#there are a few of them that volunteered as well

[knitmeapony]

So you're panicking and you don't know what to do, and you feel like you have to do everything ASAP?

My best advice to you is this: pick two things, and then focus.

Pick one thing to do for yourself. This can be self-care like making an art or this can be making sure your vaccinations are up to date or this can be volunteering at or donating to a charity fighting for some Civil Right of yours.

Try not to stress about the decision. I know that that's tough, but remember that what you are doing right now isn't the only thing you are ever going to do. This isn't the most important thing you can do, it's not the biggest thing you can do, it's just one thing you think you can handle right now.

Now, do something for someone else. Same rules apply, it doesn't matter what you're doing. Make a meal for someone or volunteer in your neighborhood or send your friend a letter or an email with a message of hope. Let folks know you are there, and you're with them.

You will almost certainly already feel a little bit better.

Now keep doing that. One thing for you, one thing for somebody else. You can change up the thing you're doing each time if that helps. At some point, you're going to find something that really clicks for you. The timing works out well, it works for your budget. You're good at it or you feel like you're making real progress.

Now, focus. Do that thing more. Find other ways to do that thing. Make that your personal first choice of stuff to do. Make that part of your regular routine.

We cannot all always be helping with every single cause all the time. The next few years are going to have lots and lots and lots of things that do you want to help with. And if you are good at budgeting your time and making decisions when you are anxious, go nuts.

But if you are panicking, and you don't know what to do, just stop. Take a breath. Remember you are one person. Then do something for yourself, then do something for someone else. And when everything starts to really click for you, focus on the thing that you can do a lot of.

[the-bees-patella]

ok, well now what.

My fellow Americans: hello from your local pissed-the-fuck-off former community organizer.

You're probably seeing a lot of calls to support each other right now, and that's all well and good in principle. Where we tend to stumble is largely practical: we're not sure where, how, or when. The same way it works to make a plan to vote, make a plan to help. A few key points:

Please do not get impatient if the organization's response to you is late or generic at first, or if what you're asked to do isn't what you offered. A lot of local organizations—where your impact will be the greatest—are very small and 100% volunteer-run. You're here to help. Don't be one more thing they have to manage.

Be honest with yourself and the organization about your capacity. If that's a couple hours on a weekend from time to time, that's great. If that's driving people places once a month, if it's a small, regular donation—whatever it is, it's one more person helping who wasn't before. The point of doing it all together is that none of us can do everything, and it isn't on any one of us to do it all. It's much easier to scale up your participation than it is to take on a big responsibility and back out.

Stick with it. Everybody's fired up right now, and many organizations won't be lacking for personnel or funds...for now. They'll need you when it gets boring, when people get tired and busy. Whether it's recurring donations or one shift a week, stick with it for as long as you can, which is why see point 2 above. The need will not stop. The help can't either.

My aim with this brief list of organizations/funds is not to be comprehensive, it's more a starting point of both actual orgs and the types of opportunities there are out there. I highly encourage you to look around in your local community. There are people out there working on creative solutions in innovative ways to problems you didn't even know existed.

I know it might sound small or facile, but I promise, going out there and talking to real people will help. Just go to one meeting, on Zoom, in person, anything. Start there. Everything you're able to do is more than there was before.

Fascists thrive on despair and isolation, on mistrust and fear. But there is good in this world, it's worth fighting for, and you're part of it. The time is now. Let's fuck them up. (List below the cut).

If you're on bluesky, here is a much more specific list of organizations. If you're not, reply to this post or send me an ask with your region and I'll respond if I can. Everyone else, please feel free to add your local organizations in the reblogs. Make sure you do your vetting first; please link to a direct source/person/means of contact if you add something to the list.

Trainings and support for leaders to run for public school boards

And library boards

Black and brown youth organizing

Labor organizing in the South/Southwest

Mutual Aid in NYC/Donate to keep that mutual aid active

Mutual aid/volunteer orgs in DC

Supporting and training young progressives to run for office

Collective action against medical debt

Climate action

[shizucheese]

An open letter to @samreich and @dropoutdottv

I am writing this letter in response to the statement you posted yesterday, as well as the response of some within your community in response to Jewish people speaking out about it.

I have always admired Dropout for the inclusive space that you had created for marginalized people. Yesterday you showed that I and my fellow Jewish fans are not included in that. Everything I have been able to find shows that this was prompted by Noah Grossman and Rachel Bloom having been on your network recently. From my own research, Noah Grossman has not made any statement about the war in Gaza. Multiple people have pointed this out. The closest I have been able to find as evidence that Rachel Bloom is a “Zionist” is that performed at a fundraiser for a hospital in Tel Aviv. There is no evidence that I could find to indicate that either of them support the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. You yourselves said in your own statement that to your knowledge no one who has appeared on Dropout has openly identified as a Zionist." What this means is that people saw you had people on your network who were Jewish and had even the slightest connection to Israel, and decided to accuse them of being “Zionists” and you of Platforming them.

Multiple Jewish members of your community have spoken out, explaining to you far better than I could why your response was incredibly antisemitic. I am begging you to listen to those members of your community, and do better. You cannot foster a community or space that is safe for everyone, particularly marginalized people, if you are also fostering a space where antisemitism goes unchecked.

