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greenleaf4stuff · 27 days ago

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Of Convenience 7.1

(all previous parts of "Of Convenience")

Adar x Celebrimbor (silverscars) political marriage AU, 7th snippet, part 1. Once the shock from his previous stroll through the camp has worn off, Celebrimbor risks another attempt. This time, he gets to see one of the uruk forges.

Celebrimbor is finally going to have a chapter in which he experiences no drama. He deserves a break. I have wanted to write about Celebrimbor’s reaction to the (no doubt) much more ‘improvised’ forges of the uruk for a while now, so this is a bit of self-indulgence in that regard. (Also this was supposed to be one part. How does this keep happening to me?!) Enjoy!

Despite how shaken Celebrimbor had been by his encounter with Damrod, he only needed a day to recover enough to chance another excursion into the camp.

He had Adar to thank for that, at least in part – the uruk had stayed in their tent for the rest of the day instead of running his usual errands and engaged the smith in plenty of conversation as he cleaned his sword from Damrod’s black blood. The uruk asked what Celebrimbor had seen of the camp and enquired after his thoughts, but also told him about how the day’s negotiations with Galadriel and Elrond had gone.

This was clearly done to put Celebrimbor at ease, and the elf was grateful for the consideration – even more so because it actually worked.

Still, Adar didn’t seem the least bit surprised when Celebrimbor announced that he would like to explore the uruk camp again by the following day, and sent him on his way with a nod and Glûg by his side.

"Be back by midday," was the uruk’s only request. "So that we may continue our conversation. And so that you might avoid unneccessary danger, perhaps."

Celebrimbor knew Adar’s words for what they were – concern, which also reflected in the tightness of Adar’s mouth and the way he intently stared at Celebrimbor as he spoke. The smith smiled at the uruk. "Of course. I’ll make sure to ask Glûg to usher me back here in time."

Glûg, for his part, appeared almost as if the confrontation with the hill troll had never taken place – he didn’t seem overly cautious or fidgety, and didn’t protest his task to chaperone the elf across the encampment once more. He was, however, quick to ask about Celebrimbor’s wellbeing. Which was surprisingly touching, the elf had to admit.

"I think I’ve recovered quite well, thank you," he replied, and got a nod from Glûg in response.

"Let us walk a different path today." A suggestion which the smith readily accepted.

"Could you perhaps to lead me to one of your people’s forges?" If Glûg thought Celebrimbor’s request to be odd, he didn’t show it – the elf had mostly been referred to as the Lord of Eregion or an ‘elf from a noble house’ in his time here, so he wasn’t sure just how much the uruk as a whole would know about his family history or profession.

"Sure. I think I’ll take you to Gurlak’s – that’s the closest one," the lieutenant pondered, and then jerked his head in the direction they would be heading. As they started to walk, he continued, "Do you want to see how the blacksmiths made the armor Adar gave you?"

"Something like that," was Celebrimbor’s response, coupled with a self-deprecating smile. "I’m actually a smith myself, moreso even than an elven lord I believe."

Glûg raised his hairless eyebrows, then hmpfed. The elf could tell Adar’s lieutenant was skeptical of his claim, but didn’t comment. "In that case, you’ll have to direct your questions at Gurlak herself. I know very little about forging."

The smith hummed and nodded before he answered. "Fair enough."

It didn’t take them very long to reach the forge – Celebrimbor could hear the sounds of large bellows and multiple hammers hitting metal on various anvils from a distance. Sounds that made his heart ache for his own smithy back in Eregion.

He didn’t often allow himself to ponder that which was lost to him – temporarily or permanently. But it was difficult not to think of his apprentices during the quieter hours of the night, or whenever he caught a glimpse of his city through the trees of the surrounding forest.

Working in his forge had been an integral part of his everyday life before he’d fled Ost-In-Edhil. Dare he say it, it had been a part of his identity. And yes, perhaps of his self worth as well. The prospect of getting to witness the craft being performed again, the possibility of maybe even being allowed to perform it himself, eased his heart - at least a little.

He and Glûg finally arrived in front of a ramshackle shed that had obviously been hastily built from scavenged and improvised materials, as seemed to be usual for the uruk. Celebrimbor himself couldn’t find any rhyme or reason to how it had been constructed, just that it would ‘do’ to hold all the neccessary parts of a forge inside.

