#like theyll say what their goals are and then like a minute later theyll go What Are Our Goals You Need To Make A Decision

[telemartus]

have started listening to malevolent podcast. on ep like 4. Current theory is mr voice in arthur's head is big eldritch thingamabob the cult is in to and every time Arthur kills someone he gets more control (arthur's partner, eddie). Have no idea if Mr Voice will end up being cool and besties with Arthur but i hope so bc i love Venom From Marvel Comiques

[ria-the-camel]

gotta write down my act 3/ season 2 thoughts while they’re still warm (watched act 3 then slept on it)

okay so.

first things first, Isha. I deeply dislike her character. I can’t really dislike her because homegirl barley has exists as anything other than a plot device

the minute she was introduced she felt like some plot device (plus i don’t like her character design at all), then she started following jinx around and yeah. I knew exactly how she was gonna get used, by dying to break jinx even more.

the main issue have with her is that with sooooo much stuff going on in the show, they didn’t really have time to grow her as a character I could care about, other than Jinx’s little buddy, so it really had no impact, I barely accepted that Jinx cared for her at that point.

And it’s very disappointing when you see a character and all you can think is “oh yeah, that’s a tool that theyll use later” instead of a character I could actually grow attached to.

Plus! she’s entirely irrelevant to act 3, straight up barely mentioned! I personally think they didn’t really need her, I think they could have done something great with just Jinx and Sevika and the rest of the Undercity using her as a symbol. the pieces were there but it didn’t really feel like they delivered.

And in general, I think the biggest gripe I have with season 2 is how unsatisfying their handling of the whole Piltover vs Zaun thing was. That was the main issue in season 1 (along with Vi/Powder, but I’ll get there) and here it took such a background spot. Ngl, it felt bad! the final battle being “there’s a common enemy so let’s put aside our differences and fight these sexy zombie-robots!” was sooooo disappointing. What the fuck??? that was the whole point of the story! Zaun is still oppressed!! oh weaaaow they put sevika in the. council? The right hand man? the brawler? alone in a room filled otherwise with piltover’s rich ass people?

yeah, truly satisfying.

I liked in act 1 how they showed the power vacuum after Silco died, how inadequate the chem barons were, but like, they did not deliver on that storyline either, they let it frizzle out. “sure now theres just a bunch of leaderless gangs, one has blue hair and pronouns”. eh

The other big thing that made me legitimately sad, and i did mention it before, is how dirty they did Cait in act 2. I loved the direction they took her in act 1, dictator Cait,Fascist Cait, after being the fish outta water, the damsel in distress being kidnapped while in the shower, girl got her traumas! The visceral and emotion numbing hatred she had for Jinx was so intresting. she hated her, she feared her, thought everyone was on that same page because she was blinded by her own grief. And she was so so wrong!! and she got manipulated so easily by Ambessa!

And I just wish they’d given her more time to show how that pain and power and relentless hatred eroded at her soul. I had no doubt they would have her go back on her choices (tho a part of me also wanted to see her get dragged so low she couldn’t climb back out. What can I say, I love a tragedy and Cait is one of my favorite characters), get back to Vi, but I wanted it to matter, to really show how fucked up she was.

And it didn’t feel like enough. There were hints of her disagreeing with Ambessa, with her use of power and violence, but never of her changing her goals really, she still seemed to be ready for anything as long as they got Jinx. And then she bumped into Vi and they didn’t show us how they came to that betrayal, only that they did. and uh? I didn’t like it.

In act 3 I liked her a bit more, idk if it’s because i had time to mourn dictator caitlyn and how little of her we actually got to see, or if maybe seeing her and Vi actually talk about how they were still mad placated me a little.

though, fuck me I really disliked the cell sex scene. Not the animation of course! shit was fucking well done, though some shots were so purposely for the camera that they felt kinda like porn, but I mostly laughed at that. No I didn’t like that it was in a jail cell, I didn’t like that it felt kind of outta nowhere? like yeah sure showing them fucking is a good way to hint at them having made up (cos Cait decided Jinx wasn’t so scary after all I guess? Like I can bekieve that, I just wished they’d shown ita bit more, but like I said, I liked it more than act 2), but the timing felt so off, Jinx just ran away to do gods know what, Vi is locked in a prison again, little fucked up?

Also the editing was, uh, a lot. I think of the Jayce/Mel sex scene as one of the best, the music, the cuts with viktor, the was the blood/magic and sex all mixed and crossfaded on screen? Holy shit that scene rules! So this one was… a bit disappointing once again.

(Maybe if season 1 didn’t exist I would have had a better time with s2 as a whole., but it does exist!!!)

anyway I was saying, I feel like a tasteful fade to black would have been better, tho my best choice would have been for them Not To Fuck in that scene, save it for later, or find something that works to make flow it a bit better (that isn’t king princess blasting in the speakers lmao)

I liked the choice to have the sniper lose an eye, girly did some war crimes and the like, a little bit of karma was needed there, plus I love when my faves get scarred forever.

speaking of karma, Maddie. Another. for the “why would they introduce her” pile. first time I saw her, approaching Vi in her drunken pit, it was either she’s a spy or shes gonna die tragically, same “plot device thing” as isha, then she slept with cait and yeah, if she’s not a spy i would have been surprised. what was her purpose tbh? Showing Cait rebounding was eh, didn’t feel that needed but sure alright. she tried to convince her to back out? so that ambessa could fully take over? if that’s the case it wasn’t reaaally clear. why was she there.

I didn’t get why Loris was so prominent at all. Sure use him as a sort of Vander stand in but also. They didn’t really??? It almost felt like they had ideas for a deeper story but they had to cut them for time and all that was left was this discount Vander who would sometimes pop up.

I just don’t feel like we really needed the fascist police squad to have names and relevance tbh, unless they were gonna be given some time, which they weren’t, because there was sooo much shit going on!!!

Now Vi, I have a more difficult time decoding how I feel about her, the line about whatever choice she makes being wrong kind encapsulates her character perfectly tbh. And I love that for her, absolute disaster woman with a heart as big as the sun. I wished they’d given more space to her choice to join the enforcers, explored that conflict more deeply, and also her feelings after the timeskip, but I have to admit I probably was only disappointed because I had seen the teaser of her emo phase in the pit, I feel like i would have enjoyed that sequence more if it hadn’t been shown already! I was thinking there was gonna be more but nope, just jinx showing up about Vander. And that’s again a core aspect of her, she fights Jinx about it for like, two seconds, before giving in. She loves her, she loves Vander, she wants to believe hes there, that their family could finally get back together, as broken and bruised as it is. And yeah I liked ep 5 the most out of that batch, because I did like how they dealt with their family (only gripe was isha, who had no real reason to be there but sure)

I hate her longer hair tho. I get thats its a bit more LoL accurate and that just makes me dislike it even more lmao. in the finale she was kinda there, punching and stuff, good for her. I didn’t reaaaally like her ending though, she lost everything, again, and she just goes to Piltover to live wth her rich cop gf? What about Zaun? Is the “you’re never getting rid of me” meant to say she’s joining the cops again? Cos I know she’s always a cop in LoL, but man, does that Not feel like the right move. All she seems to have left is Cait, is that supposed to mean she’s renounce her identity too? Cos if that’s the case it sucks ngl.

With Jinx, I have mixed feelings aswell. Like I said I wish they hadn’t used Isha. I don’t think she was needed, she’s broken, she’s hopeless, but she still wants to fuck shit up. Give more space to her and Sevika!!! Show her recognizing something of Silco in her!

Idk I need to think on her some more. I enjoyed the shot of her in the cell with her hair loose, got an honest gasp outta me. All she wanted at the end was to stop the bad feelings, save her sister and stop her father from suffering, and I guess she did! We’ll see her again for sure.

Vander/Warwick felt so underutilized, just missing parts of what would have made a great story. He didn’t even get to ball and cause much damage 😔 I wanted him to maim and destroy more shit even before the Viktor switch. I kinda wanted him to really hurt Vi or Jinx or someone they cared about. Tbh the show could have worked if they straight up not had him in it. He would have been perfect if season 2 had continued on the Piltover/Zaun and Vi/Jinx, but it did not, so he just felt like another loose thread flapping about.

Jayce and Victor are the people that in the overarchinseason I liked the most. It became their story, and it shows, even through hiccups and the many many things still going on. I’m unsure as to why Viktor agreed to ally with Ambessa, I probably gotta rewatch a few of his scenes. Was it to get help from Singed? idk.