Related to all of this, I want to take a moment to discuss the meaning and history of the word “Zionist.” A member of your Discord community voiced their frustration over your statement and how the word “Zionism” is being used. I will link it here, because I think they and a few others made some very good points that I intend to expand on here: https://www.reddit.com/r/dropout/comments/1gjjver/antizionism_antisemitism_from_a_longtime_fan_of/

I am going to include the response from the subreddit mod here: “This seems to be a reasonable and nuanced take so I don't want to dismiss it out of hand, but since you're using different definitions you're either intentionally or unintentionally creating strawmen arguments that to my knowledge no one here is supporting. If they are, please report it and it will be handled.

I'm definitely not an expert on what the definition of Zionism is or should be, but it's clear that Dropout's statement is not using the same definition you are here, so focusing entirely on the semantics isn't relevant to the actual issues being discussed.”

I realize the moderators of the dropout subreddit are likely not directly affiliated with you, and I will not hold you personally responsible for the words and actions of someone who is likely a fan basically doing volunteer work within your fan community, but their words and actions and the rhetoric that can be found in the subreddit in response to this Jewish person speaking out are indicative of the attitude and treatment of Jewish people that lead to this whole situation in the first place, and the kind of culture that statements like the one you made yesterday cultivate.

There are several problems with the statement the reddit mod made, and the mindset behind it.

The first major one, as many people in the replies pointed out, is that people from outside of a community have no right to tell people from within that community what a their own terminology means. Coopting a word from a culture and then talking over them when people from that culture speak out against it is incredibly problematic. For the record, because I and I know many other Jewish people have experienced this within the past year, if not longer than that: people from outside a marginalized group do not get to tell people from within that group what is and isn’t offensive to their group, or speak over them and tell them that something that people from within that marginalized group say is offensive isn’t actually offensive.

We say that it is important to elevate marginalized voices and not speak over them, so why is it that I’ve seen so much of this when Jewish people try to speak up about their own lived experiences?

Surely there is a way to elevate Palestinian voices and listen to their struggles without silencing Jewish ones?

The second major problem here is that the word “Zionist” has come to mean so many things to so many people that it is essentially meaningless. There is a reason I have largely put the word “Zionism” in quotes this entire time. As such, it is an incredibly bad faith argument to make to accuse a Jewish person speaking out about the use of the word “Zionism” and claim that “it is clear that Dropout’s statement is not using the same Definition as you are” and dismissing it as “semantics.” Especially when the definition of “Zionism” and the fact that it has been coopted by non-Jewish people to mean something different is so central to the conversation at hand?

For some people, “Zionism” is the belief that Jews have a right to self-determination and that Israel has a right to exist. For them, “Zionism” is a wide umbrella term that covers people from those who support a One State solution in favor of Israel and should rightfully be called out for it, to people who support a Two State solution and condemn what is happening in Gaza right now. This is the Jewish definition of the word, and the one that the OP of that subreddit post was using.

For others, “Zionist” means someone who uncritically supports what Israel is doing right now.

For others, “Zionist” means “Jew.” There is a long history of the word “Zionist,” being used by antisemites, and antisemites calling themselves “antizionist” when they are either trying to justify their bigotry or mask it to make it seem more palatable.

If you can take a statement an “antizionist” has made and replace the word “Zionist” with “Jew,” and they suddenly sound like they would have been right at home in WWII Germany, they are that third one and anything they say should be taken with far more criticism.

People who fall under the first and second definitions of "Zionist" also can be described as "Pro-Israel," and bad faith actors often interchangeably accuse Jewish people of being "Zionist" or "Pro-Israel" under the second definition when the reality is those people fall under the first definition and are disgusted by the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza.

So, here’s the problem: based on the complete lack of evidence that either Noah Grossman or Rachel Bloom are “Zionist” by the second definition stated here, it’s hard not to think that the people accusing Dropout of “platforming Zionists” are antisemites dressing up their antisemitism in progressive rhetoric and calling it "antizionism." They saw two Jewish people who had either stayed silent since the war started, or had at “worst” were involved with a fundraiser for a hospital, and labeled them “Zionists,” even though the actual views of both of these people are not actually known.

Your platform and two people who had appeared on it were subjected to an antisemitic campaign involving a threat of boycott, and your response was “to our knowledge, no individual who has appeared on Dropout has openly identified as a Zionist,” and then several paragraphs about the Palestinian people without even a hint of condemnation for the antisemitism at work here. Not even a single acknowledgement that being Jewish doesn’t automatically mean that someone is a “Zionist” by the second definition.

Also, like…the mod on your subreddit claimed it was “clear” which definition of “Zionist” was used in your statement, by which I assume they meant the second definition I provided. But I have personally been accused of being a “Zionist” for being in support of a two state solution, and I know for a fact—because I’ve seen it—that other Jewish people with the same beliefs have experienced this as well. Also there are people in the reblogs and tags of your Tumblr post claiming there are “Zionists in the reblogs” and “Zionists in the tags” when the closest thing I can find to “Zionism” is Jewish people calling out the antisemitism in the statement and the situation, and pointing out that the UNRWA, which you linked to in your post, has connections to Hamas, including members of their organization having been found to have been involved in the attacks on 10/7.