A group of uruk was scattered around it, working on different anvils. Some halted in their movements as the elf and his guard approached, while others seemed content throwing questioning looks in their direction.

"By the way," Celebrimbor turned to Adar’s lieutenant as they came to a stop, "Adar requested that you bring me back to our tent in time for supper."

Glûg tilted his head, then nodded. As the smith turned back to the shed, he heard the other faintly mutter "Our tent, huh?" under his breath in a tone Celebrimbor couldn’t read, and the elf fought hard not to fluster – or show that his hearing had picked up on the words in the first place, for that matter.

Before the elf could work up the courage to approach and talk to the working uruk around the smithy – most of which were still watching him skeptically –, Glûg raised his voice and bellowed. "Gurlak! Come out, I’ve got someone out here who wants to talk to you!"

Celebrimbor and his guard crossed looks as they heard loud swearing and then heavy footsteps from behind the shed. The smith had no idea whether the way of greeting would prove to be in his favor or not, but he nodded at his guard in thanks nonetheless. The other threw him a grin - not a mean one, but certainly one of humor. Which did not exactly bode well.

The uruk who came around the shed was not at all what Celebrimbor had expected; the one who he suspected to be the aforementioned Gurlak was a tall woman, and built in a manner that would have made some dwarves jealous. ‘Barrel-chested’ seemed like a rather tame way to describe her, with a back as broad as a closet and arms so thick the elf wasn’t sure he could circle them even with both of his own hands. As well as the most ill-tempered expression Celebrimbor had seen that day.

The smith had a hunch that he knew why Glûg might have smirked the way he’d done. He also had a sneaking suspicion the apprehension he felt might be showing on his face.

The uruk, Gurlak, came to stand right in front of Celebrimbor. She was only slightly shorter than him, and unafraid to meet his eyes. Faintly, the elf registered how tiny the smithing hammer she held looked in her hand.

Perhaps that was the reason Glûg had been so skeptical of Celebrimbor’s claim to be a smith, come to think of it – the uruk woman certainly fit the preconceptions people seemed to hold of smiths much more than a tall-grown, comparatively slim elf. Though, to be fair, it had been some time from when he last had to forge things that were as big and heavy as the armor and weapons he could see the other uruk work on behind her.

‘Maybe I should change that,‘ Celebrimbor thought. ‘When I am back in Eregion.‘

Meanwhile, Gurlak was eying him up and down, and then turned herself around to Glûg. "That Adar’s elf?" she asked bluntly. For some reason, Celebrimbor focused far less on the way she was talking about him as if he wasn’t even there, and more so on the fact that she referred to him as ‘Adar‘s’ elf. Huh. "What does he want here?"

Glûg shrugged. "He says he’s a smith. Wanted to see your forge, so I brought him here."

Gurlak turned back to Celebrimbor. "Smith. That one," and then she barked a laugh loud enough to startle the surrounding uruk, before her focus returned to Glûg. "That elf looks as if he’d cough himself to death next to the fire. Noble breed this one, huh?"

"My name is Celebrimbor," the aforementioned elf spoke up, and made it a point to hold Gurlak’s gaze when she turned sharp eyes on him. "And yes, I am the Lord of Eregion. A descendant of a noble elven house. And, in fact, a smith."

He let his words sink in for a moment, before he bowed just a little and continued. "I take it you must be Gurlak? Pleased to make your aquaintance. Glûg said you are a local blacksmith, and knowledgeable when it comes to forging-" a risk, but perhaps it would pay off, "at least more than him, anyways."

For a brief moment, the elf thought he had misstepped as Gurlak narrowed her eyes at him, before she snorted and jerked her chin in Glûg’s direction. "Not difficult to know more than that one. Burned both of his hands when I tried to teach him."

Glûg made a dismissive noise and rolled his head skywards when Celebrimbor peered at him, before he waved the two of them off. "I’ll sit myself down over there, where I keep an eye on you. Have fun," and with that, he wandered over to an empty chair – or whatever counted as one in this camp – next to the shed.

