#essays are awesome

[iridescentis]

one of my favourite things about reading any kind of fic is leaving long comments afterwards

maybe it's just the english language nerd in me that loves analysing writing styles and being descriptive, but it so much fun going through what i just read and explaining all the little parts i loved, whether that is specific scenes, the general way something was written, the themes etc. i just adore analysing all the things i love about how a fic is written it makes me so happy

[fictionadventurer]

I have to talk about Chester Arthur. His story makes me go crazy. A mediocre president from the 1880s who's completely forgotten today has one of the best redemption stories I've ever heard and I need to make people understand just how cool his story is.

So, like, he starts out as this idealist, okay? He's the son of an abolitionist minister and becomes famous as a New York lawyer who defends the North's version of Rosa Parks whose story desegregates New York City's trolley system.

Then he starts getting pulled into politics and becomes one of the grimiest pieces of the political machine. He wants money, power, prestige, and he gets it. He becomes the right-hand man of Roscoe Conkling, the most feared political boss in the nation, a guy who will throw his weight around and do the most ruthless things imaginable to keep his friends in power and destroy his enemies.

Because Arthur's this guy's top lackey, he gets to be Controller of the Port of New York--the best-paying political appointment in the country, because that port brings in, like, 70% of the federal government's funds in tariffs. He gets a huge salary plus a percentage of all the fines they levy on lawbreakers, and because he's not afraid to make up infractions to fine people over, he is absolutely raking in the dough. Making the rough equivalent of $1.3 million a year--absolutely insane amounts of money for a government position. He's spending ridiculous sums on clothes, buying huge amounts of alcohol and cigars to share with people as part of his job recruiting supporters to the party, going out nearly every night to wine and dine people as part of his work in the political machine. He's living the high life. Even when President Hayes pulls him from his position on suspicions of fraud, he's still living a great life of wealth, power, and prestige.

Then in 1880, his beloved wife dies. While he's out of town working for a political campaign. And he can't get back in time to say goodbye before she dies. Because he's a guy who has big emotions, it absolutely tears him up inside, especially because Nell resented how much his political work kept him away from home. He has huge regrets, but he just moves in with Roscoe Conkling and keeps working for the political machine.

And then he gets a chance to be vice president. The Republican Party has nominated James Garfield, a dark horse candidate who wants to reform the spoils system that has given Conking his power and gave Arthur his position as Port Controller. Conkling is pissed, and he controls New York, and since the party's not going to win the election without New York, they think that appointing Conkling's top lackey as vice-president will pacify him.

They're wrong--Conkling orders Arthur to refuse--but Arthur thinks this sounds like a great opportunity. The only political position he's ever held is Port Controller--a job he wasn't elected to and that he was pulled from in disgrace. Vice President is way more than he could ever have hoped for. It's a position with a lot of political pull and zero actual responsibilities. He'll get to spend four years living in up in Washington high society. It's the perfect job! Of course he accepts, and Conkling comes around when he figures out that he can use this to his advantage.

When Garfield becomes president, Arthur does everything he can to undermine him. He uses every dirty political trick he can think of to block everything that Garfield wants to do. He refuses to let the Senate elect a president pro tempore so he can stay there and influence every bill that comes through. He all but openly boasts of buying votes in the election. He's so much Conkling's lackey that he may as well be the henchman of a cartoon supervillain. On Conkling's orders, he drags one of Garfield's Cabinet members out of bed in the middle of the night--while the guy is ill--to drag him to Conkling's house so he can be forced to resign. He's just absolutely a thorn in the president's side, a henchman doing everything he can to maintain the corrupt spoils system.

Then in July 1881, when Arthur's in New York helping Conkling's campaign, the president gets shot. By a guy who shouts, "Now Arthur will be president!" just after he fires the gun. Arthur has just spent the past four months fighting the president tooth and nail. Everyone thinks he's behind the assassination. There are lynch mobs looking to take out him and Conkling. The papers are tearing him apart.

Arthur is absolutely distraught. He rushes to Washington to speak with the president and assure him of his innocence, but the doctors won't let him in the room. He gets choked up when talking to the First Lady. Reporters find him weeping in his house in Washington. Once again, death has torn his world apart and he's not getting a chance to make amends.

Arthur goes to New York while the president is getting medical treatment, and he refuses to come to Washington and take charge because he doesn't dare to give the impression that he's looking to take over. No one wants Arthur to be president and he doesn't want to be president, and the possibility that this corrupt political lackey is about to ascend to the highest office in the land is absolutely terrifying to everyone.

