#people have a real problem with freedom of speech

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

My thoughts about the Trump assassination attempt

After having a few hours to process this whole thing and see reactions from across the political spectrum, I'm having some thoughts and some feelings.

First off, as I said earlier, Trump is a fucking boss. Take anyone who ran for president in the last 20 years, put them in that exact situation, and I don't think a single one responds by raising his fist and snarling in defiance and righteous anger. They run. They cry. They keep their heads down and the first statement you h ear from them is hours later filtered through 20 different speech writers. Today proved to me that, whatever else he may be, Trump is a genuine bad ass. He's exactly the person I want at the end of a sword pointed the United States. Because he's going to have a sword of his own pointed right back, and he's not going to run and hide when it comes time to use it.

Second, the modern left is full of monsters. The amount of people screaming and crying because this assassination attempt failed actually sickens me. It's one thing to have fantasies about easy solutions to the things that scare you. Hell, I'm not innocent. I've thought about how much better things might be if this politician was no longer around or this activist group got axed. But one of the things I did today was think about how I would feel if the assassin succeeded. And then I thought about how I'd feel if someone took a shot at Biden and he didn't survive. Neither thought gave me any good feelings. Obviously I'd be more upset if Trump died, but today showed me that I don't want us to start down the path of shooting political leaders. But too many people on the left, people who should know better, at least enough to hide their true feelings, have no problem publicly wishing Trump was dead right now. That assassinating presidential candidates was a legitimate tactic--but only against the politicians they don't like, of course.

Fuck that.

Fuck them.

America is better than that. Americans are better than that. We're not some third world shithole like Mexico. We're the greatest country in the world. We're the last bastion of representative government. The last place in the world where freedom exists. And it's time we started acting like it.

Third, I ain't got no time for conspiracy theories. Sorry guys, but this wasn't staged and this wasn't a CIA hitman. Unless real, hard evidence comes out otherwise, you won't ever get me to believe any of the nonsense I've seen floated around. Don't be so lost in the true things the media has dismissed as "conspiracy theories" that you immediately jump to the most conspiratorial explanations first for everything that happens. It's lame and cringe and a lot of people I've seen seriously putting these theories forward should know better. I know we're in our emotions right now, but keep your heads.

Fourth, my heart breaks for the families of the people who were hit with the bullets meant for President Trump. But that's the kind of evil we're facing. Whoever did this decided that the idea of a Trump presidency was so awful that they were okay with shooting innocent people just to stop him. And this is after he was already president and none of the things the media is fear mongering about happened during his first term. Those people just wanted to see a man speak. To have some hope for the future. And some piece of shit shot them because he didn't like a presidential candidate. Or worse, because the TV made him scared.

Fifth, fuck the media. You think you hate them enough, but you don't. The media is the driving force behind our enemies, and there's no such thing as a good journopig. They're all lying propagandists. We just like some of them because their propaganda occasionally hits on the truth.

And that's all I got. None of this is organized, none of this is proofread. These are just the thoughts I've been wrestling with for the past few hours. This is the only place I can get them all down without being interrupted or feeling like I need to censor myself. Do with them what you will.

[astercontrol]

If KOSA passes

Or if any other form of censorship (there are many in the works!) ever succeeds at stepping in to impede our ability to communicate online:

We have to make plans.

Now, I dunno who'll even see this post. The few followers I have are TRON fans (who despite the fantasy we live in, tend to have realistically dismal views IRL about Disney and the various corporate uses of software).

And this fandom, on average, is pretty tech-savvy. It's where I've encountered the most people under 20 years old who actually know how to use a desktop or laptop computer.

So, if there's any hope for what I'm thinking about, this is prolly a good place to start with it.

(As with all my posts, I encourage reblogging and containment-breaching.)

(Gifs are clips from TRON 1982, mainly the "deleted love scene," from the DVD extras.)

Anyway.

Current society has moved online communication much too far onto major social media sites for my comfort. Whoever you communicate with over the internet, chances are you do it through a service owned by a big company: Tumblr, Twitter, Discord, Telegram, Facebook, whatever. Even TikTok (shudder).

These sites, despite their many flaws, can provide experiences that are valuable and hard to get otherwise. And once all your friends are on one site, you can't just leave and stay in touch with them all, not unless they all go the same place. It's easy to see why it's hard to abandon any social media platform.

But a backup plan is important. Because, as we've seen over and over, social media sites can't be relied on. They change their policies suddenly, without good reason-- and are inconsistent, even discriminatory, about enforcing those policies.

If they're funded by ads, the advertisers are their main customers, and your posts are the product. Their goal is that the posts most valuable to the advertisers get seen by people the advertisers consider desirable customers.

Helping you communicate-- making your posts get seen by the people you want to communicate with-- is optional to them.

