#they’ve been gone since I think July 2022?

[jamiemoonymarks]

I wish there was was a wellness check-in for fic writers. Like a friendly “hey friend, you are you doing? You haven’t been active for 10 months. Are you feeling alright?”

[stuckybingo]

It is time to Resurrect Stucky!

Reclists Part 1

Back in December, the call was put out for fans to create a Stucky Renaissance on Tumblr. We at Stucky Bingo are all about our two favorite centenarians and participants for this event helped to create a series of reclists for all of our fellow Stucky enthusiasts to enjoy.

This reclist is dedicated to the Round Robins created during the last few rounds of Stucky Bingo!

Stucky Bingo July 2021 Round Robin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, Ruquas, Laevateinn, Politzania, LLightz, ralsbecket, UisceOneLove, eachpeachpearplum (Teen, 2.6k) Thor finally comes good on his promise to give Steve and Bucky a trip to space for their wedding present.

Stucky Bingo October 2021 Round Robin by PoliZ, captainfantastic, Girl_Back_There, Laevateinn, ABrighterDarkness, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (Mature, 2k) Not even exhaustion from Bucky's job as a mechanic can stop his boyfriend Steve and him from donning a creative couples costume for Tony's Halloween party.

Stucky Bingo November 2021 Round Robin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, beemotionpicture, lattebiscuit, Laevateinn, PoliZ, ribbonsflying, Girl_Back_There (Teen, 2.5k) They’ve been together forever, but now that there are only a few people left in this hellscape of a planet, Bucky’s even more grateful for Steve Rogers.

Stucky Bingo December 2021 Round Robin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, MarvelousMoons, TrinityDay, PoliZ, ABrighterDarkness Bill Longbow (General, 2.1k) “Sorry, you guys,” Natasha apologizes. She knows Bucky can hear the whole conversation even without the speaker. “I know we aren’t supposed to call, but it’s an emergency.” “I know,” Steve says, already mentally running through everything he’d have to do before Nat picked him up. Would he have time to say goodnight to their daughter or would Bucky have to explain? “It’s Sam—” At that even Bucky started to lose the edge of his annoyance, worry creeping in instead and he leaned closer—“He just lost a really embarrassing bet.” It takes a second for Steve to process the words, but Natasha is already going on. “See, he seems to think you have enough self-preservation to put your phone on do not disturb on your anniversary weekend.”

Stucky Bingo January 2022 Round Robin by Politzania, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, ABrighterDarkness, TrinityDay, Bill_Longbow, Girl_Back_There (Teen, 2k) Ever since the Hydra prison factory escape, Bucky had been keeping a distance between them. Sure, he’d been the first one to lead the cheer once they got back to the camp, and he’d even teased Steve a little about the uniform. But the easy give and take they’d always had between them -- the friendship that had slowly transformed itself into so much more -- it was gone.

Stucky Bingo February 2022 Round Robin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, Politzania, b_a_r_n_e_s, ABrighterDarkness, lattebiscuit, Girl_Back_There (Teen, 2k) “Sergeant Barnes? Can you hear me?” The woman’s voice sounds tinny, “You and the Captain are being--” the rest of her words are drowned out by a burst of static. Sergeant Barnes - the name sounds strangely familiar, but he can’t place it. It’s probably an advertisement for one of the shows he and Steve listened to one evening. He fiddles with the radio knobs, trying to tune the station back in, but all he gets is music.

Stucky Bingo March 2022 Round Robin by TrinityDay, Lattebiscuit, Hkandi, plutosrose, Laevateinn, Girl_Back_There, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (Teen, 2.4k) When a mission goes wrong, Bucky takes Steve up on his offer to do something neither were planning.

Stucky Bingo April 2022 Round Robin by Politzania, Laevateinn, LLightz, ABrighterDarkness, TrinityDay, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (Teen, 2k) During battle against a wizard, Steve turns a little green, and Bucky wonders what's gotten into his man.

Stucky Bingo May 2022 Round Robin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, Politzania, LLightz, Girl_Back_There (Teen, 1.6k) Steve has a plan to make Bucky jealous, but a red-headed hiccup he didn't see coming might end up being the help that Steve needs.

Stucky Bingo September 2022 Round Robin by Politzania, sparkagrace, Laevateinn, Dogsled, ralsbecket, TrinityDay, ABrighterDarkness, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (Teen, 2.4k) After all these years, Steve and Bucky get the life they deserve, and Bucky gets some birthday presents. He's happy to share one with the man he loves.

Stucky Bingo October 2022 Round Robin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, Politzania, cable-knit-sweater, Dogsled, J_Snow_Writes, TrinityDay, Girl_Back_There (Teen, 2.4k) “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Avenge Your Love, the newest and biggest show on the Marvel Network, designed to match a man of honor and bravery with the love of his life. I’m Nick Fury, your host for this adventure, and I’m here with Captain Steve Rogers of the U.S. Army. Captain, tell us a little bit about yourself.”

Stucky Bingo November 2022 Round Robin by ABrighterDarkness, Politzania, j_snow_writes, Dogsled, Sivan325, Girl_Back_There (Teen, 1.7k) “There…might’ve been a bit of a hiccup on the mission.” “A hiccup.” “Just a tiny one.” “Well, I would certainly say that’s tiny alright,” Bucky drawled, moving in closer. “Do I even want to know what sort of tiny hiccup landed you with a baby?” “Would you believe me if I told you that this is actually-ah-Natasha?” Steve grimaced with a shrug. “I think ‘magic’ about sums up the hiccup.”

Stucky Bingo December 2022 Round Robin by Buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, Politzania, writerfroggo, j_snow_writes, Sivan325, buckyismybicycle (General, 2.1k) It's December. The weather is cold. Time to reminisce with hot chocolate and dancing.

Stucky Bingo January 2023 Round Robin by Politzania, Sivan325, j_snow_writes, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, cherriontop, TrinityDay (General, 2k) Steve still didn’t think that actually adopting a cat was a good idea. After all, with the kind of jobs they had, they could get called away at a moment’s notice and be gone for who knew how long -- and who would take care of it in the meanwhile? Steve had mentioned the problem to Sharon, who not only was less than sympathetic but made the situation worse by waiting until Bucky was in earshot to say, “Hey, I think Nick’s cat had kittens. You guys should adopt one of them!”

Stucky Bingo February 2023 Round Robin by Dogsled, Sivan325, Purpleicedteas, Girl_Back_There, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (General, 1.7k) When Russian figure skater Bucky Barnes defects, he can only skate for the Team USA if he skates with a partner. What he and Steve Rogers find together on the ice is golden.

Stucky Bingo March 2023 Round Robin by Politzania, Dogsled, Sivan325, TrinityDay, Girl_Back_There, ralsbecket (Teen, 2k) It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed Bucky being struck. He’d thrown out his shield to block the worst of the damage from the exploding debris, but he’d noticed Bucky clutching his side throughout the fight. Steve knew. But in the middle of it there had been no opportunity for pause, no moment where he could check that Bucky was okay. He kept moving, and that was what mattered.