Then in August, when it's becoming clear that the president is unlikely to recover, he gets a letter. From a 31-year-old invalid from New York named Julia Sand. A woman from a very politically-minded family who has been following Arthur's career for years. And she writes him this astounding letter that takes him to task for his corrupt, conniving ways, and the obsession with worldly power and prestige that has brought him wealth and fame at the cost of his own soul--and she tells him that he can do better. In the midst of a nationwide press that's tearing him apart, this one woman writes to tell him that she believes he has the capacity to be a good president and a good man if he changes his ways.

And then he does. After Garfield dies, people come to Arthur's house and find servants who tell them that Arthur is in his room weeping like a child (I told you he had big emotions), but he takes the oath of office and ascends to the presidency. And he becomes a completely different man. His first speech as president mentions that one of his top priorities is reforming the spoils system so that people will be appointed based on merit rather than getting appointed as political favors with each change in the administration. Even though this system made him president. When Conkling comes to Arthur's office telling him to appoint his people to important government positions, Arthur calls his demands outrageous, throws him out, and keeps Garfield's appointees in the positions. "He's not Chet Arthur anymore," one of his former political friends laments. "He's the president."

He loses all his former political friends. He's never trusted by the other side. Yet he sticks to his guns and continues to support spoils system reform. He prosecutes a postal service corruption case that everyone thought he would drop. He's the one who signs into law the first civil service reform bill, even though presidents have been trying to do this for more than ten years, and he's the person who's gained all his power through the spoils system. He immediately takes action to enforce this bill when he could have just dropped it. He becomes a champion of this issue even though it's the last thing anyone would have expected of him.

He oversees naval reform. He oversees a renovation of the White House. He still prefers the social duties of the presidency, but he's respectable in a way that no one expected. Possibly because Julia Sand keeps sending him letters of encouragement and advice over the next two years. But also because he's dying.

Not long after ascending to the presidency, he learns he's suffering from a terminal kidney disease. And he tells no one. He keeps going about his daily life, fulfilling his duties as president, and keeps his health problems hidden. Once again, death is upending his life, and this time it's his own death. He's lived a life he's ashamed of, and he doesn't have much time left to change. He enters the presidency as an example of the absolute worst of the political system, and leaves it as a respectable man.

He makes a token effort to seek re-election, but because of his health problems, he doesn't mind at all when someone else gets the nomination. He dies a couple of years after leaving office. The day before his death, he orders most of his papers burned, because he's ashamed of his old life--but among the things that are saved are the letters from Julia Sand, the woman who encouraged him to change his ways.

This is an astounding story full of so many twists and turns and dramatic moments. A man who falls from idealism into the worst kind of corruption and then claws his way back up to decency because of a series of devastating personal losses and unexpected opportunities to do more than he could have ever hoped to do. I just go crazy thinking about it and I need you all to understand just how amazing this story is.

[medicalunprofessional]

never change, man !

[raviolbowl]

What the

[eli6abesxo]

Controversial take, but as somebody who has recently finished all of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden for the second time, the shows are only actually good, at least from a story perspective, if you perceive them as an epic love story between Naruto and Sasuke.

[kalashnikovlobotomy]

nada when dishing it😁 nada when taking it🤕

[spacekurbi]

Mr cliff.........

[untilsfe]

Usagi Yojimtober Day 23 - First meetings

At this point you all know I love Tomoe, but you know what I love more about her?? The way she doesn't hesitate to kick ass as soon as someone disrespects her!!

So I thought, what if instead of taking Usagi home in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Tournament", Katsuichi still take him to the tournament so he can apologize properly for his behavior?

And then, when they finally find Tomoe and her father Usagi tries to say sorry, but things don't go the way he wanted and both start fighting again.

This is my idea of fun!

[venstm]

my mutuals are honestly some of the most cool, talented people ever I hope y’all are having good days only or else.

[faun-buns]

instead of mindlessly scrolling social media before bed a new hobby of mine recently has been reading entire wikipedia articles about random things. literally life changing . for the past month every night I've been reading about archaic hominin and human evolution and I've gotten a little bit obsessed. I'll eat potato salad at 1pm and at 2am you'll catch me reading the wikipedia page for tubers. the wikipedia app has an article randomizer so u can sort of gamify it. the thirst for knowledge is so real to me sometimes and I think that more people should do this

[pardonmydelays]

also, just so you know, the eras tour was my final moment as a swiftie

[antiquepearlss]

If and when Varian starts dating, who in New Dream do you think is more likely to give his partner the “don’t break his heart” talk?

Absolutely Eugene. He’s a very protective individual who isn’t the most trusting, and makes his opinions known. Whereas Rapunzel is very supportive and loving and gets along with just about anyone.

Under the cut because it’s kinda long but I just love talking about my boy and Team Awesome.

I can see Eugene giving Varian’s partner a serious shovel talk and giving them a hard time whilst Rapunzel is baking his s/o cookies and planning the wedding.

