote for him because he is going to fix the economy!"

One of Trump's big promises is putting massive tariffs on goods from overseas.

This means that any goods that are delivered here are going to be more expensive. Companies will pass this extra cost off onto the consumer.

Whatever people think about inflation now, it will be worse if you make companies pay more to deliver goods to the United States.

"He will protect liberty!"

Also, what about freedom of speech? Trump has threatened to target media organizations that criticize him. He has threatened to shut down pro-Palestinian protesters.

The only freedom of speech that he values is that of people who support him.

"Better security!"

Our biggest geopolitical threat on the world stage today is Russia.

Currently, Russia is hemorrhaging resources in a prolonged war in Ukraine, with Ukraine being supported by other countries providing it with arms and resources to sustain it.

Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons against us and the rest of the world, and they have allied themselves with North Korea who regularly threatens the same.

If Russia is allowed an easy victory in Ukraine, it is likely that they will next set their sights on NATO allies soon after.

I do not want to downplay the humanitarian aspect to our aid to Ukraine. That morally, it is the right thing to do to help Ukrainians protect themselves against a foreign invader.

But I also think Trump supporters need to understand that there's strategic benefit for the United States to continue to supply Ukraine.

A victory for Ukraine will put an end to Russian expansionism for a long time.

Failing that though, every single year that the war goes on is another year that Russia isn't able to attack NATO. It's another year that their forces are all occupied in a war they expected to be finished in a couple weeks.

Keeping Russia occupied and Ukraine well supplied is in the best interest of the United States.

If Donald Trump is elected, it is likely that he will withdraw all aid from Ukraine. He will give Russia a free pass to do whatever they want.

There's even a good chance that he will withdraw from NATO if Russia attacks NATO countries, leaving us without allies.

Anybody who thinks that Donald Trump can protect us hasn't been paying attention.

[backpackingspace]

Young odysseus convincing everyone Ithaca is nothing but a poor island with rocks and goats to avoid any raids/conquerors/so he doesn't get murdered for talking to Helen bc "it's not like he's a real choice"

Young odysseus falling in love with Penelope at the same event: wait. Wait shit I fucked up hold on just hear me out

[rabbithaver]

every so often i will see a post from a leftist on this website that is so egregiously ableist that i remember that like. oh yeah the userbase of leftists on this website is violently anti-disabled people and will jump at any chance to demonize any of us for any reason. i just forget that fact because i'm extremely dedicated to curating my space

i'm paraphrasing here but i saw a post that said, "every time i see an American [disabled person] mention being scared about the election because they're afraid of losing their benefits i have to laugh. anybody who wants blood-soaked money from the US government deserves to starve" which. like. goodness that's a lot to unpack. i think we should burn the whole suitcase instead !

[toiletxd]

I find this post peculiar because no, the US was not accidentally on a different side. Because they never found themselves siding with Germany or Italy. Like they were very much against fascism back then, as much as any other country (the silver league and the German American bund weren't government organizations, and as for trade, it's kinda hard to single out the US on something every other country was doing as well). You could argue that they weren't fighting for the reasons you'd fight against fascism, which is a defensible position (especially in their battle against Japan), but arguing that they were somehow pro fascism is weird. It's not like they threw away any promises do defend other countries against fascism, made deals with Germany just before the war between them started and held a joint military parade in a country they co-invaded. The country that did that surely can't call itself against fascism, right? (I don't think the US would even crack the top ten of non axis countries collaborating with the axis honestly.)

As for the fascists they supported, you could mean the Brazilian regime or Estado Novo, which are both fair criticisms. But otherwise we'd get into which countries can be defined as fascist where it gets a little bit tough to say. Because again, the us supporting just plainly bad governments is a real and valid criticism. But to extend that to try to join it with a thing that never happened, I don't think that's a fair criticism. Again, what the US did and what it continues to do is often not right. Also, this could be extended to other countries. China can't think of themselves as fighting against fascism, they actively support a country that is against race mixing with a strong military culture and a record with human rights so bad it overshadows their rather bad US backed counterpart. And they also used to support the worst regime in human history (statistically speaking). Like obviously you could say that that's not a good criticism because neither North Korea nor Cambodia are (or were) fascist. But I can say the same about South Vietnam (similar situation to Korea where the other ones weren't great, but they were far better than that. It's just that in Korea it's switched), or any central American country. And again, it's connecting an untrue statement to a partly true one.

insane that the US believes itself against fascists because it was accidentally on a different side from them in a war 90 years ago

[yunogf]

.