So no, “the definition of Zionism” is not clear here.

While we’re on the topic of Hamas, gentle reminder that Hamas was founded by people who wanted to cause a second Holocaust, their charter explicitly called for the hunting down of and murder of Jewish people as recently as 2017, (I will not link to it here, because there is a history of people getting penalized on social media for speaking out against hate speech by quoting it as if they were spreading that hate speech themselves, but it is easy enough to verify), and they still openly deny the Holocaust happened. To support, financially or otherwise, Hamas in any way is in fact to support Genocide.

When people came forward to express their disappointment in a derogatory word having been used in Breaking News and your Chris Grace special, you listened to them and made a statement addressing the issue and promising to do better. I am now asking for you to do the same for your Jewish fans: listen to what we are saying. Address it. Do better.

Also, before anyone tries to say “how can you say Dropout is Antisemitic when Sam Reich is Jewish?: --something I’ve already seen people do in the reblogs and tags of Dropout’s post and elsewhere—please do not use a Jewish person as a tool to silence other Jewish people. My one-year subscription to Dropout ends at the end of this month. If this has not been addressed by November 30, 2024, I will not be renewing my subscription and will be boycotting Dropout going forward. I urge anyone else who is disgusted by the antisemitism and silencing of Jewish voices on display here to do the same.

Thank you.

[adiduck]

Hey my fellow USians, how're we all doing today? Yeah? Oh yeah? Sounds about right, okay. I don't usually talk about politics on this blog, but today I'm going to make an exception.

A few things:

We're not going to know ANYTHING until AT LEAST tonight, and probably won't have an answer today. That's frustrating and terrifying, but it's just the reality. Instead of obsessing about what's on the news, focus on doing things that you can actually control! For some of us, that will be volunteer! Check your local area for opportunities to phone bank, cure ballots, even assist with transportation to and from voting locations. For others, that will be touching base with family and friends. For yet more, that's going to be staying right where you are, and being safe. All of that is fine and good! The point is to not make yourself crazy when you don't have the ability to change something!

If you haven't voted and you're registered, please make every effort to do that. The race is CLOSE if we can believe the polls (arguable), and so every vote is even MORE relevant than it might be normally! Don't believe the defeatists--your voice DOES matter, and what's more, the only way it can be heard is if you participate in the civil institutions we currently have. Find your polling place and go vote!

If you haven't voted, and you are NOT registered, it may not be too late! There are several states where you can register right before voting. Check if you happen to be in one of them!

All of that said, take care of yourself today! Have you eaten? Have you hydrated? Taken your meds? Taken a shower? The existential dread is real and there, for sure, but so is that sandwich. Eat the sandwich, it'll help.

Above all, remember that we are all in this together. the electoral college is an outdated system designed to disenfranchise voters, but the popular vote is worth paying attention to, even when it can't make policy. There are more of us than there are of them. You are not alone.

Okay, that's all I got. I love you all! Stay safe, and be well!

[buddie-buddie]

The headquarters of the Buckley campaign are alive with overlapping voices, ringing phones, and the low hum of news coverage on every available screen.

It’s election night, the air thick with anticipation as staffers, volunteers, and supporters move around the space, each one carrying an energy that’s equal parts excitement and tension. Tables are crowded with stacks of voter turnout reports and precinct updates, laptops open and phones buzzing as every new projection is analyzed and discussed.

Large screens along the walls display a constant stream of election coverage, each network breaking down swing states, exit polls, and county-by-county tallies. Color-coded maps flash across the screens, updates coming in minute by minute, with each projected win or loss sending a new ripple through the room. The cheers, murmurs, and exchanged glances create a low, steady hum that’s almost like white noise, underscored by the ever-present tension of the night’s stakes.

There’s an air of barely contained excitement, a collective holding of breath as everyone waits, glued to the screens, hoping for the numbers they’ve spent months working toward.

Between Buck’s team and Eddie’s, there are well over three dozen people milling around the room, but Eddie’s attention belongs to only one of them.

Buck sits on the edge of one of the desks, his posture just a little too rigid. His shoulders are drawn up tighter than usual, muscles tense. One leg is crossed over the other, but his foot bounces in a restless rhythm, betraying the nerves Eddie’s certain he’s trying his hardest to mask. His fingers tap against his knee, an unconscious beat that grows faster each time the news anchor cuts to another update.

He’s looking calm enough if you didn’t know him well, if you weren’t paying attention to the slight furrow in his brow or the way his jaw tenses every few seconds. But Eddie does know him. He knows the way Buck’s gaze keeps flitting to the nearest TV screen and then back down, never quite settling, as if he can’t bear to watch for too long. The strain in Buck’s expression is subtle, barely there, but to Eddie, it’s as obvious as a shout.

Eddie’s gut twists, both in sympathy and in something deeper, something that makes his heart beat a little faster. He’s enamored by Buck— has been from the start, from the moment he met him. Even now, in the middle of this crowded room, with the weight of an election hanging over him, Buck is captivating in a way that’s impossible to ignore. 

And Eddie can’t look away.

Thankfully, it’s his job not to. 