Not to say that I don’t think Raps can be protective, but I really don’t see her as a “hurt my little brother and they’ll never find your body” type of person. At least, when she first meets them. (If they actually do hurt Varian she will unleash threats even Eugene couldn’t begin to imagine.)

Rapunzel is a sweetheart who gives everyone a chance and is just happy Varian has found someone and is looking forward to making a new friend, Eugene is overprotective and passionate. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he let someone hurt his baby brother. He’s the protector. He has a family now and he’s not going to lose it or let them get hurt. Not after everything they’ve been through. He’s failed Varian once he’s not doing it again. He regularly uses his body as a human shield and has a history of self-sacrifice; he would absolutely try to prevent his siblings heartbreak.

 So, shovel talk, and maybe not treating the partner in question with a lot of hospitality.

I don’t think he would even be that malicious, he would just be kinda cold and mistrustful, and then he would just give a very unsettling shovel talk. Then he’s super chill and vibey whilst also being just a touch antagonistic. Think how Cass treated him in season one. Not super malicious but still not very nicely lmao. He acts fun around them whilst also being a bit rude; but at the same time he’s sizing them up, calculating whether or not they’re a threat to Varian. He acts like this for awhile until he trusts them. I think this would really frustrate Varian but I think after a heart to heart they would come to an understanding.

Honestly I think he would be like this if Kiera, Catalina, or Lance ever got a partner. Hell, I think he’d even be protective of Cass if she got a girlfriend. So it’s not just a “poor baby Varian TwT” I don’t think he sees Var as incompetent, he’s just very protective. Of everyone. Sorry Var you’re not special /j

I do think, if you’re thinking of Varigo, that Eugene would be far more overprotective and distrustful but I think Hugo gives him every reason to feel that way. He’s an ex thief who acts like Flynn Rider who betrayed Varian and has an attitude. Not to mention that I think Hugo would act like Eugene in season 1 and would just constantly give him a hard time.

(This is not based in canon at all but I love the idea of Arianna being a sort of mother figure to Varian and she’s the one his future s/o has to worry to impress, and Quirin is just like “oh nice, some hands to help out with the farm.”)

[troythecatfish]

[therealslimshady]

I feel so bad I only boy post about nge when the girls are the best part of the entire show but truly nothing compares to the shrimp emotions you unlock after watching twenty three episodes of the most "yeah we get it showrunners this is an anime and you think girls are hot" only for shinji to fall heads over heals in love with a guy who not only loves him back but also turns out to be the final angel and begs shinji to kill him so he has a chance to live and be happy. Like HELLO??

[lussterpurge]

Don’t even get me started

[fictionadventurer]

Everything I learn about Rose Wilder Lane makes me more and more aware that she was a hilariously outrageous person who needs a movie made about her immediately.

After leaving Missouri, she moves to California and marries a real-estate guy who once tried to get her to help him con the railroad.

She gets hired at a San Francisco newspaper known for its yellow journalism, where she does things like writing a series of columns featuring the "real-life stories of a police detective" who, in real life, was a high-end jewel thief.

Her first book is a first-person "autobiography" of Charlie Chaplin that she (after a few interviews with Chaplin) completely made up, and that Charlie Chaplin immediately threatened to sue her publisher for.

Her second book is a biography of Jack London, which his wife only reluctantly allowed her to write because Rose presented herself as "someone who had never written for the newspapers before and needs a chance to break into the magazines." This book was also almost entirely fictional, and her publisher also almost got sued over it.

Third biography is the first-ever biography of Herbert Hoover, also a heavily-fictionalized account. (Doesn't seem to have been sued for this one. Steps in the right direction!)

Traveled as a reporter through Europe (to places like Albania and Poland) post-WWI. (If we want to talk about legal things that she did).

Wrote a book based on Laura's late-childhood pioneer experiences while Laura was writing the early books of the Little House series, and did not tell Laura about it. (Laura was ticked off).

Kept trying to insert a story into Laura's memoirs (and Little House on the Prairie) casting Pa as a member of a posse that hunted down the infamous (and never-caught) serial-killing Bender family (despite the fact that this was historically impossible). (It got to the point that Laura herself told this story to the public as an example of "a true story I couldn't out in my children's book." Despite the fact, I say again, that this was historically impossible).

During WWII, endured a minor incident (it involved one cop coming to her house) where the FBI investigated her as a potential communist based on a postcard she sent that was critical of the government. Turned this into a short story that presented herself as the righteously-outraged American citizen fighting against an oppressive government, and used this to whip up a nationwide media campaign against J. Edgar Hoover for spying on American citizens.

Flew to Vietnam as a war reporter when she was in her seventies.