Loved when Jayce showed up and killed Viktor in 6, and loved his Annihilation jaunt through bad ending Piltover, (ep 7 in general was amazing). I called the mage being Viktor and I liked that Jayce stayed consistent to his character from the very beginning, in that all he really wants is for his partner and him to help people and each other. Love wins! win for the yaoi fans. And I mean that truly, an ending so tragic and impactful, that ruled for them.

Mel… oh Mell… how they butchered you… It makes me so sad. The black rose plot was so egh. Unnecessary, took away time and for what? Mel and Ambessa already had reasons for conflict! no need to throw a new party into the mix. and so she spent most of the season in storage. Sad!

And then, she shows up and gets magic powers? That whole sequence with the magic lady whatever felt like a high value trailer for the new LoL champion!! coming soon to console and pc(tm). Didn’t feel like they let it breathe enough. Oh she got magic now, and people think thats bad for… reasons. That’s never been the point of Arcane, idk if it’s bigger in the game, but again, irrelevant. reminded me of that episode of Adventure Time where a dude who hates dark magic tries to kill Peppermint Butler, but instead Pep just turns all his children into monsters and the children are delighted and the dude just walks away with his monster kids. Which is to say, a bit silly, since in AT monsters and magic are just, everywhere.

I thought her design was still cool as hell, my roommate disliked it, I agree that her season 1 look was better tbh.

But the main thing is that she was so cool because she was just a very smart normal woman! That was amazing in a world filled with freaks who do freak shit! She was a political manipulator, ambitious but cautious, her character was so interesting and prone to mistakes because she was surrounded by freaks! and she was too normal to predict their shenanigans.

I can’t even remember the scene where she reunites with Ambessa rn, how is that possible? It must have been important, c’mon.

I did enjoy Cait and Mel being the ones to fight her together, though the choreography wasn’t too exciting (it felt a bit static with ambessa practically standing still as the girls threw themselves at her, though it did work in showing just how strong Ambessa was), I liked that Cait got at least a little bit of recognition from Ambessa, and got to show her why she was more than a tool.

Heimerdinger fucking exploded, funniest shit I’ve ever seen. He’s also probably still out there somewhere, being tossed around in the multiversus.

Ekko was so good. His only problem was the fact that he was missing for all of act 2. ep 7 like I said was one of the best of the series, Probably my fave of the season, but it was so unrelated to it that it’s difficult to put it on the same plane. I did roll my eyes at him building his time device from LoL, but they did manage to integrate it pretty seamlessly! (unlike the gloves and hammer in s1, but you gotta accept some shit) And it’s forgiven because he blows it up in Viktor’s face almost immediately ahahah

I’m a sucker for alternate realities in stories, the What ifs are always so intresting to me. Also, Vi is dead, is Jayce also dead in this universe? I didn’t catch any hints he is if they showed them.

I’d love to play in that reality a bit more tbh, I might read some fics in it if I find them. Like what’s Cait doing? Is Viktor dead? How did Zaun get to be almost as rich as Piltover just by having Vi be dead? It’s fun!

general thoughts are: wished they’d stayed with the relatively smaller scale of season 1, focused on piltover-Zaun, on Vi-Jinx, on Caitlyn dealing with that shit, made Ambessa stay a secondary villain character, have Mel stay a normal motherfucker dealing with just so much shit, explored the undercity unrest more, Viktor and Jayce could have still had their big confrontation in the last ep cause it worked so well imo!

I am glad I enjoyed the last act a bit more than the second, it means when I do my rewatch I will probably be more optimistic about the stuff that bothered me.

Anyway fascist Cait deserved more screen time committing atrocities RIP to a queen.

[foryouthegays]

It ends today. [Dream SMP] summary (not liveblog because im tired, but i’ll try to include more good lines and moments)

word count: 3,638

ill be writing the timestamps without : things because im lazy, theyll all have 5 numbers, so the timestamp at an hour, 12 minutes, and 4 seconds would be 11204. you’ll figure it out. 

total death count by techno or his dogs: 25. doesn’t count fall damage deaths or wither deaths

(04045 Quackity) (04055 Ponk) (04115 Tubbo) (04225 Ponk) (04315 Tubbo) (04320 Quackity) (04500 Ponk) (04535 Ponk) (05929 Tubbo) (05150 Tommy) (05245 Tubbo) (05340 Tubbo) (05450 Tommy) (05450 Tubbo) (05830 Tubbo) (05845 Quackity) (05950 Tommy) (05950 Tubbo) (10045 Callahan) (10140 Tubbo) (10140 Quackity) (10145 Ponk) (10450 Jack Manifold) (11025 Jack Manifold) (11945 Tubbo)

sellout pog: 001925, 11710, 14235, 21115

good laugh times: 04511 05055 05315

good quotes: (004240 NO ONE KILLS ANIMALS LIKE SAPNAP!!!) (05335 LOOK AT YOUR COUNTRY FALL, TUBBO!) (10000 IT WOULDN’T BE A FINAL BOSS IF I DIDN’T HAVE STAGES!) (11150 WOOOO THE MONOTONY OF LIFE POGGG) (12115 the real government is the friends we made along the way) (13035 sapnap strikes me as the guy to kill Santa Claus)

do do dooo/ other stims: 00736, 01150 bruuuhhh, 002420, 15203

other:

(sap and techs “convo” at 05530 is fuckin hilarious i highly rec watchin it) (05950 TECHNOPLANEEE)

summary:

He starts the stream in his base with Philza. They talk about viewer counts and their plan for the day, while making gear, potions, and other materials. Techno makes fireworks, and shows his statistics in the server, which are as follows:

Animals bred - 1,494

Armor pieces cleaned - 0

Banners cleaned - 0

Barrels opened - 107

Bells rung - 9,500

Cake slices eaten - 6

Cauldrons filled - 0

Chests opened - 13,963

Damage absorbed - 83.70

Damaged blocked by shield - 83.50

Damage dealt - 163799.30

Damage dealt (absorbed) - 113.90

Damage dealt (resisted) - 0

Damage resisted - 118.90

Damage taken - 10198.80

Dispensers searched - 13

Distance climbed - 10.51 km

Dsitance crouched - 8.01 km

Distance fallen - 94.48 km

Distance flown - 808.59

Distance sprinted - 300.17 km

[mobs]

Bat - killed 2

Blaze - killed 693

Cave spider - killed 64,513

Chicken - killed 2

Cod - killed 4

Cow - killed 369

Creeper - killed 1,213

Donkey - killed 2

Drowned - killed 54

Elder guardian - killed 1

Enderman - killed 161

Endermite - killed 4

Evoker - killed 2

Ghast - killed 102

Guardian - killed 6

Hoglin - killed 13

Horse - killed 150

Magma cube - killed 542

Pig - killed 2

Piglin - killed 96

Pillager - killed 127

Pufferfish - killed 1

Ravager - killed 3

Salmon - killed 7

Silverfish - killed 3

Skeleton - killed 312

Slime - killed 40

Spider - killed 234

Squid - killed 16

Vex - killed 6

Villager - killed 6

Vindicator - killed 17

Wandering Trader - killed 2

Witch - killed 7

Wither Skeleton - killed 2,615

Wolf - killed 1

Zombie - killed 927, was killed 1 time

Zombie Villager - killed 12

Zombified piglin - killed 189

He talks about how the 2,615 Wither skeletons killed feels low, but does the math and thinks it’s fine. He moves on, and continues brewing Invis potions. He makes black and red fireworks for several minutes. 

00845 Dream scares Phil by logging in right behind Techno, and they join a voice channel together. Dream gives Techno several stacks of TNT, and Dream finally tells Techno his ‘special plan.’ 

Dream says that they have to go early, and destroy it 30 minutes early. Dream tells them of a spy, and how L’Manburg is going to show up exactly at 3:00, instead of getting there early. 

Techno asks Dream what he needs from him, and Dream essentially says that Phil shouldn’t listen to the conversation, and tries to make Techno leave Phils call. Techno declines, and they continue their conversation in the house. 

01100 Dream explains that he can’t set up redstone, because it’s too easy to destroy, and that he’s going to have to set up the machines while the battle is happening. He tells Techno to stall the battle for twenty minutes, and Techno argues, saying that the risk is too one-sided for him and that it would be too easy for Dream to betray him by not setting up the machines. 

Techno agrees after Dream brings up the dog army and the withers, and Techno says that he was only complaining to see how unreasonable Dream actually was. 