Not to mention that the whole business model of an ad-funded website is generally unsustainable. Many of these sites are operating at a loss, relying on shareholders in a fragile bubble, doomed to fail soon just from lack of real profit.

And the more restrictions --like KOSA-- that the law puts on freedom of online speech, the likelier they are to go down or just become unusable. Every rule a site is required to follow is another strain on its resources, and most of them are already failing badly at even enforcing their own self-imposed rules.

If we want any control over our continued ability to stay in touch with our online friends-- we need to have a backup plan. Maybe it'll be simple at first, a bare-bones system we cobble together-- but it's gotta be something that will work. For a while at least.

There are lots of really good posts about ways to build your own website, using a service like Neocities. I VERY MUCH recommend learning this skill-- learning to make websites of the very simplest, most stable, glitch-resistant type, made of html pages-- which you can upload to a host while you store backups on your home computer. If you value the writing and art that you put online, this is probably the safest you can keep it.

But that's for making your own creative work public.

As for communicating with others-- for example, receiving and answering other people's comments on your work-- that gets more complex. I personally haven't found it worthwhile to troubleshoot the problems that come with having a system that allows visitors to comment publicly on my website.

But what we do still have-- and likely will for a long time-- is email.

Those of us who came of age before social media's current hold... well, we might take this for granted. Email was the first form of online contact we ever encountered… and thus it can seem to us like the most ordinary, the most boring.

But in the current world, it is a rare and precious thing to find a method of communicating that doesn't require everyone in the chat to be signed on with the same corporation.

Email is, as of now, still perfectly legal-- as much as social media companies have been trying to herd the populace away from it. I'm sure there are other ways to share thoughts online that are not bound by laws. But I am not going to go into that here.

Email service is provided by law-abiding companies, which will comply with subpoenas if law enforcement thinks you are emailing about doing illegal things. So, email is not a surefire way to be safe, if laws become dystopian enough to threaten your freedom to talk about your own life and identity.

But it's safer than posting on a public social media page.

For now.

Email is beautifully decentralized. You can get an email address many different ways-- some reliant on a company like Gmail, others hosted on your own domain. And different people, with all different types of email addresses, hosted in all different ways-- can all communicate together by the same method.

Of course any of these people, individually, can lose their email address for some reason or other, and have to get a new one. But as long as they still know the email addresses of their contacts, they can reconnect and recover from that loss. The structure of a group linked by email is reliant not on a single company-- but on the group itself, the friends you can actually count on.

This is why I am trying to promote the idea of forming email lists, as a backup plan to give people a way to stay in touch as mainstream social media sites prove to be unsustainable.

I'm envisioning a simple system of sending emails to several addresses at once, and making each reply visible to everyone in the chat by using "reply all" (or, if desired, editing the To field to reply to only some).

If enough people get used to using email in this way, it could fill most of the needs met by any other group chat or forum …without depending on a centralized social media company that's taking dystopian measures to try and make the business profitable.

So here are some thoughts about how I personally imagine it could work.

(Feel free to comment and bring up any thoughts I haven't addressed, or suggestions to customize how specific groups could set it up. This is meant as more of a starting point for brainstorming than a catch-all solution.)

As I see it, here are the basics of what you and your friends would each need to start out:

An email address. Any kind, hosted anywhere. You should use a dedicated email account just for this group, one that you do NOT use for other communication. Being in this group will result in things you don't want happening to your main email address-- like getting a TON of email, one for every post and reply. Or someone could get your email address that you really don't want any contact with. Use a burner email account (one that you can easily replace) and change it if needed.

The knowledge of how to "REPLY ALL" in your email. This will be necessary in order to add a comment that everyone in the group can see.

The knowledge of how to EDIT THE "TO" FIELD in your email, and remove addresses from the list of all recipients. This will be necessary if you want to CHANGE WHICH PEOPLE in the group can see your comment.

The knowledge of how to FILTER WORDS in your email. This will be necessary if a topic comes up that you don't want to see any mentions of.

The knowledge of how to BLOCK PEOPLE in your email. This will be very important. If someone joins this email group who you do not want to interact with, it will be up to you to BLOCK them so that you do NOT see their messages. (If they are bad enough to evade the block with multiple burner accounts, that's what you have a burner account for. Change it, and share the new one only with those you trust not to give it to them.)

Every person in the group will be effectively a "moderator" of the group, able to remove people from it by cutting their email addresses out of the "To" field. Members will all have equal "moderator" privileges, each able to tailor the group to their own needs.

This means the group may naturally split, over time, into other groups, each one removing some people and adding others. Some will overlap, some won't. This is good! This is, in my opinion, what online interaction SHOULD be like! There should be MANY groups like this!

In this way, we can keep online discussion alive, no matter WHAT happens to any of the social media websites.

If the dystopia got bad enough to shut down email, we could even continue with postal mail and photocopies, like they did in the days of print-zine fanfiction.