Stucky Bingo April 2023 Round Robin by Dogsled, buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, Sivan325, TrinityDay, Politzania (Teen, 1.7k) Bucky loved his friends, and he didn’t really blame them for interfering. How could he? Clint was right; in the two years since they’d come here together for uni, Bucky’s ladykiller days had spontaneously ended. It was always about Steve, now. Steve this, Steve that. Nevermind that in all that time Bucky had probably said maybe 20 words to the man.

Stucky Bingo May 2023 Round Robin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, purpleicedteas, Sivan325, Politzania, Girl_Back_There (Teen, 1.7k) If Steve were honest with himself, he’d been at least as curious as Bucky to discover what had happened to Becca. She’d been the closest thing he’d had to a sister growing up, and he remembered how kind-hearted she was, even if she did get into nearly as much mischief as he and Bucky did along the way.

[nbmsports]

Jurassic Park revisited: How Steven Spielberg helped save Carmarthenshire cinema from closure | UK News

It's 30 years since Hollywood director Steven Spielberg helped save a "diamond in the desert" cinema from closure.Jurassic Park had its UK premier on 16 July 1993, a joint premier with screenings in London and at a small cinema in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. Elizabeth Evans, the leader of a youth theatre in Carmarthen, had launched a campaign to save the Lyric cinema from closure and had secured a screening of the film.The distribution company later reportedly went back on their word so the the mayor of Carmarthen at the time, Richard Goodridge, stepped in to help with a fax to the film's director, Steven Spielberg.

Image: Elizabeth Evans and Richard Goodridge pictured in a newspaper article about the Lyric cinema screening of Jurassic Park "I happened to be in the right place at the right time and I contacted Steven Spielberg through my office in the town and asked if something could be done and as the news will tell you, it was a success that, through his office or through his secretary, they allowed a copy of the film to be shown," Mr Goodridge told Sky News. "And I suspect because of the adverse publicity that was going to be given to the distribution company that they probably thought it would be best to allow them to show it on the opening night, the same time as it was in Leicester Square." YouTube This content is provided by YouTube, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable YouTube cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to YouTube cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow YouTube cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once Mr Goodridge was played by Harry Potter star Tom Felton in the 2022 Sky Cinema film, Save The Cinema, which was loosely based on events. It was only recently Mr Goodridge found out that the Lyric had in fact been the first cinema in the UK to screen the film after Ms Evans put the clocks forward by around 10 minutes.Mr Goodridge said the Lyric - now a theatre - had become a facility for "so many youngsters, under-privileged youngsters, that were looking for an outlet for their talents". "It's been a huge success for thousands of youngsters that have come through that theatre for the last 30 years and they've gone on to great things," he said."Some have become very well-known actors and actresses and that type of thing, and without Steven Spielberg's contribution none of that would have happened."

Image: A letter to Steven Spielberg from Richard Goodridge dated 30 June, 1993 According to Mr Goodridge, credit must go to Ms Evans and her husband David who spent many years working hard to secure the future of the Lyric."Although it was a brief spell for me of 12 months in that role and I was able to contribute to the saving of the building, credit must be given to both Liz and Dave who spent a lifetime, not just a year as I did," he said.

Image: Spielberg at the premier of Jurassic Park in 1993 "So a great many people owe their careers and their fortunes to Liz and Dave, and I'd like to think that as time goes on, while I had a contribution, it is to their memory that the success of this event should be drawn to."Read more from Sky News: Wales lacks 'coherent brand' to attract overseas visitors 'Dumbfounded' Johnny Depp visits Dylan Thomas' birthplace To celebrate the anniversary, a special screening of Jurassic Park will take place at the Lyric on Sunday afternoon, followed by three screenings of Save The Cinema over three consecutive nights. Source link Read the full article

[alicealder-arc]

mini-playlist task !

no graphics bc im too sexy! and i didn’t proofread this bc we die like men! (and also bc im so sleepy) ft. @zahrajackson @ofwannabees @caseyfm​

ALICE + ZAHRA

“Disarm” by The Smashing Pumpkins

“I used to be a little boy / So old in my shoes / And what I choose is my choice / What’s a boy supposed to do? / The killer in me is the killer in you / Send this smile over to you.”

August 21st, 2021!May had this to say when referencing that quote and it remains true... only July 27th, 2022!May knows more now... but for some #nostalgia, and to make sure I don’t repeat myself, let’s copy paste!:

I’m really excited about Alice and The Bitch, mainly because they’ve known each other for so long, I think they have more in common than Alice consciously realizes. They were both so impacted by Lux but, even more so, probably by each other! Just because Alice had some romance going on with Lux doesn’t mean her relationship with The Bitch was any less important (just not as covered due to the plot revolving around Lux). While The Bitch may have hints of Choleric where Alice has hints of Melancholic (I’m not sure if The Bitch’s mun added Sanguine in there, but I’m just forcing it under the umbrella right now since it seems they were both extraverted LOL), thus forcing differences in there, I think since they were in each other's' lives for so long, part of the reason Alice also pushed The Bitch away -- even though she was actually trying to stay in -- was because she saw shades of herself. For all of their differences, that was all she needed.

“Lapse” by Envy On The Coast

“I know you know how it feels to make a clean break / My bones are you bones / My home is your home / You must be so confused / Got scared and ran away from you / Oh sweet divine predicament / I can’t hide, I can’t change the evident / Predispose to trust a photograph / To portray the way you used to laugh.”

Okay. 2022!May needs to write now.

So I want to go over the trouble with loving and leaving more with the next song, but I think this is good as, like... a transition. A good song to showcase the transition from where they were as children -- before they were Gone Girl assigned cool girls with Lux, before Zahra took on her hard personality, before Alice fell from grace. Alice and Zahra were with each other throughout so many of their hardships and traumas, watching as they could only use pictures to reference previously instilled happiness. But with everything up in the air, all it took to snap was one hardship the other wasn’t around for. That, and a big change. Running away. (Another reason I chose this song? It has some of the reasoning behind Alice’s distancing -- I mean, it’s literally called ‘lapse’! But that was just a minute and convenient detail.)

“Mr. Blue” by Catherine Feeny

“Mr. Blue / I told you that I love you / Please believe me. / ... / I know that you’re tired / I know that you’re sore and sick and sad for some reason / So I’ll leave you with a smile / Kiss you on the cheek / And you will call it treason.”

HERE IS THE FACT OF THE MATTER: Alice doesn’t know how to let go of Zahra. All those years together, where does all the love go? It doesn’t disappear -- it’s that old adage: the absence of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. And she can’t bring herself to become indifferent. She would rather keep up the fight with Zahra than lose her entirely. And there have been so many breakthroughs, awful moments that proved the love was still there on Zahra’s end, too. But everything reverts: they love, they leave, they ‘hate.’ What’s the point of showing so much care? What’s the point of keeping up the hateful charade? Will loneliness ever trump ego and pride the way it’s meant to? How long can they go on, pretending not to care at best?

-----

ALICE + KITTY

“Love, Hate, Love” by Alice In Chains

“I want to peel the skin from your face / Before the real you lays to waste.”