Techno asks Phil for more potions, including speed, strength, and regeneration, and he keeps talking about the Turtle Master potions, and quickly runs to the Vault to get the skulls. 

Dream mentions Ender Pearls, and Techno agrees that they would be useful. On the way to trade with Orphan, Techno goes down to Tommy’s former room, calls it the Traitor Pit, and breaks the prime log. He starts to leave, but changes his mind, and blows up the Traitor Pit. 

He leaves the past behind him, and goes back up to trade with Orphan. He gets more pearls, and then continues brewing potions. Phil gives Techno his trident again, and wonders aloud if he should bring Phil. 

On one hand, Phil only has one life, but Phil also has a grudge against L’Manburg, and Phil insists he come along. 

Techno gives Phil the only remaining Totem of Undying, and several Wither skulls. Techno tells Phil to not be in the main battle at first, and to hide, be careful, and to only spawn Withers when Techno sends the signal, shooting the fireworks into the sky. 

They go over their inventories and Ender chests, Techno gets more weakness arrows, and Dream and Techno use the sellout bell one last time. 

While outside, Techno mentions that Phil tore down Tommy’s cobblestone tower, and Dream almost blows up Tommys’ former house, but Techno stops him, saying that it might be Ghostburs. 

Dream also gives Techno and Phil obsidian for building, and Techno gives Dream his TNT back, saying it wouldn’t be useful. He also gives Phil a God Apple, and tells him to (02245) not risk his life for him. Dream counters that, mentioning that Phil could risk his life for him, and Techno refuses to let Dream continue. 

Techno also brews a Slow Falling potion, one of the rarest potions on the server. Dream talks about his status as a homeless person, and Dream does not accept it, and tells Techno that his main goal is to make everyone homeless, because blowing up L’Manburg would make everyone there live without a house. Techno calls himself ‘Anti-House.’

After crafting an unenchanted Netherite axe, they leave. Dream follows him to the Dog Sanctuary. 

02939, right before leaving the Nether, Techno chants: 2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate?? Not the government! GOO!!!! And splashes Invis potions on himself, Dream, and Phil. 

They enter the Overworld to find Sapnap close to the portal. Techno tells him that He’s actually TommyInnit, and runs to the portal before Sapnap can process that. Dream and Phil follow, and they make it to the Dog Sanctuary. 

03200 Dream is surprised at the amount of dogs in the cave, and Techno starts talking about the plan. He says that because L’Manburg has a law against killing pets, they won’t be able to do anything to stop the army from killing them. Dream calls him evil after he reveals that he’s going to splash the dogs with both strength and invis, and they move out with a pack of dogs following. 

Dream shows them an obsidian network above L’Manburg, and says that he’s going to make TNT Dispensers on it. Dream leaves, and they get into position. 

03700. Techno joins the L’Manburg VC, and starts yelling at them, calling them idiots and asking where they are. They tell him that theres still 24 minutes until the war starts, and Techno starts encouraging them to come back, but then remembers that he’d have to hold them off while Dream sets up, so he tells them to take their time and wait until the scheduled time. 

Tommy sees the obsidian network, and shoots Phil. Techno and Tommy start arguing. Techno calls himself a liar, but justifies it by mentioning the 1v30 he’d have to do. 

Tommy takes his first death, falling from a pillar trying to reach Dream. 

Tubbo shoots Techno, and the dogs start chasing him. Techno splashes the potions on them, and watches as the war starts. He calls the wolves ‘The Dogs of War,’ and quickly kills both Quackity, Ponk, and Tubbo. 

Tubbo drops a Trident, and Techno wonders if it’s his. He keeps fighting, and quickly remembers that Sapnap is known for his animal killing. 

He continues killing, but decides on a compromise. If they back off, he won’t kill them as he blows up the country. They disagree, and Techno eats a God apple before shooting the fireworks into the sky. 

04430 Philza deploys the Withers. The Citizens yell about the Bees, and Techno continues his destruction. He stores the new trident in his Ender Chest and organizes his inventory, adding some Wither skulls and soulsand for later. 

Five Withers storm L’Manburg as the country fights back, and Techno tries to find Invis potions. He raids houses and makes more Withers, and L’Manburg is left to fight nine Withers as Techno restarts his Laptop. 

Running back into the action, Techno realizes he’s been using normal arrows this entire time, and puts the fireworks in his offhand. He meets Phil in his house, and Phil gives Techno another Invis pot. He finds a book, called ‘Do Not Read,’ in his Inventory, and Ranboo asks for it back. Techno gives the book to Ranboo, and tells him to flee, that he doesn’t have anything against him, and to survive the war in safety. Ranboo runs. 

Sapnap yells that another Wither is down, and Techno jumps back into battle. He kills Tubbo again, and Dream messages ‘destroy l’mantree’ to him. Techno asks which tree that is, and starts moving to where he thinks it is.

In the background, Tommy starts to plan. He says that, (05040) ‘we’ve got to kill the Withers first, and then we can fight The Blade.’ 

Phil scoffs at that, and Techno keeps going. He finds an ender chest and repairs his armor with XP bottles. 

Techno continues killing, and Dream finally tells him where the tree is. Before he can make it there, Dream sets off the TNT canons, and destruction rains from the sky as L’Manburg cries out in confusion. 

05335 He finds Tubbo in the middle of the country, and yells, “LOOK AT YOUR COUNTRY FALL, TUBBO!” Tubbo falls along with it, and doesn’t respond as Techno shoots him, once again, with a firework rocket.  

05355 Tommy climbs onto a bridge and begs Techno to not shoot. 

“You didn’t have to do this! The thing about the discs, Technoblade, is that they were for me! We could’ve had a government, and- ”

“I don’t care about the discs, Tommy! I was upfront with you from the start, the government has to go!”

“Technoblade, you are selfish!”

“Selfish?! You’ve used me from the start, Tommy! You’re wearing my helmet as we speak!”

“Technoblade, you said we betrayed you! You said we were the ones that betrayed you!”

“You betrayed me like, twelve times!” 

“Technoblade, look at me. Look at me, right now. You said you hated governments, you said we were the ones that betrayed you. You were the one who killed Tubbo when JSchlatt told you to! You were the one who betrayed us, out of all-”

“I was peer pressur- You betrayed me, like, yesterday! You used me as a weapon! You’ve never thought of me as a friend, Tommy, you’ve just used me from the start. You saw me just as The Blade, that’s all I was to you, The Blade, a weapon, well guess what?” Techno pauses, and his voice is tense as he continues. “I’m choosing what I fight for now, and I’m going to destroy the government, Tommy! You all die!”

He fires the fireworks towards Tommy, killing him and Tubbo with the same shot. 

He watches as the TNT falls from the sky, and finally, Tommy asks to speak once more.

“You were our friend, and you know what?-”

“Tommy, you never thought of me as a friend, Tommy,”

“Listen to me!”

“I listened to you for weeks, what did you do? You went back to Tubbo, the guy that exiled you, that chose his country over you,”

“People are above the government!”

“I’M A PERSON!” 

“You ARE, Techno, and so are we! The reason the discs- they were stolen from me! Nothing-”

“Discs aren’t people!” 

“Nothing was taken from you! You’re selfish! You destroyed the people for your own self gain! You’re selfish!”

“All of these problems are because of your government,” Techno starts, “Your government has caused all these issues. I believe in freedom, Tommy!”

“You- You don’t believe in freedom! When you were peer pressured, that wasn’t freedom, that’s you following what the government told you!”

“Bro, Tommy, that was like four months ago, ok?”

“IT WAS! LET’S NOT FORGET ABOUT THE PAST RIGHT NOW- Tubbo! Tubbo he killed you!”

“He’s the president, get him OUT of here!” Techno shoots at Tubbo, who hides behind some stone, “He’s wearing YOUR helmet!”

“And you killed him!”

“Yeah, because he’s the president! 

“But even when he wasn’t the president, you killed him as well.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“You’re as bad as the government, Technoblade.”

“Hey, remember when I was sitting there, alone, against the whole government, and you and Wilbur just sat there on the sidelines, and watched? Did you step in? Did you step in? Were you guys the ones who stepped in and said, don’t worry, Technoblade, we know you’re in a high pressure situation, but we’ll fight the world for you, Technoblade? NO! You guys watched- You know what I did, yesterday? When you were surrounded by thirty people, the whole world was against you? I walked in. I was willing to fight all of them for you, Tommy. I would’ve been there. 