If it looks like the dystopia is gonna come for postal mail too, we'll use the connection we have to preserve whatever contacts we can with people who live near us.

Not saying it's GONNA get that bad. But these steps of preparation are good no matter exactly what kind of bad stuff happens.

As long as some organized form of communication still exists, we'll have a place where it's at least a little safer to be your true self…

to plan events and meetups…

and maybe even activities a little too risque to make the final cut of a 1982 Disney movie.

They're trying to censor us. We want a Free System. So we're gonna fight back.

For the Users. Not the corporations.

Peace out, programs. <3

[solar-serpent]

🌈Based on your talents, what business should you launch?💰🪙

Hello! I hope everyone is doing great. I'm going through a phase where I started wondering if I wanted to go back to work for an employer, or even if it was worthy after I've acknowledged all my potential and the fact no one would ever pay for the real price of my work. Aquarium era is hitting me harder, and I bet you too are feeling this call to reach financial freedom. We deserve it.

I want to contribute with your awakening.

Please take a deep breath, focus on what's in front of you and pick the picture you feel more attracted to.

Pile I → Pile II

Pile III → Pile IV

🌱Pile I🌱

OMG, pile 1, you are so kind and empathetic that people want to open up to you and ask for your opinion/advice on topics such as recent breakups, petty fights with mom, best friend betrayal drama and so. Even though that's not the main purpose for them going into your store/business. If you weren't an entrepreneur, you could've been an excellent therapist since your serene demeanor and polite speech would make others believe they are speaking to a good friend. You show you care for what you are being told by providing meaningful replies, and I could swear people go crazy over your attentive gaze. Some of you are natural, others are really good actors (no one is to be judged here). Your patience and warm personality real or not sells, people could purchase anything from your business if you are the one assisting, which can be a boomer if you are aiming for leaving someone else in charge and doing the counts behind the scenes, knowing you are one of the best sellers.

You could own a coffee store given how good you are at building spaces where people will gather and feel safe. Not only that, you can create beautiful settings that will make others immerse in a new world like the tea room from a dollhouse or within a Monet painting. You will succeed at making them distance themselves from real world's problems, thus they could be more open to speak about something that feels so far away. To be honest, I don't think everyone that chose this pile would identify with this business idea. For some serving, cooking and simping chai latte over the daily gossips feels like a waste of their potential. You guys are right, another part of group which's artsy in nature is more aligned with fashion, beauty, and textiles. But I swear you all have the potential to manifest large amounts of money in one sale. I didn't have to crack my head open thinking about what type of business could allow that as designing is your strong suit. You are a master when it comes to making colors, fabrics. and whatnot march. A small part of this group loves sweets and how food can make others happy, therefore you could settle down for having a bakery and specializing on wedding cakes. However, some of you are contemplating the idea of running a drift or wedding dress store. For the ones willing to work with the brides, I assure your business will do well. You have the patience of a Greek hero going against the gods' will, so I see you nailing sales that took plenty of your time and energy.

I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here. You can find more free content on my blog.

🌱Pile 2🌱

I didn't know "giving a fuck" was a talent until I drew your cards, dear pile 2. You are strong people, you don't care if others start hating you for doing your job. Like 5% of the people who picked this pile dreamed with being a hitman and go ahead guys, you'll do great. Now, a large percent of you have questionable morals, allowing you to work in fields where you can turn corrupted and earn wealth as a politician, lawyer, or even a doctor. I know those are career choices, but the real business for you is owning agencies, institutes, clinics, and funeral homes. I am not even making the latter up. Some of you won't care about the taboo-ish nature of your work. You approach business with level-headedness and practicality, thus if it pays wells as any other job related to humans needs... dealing with the deads is easier than their family but you will still do the job or you will hire someone to do it eventually. Curiously, you are great at making people feel better. You aren't that talkative, but you know how to make others laugh with your silly jokes, pulling weird faces, providing them with food or water and much needed space.

Some of you are radicals and into activism. You have plenty of pent-up anger and aggressiveness inside of you that you will directed at facing opposing forces. You might start a charitable cause and talk people into volunteering. Yeah, I know it won't give you money or not so much, but hear me out! You could own an institute for people with special needs or another for learning languages. There's a high chance you might end up working with foreigners, what gave you that business idea when you thought on how to help them improve their lifestyle. Some of you could be interested in farming or owning a supermarket. You would feel inclined to hire immigrants regardless of the consequences. Actually, what are consequences to you? You don't fucking care. You see people suffering, you help them. There's no other logic in your brain.

I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here. You can find more free content on my blog.