August 21st, 2021!May had this to say when referencing that quote and it remains true... only July 27th, 2022!May knows more now... but for some #nostalgia, and to make sure I don’t repeat myself, let’s copy paste! (ALSO THIS IS ONLY FOR THAT SPECIFIC LYRIC NOTHING ELSE IN THE SONG FITS VERY WELL):

I really like this one because I think it fits the vibe just… perfectly. Looking at the surface, it’s so violent (like… bro! yikes!), and it’s been established that their relationship is incredibly volatile. But then the deeper meaning actually basically being ‘I know who you really are, I want everyone to see who you really are’? Like, Alice knows that there’s some kind of weakness about The Wannabe. That is her label for a reason. And she knows because she used to be Lux’s little pet too! Granted, not to the same degree, but… Anyway, it does make the fact that she doesn’t know The Wannabe (and The Thespian) are actually the ones who sent the message kind of funny, though.

(omg tbt to the thespian............)

“Come On Then” by Lily Allen

“I try to keep an open mind / I feel like I’m under attack all of the time / I’m compromised / My head can’t always hold itself so high.”

Ok. Take it away 2022!May!

I don’t have... the mental energy... to explicate a pretty on-the-nose lyric here... and this is ‘due’ tomorrow and besties if I started this all just to not finish it!!! :carl_gun:!!! But... you know.... the girlies are FIGHTING. One day. When we thread together. Absolutely hilarious that she’s in Mac and Alice’s apartment all the time. Imagine there is a lot of ‘do it (be cordial) for Mac’ going on.

“Stars” by Janis Ian (as covered by Nina Simone)

“Some people make it when they’re young / Before the world has done its dirty job / And later on someone will say: / ‘You’ve had your day / Now you must make way.’ / Don’t they always?”

“Cool, smart girl and Lux’s friend, Alice Alder, gets duped by Lux Lewis this month, raising the question: does anyone care about Alice Alder anymore? After all, she was duped by Lux. Here to answer that question, sexy cool new girl Luxkin: Kitty Maddox. Kitty, what’s your take?”  “I loved Alice Alder, I grew up watching her with Lux, okay?, and she’s, like, a legend -- but now she is erratic and addled and gross and nobody want her no more, okay, they want Kitty Maddox, BABYYYYY.”  “Haha, you’re delightful. So, where does Alice Alder go from here?”  “Oh, you know where she should go? She should go wherever has-beens go when they’re done being popular and nobody cares if they live or die.”

^ Okay, that started off as a total joke, then got so long that it just... turned into the explication itself, with perhaps a few caveats regarding how Kitty viewed Alice previously. But how did a joke so perfectly encapsulate the set of lyrics... one of life’s greatest wonders...

-----

ALICE + CASEY

“Sea of Dreams” by Oberhofer

“I’ll take your word like a good friend should / If the Earth should dry / May your dreams never die.”

Plot-twist! Going for Casey, someone Alice’s skelly doesn’t have a connection with?! Someone who didn’t have a quote in my 2021 application?! Besties, I’m convinced that Casey is the person Alice turns to the most. Like... kinda fucked up that I consider that her truest friendship (Zev, you’re a contender), but everyone else? The communication skills are just not there. Literally, my brain hatched an idea and I needed to think of a character Alice would actually go to and trust with it and I was like “.......damn I think Casey would be the only move.” (Ella, more on that idea when I work out a few kinks.) So basically! My favorite song about friendship <3

Find it hilarious that this would further complicate Alice’s relationship with Zahra, though.

“Trigger Bang” by Lily Allen (ft. Giggs)

“When I was young / I was blameless / Playing with rude boys and trainers / I had a foot in the rave / ‘Cause I was attracted to danger / I never got home for Neighbours, hey.”

Aha, but it’s also built on the back of things the kids in Skins do (I did not know the actors were literal teenagers, mostly minors, until today and I’m still reeling over that one scene Effy had in the first season, now realizing Kaya Scodelario was only 14 and---------)! By which I mean - school projects! Making sure Casey passes his tests! ...Then meeting each other in an alleyway - one the dealer, one the buyer. That said, if you listen to the full song, you come to see that the absolute opposite of blame is being placed on the other party -- so, the absolute opposite of blame would be placed on Casey. Everything is free-will, isn’t it? Just along for the ride!

“Escapism” by Rebecca Sugar

“I guess I’ll have to face / That in this awful place I shouldn’t show a trace of doubt / But pulled against the grain / I feel a little pain that I would rather do without / I’d rather be free.”

I think Alice always feels constrained in one way or another. I mean, choosing Casey to fill this final slot wasn’t just because I apparently don’t listen to enough music about interpersonal relationships (...though that did factor in...). Going through everyone else in the Gang, going through the other skeletons, going through the other townies -- as I implied in my first blurb, I feel like there’s only one person Alice actually feels a semblance of freedom around. A semblance of self. Casey is a genuine friend, someone who doesn’t seem to have a judgmental bone in his body, and that’s something that Alice has always needed -- but has seldom had -- in her life.

[leniinero]

5:18am 1/23/2022 99 Luftballons-Nena Mood: Pensive **As a 15 some year user of LiveJournal, I tend to update my blogs here as such* I tried 4x to update this blog (see last post) and Im at half a mind to just start a new blog to keep more personal because as that was the original intention job nof this one, I've unfortunately let myself open. I can no longer continue to do that. But here I am.   I've been trying to be consistent with keeping this blog updated, if anything for posterity. I've been so busy attempting to work on my mental health and then with school and my hand I haven't had time to process that I've already been back home a month. It seems like less, but sometimes more. It looks and feels so different from when I left  7 years ago. I left July 2014 with a broken heart, no money, broken trust, and no stability. Of course minor work experience. I moved to Virginia with the only plan in mind was to finish school so I can go to college, my lifelong dream was either in NY or LA, I knew that, but for the time being I had to stay in VA, until I at least finished school and got some kind of tech degree. (about 2/3 years). Seems like something right? I did the opposite. On top of that, The support system I should of had turned out to be a dud and that's me putting it nicely. I didnt have anyone to talk to, turn to or confide in. I ended up paying therapy for nothing and had no stable place to live the entire time I was there. The only upsides I had was a little girl I met at a job I had named Layla and my dear friend Chloe. (Eventually I got my cat Nala, that was my only upside in the last few months I was there)   I left Virginia because I had no choice, I was living in a raggedy ass motel that's probably older than my parents surrounded by drug dealers,  ex-cons and trash. Guys, this is the part of my celebrity memoir that's gonna make it a best seller. On top of that, my landlord was an 80 something year old man who'd constantly sexually harass me and had me cornered in his room, in the kitchen and in well...everywhere and dont get me started on the bed bugs. I moved to Texas as a last ditch effort to get my shit together....and 3 years went by and all I did was become more depressed, raggedy and do nothing but work for nothing. Cause the money I made even with 2 raises was trash. Then they cut my hours for the dumbest reason (which I still dont believe) and I spent 4 months doing what? Working part time and never catching up with anything, I didnt even have time to organize my paperwork and properly explain before I left. They seemed genuinely sad to see me leave, yet since I've been gone they've been acting shady and claiming they dont owe me OT when they know damn well I used to come on weekends and stay after 5pm for like 2 yrs at least. I still havent gotten my last paycheck. And like I said, it's been over a month.   Cant even call the clinic. cause you'd think, a medical facility, would have their phones ON.    Ok, now Im mad.   I'll be back.  10:08am

[skz222]

4.44 (lee know)

contains: fluff, chapter story, lee know x oc (ofc you can plug yourself in as y/n!), sfw, lee know pov

Chapter 1.2 

Previous Chapter  

July 13th, 2022.