But keeping an eye on the guy he’s sworn to protect is a far cry from what Eddie really wants to do, from what he longs for with every breath and every heartbeat. It takes everything in him not to move closer, not to cross the room and kneel in front of Buck, to take Buck’s hands in his. He longs to kiss the worry lines off his forehead, to run his thumb over Buck’s bottom lip, to soothe the faint indentation where his teeth have been digging into it all night. 

He feels helpless against the near-magnetic pull he feels toward Buck, how desperately he longs to reassure him, to let him know he doesn’t have to carry this alone. That Eddie has enough faith in him for the both of them. 

There isn’t a doubt in his mind that tonight belongs to Buck. Never in his life has he been more certain about a presidential candidate’s ability to win–– and it's not because he’s spent the last fourteen months sharing most of his waking hours with the guy. 

And many of his sleeping ones, too. 

No, it has nothing at all to do with that and everything to do with Buck’s vision for the future, with the conviction Eddie has seen firsthand, day in and day out. He’s watched Buck pour himself into this campaign, not out of ambition or ego, but out of a genuine, undying love for the people he wants to serve. Buck’s loyalty to this country runs as deep as anything Eddie’s ever seen, and he believes in it wholeheartedly. He believes in Buck’s relentless drive to make things better, to bring hope and unity to a country that desperately needs it. Buck has a fire, a determination, that’s as clear as the blue in his eyes, and Eddie knows that if anyone deserves to win this, it’s him.

Eddie’s confidence isn’t just personal— it’s built on everything he’s witnessed, every late-night conversation about policies and plans, every impassioned speech, every flash of determination in Buck’s eyes when he talks about what he envisions for the future of America. 

There’s no doubt in Eddie’s mind those 270 electoral votes are his. Hell, he’d bet his house and every dollar to his name that Buck takes well over 300 of them. 

But it’s clear Buck doesn’t have the same faith in himself. There’s a pang in Eddie’s chest as he watches him, seeing the unease he can’t quite mask, despite his best efforts. 

Eddie hates seeing Buck like this— tense, wound tight like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

And he is, in a way. Eddie knows it. Just as he knows how hard Buck is trying to keep it together for everyone in the room, to project that calm confidence he thinks they need from him. 

But he’s struggling, Eddie can tell. 

Maddie stands beside Buck, her hand resting on his shoulder as she gives him a reassuring squeeze. 

Words could never accurately convey just how grateful Eddie is for Maddie and all she does for Buck. Maddie is the person you want by your side–– in the good moments and the bad ones, too. And it’s not just about her work on the campaign, though she’s brilliant and absolutely incredible at what she does. It’s about her loyalty, her fierce, unwavering commitment to Buck’s happiness, his vision, his dreams. 

Eddie’s grateful to Maddie for everything. For raising him and loving him and being his cheerleader and his confidante and his champion every step of the way. And for being here, for knowing exactly what Buck needs and offering it so freely.

And yet, despite the gratitude, there’s a flash of something else— something raw and unbidden— that twists in Eddie’s chest. A flicker of jealousy, sharp and undeniable, because Maddie gets to be the one beside Buck right now. She’s the one comforting him in a way that Eddie wishes more than anything that he could. She gets to reach out, offer that reassurance, bridge the gap that Eddie has to keep firmly in place.

He watches as Maddie squeezes Buck’s shoulder, her touch gentle and familiar, her presence a steadying force. Eddie aches to be the one in her place. 

No, not in her place. He doesn’t want to replace her. Maddie is Buck’s sister, his family, his anchor through every high and low, and Eddie knows how much that matters. He knows how essential she is to Buck’s life, how her love and support grounds him in a way no one else’s could. And he’s grateful for that— grateful that Buck has Maddie beside him, someone who knows him so completely and loves him unconditionally, just as he deserves.

Eddie just wishes he could be there, too. Alongside her. To share in offering that reassurance, to stand beside Maddie as a constant in Buck’s life. He wants to be part of that inner circle, not to take Maddie’s place at the table but to pull up a chair of his own. 

But he can’t. Not here, not with so many eyes watching. So he swallows it all down, grateful and envious in equal measure.

The tension in the room rises as more people move in and out, staffers murmuring updates and running quick calculations. One of them leans in, whispering something to Buck, and he nods, forcing a faint, strained smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

Eddie sees right through it.

As Buck glances across the room, his gaze lands on Eddie, and for just a brief second, their eyes meet. In that moment, Eddie catches a flicker of something vulnerable— something Buck would never let the rest of the room see. But Eddie sees it, and it’s enough to make his resolve tighten. He can’t stand the thought of Buck bearing this weight alone, can’t stand seeing that doubt flash in his eyes.

Just then, a break in the commotion creates a quiet lull. Eddie seizes it, catching Buck’s eye and nodding subtly toward the door that leads to the back hallway. Buck hesitates for a second, glancing around quickly before standing up and slipping away, Eddie following close behind.

Buck heads for an empty office at the end of the hallway, far enough from the main room and all the excitement of the night that no one will stumble upon them.

The second they’re alone, Eddie closes the door behind them, blocking out the noise and leaving them in a pocket of silence. Buck lets out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair, his shoulders slumping just slightly as the weight of the night catches up to him. 

Eddie doesn’t say anything at first, just watches him, taking in the vulnerability Buck allows himself only in this moment.

“You doing okay?” Eddie asks gently. His voice is low and steady, but there’s an edge of worry there that he doesn’t bother hiding.