🌱Pile 3🌱

Ok, guys, I love how unbothered you are when it comes to your line of work and what people have to say about it. Unlike pile 2, you are not interested in top positions that might lead to corruption, dirty money and living a very intense life. You are the complete opposite, you are humble and like to contribute to the community. You have a great intuition and observation skills, so upon checking your town or the place you want to install your business in, you will know what spot in the market needs to be filled right away. You can also tell what the community's needs are; you are not afraid of getting your hands dirty, so you could feel inclined to run a fish or convenience store. I feel like you want to belong, so not only your business won't cover a necessity, but also will turn into something traditional, even "iconic" for your neighbourhood. Is a music store still a thing? I feel like a small part of this group longs to have one.

You have all what it takes to manifest a long-lasting business. You are highly talented at nurturing and you might see your business like a "baby". It's not just your money source, but something to care about and fight for. Some of you might be interested in running an esoteric shop, where people is going to get their cards read or purchase herbs, incienses, candles, and so on. Mostly, this pile wants to have an unique business or for it to be the sole provider of something. E.g, you might own the only bookstore with coffee services at town. Also, I believe some of you will settle for moving out to a town or the countryside and start a business over there.

I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here. You can find more free content on my blog.

🌱Pile 4🌱

Hello, guys! This pile is slightly different from the rest since I feel like going straight to the point and sparing unnecessary details, but I might annoy you as I'm not leaving nothing unsaid. You are known for being busy and most times you seem to be in a hurry. You are always working on something, even in high school your friends knew you were too invested on your studies and earning money than hanging out with people your age. You probably like technology and travelling, so you could own a business like a travel agency (in your country or another), transport or event planning company. In all honesty, you might end up running all three of them. The term "workaholic" does not make justice to what you are, but I will call you a genius. You were born to steal the spotlight by your innovative style at the moment of giving birth to your ideas into the real world. You can mix all your interests together and create a new business that will leave people gawking, like an app who allows users to match with vacation spots instead of people or something like that?

Some of you will rather work with tourists, renting cars, boats, and properties so their basic needs are covered. I don't know how many of you are sporty but you are adamant about turning one of your interests/hobbies in your business. You might run your own indoor rock climbing centre. If you were to ask me for specifications on what's your talent, I would say you are a natural when it comes to businesses and you hold such control over your emotions. You put your sole focus on work, nothing can distract you from achieving your goals. Not even your family, so I can see you making up to your dear ones with expensive gifts or generous check after you missed an important family event again.

I hope this reading was to your liking♡. I'm offering paid readings about this topic here. You can find more free content on my blog.

[determinate-negation]

I'm sorry but having token jew(s) in your student movement does not absolve you of antisemitism and does not grant you a free pass from engaging with this problem. While I'm willing to believe many of these groups do actually advocate for Palestinian liberation without dabbling in the old jew hate, the reality is that the last weeks have seen some Very, very hateful and concerning targeting of Israeli and Jewish students, the Cornell forum and blocking of the kosher food court, whatever the fuck is happening in Columbia to name but a few. Many of my Jewish and Israeli friends in American universities have voiced major concerns, regardless of their political stance (yes! Even anti zionist aka the "good jews"!!)

Why are you so quick to dismiss these people's claims, the *are* the marginalized group, they are the ones feeling threatened, calling them delusional won't make them feel safe, unless, of course, you do not care for Jewish wellbeing and existence.

I must say that for the time being, as a jewish student, I thank God im not in American academia.

i wasnt gonna even respond to this but its so annoying how people refuse to interrogate the framing of things because youre falling for propaganda and im going to show you.

when i say that there are jewish students in palestine organizing, these are not “token jews,” although that seems to be the only lens through which you can view standing with liberation instead of violent ethnonationalism. but anyways, these are not token jews these are people making leadership decisions in sjp and jvp chapters. in new york specifically, not that you would know i guess, and which is misrepresented in the media, the issue in some chapters is having only a few “token arabs” and mainly white jewish members. if any of the reporters actually did their fucking job the articles they write about sjp would reflect this.

the incident you mentioned at cornell, someone making violent antisemitic threats, which is actually scary, has nothing to do with pro palestine organizing. in fact, quite the opposite, according to his lawyer.

so this was actually meant to vilify pro palestine students, and its working on you.

and i dont know what youre referring to about columbia, because whats mainly happening is pro palestine students and arab students in general who are completely unaffiliated are being doxxed by right wingers and the administration is taking extreme measures to shut down political speech. lets be fucking real: antisemitism on college campuses exists and is an issue, but is mainly coming from right wingers or opportunists, not the leadership of palestine organizations. conflating them when its actually a different story is serving a specific political purpose of slandering the palestine movement. its also ignoring the real root of the problem. and more cops on campus and administrations destroying academic freedom cynically framed as “preventing antisemitism” is actually a bigger threat for us in the long run. its just wrong to consider pro palestine people as the biggest threat to jewish students on campus, they simply arent the people behind most of this increase of antisemitism. if you joined sjp you would most likely find people committed to justice and liberation and would completely welcome you if youre equally committed, and who are vocal about not equating jews and the state of israel. stop fucking buying all this propaganda. my post specifically was about the misrepresentation of college palestine organizations as antisemitic terrorists, and nothing i said in it was incorrect

[thegeorgiatennantblog]

*Clanking pots and pans together *

I have a message for all the tin hatters and misogynists in the Tumblr fandom.