4:44 am.

Is it really this early...? Why wouldn’t I lower my brightness, damn...

You know when you randomly wake up and are full of adrenaline? For absolutely no reason, even if you had a dream, it almost feels like you were just awake or were already doing something? That’s how I feel right now.

I have butterflies in my stomach...why?

Making my way to the bathroom, in the dark, I realize Changbin isn’t here.

His shoes, his jacket and his phone charger are gone. Why is he gone so late? We have a schedule in a few hours, does he really think we can just be late again? Maybe he’s having a hard time these days. 

비니 지금어디냐? 너 괘찮니? (Binnie where are you? Are you okay?) 

I guess I’m not expecting him to answer right away, it is 4 am.

Do I have to pee? Why do I have these butterflies? Did I have a dream?

I need to think.....

Did I see her in my dream again.... I mean just because you see someone in your dreams for 2 years doesn’t mean anything.

If I’ve never met her, why do I see her? Is she having the same dream as me? Does that even make sense?

I’m asking too many questions I’m not sure I have the answer to. 

Am I waiting for no-

집에 가는 길이야, 벌써 깼니? 나쁜꿈 꿨어? (I’m on my way back to the house right now, why are you already up? Did you have a scary dream?)

그런게 아니야, 아연이 집에 잤었니? (Nah, not that. Did you sleep at Ahyeon’s house?)

그런데 왜 일어나써? 새벽엔..음 (Why did you wake up so early then?)

I guess I don’t really have an answer, but since he’s already outside...might as well ask.

카페에서 만나자,얼른. (Meet me at the cafe.)

????????????????????????? 

빨리와ㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏ (Come quick)

Okay, jacket, keys, wallet, phone. 

--------

I head out the door fast, not really even acknowledging the fact that I woke up Hyunjin and Jisung on my way out. I heard the door to their room open and saw the light on just as I was leaving. 

5:10 am.

Cafe just opened. I can make it right on time right? They never have any left by the time I get there. I’m not a sweets person, but I’ve really been craving tiramisu this past month but....I don’t know why it’s always sold out.....

Why is it so cold? Isn’t it still summer...?

와써 (I’m here)

Already? Does she live like one block away?

I hurry down the street, it’s still mostly dark and empty, only a few morning shifters walking just as fast. Please, please be there...I don’t know why but I’ve literally been having dreams of this tiramisu and no other ones compare for some reason. 

I swing open the door to the cafe, checking the time.

5:20 am.

They’ve only been open for 20 minutes, it has to be here.

-----

Glancing at the only occupied table, there’s Changbin with...three girls sitting with him-?

Laughing and already with drinks and pastries----and with..all three slices of tiramisu... :(

Should I go over? All the seats are taken, but I was the one who told him to come - but why did he bring Ahyeon and her..friends I guess?

“형! 여기 앉어!” (”Hyung, sit over here!) 

“어 - 네네” (Huh? Oh yeah yeah.)

Why am I so...nervous? I can’t even look up from the ground, it’s not like me. I don’t really know what to do...How do I explain I hurried him here just a slice of tiramisu and his friends took them all?

------(I will write all the dialogue in English from here on, but keep the texts in Kor / Eng just to make it easier on you guys! <3)------

“Hey! It’s really nice to meet you finally!” Ahyeon sticks her hand out to me, I shake it and just sit down in the chair Changbin pulled for me. Why can’t I look up still? What is this feeling?

“Hey, nice to meet you too.” I can’t really say anything else, I guess it’s not unusual but this time I’m awake, I’m in a good mood, why do I have this, uh, feeling? I’ve never felt this way before, it’s almost like I sense something. Like that feeling you get when you know someone is staring at you behind your back, but on my entire body, but for a different reason.

“Hi, are you Binnie’s friend? My name is Hyojin and this is Hyesoo, we’re so happy to meet you finally!” 

Hyesoo.

I’ve never met anyone with that name before, I’ve never heard it anywhere but distantly so why do I know that I know this name.

I finally feel free to look up, and across the table directly opposite of me is Hyesoo. The hair, lips, eyes, face, clothing style, smile, laugh - it’s all exactly the same.

She’s the girl I’ve been seeing in my dreams...for two years.

[honeyrose-tea]

are you doing anything for new years? if you could call any friend to talk to at midnight to enter the new year together, who would you choose? do you enjoy staying up late or going to bed early? do you like making new years resolutions? if so, what are some of your new years resolutions for 2021? did you have any for 2020? did you succeed at them? if you didn't, are you going to try again this year? what are your hopes for the upcoming year? your fears? your most ridiculous prediction? -🌙

no, I don't have any plans for new years. my parents will likely put on the tv and I might watch a bit of the festivities, or I may just go to bed and let the year come softly. either way, it won't be too eventful. but I don't mind

the past few years I've gone to my friend Syl's (@spice-ghouls) house to celebrate new years with them and a couple friends, and I've always enjoyed that. and they're basically my only friend at the moment, as well as being one of my oldest and best friends. so probably them. I love them very much

I hate waking up early. though I love the morning and think it's a beautiful time of day, I like waking up when my body tells me to and that rarely coincides with the morning. I especially hate alarms, no matter what tone they are it's always such an abrupt way to start the day. I'm excited for the day when my significant other (who is hopefully a lighter sleeper than I am) wakes up to a quiet alarm, rolls over, and gently wakes me up so we can start our day together. maybe then I wouldn't mind waking up early.

as for staying up late, I don't love it either. I do love the night, it has a peace that is similar to yet distinct from the morning. but staying up late is honestly almost a compulsion at this point and it definitely has negative effects on me. it's something I've been working to stop doing over the past year or two. I still do it (it's almost 1am as I type this) but I don't love it either. the best nights are when I go to sleep at a reasonable time (8-11pm) and wake up naturally, but still early enough not to feel as if the day is already wasted

I'm not big on resolutions, actually. I mean I don't mind them, I just don't usually don't have any. if I want to do something, I just start doing it right away, I don't wait for a certain time to start. if I get a whim in July or October or even December to start writing more poems or posting less on social media or whatever, I start immediately instead of making it a whole big new years resolution. part of that is because I'm very instrospective and goal-driven by nature so I'm always seeking out new ways to grow and improve. I think people in general don't think much about their goals until it's time for a milestone like the new year. I guess it's also because the new year just isn't that big of a deal for me. if anything I seem to reflect most on my growth around my birthday rather than new years

that said, I did have a resolution in 2019, simply because I happened to get a whim right around that time of year. the resoltion was to visit all the counties in my state. I had lived here my whole life and hadn't been very far outside the city I live in, I wasn't really familiar with the state's geography either, and that didn't sit right with me. I felt like I couldn't call myself a real resident until I really took ownership of the and got out into the state itself. so from January to July I visited 80+ counties, often with one or both of my parents, and it was incredible. it made me feel so much more connected to my region and we found so many hidden gems. I have tons of pictures and I've done some writing about it if you're ever interested. but yeah, since then it's been kinda hard to come up with new resolutions. I feel like I peaked with that one, I don't know how I'd top it.