Buck nods, but his gaze drops, betraying the truth. “Y–Yeah. I mean… it’s, uh. It’s a lot,” he admits, his voice quiet, almost hesitant. He glances up, giving Eddie a tight smile. “Trying to keep it together, you know?”

Eddie nods. “I know.”

He doesn’t say anything else. He doesn’t need to. He knows that Buck is searching for his words, trying to sift through the flood of thoughts and emotions churning inside him. 

Eddie recognizes the look in Buck’s eye— the one that says he’s struggling to make sense of it all, feeling the weight of every hope, fear, and responsibility pressing down on him. So Eddie just waits, steady and silent, giving Buck the space he needs to untangle it all.

He’ll give Buck all the time he needs. Eddie would stop the world for him if he could.

Buck’s eyes search his for a moment, as if gauging how much he can let down the guard he’s been holding up all night. “It’s just… what if it’s not enough? All this work, all these people counting on me, what if it– if I–”

Eddie’s hand finds Buck’s shoulder, a silent promise. “You’ve done everything possible, Buck. And you’ve done it better than anyone else could.” He pauses, letting the sincerity of his words settle. “This is your night. I believe in you.”

Buck’s gaze falters, his mouth pulling into a frown. “What if we lose Pennsylvania?”

Eddie cuts him off gently, shaking his head. “Your home state? No chance.”

“But–”

“But nothing,” Eddie says simply. “All the polls have you taking it by a landslide. That state has been behind you from day one. You’re not losing it.”

Buck bites his lip, and Eddie can see another worry forming in his mind before he even says it. “Yeah, but what if— what if the turnout isn’t what we expected? What if the numbers were off, or— or the projections weren’t accurate?���

Eddie raises an eyebrow, a small, amused smile tugging at his lips. “You’ve got every reputable source predicting a win. A runaway, in fact. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re just looking for something to worry about now.” 

“But–”

Eddie takes a step forward, closing the distance between them. His voice drops, low and steady. “You’re going to win. Trust me.”

Buck tries to respond, another worry on the tip of his tongue, but Eddie doesn’t give him the chance. Instead, he leans in, pressing a soft, gentle kiss to Buck’s forehead, right where the worry lines have creased all night. 

Buck’s breath hitches, and Eddie trails a gentle kiss to his temple, then another to his cheek, each one a wordless reassurance.

“Eddie…” Buck starts, but Eddie kisses the bridge of his nose, effectively silencing him. Buck’s shoulders relax a little more with each touch.

“Shh,” Eddie murmurs, a faint smile playing on his lips as he continues to pepper kisses across Buck’s face. “No more worrying, alright? It’s your night, Buck. Let yourself have it.”

Buck nods, his face softening as the tension finally begins to fade. He steps closer, reaching up to rest a hand on Eddie’s cheek, his thumb brushing gently over his skin. 

“Thank you,” Buck breathes, barely audible. There’s a tenderness in his eyes, something unspoken but deep, as he leans in, his lips meeting Eddie’s in a soft, lingering kiss.

The touch is warm, familiar, and achingly gentle, carrying the weight of everything Buck hasn’t said out loud, but Eddie hears all the same. Eddie’s hand settles at Buck’s waist, pulling him just a little closer, his heartbeat steadying as he melts into the kiss. 

For a moment, everything fades away. The noise, the pressure, the stakes, all of it.

It’s just them, steady and certain. 

“Always,” Eddie murmurs, just loud enough for Buck to hear, a promise woven into the quiet moment that stretches between them.

Buck leans back, a bit of peace finally settling over him. “We should get back in there,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. Eddie can see the reluctance in his eyes, mirroring his own. 

But they’re on begged and borrowed time, and they both know it. With a slight nod, Eddie reaches for the door, his fingers lingering on the handle as he pulls it open, his gaze still on Buck.

“After you, Mr. President,” he says, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Buck gives him a look, somewhere between amusement and a hint of exasperation, his lips twitching in a barely-contained smile. He rolls his eyes, but there’s a glimmer of warmth in his expression, a quiet confidence that Eddie hasn’t seen yet tonight.

As Buck steps past him, their pinkies brush— a small, fleeting touch, but one that sends a spark through Eddie all the same. Eddie doesn’t pull his hand away, letting the touch linger as long as he dares. 

It feels like a promise, a shared acknowledgment that whatever happens tonight, whatever waits for them beyond those doors, they’re in this together. Eddie’s chest tightens with a quiet certainty, a sneaking suspicion that no matter the outcome tonight, they’ve already won something bigger.

also on ao3

[blvcklizard]

Given that Servamp is almost over I doubt it'll happen, but I'd sort of like to learn more about subclasses. Like, apart from the Melancholies, Lily's and the few "major" character subclasses we barely saw how each Servamp treats theirs and how they feel about it. Kuro had the right idea ngl-

Like, imagine you die and get revived as greed subclass, and now you're stuck with cleaning up the mess of a chaotic overly emotional 18-year-old for the rest of your basically never ending life. The fact that they have costumes implies that they've been keeping up with the shit he does. Guil, okay, he's been his caretaker since they were humans and pretty much volunteered to watch over him, but what about the others. Were they just like "okay this is my life now I guess"

[autistic-katara]

are u even queer if u havent pounced on an opportunity to get beat up by ur crush?