28th August, The Year of Our Nerd 2024

To Whom It May Concern

It has been precisely one year and one month to the fact that I first came across this malady that has been plaguing our fandom. Other fandoms have been more or less unfortunate in this regard. What started as a lighthearted joke has now turned into a toxic, vile, festering wound. For a long time I either ignored these blogs and their opinions or very politely tried to dismiss them. For an even longer time I was made to feel that I was in the wrong. After all we live in a free society and all of us believe int he idea of freedom of speech, freedom to hold whatever views and beliefs, and freedom to express those views and beliefs. But the very same citizens of these free society's in today's world are also facing a dilemma: how far does this right go? Is it unconditional? Is it absolute? Or does it qualify to some form of check or some form of necessary derogation under exceptional circumstances? When do those circumstances arise?

Most of us have come to an understanding in regard to the question, though all of us may not agree to it: it is understood that where your right to exercise your freedom offends and restricts my right to do or causes in any way for me or anyone else to feel endangered, then that is where we draw the line.

Reading @do-angels-dream-of-starry-seas 's post today I have come to the conclusion that the time has come to draw that line. It is a question on where we stand as a fandom if we let such bigotry and such hate prevail any longer.

I want to let everyone know where I stand. I have nothing against fanfiction. I have nothing against RPF. People have been creating RPF since time immemorial. If not for RPF a large amount of literature, film, music and other forms of art would not exist. Shakespear's Histories are essentially RPF, Hamilton is RPF, Netflix's The Crown is RPF, Le Morte d'Arthur is RPF, Baz Luhrman's Elvis is RPF and so is Andrew Dominic's Blonde. You may like some of it, you might dislike some of it. You might even be vehemently against some of it. But that's all it is at the end of the day; fiction. It doesn't hurt anyone. The real problem arises when people start becoming unbale to differentiate between fiction and reality. And that's no better than thinking that just cz someone played a serial killer in a movie means they're evil irl too.

It becomes suffocating for others to exist in these spaces when the delusion that the RFP is real transcends to take an even worse shape namely hating the real people involved in said person's life. How could you justify hating on their real life partners just so you can satisfy your delusional belief that these men are actually in love with each other.

Maybe it springs from a need to justify our lives in terms of conspiracy theories in this growing pandemic of untruths and fake news. Maybe it springs from some deep rooted internalized misogyny. Who can say?

Before I move on I want to highlight some problems with the wntire tinhatter discourse.

The existence of a PR. I want to clarify this here and now. PR works for important, famous, insanely rich people whose global fame makes their identity a part of the public domain so much that their entire image needs to be curated to meet certain requirements. PR works for Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio and Barak Obama. Who is does NOT work for are people who are only locally well known, live reasonably ordinary lifestyles, and have a painfully insignificant following outside their own cultural context.

The idea that one picture or a five second video can tell the truth about someone's entire personal life. It cannot. It never will. Body language is not even a science. Body language is misleading. Facial expressions are misleading. I am writing this right now with the most bland expression on my face. People around me think I'm writing an email. My internal emotions right now are another story. Moreover no one owes anyone any sort of information on their personal life, their love life, their mood, their life choices or whatever. Their lives are not public property. Please respect that.

The women are the villains. This blatant misogyny has become intolerable as the days go by considering most of these posts are written by women themselves. The whole controlling wife, poor meek guy trope is so fckng infuriating. When did we wake up to a world where women hold the reigns and an adult white upper middle class male cannot tell her that he wants a divorce. I thought this only happened to unprivileged women in third world countries who cannot file a divorce bcs then she will be left penniless and socially disgraced. The women baby trapped them. Of course they feel responsibility for the kids now. Child birth is the second most painful experience after being burnt to death. No woman does it for the pleasure of it nor for some strategic benefit that it will serve her. And diving birth to not just one but many. And then raising them. That's not easy! Secondly, having children is a mutual decision and process. If only women could make babies we'd get rid of men for good lol! (this is a joke plz don't @ me) If someone decides to have children with someone, and we're not talking just one accidental pregnancy or sth... we're talking several kids over the years.... then they probably have that level of attachment, love and commitment to their partner. It's just common sense.