I'm not planning on a resolution for 2021, but maybe something will pop into my head in the next couple days. I want to be more social after the vaccine, that I know for sure. it was kind of a wake-up call that the pandemic didn't change my social life hardly at all. I want to spend more time with friends and family and enjoy the little things like the ability to eat in a restaurant or cafe or go thrift shopping or go to the movies. I just think I should do more with my life, and I've been feeling that way for several years now. I've made some small steps, but post-quarantine I want to make bigger ones. my lifetime is finite. outside of that I don't know of anything big I hope to accomplish in 2021. good grades I guess, but that's kind of a given. I'm always aiming for good grades

I hope that the year is filled with love and warmth. I hope it is calm, joyful, and that I can live it out with all the people I love by my side. I hope that for everyone else too, that they can be closer to their loved ones. I hope for less death and sickness and that the virus is eradicated as soon as possible. I hope for more equality and progress, and though they are slow I do believe they're coming. I hope that life becomes more normal, and that people who are hurting are comforted. I hope things go well for my church, because it means a lot to me. selfishly I hope for a significant other, and I hope it's the last one. I'm so ready to be with the person I will spend my life with, I like the thought of stability and security, of building a life with someone. and even more selfishly I hope it's Eli. I hope my dog stays healthy, that my chickens live long lives as well, and that the weather is nice. I hope I get to spend more time outside. I hope that children get to see their friends, go to school, and that they are more carefree. though I don't have any siblings I do have some special kids in my life and I hated seeing how they've suffered this year. I just hope everything is better and happier for everyone, that we are all more successful and compassionate. I especially hope that we will carry our lessons from 2020 with us but leave behind the pain

I have a lot of fears. I am scared of the unknowns about the virus- the effectiveness of the vaccine on a massive population, the new strains, the long-term effects of the virus or even the vaccine that may crop up months or years from now, and much more. I am scared about the state of our society and how reforming it seems nearly impossible, I am scared that at some point this unsustainable system will fall apart, I am afraid of how and when that will happen and how many people will have to suffer and die amidst the collapse. I am afraid of a very lonely and uneventful year, I am afraid of a lonely year filled with bad events too. I am afraid for the health and safety of everyone, especially those I love. I know we aren't out of the woods yet, and the new year will not be a magical fix. I am a little afraid regarding how quickly my future is approaching, that in 2021 I will need to be looking at grad schools and applying to begin my graduate program in fall 2022. I am afraid I will lose my passion, I am afraid maybe I never had any passion to begin with. and as always, I am afraid of being forgotten, but also afraid of being known, deeply known, and still remaining unloved. I think we often forget the mortifying ordeal of being known is not guaranteed to result in love

still, I don't want to dwell on my fears, and though it has been tempting in the midst of all this chaos, I think I have managed to push them away most of the time. I think fear is rarely productive except sometimes as a motivator, and even then I would rather be motivated by love or hope or optimism than by fear. I will end with my absurd prediction, which is of course that Eli and I will get back together and it will be permanent. I hate to say it but I do honestly believe it, even though I know it's ridiculous. I have a deep sense that it will happen. I don't know why. it is just a divine knowing, one that I have only felt before on a couple occasions, both of which were definitely orchestrated by God, I have no doubt about either. but feelings aside, you can never predict the future, and I am excited to see what happens regardless. there is joy in not completely knowing, joy in knowing that you will get to live it out and watch it all unfold. all that I can do is learn and love and grow and work as hard as I can, and the universe will take care of the rest

thank you for this, my friend. your questions aid in my self-reflection and I always feel like I know myself better after writing to you. I hope you are well, and thank you again for taking an interest in me. it means a lot to me, more than I can say. I hope your holidays were/are well. are you doing anything for new years? talk you soon:) xoxo💞

[patriotsnet]

Did Donald Trump Say Republicans Were Dumb

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/did-donald-trump-say-republicans-were-dumb/

Did Donald Trump Say Republicans Were Dumb

What Are The Auditors Looking For

Donald Trump Tells Oprah in 1988 What He Would Do as President

Unspecified evidence of fraud in the state’s presidential and senate races .

They’re tabulating the ballots – something that was done after the election and then again during a routine partial recount that all Arizona counties are legally required to perform .

They’re also looking for somewhat more, shall we say, unusual evidence of malfeasance. They’ve been holding ballots up to ultraviolet light, photographing them with high-resolution cameras, analysing folding patterns on the paper as well as its thickness and colour, and looking for traces of bamboo fibre.

Trump Did Not Disparage Gop In 1998 People Magazine Interview

CLAIM: If I were to run, Id run as a Republican. Theyre the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and theyd still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific. Donald Trump in 1998 People magazine interview.

APS ASSESSMENT: False. The president did not make such a comment to People magazine.;

THE FACTS: Singer and actress Bette Midler, who often speaks out against Trump, shared the false quote attributed to Trump on her Twitter account Sunday, with the comment that Trump certainly knew his crowd. Julie Farin, a People magazine spokeswoman, told The Associated Press that the magazine looked into the claim exhaustively when it first surfaced years ago but did not find anything remotely like it made by the president.;

The image used with the false quote shows Trump during a 1988 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he discussed running for president, but made no reference to Republicans being the dumbest group of voters. The quote first began circulating in 2015 and has been widely shared across social media platforms, including Facebook. It has been widely debunked since that time.

Heres more information on Facebooks fact-checking program: https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536

This is part of The Associated Press ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.

Shades Of 2016: Republicans Stay Silent On Trump Hoping He Fades Away

Just like when Donald J. Trump was a candidate in 2016, rival Republicans are trying to avoid becoming the target of his attacks ordirectly confronting him, while hoping someone else will.

By Maggie Haberman

It was a familiar scene on Sunday when Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, tried to avoid giving a direct answer about the caustic behavior of former President Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Trump had called Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, dumb and used a coarse phrase to underscore it while speaking to hundreds of Republican National Committee donors on Saturday night. When Mr. Thune was asked by Chris Wallace, the host of Fox News Sunday, to comment, he chuckled and tried to sidestep the question.

I think a lot of that rhetoric is you know, its part of the style and tone that comes with the former president, Mr. Thune said, before moving on to say Mr. Trump and Mr. McConnell shared the goal of reclaiming congressional majorities in 2022.

Mr. Thune was not the only Republican straining to stay on the right side of the former president. The day before Mr. Trump delivered his broadsides against Mr. McConnell, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, presented Mr. Trump with a newly created award for his leadership.