"So, what brings you here, then?" Gurlak asked, drawing Celebrimbor’s attention back to her. There was still something mocking in her stance and tone, which only made the smith more determined to state his intentions.

"I...have not been able to return to my own forge in some time. For obvious reasons," he paused and drew a breath. "I wanted to ask if there was- if I might- could I offer you my assistance in your smithy in some way?"

He was aware that his expression likely held at least a hint of pleading in it – though frankly, he didn’t care. He was itching with the need to do something other than sit around all day and consider his past failings, or withstand the terror that was the immediate, unknown future. He’d go mad otherwise.

Gurlak blinked and stared at the smith for a long moment. "You sure you want to get those fancy robes of yours dirty?" she snarked, and this time it was obvious she was mocking him. Though her tone wasn’t as harsh as Celebrimbor had expected. "I’m afraid our forge is not as pristine as the one you are used to."

In the privacy of his mind, the elf heaved a quiet sigh, and then tried to put on an expression that he had often successfully used when trying to bargain with Gil-Galad. ‘Doe eyes’, was what Mirdania had once called it with a snicker.

"I know it’s likely that I will get ash and soot everywhere, yes. If you could lend me at least an apron or some gloves, that would be wonderful, but I can make do with my bare hands and what tools you have. I just want- need to work."

When it looked like she might hesitate still, he pressed on. "Please, Gurlak."

Celebrimbor could practically see her mind turning his request over, and how slowly but surely, her curiosity won out over her skepticism. "If you insist," she scoffed, and beckoned him to follow her with a wave of her hand. "There’s gotta be something that won’t be too much of a loss if it got messed up. I’ll get you an apron."

The elf’s resulting joy was bright and audible when he said, "I thank you for the opportunity, Mistress Gurlak."

A grunt and a very disbelieving look over her shoulder was his answer, but she did not go back on her word. "Sure. Don’t make me regret it."

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thefeastandthefast · 8 months ago

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I'm OBSESSED with the terrifying Princess Wanning and want ALL the backstory about her time as a hostage and everything she did to survive (and possibly even thrive?) in such a situation. Please, drama, give it to me! (Do I feel fic urges coming on?)

She's over-the-top and openly, gleefully cruel and sadistic in a way that female villains don't often get to be, but the actress makes her chillingly believable. The actress Li Meng oscillates so naturally between all the minute shades of her many malevolent moods and is clearly having a ball playing her. Li Meng was great in The Bad Kids and now I know I will definitely be seeking out more of her work. Suggesting two men murder each other in front of her as a job interview is exactly the kind of unhinged psychotic creativity that I appreciate about Wanning.

#the double #墨雨云间 #cdrama #my commentary #she is the absolute worst and I love her so much #she's a funhouse mirror that distorts and warps the rules of good and expected female behavior #the way she makes a gesture of carefree delight #(twirling girlishly with her silken robes fluttering behind)#into something utterly and beautifully sinister!#also the scene where she blithely pours tea all over minister li's hands as he twitches and scrapes and smile-grimaces #weaponizing feminine hospitality and politeness!#and her sparkling indignant amoral eloquence in arguing for a team-based competition #on behalf of women! on behalf of the spirit of cooperation and solidarity!#(she doesn't give a shit about other women)#but she'll use that argument if it'll give her the win #it's so damn real

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columboposting · 6 months ago

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I say this as a certified gwen cooper stan and defender and lover etc etc so if i see anyone in my replies coming for my girl its on sight. But it is honestly completely batshit insane to me the way seasons 1 and 2 of torchwood consistently do this thing where on-screen development or depiction of Jack and Ianto’s romantic relationship is directly preceded by a category five Gwen and Jack Unresolved Sexual Tension event. Like, Jack propositioning Ianto over Suzie’s corpse comes right after a scene where Jack and Gwen make moon eyes at each other from across the Hub; in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Jack only asks Ianto out on a date after a failed attempt to woo Gwen; in Reset, Martha’s conversation with Ianto about getting him and Jack a red UNIT hat comes after her convo with Gwen where both of them are like “man we must be the only two people in the world who havent been with Jack.” The obviously most insane example is in Something Borrowed when Gwen and Jack dance together extremely intimately AT GWEN’S WEDDING and Ianto literally has to WALK OVER to take Jack off Gwen’s hands. (If I missed any more examples please tell me because i feel like I did. Also Fwiw not every Janto scene follows a Gwack UST event, though by the same turn not every Gwack UST event is followed by a Janto scene. But I think there’s enough here for it to be a pattern.). So there’s this consistent thing where we see Jack make moon eyes at Gwen and only going to Ianto after this fails to result in anything substantial. This creates the impression that Ianto is Jack’s second choice for a partner, and that Gwen is his first.