[gophergal]

the solution to the "are you normal about X people who turn out to be Y" debate is stop fucking assuming things about people

You wanna know what pronouns to use for an individual? Ask them.

As a general rule, don't make jokes about the identity you perceive of someone. Know your audience

How is that hard? Why do we all think ourselves such experts on the lives of other people??????

[daz4i]

every day on midnight there is a guy who uploads a meme about what day of the war it is (49, currently) and every day there is a guy commenting updates on like if anything changed today. at some point another guy joined by giving fun facts about the number of each day. now the second guy has gotten bored and started adding more things too like fun facts and recipes. beautiful display of what despair can bring out of people (really funny memes. and solidarity ig. and tradition?)

[violetsandshrikes]

I met a girl when I was fresh out of high school in undergrad who frankly, annoyed me quite a bit, but I also had an inkling to continue to be compassionate to her given a few things about her life/background/family

I ran into her two years ago. Last week, her daughter turned 1. This girl, let’s called her “P”, is a really good example of why I never feel comfortable mocking trad wives

Her perfect trad husband, who was a shining young figure in the local religious community, volunteered in all sorts of groups, well loved in his workplace and everything else, beat her up at 1 month post-partum. I reached out to her after seeing her desperately asking for a stroller on a page, confused and slightly concerned knowing both of them came from wealthy backgrounds.

The reality for lots of tradwives living “perfect lives” is this: P was immediately ostracised. All the wealth of her husband and her family meant absolutely nothing if she wasn’t in favour and doing what she was told. Her child and her well-being didn’t matter. P, at 25 years old, was basically deemed an oopsie, and left on her own to figure out how to pay for herself, a baby, find housing, and every other task you can think of.

Having known many of these women (and supported many of these women), another factor most people don’t consider is this: they are intentionally raised to be helpless. When I immediately offered my support to P, she really needed it. This young woman needed to be guided through how to apply for government assistance, how to weigh up rentals and apply for them, how to apply for jobs, how to sign up for childcare. How to sign up for your own power and internet, and how to connect them.

It wasn’t that she was “stupid”, or incapable, or spoiled. While it looks like they’re being sheltered, in reality, these women are practically being held hostage. Sure, they might be allowed to learn things that are expected of them (see: basic cooking, baking, cleaning, child rearing, women’s bible studies, hosting, and so forth) but they are heavily controlled from family life into marriage life, and they are never given the opportunity or the reality of what many of us would consider basic adult tasks.

She’s doing okay now. Her daughter turned 1, is happy and healthy. They live frugally, but they have a roof over their heads and the essentials. I often babysit for her so she can attend counselling, or go to a woman’s support group. She is painfully aware that she has so much to learn about how to live as an adult.

I don’t envy tradwives, but I don’t find any joy in mocking them either. Even when they live the most picturesque lives, they’re also practically living a real life Jenga game. If (and often, when) it comes tumbling down, they’re screwed too, and they often have 0 skills to help themselves or find community (that again, isn’t carefully curated).

[prentissluvr]

four hours straight of dancing difficult choreo then three hours of being bent over painting children's faces then almost an hour of cleaning up the event MY BACK HURTS SO MUCH

[starlight-storytime]

essay in tags :p

[wavernot4love]

oh what do you Mean ag just announced a boom done tour and the first show is in my area. and also i see thursday play war all the time in full in less than a week .... a show which is also the first show of tour ....

big moment for wavernot4love lately

[indestructiblelittlefuckers]

(Good morning!Today i have to watch the work seminar part 2 online, so I can definitely squeeze in some replies in the between! I hope you are all gonna have a nice Sunday!)

[jlheon]

𝓜𝐒. & 𝐌𝐑. 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 ୨୧ 𝐏𝐒𝐇

(𝓹airing) — psh x fmr ꣑୧ 𝓯renemies to lovers ; fluff, profanity, & lots of kissing (𝔀ordcount) one-thousand five-hundred forty 𝓹eng's note. these pics. #iWantThat 𝓫ookshelf

𝓼ynopsis. seeing your ex in public leads to hiding in a small photobooth with your annoying student council vice president park sunghoon

“you’re late,” sunghoon says in the most agitating voice possible as you walk through the classroom door.

“i wouldn’t be late if you did your job,” you huff, walking right up to the desk he sat at and dropping the bags of decorations you had picked up from the party supplies store.

“hey! i said i would pick those up!” he says annoyed, sifting through everything you brought.

“mrs. kim said we needed them by today! why the fuck were you just sitting around?” 

“geez, loosen up,” the boy gets up from his seat, his tall body looming over yours. “let’s just go decorate the gym.”

the two of you split up the bags of party supplies and headed towards the gym where the rest of the council and student volunteers were waiting. 

setting up for the fundraiser was easy until you and sunghoon started yelling at each other over which color streamers should be used over the doorway. 

jake had to drag you away by the shoulders to come to help him with the balloons. sunghoon felt a bitter taste when he saw jake with his arm around your shoulder but decided to ignore it. 

“hoon,” jungwon calls out. “we’re out of balloons!”