That is the difference between us.”

“We spent HOURS together-”

“DON’T speak to me of loyalty!”

“You were my friend, and you betrayed us!”

“You never thought of me as a friend!”

“The- The thing about this government, is that it didn’t interfere with you!”

“It did!”

“No, it didn’t! The discs were stolen by Dream-”

“I don’t care about discs! I care about freedom! The government! We can’t have freedom with the government!”

“You have your own freedom, just let people love what they love, man!” (lmao homophobic techno confirmed? /J :LKJFDSLKFJ)

“Tommy...I used to think like that, Tommy. You know what they did to me? They hunted me down! The whole Butcher Army, and they executed me! I tried being peaceful, Tommy, but the government made it clear that we could not coexist.”

“And so you spawn Withers??? All you do is repeat history, but worse.”

“YOU GUYS brought this upon YOURSELVES, I was willing to live in my cottage and be chill, and just farm turtles, but you guys made it clear-”

“Technoblade, you can’t just go back to your cottage after you blow up the government! That’s not how this works, actions have consequences!”

Techno shoots at Tommy and Tubbo, killing Tubbo. “Actions do have consequences, Tommy, and THESE are the consequences!” He splashes potions at his feet, and chases after Quackity. He kills him quickly, and Quackity yells about how he has to face the consequence of his former actions. Techno told him that he had changed, and the Butcher Army refused to let him live his life, but Quackity says that he had to face his punishment.

Tommy calls Techno a tyrant, and is almost immediately killed as Techno launches himself into the air and uses the slowfalling potions to aim, and fire. 

10130 Someone (I can’t tell who, help) asks why Phil is there, and why he hates the government, and he responds, “Since I was forced to kill my own son, you idiot!”

Tommy asks Techno where the L’mantree is, and Techno reveals that he doesn’t actually know what that is, but that Dream wanted to blow it up earlier. Several people start screaming, mourning the loss of their tree, as Techno celebrates. 

Techno runs out of fireworks, and decides that their destruction is over. He notices that no one is fighting back, and asks if everyones just given up.

“What is there left to protect?”

Techno laughs, and Niki speaks for the first time. “I burnt the tree.”

Techno compliments her, and looks over the destruction. 

10350 “WELCOME,” he says, “TO THE YOUNGEST ANARCHY SERVER IN MINECRAFT!”

Jack Manifold challenges him, and they fight. Techno runs out of potions, but still manages to win. Manifold takes too long to pick up his items, so Techno spawns another Wither. At this point, there’s four Withers roaming the former country. 

Techno decides to kill the Withers to get Nether Stars, and while looking for a place to shoot, he finds Eret watching the chaos. He asks if he supports government, but answers the question for them. “There’s no need to risk your neck for a country you’re not even a part of.”

Eret then says that they’re just there for the Nether Stars, and Techno laughs. Techno kills a Wither, and Phil takes the star. 

Techno starts talking about how he wanted L’Manburg to be a chunk error, and decides to get rid of the water so the TNT can work. He mentions that he has the Trident back, and that he’s probably not going to ever get the Axe of Peace from Tommy. 

Dream continues blowing the country up, and Techno gives Phil his trident back. Techno tells Dream to nuke the entire area, but finds out that Ghostbur is close, and frantically makes him stop. He then remembers that Ghostbur is a literal ghost and can not die. 

Hbomb tries to tell Techno to blow up Manifold Land, but Techno refuses, saying that it isn’t really a country, and is instead just one person. 

Ghostbur arrives, and starts looking around the crater. Techno leaves to find a bell to be a sellout. He tells us that if he gets 5 million subscribers today, he’ll set up the second monitor. 

They talk about timezones and relax after the chaos. Techno attempts a triple kill but fails, and Manifold declares war on him. Techno threatens his house, so Manifold decides to not do that. 

Sapnap punches him, and Techno starts to spawn a Wither, but Sapnaps’ efficiency V Netherite shovel is enough to make Techno run in fear.

12320 Tommy gets struck by lightning. SO LONG, THESEUS! EVEN GOD HATES HIM! -techno

Sap tries to kill Techno with a Channeling trident, but Techno takes no damage and almost spawns another Wither, but decides to fly away instead. Sapnap goes mad with power, and tries to kill Ponk with tridents and wither roses. Techno sings the Manhunt music as Ponk runs from Sapnap and BadBoyHalo.

After exploring the wreckage and joking with the survivors, Phil and Techno go to their own VC and go back home. Philza is jumped by a baby zombie, but Techno manages to kill it and save him. 

13515He ties the stream together by chanting ‘2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? Philza minecraft!! yeah!!!!’

They go inside to reorganize their chests, and Techno realizes that he still has two stacks of Wither skulls. Techno and Phil agree that the Withers they used were enough, and they talk about how the battle went. 

Phil gives Techno the Totem and the God Apple back. 

Techno also implies that if Phil dies, the destruction would be far, far worse, and his life is worth more than anything that had happened beforehand. They are best friends ur honor. 

While ranting about the government, Technoblade reveals that he still has the anvil used to execute him in his ender chest. Techno covers Tommys old home, and tears down the signs they used as a checklist. 

Looking at Em, Techno remembers the dogs he didn’t use to fight, and Phil brings up a Stasis Pearl Chamber as a way to teleport all the dogs back at the same time. They quickly build it, and Techno starts running to the remains of L’Manburg. 

He makes it to the dog cave without any trouble, and makes all the dogs stand. Philza teleports him back, and the dogs take some fall damage as they land with him. He puts the dogs into the house next to his, and Phil says that he’s going to build a kennel later. 

Phil reveals that Ghostbur was not happy with the whole ‘blowing up L’Manburg’ thing, and that Friend had died, and now, Ghostbur wants to be brought back to life. Phil is hesitant, and he doesn’t know if his memories will stay, if he could handle it, and other variables. 

20320 Techno finally shows Carl again, but doesn’t show where he’s hidden. He uses the intermission screen to hide his location from even the viewers, but Carl is fine. He puts him back in the display stable, but then moves him back, fearing his life. 

20630, Techno jokes about the Turtle Shell Helmets and it’s adorable. please go watch it. he then talks about the Sad-Ist animation for a few seconds, and talks about the fanartists in the community. He mentions making a playlist of animations and animatics, which would be really cool. 

He ends the stream ringing the sellout bell. 

[boxheadpaint]

urru / skeksis development, from division to “fully grown” + urGoh

random thought notes, just speculative goofin and barely any glances at Actual Canon Lore. also: im very tired!

they were all “born” visually very similar, scrawny and awkward looking. by the time they reached “adulthood” however, they had taken on strikingly different appearances and characteristics

mystics:

often dull, earthy colors, ranging from sand, clay-red, to even a purple-ish gray. very good for camouflage 

swirled markings covering body, differing from individual to individual like fingerprints

Very powerful tails, similar to an opossum’s in it’s gripping ability. mainly used for simple communication in later years

long, soft, flowing hair. or, at least it is when it’s properly washed and tended to

while they have always moved pretty slow, at times even leisurely, in earlier years they had the space and the option to move quickly and freely when necessary 

Overwhelmingly gentle and selfless disposition, were you to come across one. while very poor at caring for their own selves, theyll go over and beyond for any other creature in need.

not very good at speaking for their own thoughts and emotions, but incredibly good listeners. Basically always wracked with shyness and guilt

Arthritic lads

skeksis:

VERY colorful and vibrant, like hummingbirds. multicolored markings, bright stomachs, iridescent plumage. however, almost all of this has faded significantly over the years, leaving most a Visually Icky mix of splotched grays and dull greens

shriveled, barely noticeable tails. were often heavily decorated with feathers and baubles, before eventually just being covered up completely

rough, bristly plumage and quills. very little actual hair, though what little they did have became much more visible later in life

at first seems to be quicker than urru counterparts, but if most of them try to run for longer than a minute, they have high chances of fainting. extremely unhealthy, both mentally and physically.

unless youre skekMal, then its just mentally. Dont worry about it

very focused on self-care and preservation (who woulda guessed), but because of their interactions with the crystal of truth they are In Hell, so to say

could talk for hours about anything pertaining to themselves and their own goals and interests, but have great difficulty finding the patience to listen to others. they REALLY like being praised constantly, for literally anything

also arthritic, but thats the least of their worries

FANGS for tuning it. Tune in the next time that im awake and typing random tdc baloney on the internet at *checks clock* 1 in the morning to hear about my skekGra/urGoh interaction ideas. 

spoiler: Full on lizard crisis, babey!

anyway here’s this. open it in a new tab, he doesnt like being squished by tumblr

[votometrash]

Love Choice Review

Okay so I had no idea Masquerade Kiss would be Love Choice, but this title has managed to tempt me into reading it anyway. I can’t say I’m happy about it but there are a lot of things I have to say, since the whole Love Choice (LC) system has been controversial, or just incredibly detested/undesired, ever since its conception. And it does suck since I’ve been wanting Voltage to release more mature titles (and the whole female spy thing was just a plus, I guess). Voltage did a really good job of hyping up this release and I love/hate them for it lmao. But yeah here are my two cents on the LC feature. Sorry for the longass rant in advance. If you only care about my opinion regarding Masquerade Kiss and Kazuomi Shido’s route then you can check out my review later on my blog (if and when I get to it). But I still mention the title here and there in this review since it is the first LC main story that was released.