You could argue that this pattern constitutes Jack choosing Ianto over Gwen, but… I dunno. The obstacle that consistently stops Jack from pursuing Gwen further in the scenes I’m talking about is not his commitment to Ianto but Gwen’s commitment to Rhys. (If you want an example of TW S1/2 actually showing Jack choose Ianto over Gwen I’d point at End of Days: Gwen metaphorically awakens Jack by kissing his corpse (he doesn’t seem to object but Gwen is obviously the one initiating), and then Jack immediately runs off to make out with Ianto. Compare with, say, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, where Jack tries to initiate with Gwen, gets cock-blocked by her engagement ring, and subsequently asks Ianto out. You see the difference?

To set my cards on the table I am obsessed with Jack and Gwen’s straightbait situationship, and I think it is completely fine and cool and entertaining, actually, for Jack and Gwen UST to coexist with canon Janto (Jack is from the Free Love century and has two hands; meanwhile it baffles me that people get on Gwen’s ass for the crime of (checks notes) being into Jack Fucking Harkness, as if being attracted to him is not completely normal and understandable), HOWEVER the show’s scene to scene editing CONSISTENTLY gives the impression that Jack would choose Gwen over Ianto if given the opportunity. So for all that I think a lot of Gwen hate is like, people being unfairly mad at Gwen for “getting in the way” of a gay ship that, per the show’s writing, she never actively interferes with or disapproves of and is generally shown to support, the way the show uses the language of editing does actually kind of value Jack’s hypothetical straight relationship with Gwen over his existing gay relationship with Ianto in a way that frankly fucking sucks. I have no idea whether or not this was intentional or whose fault it is (if I had to blame anyone I’d blame the writers involved and the editors involved, but tv production is complicated and this is a systemic problem that would be difficult to identify if you’re only looking at one episode at a time) but whatever happened its like. A lowkey homophobic element of an otherwise mostly queer-friendly show. Literally what were they thinking.

#Anyway this is why if you’re bashing Gwen you should instead bash the torchwood production crew. Politely. They are real people after all #As an aside; “Meat” has a cut Janto flirting scene that was scripted as occuring BEFORE the Gwen makes out with Rhys while staring at Jack #(GWEN YOURE INSANE!!!!!!)#so hypothetically if they’d kept in that scene and the editor hadn’t put it after the gwen scene that would be a strong exception #where a Janto scene took place BEFORE a Cat. 5 Gwack UST Event. However the scene was fully cut so we will never know #As an aside to the aside the meat gwen Jack scene is way normaler in Meat’s script (she stares at Jack AFTER making out with rhys)#So everyone say thank you to (i’m guessing) Meat director Colin Teague for the most insane shit ive ever seen in my life #torchwood #meta #jack harkness #gwen cooper #ianto jones #my post #astral posts

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khruschevshoe · 11 months ago

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Listen. Listen. RTD. My dude. You are back. You have the power. You are running the show. *pulls him in close and whispers through gritted teeth* Who needs UNIT when you can have the world's messiest bisexual polycule back from the dead?

#listen torchwood three always vibed better with doctor who than unit did #that sort of put together from spare parts vibe #I'm not saying he necessarily should bring them all back from the dead #but if we're unnecessarily undoing tragic plot points here for fix-it vibes (doctordonna)#then why not bring back torchwood? just recast jack you bring back gwen if you want give me more disasters to carry about #torchwood was raw and messy and REAL #i want disasters on my screen that could never make it past Disney's respectability/only-queer-if-you're-polite-about-it banner #torchwood #jack harkness #ianto jones #gwen cooper #toshiko sato #owen harper #tosh sato #rtd #rtd2 #doctor who

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libdeminomenon · 1 month ago

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2025 Predictions:

- Rachel Reeves gone by the end of the year.