Trump did self-destruct eventually, after four years in office, Mr. DuHaime said. But he can still make or break others, and that makes him powerful and relevant.

Recommended Reading: What Republicans Are Voting Against Trump

So If None Of This Counts What’s The Point

According to those conducting the recount, the purpose of this project is to address a prevailing concern among some voters that the 2020 election was illegitimate. And if the final result is that there was no fraud? That’s fine, too.

“This is not about calling into question the results of the November election,” Ken Bennett, spokesman for the audit, told the Washington Post. “This is about identifying if there are any areas of our elections that need to be improved going forward.”

Few Democrats believe this, of course. They fear that the point of the audit is to simply sow further doubt about Biden’s victory – and pave the way for Republican state-level efforts to enact new voting restrictions that disadvantage their candidates and voters in the name of “ballot security”.

Most Dictators Rig Elections To Win With His Postal Service Gambit Trump Merely Wants Everybody To Lose With Him

What would the U.S. media say if the president of another country was threatening to hobble his nations postal service in hopes of suppressing ballots ahead of an election?

Every once in a while, an American journalist gets this notion: to imagine how the national press would cover a particular domestic story, whether it be white nationalist violence or protests against racist policing, as if it were happening in another country. Its a venerable and sometimes illuminating framea way for Americans, given to believing in their own exceptionalism, to see themselves and their countrys troubles from a different vantage.

But in the postal case, and increasingly in the age of Trump, the if it happened there test proves of little use. It is 2020, after all, and there is no global shortage of demagogues and authoritarians making a joke of democratic processes. They stuff ballot boxes, jail opposition leaders, harass journalists, and threaten voters. They exploit all the tools at their disposal to rig an election in their favor. They increasinglywelcome elections, in fact, with recent scholarship showing that elections can actually prolong dictatorships in the longer term, as three European political scientists put it.

With Universal Mail-In Voting , 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???

Donald J. Trump

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Trump Gets Slap On The Wrist For Rant On ‘stupid’ Iowa Voters

‘Not good to insult Iowa voters,’ one Iowa Republican says, but the fallout is far from dramatic.

Donald Trump’s slam of Iowans as “stupid” would usually be a breathtaking gaffe for a presidential candidate, but the billionaire businessman has proved time and again that this isn’t any normal presidential race and that he isn’t any normal candidate.

Top Republicans and Republican operatives in the state on Friday disparaged Trump’s comments from his Thursday evening rally at Iowa Central Community College in which he questioned the intelligence of voters who believe rival Ben Carson’s claims of a violent past and subsequent redemption. “How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?” Trump yelled.

“Not good to insult Iowa voters,” Doug Gross, the former chief of staff to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, told POLITICO on Friday.

Steve Grubbs, the chief Iowa strategist for rival Rand Paul, was happy to pounce on the comment. “Trump’s meltdown last night makes me worry what would happen in a stressful situation in the White House,” Grubbs said.

But many Iowa Republicans also don’t see lasting damage. They see the comments as unfortunate but not nearly enough to send Trump packing.

By BEN WHITE

“I heard audible gasps from those I was sitting by, yet that had no effect in his standing in the caucuses. And I’m not trying to dodge or be cute, but we don’t know. We don’t know what impact this will have,”Strawn said.

Most Of Trumps Stories Then Were About His Pending Divorce From Marla Maples

While the quote has been debunked several times since it apparently surfaced in 2015, users have recently been resharing it on social media.

Most of Trumps stories were about his pending divorce from Marla Maples and appearances at various social and entertainment events.

A magazine photo claiming that US President Donald Trump referred to Republican voters as dumbest voters is false.

The photo- that has gone viral on social media platforms quotes the Peoples Magazine in 1998, where it is alleged Trump said if he were to dip his toes in politics, he would use the Republican ticket.

If I were to run, Id run as a Republican. Theyre the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and theyd still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific, read the message purporting to be a quote from Trump.

Several Twitter users including Azeem ButtValryLeBourg and MuthuiMkenya;in reference to the ongoing US election indicated that one does not have to be smart if their followers are stupid.

While the quote has been debunked several times since it apparently surfaced in 2015, users have recently been resharing it on social mediaespecially after a Democratic Candidate Joe Biden was projected as the President-Elect for the United States.

The Stars fact-check desk established that the meme was first debunked by SNOPES;in 2015, followed by other independent debunks.

Also Check: How Should Republicans Vote In California

This Is What Trump Told Supporters Before Many Stormed Capitol Hill

The president incited those who attended his rally to march to the Capitol.

President Trump speaks at Save America Rally in Washington

Many who participated in the chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday came straight from an event held by President Donald Trump.

Trumps Save America Rally included the president telling supporters to stop the steal of the , urging them to head to the Capitol to demonstrate against Congress certifying President-elect Joe Bidens victory. Among the crowds battle cries was, Fight for Trump! Fight for Trump! Fight for Trump!

Trump spoke at the event for nearly an hour at the Ellipse, a park near the White House. After he spoke, thousands of attendees, many of them without masks, marched toward Capitol Hill as federal law enforcement vehicles raced to beat them there.

Heres what Trump said at his rally:

Media will not show the magnitude of this crowd even I when I turned on today, I looked, and I saw thousands of people here, but you dont see hundreds of thousands of people behind you because they dont want to show that. We have hundreds of thousands of people here, and I just want them to be recognized by the fake news media. Turn your cameras, please, and show what is really happening out here because these people are not going to take it any longer, theyre not going to take it any longer.

Not going to let it happen.

TRUMP:Thank you.

Dumb Son Of A Bitch: Trump Attacks Mcconnell In Republican Donors Speech

Kushner Quote: “Trump Knows Republicans Are Stupid”

At Mar-a-Lago, former president also goes after Fauci and Chao and claims party cant have these guys that like publicity

Donald Trump devoted part of a speech to Republican donors on Saturday night to insulting the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell. According to multiple reports of the $400,000-a-ticket, closed-press event, the former president called the Kentucky senator a dumb son of a bitch.

Trump also said Mike Pence, his vice-president, should have had the courage to object to the certification of electoral college results at the US Capitol on 6 January. Trump claims his defeat by Joe Biden, by 306-232 in the electoral college and more than 7m votes, was the result of fraud. It was not and the lie was thrown out of court.

Earlier, the Associated Press reported that a Pentagon timeline of events on 6 January showed Pence demanding military leaders clear the Capitol of rioters sent by Trump.

But Trump did nothing and about six hours passed before the Capitol was cleared. Five people including a police officer died and some in the mob were recorded chanting hang Mike Pence. More than 400 face charges.

At his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday, amid a weekend of Republican events in Florida, some at Trump properties, the former president also mocked Dr Anthony Fauci.

I hired his wife. Did he ever say thank you?

Trump also said Covid-19 vaccines should be renamed Trumpcines in his honour.

Recommended Reading: Are Republicans Cutting Social Security And Medicare

So If None Of This Counts Whats The Point

According to those conducting the recount, the purpose of this project is to address a prevailing concern among some voters that the 2020 election was illegitimate. And if the final result is that there was no fraud? Thats fine, too.