For most people who have been with Voltage for a long time, LC is probably one of the worst things on the planet, right after the Love 365 app debacle which caused many to lose their stories if they weren’t aware of the transfer dates or not able to transfer their data (technically they’re losing the right/license to access those stories, cause they don’t own them) and all the other customer service horror stories you can think of. Generally, for people who think that converting coins into hearts and not being able to read the story however they want are terrible ideas, they will outright avoid LC titles/stories. Since LC is F2P, it isn’t much different from the other otome/visual novels that have premium options where people have the option to spend money.

But let’s just think about it for a moment.

The appeal of LC is that you can read the stories completely free of charge. Yes, there is a countdown timer which prevents you from reading the next episode immediately and you would have to spend hearts to bypass that. But let’s keep in mind that Voltage Entertainment USA (aka the subsidiary which creates apps catered towards Western audiences) is also doing something similar with the ticket system. Plus they don’t even give you the option to buy routes anymore, which is why we should be thankful that Voltage Inc hasn’t done that with their Japanese apps yet. I just want to make the best of what we are given (and hopefully try to get a little enjoyment out of it), even if LC is terribly implemented.

So just hear me out for a second. A very long second.

If you’re not one of those people who need every single CG and ending AND don’t mind the wait, this post is mainly for you.

PLEASE JUST READ THE DAMN STORY. LIKE READ MASQUERADE KISS RIGHT NOW WHILE THERE IS NO WAIT TIME (until 2/17). It costs you nothing and you will still get a pretty complete experience.  Don’t be stupid and believe that you’re missing out if you don’t get the CG’s. Go look the CG’s up online or something if you have to because I’m sure someone has posted them regardless of whether it’s allowed or not. It has a decent plot that doesn’t make me want to ram my head into a wall from secondhand embarrassment. Sure there are aspects of it that weren’t written well (will be explained in my review later) but it’s still a good story and I don’t regret reading it. It would be a shame to miss out just because you’re too busy hating on the system. If you don’t want to spend your free hearts (or don’t have enough) on CG’s that cost you 20-30 hearts and options that require hearts, just use it towards reading the next couple episodes (for when they go back to subjecting you to wait times). At least you still won’t be using as many hearts. Yeah the CG’s and love choices are hella expensive and they shouldn’t be. It might even feel like you’re being punished for not choosing those choices because in the end you won’t be getting the happy ending. But they’re not NECESSARY. However, if you still want the CG’s/happy endings, just reread it again later when you get enough hearts. I don’t know, that’s not a priority for me so I can wait on unlocking those CG’s. 

From Episode 1 up to the second to last episode, you’re getting the same. exact. content. Let me repeat that. YOU GET THE SAME EXACT CONTENT. The only thing is that you won’t get all of the CG’s or the super happy ending, which are what people are really paying for. Is it really worth it??? Voltage apps don’t have bad endings. They’re either the romantic/passionate alternate endings or it’s happy(or normal)/super happy endings. No endings where it’s game over, you’re dead or oops you screwed up this entire thing. You’re essentially getting the same ending, just a slightly different view of the events. Just more vanilla, if you don’t get the “better” ending. Slightly fewer lines of text, less description. Big whoop. That and well, you don’t get the CG. Too bad. No personal bragging rights for me to put on my metaphorical trophy pedestal. For me, reading the visual novel is the main goal. The art and CG’s are just a plus, a very much appreciate plus. I would care more about the plot because if you are reading a terribly written story, what’s the point in having good art anyways? You look at it for a bit and just move on to something else that isn’t a waste of time.  

And like....come on. If you hate the LC feature, that’s all the more the reason why you should try it. It won’t even hurt you to read the story if you’re adamant on not spending money/converting coins. Even if it’s terribly written, you didn’t pay for it like you would have with a P2P story. No monetary loss there, just lost time and feelings of disappointment. And if you hate waiting or think LC is a waste of time, just think of reading an episode whenever you have time. You don’t have to commit to it. You could speed read an episode in a minute or two and then go on doing whatever else you want to do with your day. It shouldn’t take up that much of your time. And if you forget to, it’s fine. Not something you’ll be too invested in.

They’re not charging you for anything, so suck it up. I’m sure you have other things you can do in the meantime while you wait for the next episode. Your life doesn’t revolve around otome games (unless you’re adopting an unhealthy lifestyle in which case you have more things to be concerned about). Don’t be a whiny bitch about it. And that’s why the hearts system exists... for the impatient people. They WANT you to spend money on their products, since that’s the whole point of running a business. Yes you’re paying for a one-time access when you’re using hearts to read episodes. Yes you have to start over if you want to reread a specific episode. Ultimately it’s up to YOU to choose whether you want to spend money or not for LC stories, but you don’t HAVE to.

Again, I’m emphasizing the word ‘time’ because if you really don’t have time, then seriously just do whatever you’re supposed to be doing jesus christ. Don’t feel like I’m calling you out for not wanting to read LC stories because you don’t have time to wait around for it. I’m not telling you to prioritize LC over Voltage’s other stuff. Just give it a chance if you can afford to do so, because money isn’t the issue here if you can read the story for free. I know people look towards Voltage apps as a way to relax and so that I understand that reading a LC novel would not be a choice if you have limited time. Because why go for LC if you have perfectly good apps that you’ve already paid for and can read whenever you want? I understand. I really do.

In regards to people complaining about Masquerade Kiss being a LC novel, I have a couple things I want to say. Voltage has the right to choose whichever title they want to be LC. Besides, what criteria do you expect them to use in choosing which titles should be LC? It’s not as if they’ll be like “oh let’s choose an okay title to be Love Choice”, just to make customers glad that they don’t have to waste money. That’s not practical. And ideally they wouldn’t want to be writing shitty stories anyway. They need to make money off them or else it’s a waste of all the money and time they invested into producing the title. For the most part, all the newer titles have been decent, if not good. There will be people who love them and people who hate them. So how would you decide the best choice to be LC among all the good titles? And it wouldn’t make sense to make a title both LC and P2P because that would be when people will REALLY start to hate LC, especially when you have to fork out a ridiculous amount of hearts for the CG’s.  Then there will be even more customer complaints yay. Also, if they made it P2P how many coins would they even charge for the whole route, considering how many hearts they have to spend for the CG’s? The CG’s are “free” only if you have enough hearts for those in-game choices that you want to choose, but if you’re paying for them that would mean it’s like $2-$3 per CG. 

Since they announced this feature, it’s here to stay unless they decide to get rid of it (which I doubt). YOU DON’T GET A SAY IN IT. Their company, their products, their choices. They will make whatever choices in which they benefit the most from. Sometimes those choices will align with what customers want. Sometimes they won’t. You don’t like it then you leave. That’s what most people would do anyway. Even if you do leave, there will always be more people getting sucked into the Voltage trap anyways. If you don’t, then you will continue to rot in the sin bin that is Voltage and there goes your money. Sadly, that’s how the world works. 

So yeah if you’re still reading, thanks for reading my very long winded, unpopular (probably) opinion. You’re a trooper. I have respect for you. I’m just here to get this off my chest. Please don’t hate me. 

[fashiontrendin-blog]

We asked three daughters to pen open letters to their mothers - and they'll give you all the feels

http://fashion-trendin.com/we-asked-three-daughters-to-pen-open-letters-to-their-mothers-and-theyll-give-you-all-the-feels/

We asked three daughters to pen open letters to their mothers - and they'll give you all the feels

As we celebrate the leading ladies in our life on Mother’s Day, we asked three women to pen open letters to their mums. Whether they’re thanking them for supporting them through an illness or raising them to be strong, independent women, they’re sure to pull on your heartstrings.