- The Rest Is Politics interview Kamala Harris and / or Michelle Obama.

- Peter Mandelson / other important Labour Party figure is exposed in a leak slagging off Trump. Outrage.

- Keir Starmer hugs Ed Davey and they play FIFA for charity.

- Lee Anderson pornography scandal.

- George Osborne randomly admits he did a fuck load of cocaine at one point in his political career and no one is surprised.

- Right-wing media starts panicking that Keir Starmer is going to make us join the Euro currency, based on absolutely zero evidence.

- Ian Hislop / other big pundit goes viral slagging off Brigit Phillipson’s education policies and she is forced to fight for her job.

- It is revealed that the Tory sleaze was even worse than originally thought. Boris Johnson makes a Nick Clegg-style apology video and it is immediately remixed into a chart-topping banger.

- Wes Streeting cries publicly. He is also accused of bullying within the Labour Party but that is unrelated.

- Kemi Badenoch has an Ed Miliband bacon sandwich moment.

- Israel win the judge’s vote in Eurovision.

- House of Lords reform becomes The Big Thing. Keir Starmer faces rebellion from his own party as some of them quite like being lords. Lib Dems win more public support through this.

- Sir Sadiq Khan scandal. Labour Party refuse to acknowledge it and bring up Tory COVID parties whenever it’s mentioned.

- Someone makes a Rory Stewart documentary and suggests that he *was* a spy.

- Nigel Farage is videoed saying he doesn’t care about how much the British people are suffering so long as they continue to vote for him. His supporters either defend him and accuse the Left of not being about to take a joke or defect to another far-right party.

- Daisy Cooper dabs / flosses / does a TikTok dance.

- A petition to ban Donald Trump from the UK reaches five million signatures. It fails to change anything, but the Liberal Democrats and the Greens lead a protest of over a million people through the streets of London.

- Trump says he loves the English people but he’s not so keen on the Pakistanis and the Welsh.

- Ed Balls has a massive argument with Rachel Reeves on Good Morning Britain. He is accused by Centrists in the Labour Party of being “a traitor” and “a bad husband”.

- Someone shits themselves in the House of Commons.

- Tony Blair says something about trans people again / is photographed with JK Rowling. In response, Gordon Brown comes out with his unequivocal support for trans people everywhere.

- Ed Miliband paints his nails.

Feel free to add your own predictions !! I’d love to hear what everyone thinks :)

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cuzikan · 10 months ago

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Take that mellencamp 😁

#alice cooper #politics #john cougar mellencamp #rock and roll

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dicapiito · 3 months ago

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Since Black People share zero blame about what happened in the election and why Trump won again; let’s do a master post on who’s to blame as to why Trump won again:

1. White people. They are never to be trusted to actually pay attention to shit so they will believe anything anyone tells them to. If someone is promising to get rid of anyone who’s not white; white people will vote for that candidate. White men vote for violence and white women vote in hopes to be like white men. I mean, Roe V Wade SHOULDVE been important …until I remember those stories from nurses at Planned Parenthood mentioning how obnoxious white women are about the service. White people who are actual allies are very rare and they know if they admitted to being hateful; they’d be all alone watching Fox News.

2. The mainstream media. MSNBC, CNN, Bill Maher, John Oliver, Jon Stewart ( the biggest douchefuck), Chris Hayes, Anderson Cooper, Joy Reid, among others (who I can’t name because I refuse to hate-watch their media). They spent all their fucking time bashing Biden and the Democrats. They let the lunatic leftists have a platform and they treated Trump like he’s no threat until it was way too late. They figured it’s better for their audiences to not take what Trump did in 2016-2020 seriously and just be mean towards Biden, Harris and the Democrats who actually work towards better.

Any one of these jokers could’ve taken an actual stand and report actual news about Biden but once Covid got calmer thanks to Biden and the White House became boring again because the Biden Administration was busy ACTUALLY WORKING; it just wasn’t enough for them. Once they knew leftists also found another cause they could hijack for themselves to “ stick it to the Dems” they also let these fuckers on their show to help spread more lies about the Democrats. But nope! They latched onto the “ Free Palestine” movement and sold that shit, knowing full fuckin well that it’s not America’s problem about the conflict and Biden and Harris were making sure to get a two state solution.