This is not about calling into question the results of the November election, Ken Bennett, spokesman for the audit, told the Washington Post. This is about identifying if there are any areas of our elections that need to be improved going forward.

Few Democrats believe this, of course. They fear that the point of the audit is to simply sow further doubt about Bidens victory and pave the way for Republican state-level efforts to enact new voting restrictions that disadvantage their candidates and voters in the name of ballot security.

Trump Slashes At Mcconnell As He Reiterates Election Falsehoods At Republican Event

Former president Donald Trump called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a dumb son of a bitch as he used a Saturday night speech to Republicans to blame the senator for not helping overturn the 2020 election and reiterated false assertions that he won the November contest.

Trump, speaking at a Republican National Committee gathering at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., excoriated a number of Republicans even as he publicly called for party unity focusing on those who voted to convict him in impeachment proceedings. But he saved his sharpest vitriol for the Kentucky Republican.

If that were Schumer instead of this dumb son of a bitch Mitch McConnell, they would never allow it to happen. They would have fought it, he said of the election certification on Jan. 6, the day his supporters led an insurrection on the Capitol to block President Bidens formal victory.

Trump spent much of the speech, with many senators in the room, lashing into his former ally in personal terms, often to cheers from the partys top donors. He falsely claimed that he won the Senate election for McConnell in Kentucky and attacked his wife, Elaine Chao, who served as Trumps transportation secretary.

I hired his wife. Did he ever say thank you? Trump said. He then mocked Chao for resigning in response to the Jan. 6 events and Trumps behavior that day.

Some attendees left the private event early, with the speech getting mixed reviews.

Recommended Reading: Why Do Republicans Wear Blue Ties

Trump Gets Slap On The Wrist For Rant On Stupid Iowa Voters

Not good to insult Iowa voters, one Iowa Republican says, but the fallout is far from dramatic.

Donald Trumps slam of Iowans as stupid would usually be a breathtaking gaffe for a presidential candidate, but the billionaire businessman has proved time and again that this isnt any normal presidential race and that he isnt any normal candidate.

Top Republicans and Republican operatives in the state on Friday disparaged Trumps comments from his Thursday evening rally at Iowa Central Community College in which he questioned the intelligence of voters who believe rival Ben Carsons claims of a violent past and subsequent redemption. How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap? Trump yelled.

Not good to insult Iowa voters, Doug Gross, the former chief of staff to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, told POLITICO on Friday.

Steve Grubbs, the chief Iowa strategist for rival Rand Paul, was happy to pounce on the comment. Trumps meltdown last night makes me worry what would happen in a stressful situation in the White House, Grubbs said.

But many Iowa Republicans also dont see lasting damage. They see the comments as unfortunate but not nearly enough to send Trump packing.

I heard audible gasps from those I was sitting by, yet that had no effect in his standing in the caucuses. And Im not trying to dodge or be cute, but we dont know. We dont know what impact this will have,Strawn said.

Lynn Schmidt: Republican Voters Aren’t Stupid Stop Treating Us That Way

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, speaks during a news conference Tuesday in Washington. Americans waiting for Republicans in Congress to acknowledge Joe Biden as the president-elect may have to keep waiting until January as GOP leaders stick with President Donald Trump’s litany of legal challenges and unproven claims of fraud.

Why do Republican elected officials treat Republican voters like we are stupid?

Multiple times during the past four years of Donald Trumps presidency, there has been an outcry for Republicans to stand up and speak out against the president. Yet, the leadership has fallen silent. The question of why will be studied for years to come. One of the strongest arguments that I have heard and read is that they are afraid of the base. That base is a Republican voter, of which I am one. What if instead of staying silent, our elected Republican officials came home and spoke to us about what they think? Do they really think we are that stupid and cannot understand?

Lynn Schmidt: Conservative and Republican ideologies intersect less and less these days

Instead of being afraid of us as a voting base, elected officials should educate us, share with us, and strengthen the democracy that put them in office in the first place.

Lynn Schmidt is the Missouri state leader for Stand Up Republic and is a registered nurse. She lives in St. Charles.

Read Also: What Percent Of Republicans Approve Of Trump

[megacircuit9universe]

Election What Ifs

WED JUL 01 2020

Things are about the same as the last entry.  Trump is still getting killed in the polls, even losing to Biden in states like Texas and Florida. The virus is still spiking higher and higher in the US.

The EU, this week came out and officially banned any travelers from the US, because we’re doing so badly.

The BLM protests continue on, though it’s getting harder and harder to find news about it, because the media has decided not to cover it as much as they had back in early June.

The science on the effectiveness of masks alone to stop the spread of SARS CoV2 is very solid now, meaning that while social distancing and hand washing are still quite effective... masks are the silver bullet.  This virus does really spread mainly through people speaking, singing, shouting, and breathing in close proximity to one another.

But thanks to Trump’s anti-mask stance, all the idiots who worship him still refuse to wear them.

Meanwhile, Trump is now doubling down on being a white supremacist, calling for those who would deface statues of old racist figures to serve jail time, among other things.

On the right, talk of a coming Civil War 2 is louder than ever, while on the left, it’s talk of a second American Revolution.

What’s really coming depends on the elections in November, which will decide not only the President, but also the balance of power in Congress, and state governments.  Whatever mix that winds up being will determine what we do next with all the anger that’s been stirred up on both the left and right.

But the elections themselves... now four months away... depend very much on what happens over the next four months.

We have a virus that’s gonna make it extremely difficult to hold normal elections, and has already been used over the past month as an excuse for unprecedented voter suppression (closing most polling places and forcing people to travel miles and stand in long lines for hours).  

We also have an abnormally high level of, “police state,” like activity going on in all fifty states with cops feeling free to beat protesters down, gas them, and haul them in for no reason, with little to no push back from higher authorities.

If Trump was smart, he would lean into these two things to steal the election... shutting down most polling places due to the virus, and then brutalizing and arresting any large groups of minority voters waiting in lines on the grounds they were violating curfew, or something.

With an election result he could claim was legit, he could probably keep the military under his command and stay in power... to dismantle what remains of our democracy down the road.

But...

Back in March, I was thinking that if Trump was smart, he’d just lean into the pandemic, let the CDC run the show, claim credit as we successfully flattened the curve, and work the, “war time president,” vibe of bringing everybody together against a common threat.

That would have assured him an easy victory in November, especially since the Democrats handed him the favor of nominating Biden instead of Bernie as his opponent.

But, Trump is not smart!

He not only missed that golden opportunity, after his impeachment, to gain wartime president status... without a war... but managed to fuck things up so badly that now Biden... who he should have been able to mop the floor with... is a formidable opponent who he stands no realistic chance of beating.

You might think, well, he wasn’t smart enough to play the pandemic to his advantage because he’s bad with science... and reassuring people... and stuff, but voter suppression backed by police brutality... THAT, he understands!

And I might almost grant you that point, except that this second plan is way more difficult, now that he’s invested so much into calling the pandemic a hoax.