Laura Hunter pens a heartfelt letter to her mum, who has been there every step of the way since her shock cancer diagnosis

Dear Mumkin,

The moment I heard the words ‘You have breast cancer’ was the moment I started to depend on you more than ever before. We collapsed into each other’s arms and you cried ‘I wish it was me’. But I was thankful it wasn’t.

I sometimes feel selfish about how much you have had to involuntarily endure, because of the very fact that you are my mum, but I know that you would tell me off for thinking like that. Your attitude to coping and supporting me is admirable and words won’t ever justify just how grateful I am.

People tell me that I am an ‘inspiration’ and I often get irritated hearing that, because I don’t have a choice but to face my cancer diagnosis. But you do – and you choose to face it and you choose to help me through it, so really you are the inspiration. You are my inspiration. The memories of my cancer treatment aren’t pleasant, but your presence within them is always comforting. My cancer diagnosis has not only changed my life, but your life, too, and you have held my hand every step of the way.

When I felt as though I could no longer go on with the debilitating pain during treatment, you held me in your arms until I fell asleep. You sacrificed comfortable nights’ sleep, instead snoozing on the sofa and listening out for me if I fell unwell in the night.

When I was crippled with nausea and could barely dress myself, you helped clothe me.

When I was losing my hair and needed help cutting out the matted pieces, you held the scissors.

When I was at my limit of exhaustion and struggled to speak, you were my voice.

When I was admitted to hospital on numerous occasions with neutropenic sepsis, with a 160 minute round trip to visit me, your presence was a constant.

Confronted with the fear of losing your daughter, you faced the unthinkable with a strength that continues to inspire me. You have been there for me every day.

You have given up so much of your time to look after me and you still continue to attend every single medical appointment and scan with me, all while juggling your job as a Paediatric Nurse and helping to care for your disabled mother.

A mother’s role is challenging enough, let alone with the added weight of their child receiving a cancer diagnosis, and all that comes with it. You have been my support and strength for the past 27 years of my life and I hold so much gratitude and love for you, not only as my mother, but as my best friend. And for that reason, amongst so many others, is why you are one incredible superhuman in my eyes, and why I am more than proud to have you as my mother.

All my love and heartfelt thanks,

Laura.

(With thanks to Macmillan cancer care).

Jessica Rach’s letter to her single-parent mother

People say there’s nothing stronger than a bond between a mother and her child.

I disagree. I believe a bond between a single mother and her daughter is among the strongest.

From the moment you sent my father packing back to his tropical island when you were pregnant with me, a special connection began.

Never one to conform, you were a free-spirited hippy feminist, but also a strong, independent career woman. You had emigrated from Germany, so there were no family to help out with child-care, making us closer than ever.

While other parents were doing things the traditional way, you took me on my first backpacking adventure as a baby, travelling with me to Bali to meet my father.

From then on I was joined to your hip – an extension of your adventure-packed life, even taking three weeks out of school to go on a pilgrimage through the Himalayas.

Camping under the stars, experiencing different cultures and food, and being around such a mixed bag of people, taught me life lessons a few weeks in school couldn’t compare to.

Later in life this would be invaluable for me to be accepted by different cultural friendship groups, and eventually jump from HR to TV presenting to journalism. It gave me the ability to adapt, be a chameleon and read people in a way many my age couldn’t.

Your working hours at the BBC included nightshifts and Christmases, which instilled a strong worth ethic in me from a young age. Seeing you so respected by your male peers inspired me to become a tomboy, before growing into a passionate feminist.

You never married, focusing on me and your career, and this was echoed in my attitude growing up, telling peers that ‘marriage was nothing but a piece of paper’, much to their parents’ horror.

You taught me to question everything – not standing up for yourself made you a wimp and the ‘put up and shut up’ attitude was for wallflowers. This got me in trouble at school, but also won me respect from teachers and later at a work compensation case.

You always taught me not to be objectified or judged by looks, but by brains – the same way men are. However, when I got into hair, make-up and racy outfits, our first differences emerged.

But despite our difference in opinion, you always gave me confidence in my appearance. When I wished I was blonde and blue-eyed, you would make me feel special about my unusual mixed heritage appearance. You taught me to embrace my uniqueness, instead of being ashamed of looking different to my peers.

One of your first presents to me was a penknife, then later a toolbox. I knew how to check the fusebox as a pre-teen, but also how to cook and do my own laundry from a young age, getting home from school while you were still at work.

At times it was lonely. Having only a mum while those around me had fathers and large families often make me abnormally scared something would happen to you.

There were awkward moments in class on Father’s Day, but not once did I feel I missed out. I felt lucky I had you all to myself. You were my mum and my dad.

Being just the two of us made our relationship intense when I hit my rebellious teens, and I apologise for the years I pushed you away.

However, your strength and success inspired me to start saving for my own property aged 16, working alongside studying and becoming the first among my peers to buy a flat in London, aged 26.

And you still manage to surprise me. Since hitting my thirties, you’re keen for me to focus on my personal life, and not follow in your footsteps as a single mum.

I wouldn’t change my upbringing for the world, but my attitude has also changed, and while I still harbour many of my 10-year-old beliefs, I���m keen to do things the more traditional way.

From writing you letters on leaves in the playground, to spending my last £1 on you during school trips, to you helping me kick ass when I got made redundant aged 27, and being there when I called you at 2am aged 30 when a long-term relationship broke down, you are – and always will be – my everything, and I would be nowhere near the woman I am today without you.

Laura Osborne, 35, from Lavendon, pens a letter to her business partner and mother, Philippa Symes, 63

Dear mummy,

You have always instilled in me how important it is to have a goal in life, something to focus on and strive for. This was most poignant when we lost your sister, Mel, and then her son was struck by a brain haemorrhage.

I pushed past the tears, and focused on staying strong, like you’d taught me. It was a mournful wake up call. What are we doing with our lives? How can something so precious be gone in a blink? Are we making the most of every moment?

This was the final push we needed. Time was too short and precious.

I loved how we started planning day trips out together, doing things and just living our lives. Why the hell not? We went on a gin tasting course, and that was the start of another incredible journey together. We hatched the idea of creating our own gin, inspired by everything we had been through over all these many years, inspiring others, creating a brand that would reach out and connect with people, creating something powerful.

Everyone else raised eyebrows and thought, ‘Pigs will fly’. We weren’t taken seriously. So we banged our drum louder, we stepped up. We drew strength from the negativity and strived to prove to ourselves – and others – that absolutely anything is possible. Every now and then I would have a reality check, being more practical and down to earth, but every time I met with you or spoke to you, you would pick me up again on that cloud of dreams, driving us forward.

However, it wasn’t a doddle creating our own gin like we thought. It was hard and it was stressful, but it was also so much fun and with our bond being as strong as it is and your never-ending drive to see things through, we did it. For my children, this is a message that you can’t learn from books. They are seeing two strong women running their own business. Two women standing strong, banging that drum and being seen and heard.

When my nine-year-old daughter turned around to me the other day and said, “Mummy I am so excited. Did you know that if you think negatively about something, you will feel sad, and you won’t get a good result. But if you are really positive, and think really good things, then you will do really well and be able to do what you want.” And that, to me, means everything. I believe this comes from the incredible bond I have with you, from her seeing us work as we do together on something so out there and seemingly impossible, but making it possible. This is worth more than anything.

I don’t think I will ever be as courageous as you, as brilliant as you are, as charismatic. I know I have my own qualities that I am proud of, but, my word, I am so unbelievably proud to be your daughter. I am so incredibly grateful to have you in my life, for all you have done, for all you have shown and taught me. You really are one in a million, and I would be lost without you and our incredible adventures together.

“My mother’s accident forced me to be brave”

[viralhottopics]

The Movement Resisting Donald Trump Has A Name: The (Local) Democratic Party

Local Democratic parties are confronting a problem in the Trump era that is as confounding as it is unexpected: space.

All across the country, party meetings that had once been sleepy affairs, dominated by Roberts Rules of Order and a handful of graying activists, have become standing room only. The overflowing crowds have sent stunned party regulars scrambling to find new venues, while the surge in interest, and the coinciding fundraising boost, is enabling local chapters to hire staff and build infrastructure in previously unthinkable ways.On the national level, Democratic politicians have been rushing to respond to the sudden outpouring.