Their buyers remorse media is not cute and they are only doing this because they know they are a major reason why Trump won again. They’re also scared of retaliation so they’re going to act like they “ regretted it” and that Biden “ wasn’t so bad” while not ever really apologetic but their audiences will eat it up.

3. Nonblack PoC. Latino, Asian/ Pacific Islander community ( I’m not even shocked. I’m apart of this group and they love antiblackness), Arab Americans ( Rashida Tlaib is antiblack but because leftists are stupid; they couldn’t see something so obvious). The desperation to be accepted by white people and also the xenophobia in all these communities had them voting for Trump. They have the “ I’m one of the good ones” mentality and well they’re about to see that antiblackness and xenophobia has screwed themselves .

4. Social media websites letting misinformation spread, and I include tumblr since yet again this happened. I appreciate that X has a community note and people tried to fight it but it was just way too great. Too many bots were getting through. Facebook, tumblr, Twitter, TikTok, likely Instagram as well. And once the elections are over; it’s like they treat the election interference shit like it didn’t happen.

5. Leftists. As usual, since they’re bored and rich, they do this protesting “ the establishment” every four years because they don’t want to pay their fair share of taxes. They went right along with the Free Palestine bullshit because it has worked for them before. Susan Sarandon , remember her? She helped fuck over 2000 as well as 2016 and let the GOP into the White House. Since leftist includes being racist/antiblack and antisemitic; it’s a great way to get more stupid white people to not vote or “ protest vote” and help the GOP win. Now that they have; we won’t see the likes of Jill Stein or any third party candidates. They are only around to help fuck over the Democrats and yet this lesson seems to have to keep being repeated and holy fuck it’s fucking annoying.

6. Nancy Pelosi. I know I haven’t said much but she wanted Biden to step down. She wanted an open Democratic primary to get a new candidate and to go right past Kamala Harris. Her bullshit has been known for awhile, especially if you live in the Bay Area. People forgot because of Covid and because of the whack job who attacked her husband. But remember; she’s also Gavin Newsom’s aunt and well…do with that what you will. If Democrats have any chance at getting their base back; Pelosi needs to step aside and let Hakeem Jeffries be Speaker. Pelosi knew damn well if it was not Kamala Harris; Black People would not show up but she is a white woman first so of course she did what she did. And for her to act like Biden was too old when she’s in the same age group was even more moronic since he won against Trump the first fuckin time

7. antisemitism also played a huge part. Remember Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is Jewish so if it wasn’t antiblackness; antisemitism was also at play here. Even though people won’t say it just like they won’t say their true reasons why they didn’t vote for Kamala Harris. Jewish People were the only allies along with the lgbt community who overwhelmingly voted for Kamala Harris. Every group has knuckleheads but the knuckleheads were extremely smaller than everyone else.

8. The Squad members. AOC, Rashida Tlaib, Jayapal, Cori Bush, Summer Lee and Jamaal Bowman. It’s time to get rid of these idiot DSA morons and the fact that Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman are out is awesome. They always wanted to fuck over the Democrats because they want to appear like they’re activists while they really just sell “ someday it’ll be better” while making $176K a year. They need the GOP in charge so they can coast in the House. Too bad leftists don’t get that.

So now that we all know who’s to blame; maybe now take some fuckin responsibility and hope to fucking heaven that Trump won’t have SCOTUS overturn shit but who are we kidding? With Elon Musk around; a lot of things will be rolled back but let’s see if people learn anything from it. Oh who am I kidding ?

Oh and thinking of moving to Canada? Lmao Justin Trudeau already went “ AHT AHT”. Best believe other countries are already following suit so y’all are going to be owning up to who you voted for lol.

But ya know, Biden was “ too old” and Harris was “ too joyful”

#us politics #us elections #kamala harris #mainstream media #cnn news #the daily show #joy reid #last week tonight #john oliver #jon stewart #anderson cooper #Donald Trump #y’all got the man ya wanted #it’s above me and Black People now #doug emhoff

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