Add to this that, due to his mishandling of the BLM protests, he’s now awoken GenZ... who had slept through the primaries... and they are now hell-bound and determined to vote this guy out.

Yes, they are talking about revolution in the streets, but they’ve also now taken to mocking Millennials for never voting... which is a signal both new, and very encouraging.

Basically, the GenZ approach to Trump now, is simply to attack him on every channel that gets material results.  So... online assaults to fuck with his rally attendance, and corrupt his campaigns data gathering abilities.  On the street, bravely sparring with police, and posting videos of that... and at the actual polls in November.

What this all means is that it’s kinda too late for Trump to pull off stealing the election through voter suppression, because not only are voters wide awake to it... but a huge influx of first time voters, predominantly white (and thus largely immune to suppression tactics) are champing at the bit to destroy him.

So... if he can’t steal the election, is there still a path for Trump to win a second term legitimately?

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that there is.  Despite the fact that he’s been impeached and now, the country is imploding in on itself with a 1918 pandemic, a 1930s depression, and a 1960s race riot, all at once... he somehow manages to win just enough electoral votes to squeak by legitimately.

In this case, my first question is, who controls the Senate now?

Because if Democrats get the edge... or if it’s evenly split but Mitch McConnell is gone... then new impeachment hearings will begin.

In such a case, he will be forced to resign before becoming the only President to be impeached twice, and possibly the first to be convicted and removed.

But... what if he does hold on to the Senate, and Mitch does survive to remain Senate Majority Leader?

In that case, it will simply take until 2022 for the Senate to flip, leaving McConnell the minority leader and then it’s full steam ahead to Trump’s second impeachment, and inevitable resignation.

What I’m saying here, is that Trump is already in such bad shape, in July of 2020, that he’s lost the option to steal the election, and, can only hang on by a thread if he manages to squeak out another win, with a resignation guaranteed before he can finish that second term.

The people simply will not stand for four more years of this ass hole.

Okay, what if he loses, but refuses to step down?

If he loses, the military (along with the rest of the federal government) will be backing the President Elect, because of their oath to defend the constitution, which mandates a peaceful transition of power to the President Elect on January 20th.

He can refuse all he wants to step down, but he’ll be forced to step down if necessary, and won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of fighting back.

Okay, but what if he stirs up right wing militias to come out guns blazing to fight in the streets, killing everybody to avenge what they see as a coup?

Short answer, the military will squash them in a couple day’s time.  After that, any remaining militant Trump supporters will be considered terrorists and be hunted down by the FBI. 

Okay, but what if hardcore Trumpists get into office on the state and national level to create chaos and mayhem within our democratic system?

They already did that.

And I’m gonna leave it there for tonight, because it’s time for bed.

[junker-town]

Bama plays tons of neutral-site games but might cut back soon

The Tide’s season opener against Louisville sticks with a trend. But soon enough, the Tide will play more big games on campus.

Alabama starts its football season with a game against Louisville in Week 1. Like every other Tide season-opener in the last half-decade, the game won’t happen on a campus.

The game against Louisville at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium will be Bama’s eighth neutral-site opener in 12 years under Nick Saban and sixth in a row. The sport’s best team starting the year in a glitzy stadium against a Power 5 foe has become as much a fixture of Week 1 as anything else. And the Tide have won all of them so far, five times in Atlanta and three more times in Arlington, Texas. They beat Florida State in a No. 1-vs.-3 game in 2017.

There’s a method to Bama’s decision to play netural-siters so often.

Neutral sites have been the easiest place for Bama to find quality opponents.

Even at its easiest, college football scheduling is a game of musical chairs with tons of money and ego involved. Alabama has to find four willing non-conference opponents every year. Three are usually mid-majors or FCS teams who don’t mind accepting a fat paycheck from the Tide in exchange for traveling to Tuscaloosa and getting destroyed. Those teams get much-needed budgetary help and maybe a little recruiting bounce, too.

But the Tide have preferred to play at least one Power 5 team a year outside the SEC. Aside from a two-game series with Penn State in 2010 and ‘11, they haven’t found dance partners for on-campus series. Power 5 athletic directors probably don’t want to subject themselves to playing Bama twice, because they’re realistic about what Bama will do to their teams. And teams from the power leagues don’t often agree to road games without a home game.

So, Alabama’s turned to one-offs at neutral sites.

“I think the philosophy has always been that we want to add at least one quality opponent to our schedule, and other than the Penn State home-and-home since I’ve been here, we’ve never been able to get that worked out like we want to,” Saban said in the spring of 2018.

Another benefit: Alabama’s made a bunch of money on these games.

When teams play a two-game home-and-home, the money tends to work out at least in the ballpark of even. One team might get more attendance and sell more food and merchandise, but the guarantee amounts are similar. The home team might pay the visitor $500,000 each year, and everyone’s marginal profit depends on other revenue sources. (There are times when guarantee amounts differ by a lot.)

At a neutral site, Alabama isn’t responsible for paying game-day staff members. Stadium security is provided for it. The Tide have to get themselves to a different city and get hotel rooms, but their costs are a drop in the bucket of what game organizers pay them.

The Tide usually get between $4 million and $6 million to play these games. They’ll get a combined $14 million in payouts for this one, a 2019 game against Duke, and a 2021 game against Miami, the latter two happening at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They just put another game on the books in Arlington in 2020 against USC, for a reported $6 million more.

That’s much more per game than Alabama could ever hope to get out of a standard home-and-home with anybody. The Tide play their other three non-conference games at home, so they still get to play seven games a year in Tuscaloosa. They get to skip a harder road environment.

Moving forward, the Tide are going to mix in some more on-campus games.

They still have the three neutral-siters on future schedules through 2021 against Duke (lol), Miami, and USC. But the Tide have been on a shopping spree for more standard home-and-homes, and they’ve found a few marquee opponents who don’t mind playing them twice:

Alabama-Texas in Austin in 2022, Tuscaloosa in 2023

Alabama-Notre Dame in South Bend in 2028, Tuscaloosa in 2029

“Neutral-site games really launched our program in Alabama when we first came there years ago,” Saban told reporters at the SEC’s media days in July ‘18. “But I think philosophically we’re sort of changing our thoughts on that and our future scheduling and trying to get more home-and-homes.”

Only a few power programs would be willing to play the Tide in back-to-back years. Even fewer, probably, would be worth Alabama’s time to visit. The College Football Playoff has been iffy about really rewarding schedule strength, and Bama isn’t going to subject itself to a dangerous game that wouldn’t also be a huge resume-builder to win.

The Tide might be also trying to protect themselves against future drops in attendance. They still turn out fans in droves to Bryant-Denny Stadium (more than 101,000 per game in 2017, per the NCAA), but average FBS home attendance nationwide dipped heavily in ‘17 and has gone down every year since 2013. Alabama won’t be the best forever, and the Tide might find that hosting Notre Dame in 11 years offers a nice attendance bump.

The Tide aren’t ditching neutral-site games. But if enough blue-bloods are willing to face them twice, we’ll get to watch more huge games on raucous campuses.