Im as busy this year as I was at any time last year in the heat of a huge election, said Mark Fraley, chairman of the Monroe County Democratic Party in Indiana.

Fraley said he received 65 emails in a single weekend from people requesting to become precinct chairs, a thankless job that normally requires begging and pleading to get someone to fill. The county party has restructured and added five deputy chairs to channel all the energy, and created six new committees.

Whats very different is that its made the party younger. Young people never really wanted to have as much of a meaningful part in the Democratic Party infrastructure. Now that doesnt seem true anymore, he said.

The resistance to President Donald Trump has taken a variety of forms, all of them well chronicled by the media. The Womens March, which saw some 5 million people take to the streets in a single day, helped fuel the growth of Indivisible chapters around the country, and has itself continued organizing meetings and protests since. The groups Swing Left, Flippable and Sister Sister are routing people to swing districts in an effort to flip the House, and groups are forming to challenge Democrats in primaries. Amid it all, observers and participants alike have wondered what the name is for this nascent movement. The Resistance? The Opposition?

But if the swelling ranks of county-level meetings are an indication of things to come, the grassroots movement underway already has a name. Its called the Democratic Party.

Interviews with activists in 24 states red, blue and purple reveal a strikingly similar pattern: Shocked by the outcome of the election and fearful for the future of the country, people of all ages, some of them Democrats, some independents, some Greens, found the time and location of a local party meeting and showed up. Here are a few of their stories:

COLORADO

Andy Cross/Getty Images

Protesters showed up at Denver International Airport on Jan. 28, to protest President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and travelers from a number of predominantly Muslim countries.

Carol Cure had been an active member of the Democratic Party more than two decades ago in Arizona even running unsuccessfully for Congress but she thought those days were behind her. Shes now back in the game.

Just recently, Cure found her way to the local La Plata County Democratic Party organizational meeting and was named a bonus member of the Colorado House District 59 committee.

I really thought, until now, that I had done my part and was content to enjoy my retirement and all of the great activities available to us here in Southwest Colorado, she said. Many new people are getting in the game, many of them young, recent college graduates. We just had our two-year reorganizational meeting last Saturday, and two recent graduates were elected to the County Executive Committee. Now that the Dems are fired up and involved, it has become apparent that many of us are Progressives and may have been when no one noticed.

GEORGIA

Ilene Johnson, a veteran party member, said a recent meeting in Greensboro was standing room only. And at a breakfast meeting there, 70 people showed up. Fulton County, Cobb County and Dekalb County Democratic meetings are packed. But Dekalb and Fulton are majority Dem. [Greensboro is] not, neither is Cobb. My mailbox is full. I have more volunteers. Im swamped, she said.

ILLINOIS

Oak Park Democrats usually get maybe 80 people at a meeting. But at their most recent gathering, they had more than 120.

Our meetings are bursting at the seams these days, Oak Park Democratic Party Executive Director Karen Fischer said. We literally couldnt get them in the door. There were people out on the street who actually couldnt get in.

Fischer emphasized that so far, the party hasnt yet increased its advertising in the new year; all these new folks are finding their way on their own. People are walking in off the street every day and asking how to get involved.

Were planning to [step up outreach], in part because organizations are popping up all over the place, she said. Were kind of looking at it and going, Wait a minute! Were here! You dont need to invent the wheel!

INDIANA

At the last meeting of the womens caucus of the Monroe County Democratic Party normally a sparsely attended affair people spilled out the door onto the street. For the partys upcoming reorganization meeting, county chairman Mark Fraley said theyre looking for a new venue, because the courthouse room that had always been more than sufficient is now too small. If they cant find a new room, he said, theyll put speakers outside the door so the spillover crowd can still hear. Democrats here have seen such an outpouring of new members, theyre on track to raise enough money to hire an executive director for the first time.

Right after the election, we were just inundated with emails [asking], What can I do? said Fraley, 37, who works at Indiana Bloomington University.

Fraley said the county party has restructured and added five deputy chairs and created six new committees. The influx of new people is making the party younger, he said:About two-thirds of them came through Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) campaign, many of them encouraged by his organization Our Revolution to do so.

If we can maintain 30 percent of this energy, thats a huge increase in our local Democratic capacity, he added, arguing that Republican House seats that were 9-point wins in the past could soon become competitive.

IOWA

The Winneshiek County Democratic Party had its largest central committee meeting ever in January, with a third of the 40 attendees being people who had never attended a meeting, according to the county correspondence secretary.

Polk County, which includes Des Moines, is bursting too. Tamyra Harrison, the county partys executive director, said that over the last decade, around 50-60 people have shown up for central committee meetings. On Nov. 14, however, they had 177. The committee has 359 elected positions and at this time two years ago had 120 open seats. That number will soon be 80, now a record low, and is falling fast.

Every post-election meeting I have attended has been crowded and humid, Thomas Henderson, the partys county chair, said.

Down in Page County, in rural Southwest Iowa, party member Christine Adcock said that four times the normal crowd showed up to the first county meeting after the election a whopping 20 people!! Adcock followed up a week later with an update: The February meeting drew 30.

MARYLAND

In Montgomery County, a standing-room-only crowd showed up to hear freshman Rep. Jamie Raskin talk about threats to democracy in the Trump era.

Just since this past election, a number of friends have quite suddenly expressed interest in becoming more involved in the party many of them have been activists with local environmental groups and in some cases the Green Party, said Sylvia Tognetti.

Raskin told HuffPost there were some 900 people at the Trump event. It was one of eight events he did that day and all of them, he said, were bursting.

MASSACHUSETTS

A group affiliated with Sanders Our Revolution ran a slate of eight people to be delegates to the June state party convention, and all eight won, said Jordan Weinstein, one of the eight. Several are also moving to become members of the town Democratic Party committee in Arlington. Weinstein said hes running for a seat on the town council, known as the Arlington Town Meeting. The ages range from 30s to 60s, he said.

Most of us have been registered Democrats forever but just so we could vote in the primaries. Since Trump, we all see the need to get involved with the goal of trying to move the Dems toward more progressive positions, he said.

Alice Trexler, a veteran member of the Arlington Town Democratic Committee, witnessed the same bursting attendance at the convention meeting, but did so with the perspective of somebody whos been to many of them.

It was roughly triple the size of the past three to four I have attended. There were many new folks who were, on balance, younger than many of us on the Town Committee, she said, adding that a later Indivisible meeting downstairs was overfilled with people backed up in the hallway and into the lobby.

Our town is hopping with resistance. I know, its Massachusetts, but its still extraordinary to see the number of young parents and those new to protest and to politics, she added. Believe me, I havent seen this before.

MICHIGAN

Rachel Woolf/Getty Images

In January, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined with members of the Michigan congressional delegation and local elected officials for a rally at Macomb Community College in Warren to save Obamacare.

The spring conventions of the Michigan Democratic Party dont usually attract too much notice, described by the Detroit Free Press as sleepy affairs filled with party regulars giving speeches and calls to action.

This year, however, was different.

Nearly 5,000 people came to the convention, with longtime attendees saying they had never seen anything like it.

That blew the doors off previous conventions, especially considering its an off-year, said Herb Helzer, a member of the Northville Democratic Club. Sure, plenty of people showed up for the midterms in 2014 or 2012. … But this is winter 2017 after the biggest trouncing weve gotten.

Helzer said the meeting of the progressive caucus was especially popular at the convention, with about 600 people showing up.

Chris Savage, chair of the Washtenaw County Democrats, said he usually gets about 50-60 people at a meeting, if hes lucky. But at their last meeting, on Super Bowl Sunday, 225 people showed up.

I could not believe it, he said. Our email list since Election Day has grown by about 20 percent, and Im getting new people signing up every day.

People are particularly interested in pushing their legislators on policy. He used to have a legislative programs team, which mostly consisted of one staffer from a congressional office who would help be a liaison between the party and government officials. Now, that team has 120 people who signed up to do twice-weekly phone banks and engage people in other counties.

OHIO

Martha Viehmann, of Anderson Township near Cincinnati, said the state, after falling badly to Trump, has come alive. Sen. Sherrod Brown, one of the stronger progressives in the Senate, faces a critical re-election bid in 2018.

The January meeting had a phenomenal turnout, said Viehmann, a precinct executive in Anderson. The resurgence of the Democratic Party is very clear here in my eastern suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Lots of new people are not only turning out to protests. They are also learning about our local and state elections and swamping our elected officials in D.C. with postcards and phone calls.