Absolute cynicism. Anything Georgia and Anna do is met with cynicism and their words are deliberately twisted to mean the opposite. While D and M will be applauded for speaking up for a cause , when G and A do the same they are shouted down as pretentious or that PR made them do it. When D and M show affection towards each other that's all real and true but when G and A show affection to their partners it fake and a PR stunt. Moreover the way they interact with their partners is also completely misunderstood. Anna is more private and subtle about her gestures of praise and affection. But from what she does show publicly we know that she absolutely adores her partner and her kids. Georgia on the other hand has her own way. She teases, makes jokes, pokes fun at him, but she's also literally the woman the is being ultra-horny for him on Twitter and Instagram in front of everyone else. And I think that comes from the fact that they were friends first and lovers second and they have maintained that playful friendly relationship with each other. Still she is accused of never being appreciative, being cringey, possessive, creepy and always bringing him down. Oh and we never talk about how Michael next to never promotes Davis's achievements. In fact no one else I know does it. Literally the only person is Georgia jumping up and down going "This is my partner! Have you seen them! Have you seen how awesome they are! I love them!" Not just that, these tinhatters have such double standards that while D's neurodivergent traits are being praised, G takes the rap for it. She's a careless mum, an unworthy partner; none of her professional achievements matter. She is fighting her dyslexia and neurodivergence to achieve something but the tinhatters will make ableist remarks to bring her down. But they don't just stop there. They accuse her of abuse, rape and cyber harassment. Pray that she doesn't find out because accusing someone of that can get you behind the bars hon!

I know that none of this is going to disappear over night. We fight the fight every day and we hope that tumblr goes back to being the safe space it once was. But till then, it is important that we stay strong and stay together. I have had people come into my ds with links and other stuff that made me want to jump off a cliff. I have been subjected to some horrendous lies, all in a bid to convert me. Sadly that's not happening babes.

So I just want these tinhatters to know that if you're here, then we're here too. And no matter how much of this toxic bile you keep spewing we'll keep washing it away. And that @dtmsrpfcringe and @goodomenswarning don't have to do it alone. If you wanna go at them then come at me bitches!

And I'm not scared to call y'all out @ingravinoveritas @letscoffeebreak @nightgoodomens

@invisibleicewands @climb-dtennant-like-a-tree @thetardisisbluandroseistoo and others but mainly you guys cz you're the ring leaders. Gon on block me if you want to I don't care! Or better, send me some of those creepy asks you guys send Tori. At least it would take the burden off her!

And now before I go @dtmsrpfcringe You're a champ and we love you and we stand with you!!!

Yours Sincerely,

Meena. x

curator of TheGeorgiaTennantBlog

[mywitchyblog]

Adressing the Race-Changing Discourse

It seems that a debate has been stirred up within the Shiftblr community, and my recent posts might have unintentionally added fuel to the fire. So, let me clear up where I stand.

First off, do I race change? No, I don’t. It’s just not something I’ve felt the need to do in my shifting practice. But do I support others who choose to race change? Absolutely, as long as they’re doing it with respect and not for some fetishizing bullshit.

There are two things everyone needs to keep in mind when it comes to this whole controversy:

Respect for Opinions: Everyone is entitled to their own damn opinion. If someone doesn’t like the idea of race changing, that’s their business. But what we can’t stand for is bullying, harassing, or insulting someone just because they see things differently. Everyone’s perspective deserves respect, even if you don’t agree with it.

Diverse Preferences: Just like some people don’t like using face claims or prefer not to mess with certain Desired Realities (DRs), some people don’t like race changing. And that’s perfectly fine! It’s called freedom of speech and opinion, and it’s a fundamental right—only limited when you start screwing with someone else’s rights.

Now, here’s where things get real problematic:

If you’re cussing people out, insulting them, or harassing them because they disagree with you, you’ve crossed a line. No one has the right to attack others over their opinions. Period.

To those who oppose race changing: I get it. I understand that you might feel uncomfortable with it, and that’s completely within your rights. HOWEVER, it’s crucial to recognize that not everyone who shifts to a different race is doing it to fetishize or sexualize that race. That’s a fact that needs to be acknowledged, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Yes, there are people who misuse the practice of race changing, but you’ve also got to recognize the other side of the coin—the respectful and beneficial aspects of this practice within the shifting community. Here’s the thing: nothing in reality shifting is inherently good or bad, black or white. It’s all shades of grey, full of infinite nuances.

And let’s be real—some of you are being downright hypocritical.

Yeah, I said it. You can argue or debate in the comments all you want, but the truth is, some of you are cool with people shifting to become Mermaids, Animals, Aliens, Na’vi, and whatnot, but then you turn around and label anyone who changes their ethnicity as weird or wrong.

That, my friends, is the textbook definition of a hypocritical double standard. It’s the same damn thing.

If I were to ask why you shift to become a Na’vi, a dragon, a god, or an alien, I’m sure your reasons would be rooted in curiosity and exploration—not to sexualize or fetishize that race, right? The same logic applies to those who shift into a different human ethnicity.