“that’s why i should have bought the decorations…” sunghoon mutters under his breath before walking up to where you and jake were giggling. 

sunghoon walks up behind you and places a hand on your shoulder. “we have to go back to the store.” he whispers in your ear. 

you freeze at his touch but nod and say goodbye to jake. he lets go of you and the two of you walk out the exit leading to the parking lot.

the two of you get into sunghoon’s car and he drives off to the mall. 

there’s an awkward silence between the both of you, which you can’t decide if you like bantering with him over it. there’s so much tension due to sunghoon’s lingering touch from earlier.

once inside the mall, you quietly walked side by side into the automatic doors. 

only a few feet from the party supplies stores you halt. spotting your ex-boyfriend and old friend seemingly on a date.

“sunghoon,” you whisper, tapping on his shoulder. “do you see what i see?”

he rolls his eyes at you finally breaking the silence but then looks up to see for himself. once he does that the two seem to have had the same idea, making eye contact with the other.

“oh shit they saw us,” he panics, grabbing your hand and pulling you into the photo booth you were conveniently standing next to.   

the photo booth is small. way too small. sunghoon is already sitting as you uncomfortably sit on the ledge with your legs peeking out from the curtain. 

“get up,” he instructs. 

“what?” you raise an eyebrow. “i’m not letting them see me again! especially not with you!”

“i meant like come here,” sunghoon grabs you and settles you on his lap, so the both of you fit into the small space.

“oh my god, what if they come over here!” you panic resting your hands on his shoulders. “this is bad! especially since i’m with you of all people-”

“with me?” sunghoon questions. 

“well, like when we were dating, he always thought you had a crush on me, which isn’t impossible! i had to keep reassuring him but he never believed me! like me and you are barely even friends-” you ramble, balling sunghoon’s shirt in your fists as you freak out. 

“woah, calm down,” he tells you, prying your hands from his uniform so you don’t wrinkle it. “it’s not like they’ll come to talk to us.”

just as the words left his mouth the sound of two sets of footsteps were picked up by your ears. you started to become overwhelmingly nervous. it was the first time seeing your ex-boyfriend since the split and the fact your childhood best friend was on a date with him. 

even if you drifted, shouldn’t she have some sense of girl code?

“you’re shaking,” sunghoon stares at you. 

“no i’m not!” you shake your head, your heartbeat being undeniably fast. “but like i haven’t had a date since him and that’s kind of sad for me-”

“i swear i saw her,” the familiar voice of your old friend says, sounding so close. “it could have been anyone though.”

“no, i saw her and that motherfucker,” your ex hisses. 

“wow, i’m ‘motherfucker’,” sunghoon whispers, rolling his eyes.

“if he made a move on her i swear.”

“hey, i have an idea,” he says in your ear. 

sunghoon reaches for his phone out of his pocket, holding you close as he leans over slightly to pay the machine for a photo. the screen activates after processing his card and he selects a random frame. 

the camera starts going and you sit confused as sunghoon starts posing. you can’t help but watch him. he always looks pretty but you must admit he knows how to pose. 

you peek over to the curtain to see two pairs of legs standing outside the photo booth. you can only assume it’s them. 

“you weren’t looking in any of them,” sunghoon recalls, pressing print on the screen. 

“oh, sorry,” you turn your attention back to him. 

“it’s fine, let's do another one,” he says nonchalantly as he pays for another photo strip.

this time sunghoon shifts in his spot, making it so that your face can be seen on the screen without having to turn you around in his lap.

you awkwardly copy sunghoon’s poses until by the second to last picture you hear him again.

“that fucker is in the photo booth,” the male voice outside says, seeing as he drops the photo strip back into where it fell from. 

“come closer,” he tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. 

“fine,” you lean onto him. “but don’t show my face too much. i’m not wearing concealer today.”

“you look just as pretty,” sunghoon leans closer so your lips barely brush the others. “maybe even prettier than usual.”

he brings his thumb to your bottom lip, gently stroking it before closing the gap. 

you hate to admit it but kissing sunghoon was everything you expected and more. you’ve caught yourself daydreaming about his lips on yours during one-on-one meetings in the conference room. when his hair is still damp from his after-shower practice and his face is still slightly flushed.

park sunghoon can make you mad, especially when he got secretary over you in freshman year. but you cannot deny that even when bitter about the council's choice you wanted to kiss that proud smile on his face. 

he made you mad when he stole your posters when you were running for secretary again the next year. but after he found you crying in the far stairwell he explained he only did that because he thinks you should run for president instead. sunghoon even pulled out another stack of flyers he made for you that he spent the whole night doing.

the sunghoon that got you both kicked out of a council meeting for arguing with each other is the same sunghoon with his lips molded perfectly against yours. 

the same boy that had you studying your ass off when class ranks came out, since he’s your only competition, is the same boy in front of you now with his lips locked on yours.

you start to feel dizzy by the decreased amount of air in your lungs by the minute but you can’t bring yourself to let go just yet. when you start seeing black specs dotting your vision you finally pull away to see a heavily panting sunghoon with a flushed face. 

“sorry,” sunghoon apologizes as he catches his breath.

your heart sinks. he only kissed you to distract you and probably so your ex will see the photos when they print.

“oh,” you fight the frown threatening to appear on your face. “it’s okay. he’s probably gone now.”