One of those is Aileen Peters, 72, who joined a Dayton Democratic club in the wake of the election.

I have always voted, but not been active politically with the party, she said. I was a fellow in Hillarys campaign. Volunteered in the local office, phone banks, etc. Now Im a member of the South of Dayton Democratic Club, Im organizing a No Hate group, I have a group I email to keep them informed of opportunities to be involved. The first thing I do every morning is send emails to Congressmen and make phone calls to [Sen. Rob] Portman and [Rep. Mike] Turner.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Greenville is the reddest part of a very red state, according to Kate Howard Franch, the chair of the local Democratic Party. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who led the Benghazi committee, is their congressman, if that gives any indication of the areas leanings.

Franch usually gets about 20 people at her monthly meetings 40 on a good day. But at the end of January, she had 120.

Franch said that in her nine years there, shes never seen this sort of engagement. They had a gathering at Furman University after the Womens March to build upon the momentum and figure out next steps. Even though the meeting took place on Super Bowl Sunday, there were about 1,000 people in the audience.

Over in Charleston, the local party had 130 people show up at its January meeting, a big jump from the 20 or so they usually see. Chair Brady Quirk-Garvan said theyve also tripled the number of monthly donors to the party.

TENNESSEE

The Davidson County Democratic Party in Tennessee maybe gets 10 people at its executive committee meetings. But in January, it had nearly 200 people show up, and 180 people filled out forms to start volunteering.

We had so many people we had to leave the conference room that we were supposed to be in and move out to the lobby of the building because there was no room to fit everybody, said Whitney Pastorek, a member of the executive committee.

Theyre self-identifying and self-gathering, Pastorek added, stressing that all this energy is organic. Theyre not waiting for the Democratic Party to tell them what to do. Theyre doing it themselves, and its great.

TEXAS

Typically after an election, Carisa Lopez notices that people just want to take a deep breath and relax before mobilizing again. But not this time.

We put together an event that was kind of an open mic type of event, less than two weeks after the election, Lopez, executive director of the Travis County Democratic Party, said. We had about 400 people in attendance, and that was right before Thanksgiving. So even around the holidays, when … people usually arent paying attention, they definitely were.

Her organization also had a training in early February that they expected about 100 people to attend. But they ended up having nearly 500 people and had to change venues three times just to keep up with the demand. They also streamed it on Facebook Live because there was so much extra interest.

UTAH

The state party is hosting a candidate training in March. When officials opened up registration, they sold out 50 tickets in the first day. A week later, the party expanded it to 200 spots and again immediately sold out.

VIRGINIA

Democrats have already won two special elections in Virginia since November, and the state House and governors mansion will be up for grabs this fall. (More on that below.) Mike Freeland, co-chair of the local Democratic party in Manassas and Manassas Park, said the party is being flooded with new members.

We had our largest attendance ever at our regular monthly meeting last week, he said. We are averaging 4-5 signups per week on our website and are having events like new member breakfasts in an attempt to capture the momentum and find a place for these new folks to help out.

The same, he added, is true for other local officials hes talked to recently.

WASHINGTON

Alison Dennis, 30, just started going to her local Democratic Party meetings in Wenatchee. At her first meeting last month, the hosts were overwhelmed, with about 85 people overflowing the room that was supposed to hold only 53 people.

Folks consider the area Im in to be a deeply red area, but I think its more purple than folks give it credit. I think theres a lot of potential here, but we need to ramp up the leadership quickly, she said.

David Turnoy has been involved with the San Juan County Democratic Party for the last five years and was recently elected chair. He said turnout was huge for their meeting in December, and their email list has grown significantly.

People are energized in ways that they have never been before, he said. And our Democrats group normally only meets once a quarter, but we have been meeting monthly since December and look to continue that for the foreseeable future.

SHIFTING TO THE BALLOT BOX

Mark Kauzlarich/Reuters

None of it means anything if the energy doesnt become power, if it doesnt translate into electoral success. One major test of how potent the new movement is will come on Saturday, when Delaware holds a special election for a vacated state Senate seat. Whichever party wins will control the state Senate. The district leans slightly Democratic, but special elections with low turnouts are often the partys Achilles heel, just as midterms are. But if the grassroots energy is real, turnout wont be a problem.

Sonia Sloan, 88, has been a First State Democratic activist all her life and said she hasnt seen this much excitement in a race since Eugene McCarthy, whose presidential bid she chaired in Delaware in 1968. This year, shes co-hosting a fundraiser for the Democrat in the race, environmental attorney Stephanie Hansen.

Our field operation is off the charts, as is volunteer activity. Organizers and volunteers have already knocked on over 30,000 doors, and theyve made over 28,000 phone calls as of Wednesday, said Carolyn Fiddler of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, adding that theyd knock on another 30,000 doors before the campaign is over.

With only about 31,000 registered voters in the district, that means theyll be hitting voters repeatedly.

The Republican in the race, a retired cop, John Marino, is running as a Trump-esque candidate. We deserve to be First again, he says.

If special elections are a sign of things to come and they may or may not be signs are good for Democrats so far. In two specials in Iowa, in December and January, on the eastern border in Davenport, Democrats won by larger-than-expected margins. Iowa allows absentee balloting, which allows organizers to go door to door to make sure those ballots are being filled out and mailed in. In the state Senate race in December, Democrats collected 2,163 ballots. On Election Day, the Democrat won only 1,640 votes, meaning more people voted absentee than in person, suggesting an extraordinarily high level of organization and energy on the ground. The same pattern held for the House race.

Iowa

More Democrats voted absentee than on Election Day.

In mid February, Republicans won their only special election since November in a district outside Minneapolis. But Trump had carried it by a 61-32 margin, DailyKos reported, and the Republican winning by just 6 points was a huge collapse.

The question, then, is whether the momentum can carry into 2018. Along the way will be the November 2017 elections in Virginia and New Jersey. The Garden State should be easy to pick off for Democrats, given their statewide advantage and the cellar-level popularity of Gov. Chris Christie (R).

But Virginia will be interesting to watch. If populist-progressive Tom Perriello can channel the new grassroots energy into his candidacy, theres every reason to believe he can knock off the establishment candidate, Ralph Northam, who is lieutenant governor and was Gov. Terry McAuliffes (D) hand-picked successor. If Perriello can get past Northam in the June primary, hell likely face GOP lobbyist and operative Ed Gillespie, who is perfectly ill-suited for the moment particularly with Trump regularly attacking federal workers, who make up a significant chunk of the Virginia electorate. Democratic committee meetings in Virginia, Perriello told HuffPost, are absolutely bursting out of the room in the hallways with crowds.

Governor and state House races like the one in Virginia are more critical than ever because the redistricting process follows the 2020 Census. If Democrats can ride a new wave into power, the gerrymandering of 2010 can be rolled back.

Local officials nationwide say theyre focused on creating a positive vision and a constant stream of activities to keep these new activists engaged.

If we stop giving them things to do, Im worried that people will get apathetic, said Lopez, the executive director of the Travis County Democratic Party in Texas. Its only February, but typically after an election, this is the time when people are apathetic.

Savage, who runs the Washtenaw County Democratic Party in Michigan, said hes been making a point of reaching out not only to his new members, but to many of the people in the outside activist groups, to let them know that the party has resources that can help them organize.

Were going to be here whether theyre here or not, he said. But if we can activate them, help them have some successes youve got to have a success now and then, otherwise it becomes too demoralizing.

Next year is key for Michigan as well; every state legislator and every single statewide office holder is up for re-election.

Even without a to-do list from local party leaders, Trump is managing to be liberals greatest organizer, with one extraordinary move after another drawing public outrage. With his Muslim ban on hold, his popularity plummeting, national security adviser Mike Flynn fired, Obamacare repeal looking less and less likely and Labor Department nominee Andy Puzder defeated, Democrats can start to point to wins that keep newly engaged activists fighting.

And theyre hoping to pick up one more in Delaware this week. Even if they dont, Republican John Marino, making a bid for the seat, appears to have his finger on the new public pulse. Theresa Kudlick, a district voter, said Marino came by her neighbors house and she was left with the impression he was the Democrat in the race. None of his material mentioned what is becoming an inconvenient fact: Hes a Republican.

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from The Movement Resisting Donald Trump Has A Name: The (Local) Democratic Party