You can’t claim that one side of the apple is bad while the other is perfectly fine. It doesn’t work that way. If one side’s rotten, the whole damn apple is.

Yet, while shifting to become a fictional or non-human race is often celebrated as a form of exploration and creativity, shifting to become a different human race is slapped with labels like wrong or offensive. This criticism completely ignores the potential for personal growth, empathy development, and deeper understanding that comes from experiencing life through the lens of a different racial identity. Just like with age changing, race changing in shifting can be a powerful tool for healing, exploration, and expanding your consciousness.

The hypocrisy here is glaring: the same people who criticize race changing as cultural appropriation or fetishization often have no problem with the idea of embodying entirely "fictional races", which can involve similar, if not greater, levels of stereotyping and romanticization. Keep in mind that in the context of reality shifting it is not fictional nothing is.

Imagine if someone discovered that you shifted to be their race and they are discriminated and persecuted and you shifted because of it (looking at you Avatar shifters that shift to be a Na Vi you are litterally shifting to be Native american but with a blue paint on top be fucking for real, you cannot ignore the fact that they litterally inspired at 99% by Native culture and their struggle against colonial forces The remaining 1% is the fictional setting, remove that and its just human history from this reality).

If the argument is that adopting another race’s identity is wrong because it involves stepping into experiences not your own, then the same damn logic should apply to any form of identity transformation in shifting. But it doesn’t—and that’s where the double standard lies.

This hypocritical double standard also reminds me of how teenage shifters react when they hear about adults aging themselves down to be minors. They immediately assume the worst—yet have no problem aging themselves up to 30-something parents in one DR and then being 16 in the next. This inconsistency shows a deeper misunderstanding of what shifting truly involves and how it allows us to explore different aspects of identity and experience with respect and intention.

[thrawns-backrest]

Prompted by this post and the related interview, reason 15467352 why I think Dave Felony isn’t up to the task of writing live action Star Wars.

I was going to harp about how this proves Filoni hasn’t read the books but this interview is from before the canon trilogies were out so touché on that. And yet this just proves to me why Filoni isn’t the guy for the job of writing Thrawn. Or any live action imperials for that matter.

I’ll start by saying that one thing I will concede is that the notion of the Imperial military being plagued by incompetent officers is not entirely unrealistic. Given that it’s a stratocracy, you can expect to find people who used politics to climb the ranks rather than actual military competence - it’s a kind of French Revolution situation kind of thing. Historically it’s been known to happen in our world.

Combine that with the fact that the Empire is racist, elitist and (kind of) sexist as all hell and you have a limited pool of people to pick from when filling its ranks, pushing some genuine talent to the fringes or excluding it altogether.

The thing I’m entirely tired of seeing though is the implication that it’s the majority of Imperial leadership that’s like this and by this I mean incompetent. The overwhelming majority at that. But more on the Empire’s moronicity later, let’s talk about Thrawn.

“He’s not ambitious in the way where he needs to see himself promoted, or a governor one day. He purely wants to dissect them; that’s what he enjoys!” This. This grinds my gears so much. For starters it proves that Filoni sees Thrawn as this ‘quirky baddie’ where Zahn treats him as an actual person. There’s something almost condescending in taking a neurodivergent coded character and being like ‘aww, look at them, they’re so happy doing their little thing they don’t have any other goals and ambitions whatsoever :)’.

To get things straight, Thrawn has always been annoyed by the limitations placed on him by an inferior rank. You could argue it’s for the simple reason that a higher rank gives him more freedom to act and pursue his goals but that’s just what that is, a simplification.

And that’s where Filoni’s problem lies:

Filoni is good at writing cartoons. And before people raise their pitchforks, I don’t mean this in a negative way. Writing cartoons forces you to squish complex ideas into a digestible format, the genre needs simplification and caricature to work and doing that well is a talent all by itself.

You’re meant to put in some extra effort to suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy the deeper complexities of the story. Where that stops working though is when you step out of the genre and move into live action and our good buddy Dave doesn’t seem to realize that.

It may admittedly sound like I’m being unnecessarily harsh on him and I probably am but I do realize the guy is just doing what he does best. I doubt he has any real beef with neurodivergents or has no actual clue that militaries need a base level of competence in order to function and thrive.

Neither is he the only one guilty of implying the Empire’s competent staff can be counted on the fingers of one hand. “It’s just so different for them to have a bad guy that’s, you know, actually smart with how he uses the Imperial war machine!” Okay, Dave. Sure Dave. “[…] with the exception of Tarkin – Tarkin’s strategically intelligent” Oh so there’s two of them! (okay okay, I’ll stop here)

My point is, you can’t get away with making the antagonists so stupid in a realistic setting. I recently saw someone compare Kenobi and Andor in terms of portraying your antagonists correctly and I have to agree that Andor is the only star wars live action media in recent memory that gets it right. (Though even Andor is guilty of injecting some stupid into its plot in order to enable implausible events to happen. I’m looking at you, Maarva’s speech.)