“i would have asked for your permission but you looked really stressed and i thought it would help you get your mind off your asshole ex.”

“thanks,” you say with a pout sunghoon finds adorable.

“you still seem sad,” he pokes at your sides, making you squirm in his hold. “maybe another kiss?”

“maybe,” you say shyly. 

sunghoon is out forty dollars by the time you and he are done kissing in the photo booth. he kept mindlessly swiping his card as his lips stayed on yours to prevent anyone from kicking you two out since you were there for a considerable amount of time.

you’re interrupted by sunghoon’s phone ringing profusely. 

“where are you two?” jungwon asks in a panic. “we need those balloons.”

“traffic,” sunghoon says as you plant a line of kisses down his neck, hands tangled in the hair at his nape.

“hurry up,” jungwon advises him.

you and sunghoon return to school an hour and a half after you originally left. with a bag of balloons and a stack of photo strips. most of them capturing purely just of you two making out.

when stepping foot in the gym and you go over to hand jungwon the balloons he so desperately needed. he quickly notices the matching hickeys forming on both your necks and how disheveled your uniforms and hair appear.

“traffic huh?” jungwon asks as his eyes flicker between both of you.

"lots," you nod as you walk away to help minjeong tie balloons.

[strawbuddy-luv]

Trans Tim off handedly mentioning random things that just confuse people more and more because he never told them he was trans (only Bruce and Alfred know)

Tim: "For the mission I'm thinking I'll go undercover, but it'll take some work to hide the bruises I got earlier. They're everywhere"

Dick: "Oh I think Steph is free right now!"

Tim: "...Ok?"

Dick: "Don't worry I'm sure she'll help you out with this! "

Tim: "That's awesome but I don't think I'll need help. I know how to use makeup."

Dick: "Really-? Ohhh, yeah your public image is like, way more public than ours. That must be tiring, having to hide the bruises all the time."

Tim: "Well yeah but I knew how to use makeup before that. For like, galas as a kid and stuff"

Dick: "...yeah..."

-----

Steph: -Complaining about a man- "And then he said "Oh you should smile more" like "you look like you don't want to be here" like what- what the fuck-??? Maybe I fucking don't dude."

Tim: "Oh yeah I hate when they do that. Like you've spent the entire time bitching about the consistency of snails, I can close my mouth for a few seconds."

Steph: "..."

Tim: "...What-?"

Steph: "Well- I mean yeah but- you know I have to deal with it like...way more, and it's just a bit weird that like, you as a guy are, I dunno, trying to relate? I mean you don't have to deal with it litreally everyday"

Tim: "Well yeah not anymore, but, you know...I still did."

Steph: :...What-"

-----

Tim: -Resting against one of the rooftop ledges-

Jason: "Woah, I can't believe it, Red Robin, slacking. What would Bruce do if he saw this!"

Tim: "Fuck off, it's just period cramps." -Jumps off the edge of the building-

Jason: "Yeah whatever Timblina...

Your fucking what-"

-----

Bruce: "And for this mission, we'll be needing someone for the Caroline disguise, but we already know who that is so-"

Dick: "Wait does Steph actually know how to fight in heels-??"

Bruce: "...N-"

Steph: "Yeah Bruce, I mean, you could at least actually ask me before volunteering me to go fight crime in that dress."

Bruce: "You-"

Jason: "I mean no offense, but literally who else would do it? Cass isn't here right now and I don't think any of us are willing to get a boob job for the mission"

Bruce: "No one's getting a boob job-"

Steph: "Yeah! This is bat tech, Bruce probably has ultra realistic titties in everyone's color and size! Jason you wouldn't even need an attachment."

Jason: "I don't think Caroline Hills has fifty gun shot wounds and muscles the size of most those guys heads."

Steph: "Yeah bu-"

Bruce: "None of that will be necessary because none of you" -Pointing at the right side of the table- "Will be going. No one at this table will be needing any prosthetics...Or boob jobs."

Steph: "...Ok but who the fuck is going then-"

Bruce: "Tim."

The entire table: "..."

Steph: "Tim are you really willing to put on boobs for this-"

Dick: "I don't think that's the best idea-"

Jason: "You just said no prosthetics- Oh this'll be fucking rich"

Tim: "...

I...wouldn't need a boob job?? Or prosthetics?"

Jason: "Timbo, that dress is a pretty low cut, and, no offense, your training hasn't given you that many enhancements."

Tim: "...Thank you for the binding compliment?"

Dick: "The what-"

Tim: "Guys I- I already have boobs-"

The Table: "..."

Steph: "WHAT-"

Dick: "You do-?!"

Jason: "Bruce if you made Tim get boobs for some weird mission-"

Tim: "What- No! No one made me get boobs??? Besides, I don't know, biology I guess??? Genetics maybe???"

Dick: "...I'm extremely confused"

Steph: "WHO GAVE YOU BOOBS-???"

Tim: "I'm not really sure seeing as I was born with them"

Dick: "...

OHHHHHH-"

Steph: "What- is this like a birth defect or something???"

Dick: "Tim- Tim I think you're just gonna have to-"

Tim: "I'm trans."

Jason: "...That's-

Yeah

Ok yeah no that- that explains...a lot."

Steph: "..." -Head in hands- "I am such a fucking idiot"