Because the thing is, the more bumbling and idiotic you make your antagonists, the more it detracts from the efforts and skills of your protagonists when defeating them. The Empire is sprawling and all powerful, so much so that it takes several force users pulling deus ex machinas out of their ass to bring it down. In conjunction with the extreme dedicated efforts of the Rebellion mind you.

It took a timely coincidence of hubris, political corruption and flawed strategy working together to allow it to happen. Give me media that explores why the Empire endured for so long, the mechanisms in place that made ordinary people turn into cogs of the machine, the selective process behind constructing an absolutely ruthless, dangerous leadership, media that looks at how these same conditions can come about in our world rather than the unrealistic explanation of ‘people bad because bad’.

Zahn, Gilroy, Luceno and many others are examples of writers that do this justice. Pass the baton on to Filoni and you end up with an antagonist who’s smart as an exception because ‘he’s just so quirky’ while still bearing all the hallmarks of a cartoon villain, the ominous gloating speeches and sadistic behaviour and whatnot.

I’d be hella remiss to say it hasn’t left its mark on the fandom either. The amount of times I’ve seen characters like Tarkin, Krennic, Palpatine, etc. be moronified (while Thrawn inevitably gets his victim treatment) while completely ignoring the fact that defeating them was no small feat and their having weaknesses to exploit isn’t something that detracts from just how dangerous and scary these motherfuckers were.

The Clone Wars was a good show. Rebels was a good show. But by god is Filoni bad at transferring his skills to live action and no one can convince me that Thrawn isn’t the best example of that.

[artyandink]

the art of heresy forged 1983

SUMMARY: Modern day, 2022, and you have no clue what’s going on. You knew what you went through. You knew it was real, but why were there people trying to convince you that everything that happened to you wasn’t real. Hell, you called bullshit. But you get your chance to fight back when you get a call at your door.

TW: psychological torture, trauma, mentions of sex, Ben (cause he’s an individual warning), it’s The Boys so be careful guys, really creepy shit, angst, crack

A/N - divider by @chachachannah

Song Inspo: Heaven by Julia Michaels

superglue

You’re slumped on the couch, the kind of heavy exhaustion settling in your bones that feels more like a leaden weight than simple tiredness. It’s like the room’s been spinning for hours, but you can’t quite pinpoint how long it’s been since you last felt steady. The air around you is dense and suffocating, a cruel mockery of the freedom you thought you’d found.

The front door of the safe house bursts open with an audible crack, followed by the heavy thud of boots on the floor. Ben, always a presence larger than life, storms in with a fierce scowl etched into his rugged face. His intense eyes scan the room quickly before locking onto you.

"Goddamn it, what the hell’s going on here?" Ben’s voice is a low, angry rumble. The old soldier’s tone doesn’t disguise the edge of concern that cuts through his gruff exterior.

You blink, trying to focus on his face, but the world around you remains stubbornly blurry. Your throat feels like sandpaper, and you’re struggling to summon the strength to even raise your head. Ben’s presence is a double-edged sword—comforting and overwhelming in its intensity.

"I’m—” you manage to croak out, but it’s barely a whisper, and your voice trails off into a weak, unconvincing silence.

Ben’s jaw tightens as he strides over, his big, rough hands gripping your shoulders with a firm but gentle pressure. “You’re not fine, obviously. Shit, you look like you’ve been dragged through hell.”

You want to reassure him, to tell him that it’s nothing serious, but the dizziness and weakness make coherent speech a distant dream. Ben’s face blurs again, and he kneels in front of you, his expression a mix of frustration and worry.

“Don’t you fucking dare pass out on me,” he mutters, the curse slipping out as he tries to figure out what’s wrong. “We’ve got enough problems without you going down like this.”

It’s true; the situation is already a mess. You’re both on the run from Vought, hiding out in this nondescript safe house that Ben managed to secure for you. The constant fear of being discovered, the constant movement—it’s taken its toll. But you had hoped, foolishly, that you could push through it.

Ben’s hands are surprisingly gentle as he checks your pulse, his rough fingers surprisingly tender against your skin. “Look, we can’t go to a hospital,” he says, his voice steady but laced with frustration. “They’ll find us faster than you can say ‘bad idea.’ We need to figure this out ourselves.”

You try to nod, but the effort makes the room spin harder. “Too dizzy,” you manage to say, the words coming out in a strained whisper.

Ben swears under his breath again, the sound a mix of exasperation and worry. He starts rifling through the small first aid kit that you keep hidden away for emergencies. He mutters to himself as he pulls out various items, trying to find something that might help. His movements are quick but careful, a stark contrast to his usual brash demeanor.

“You gotta hang in there, alright?” Ben’s tone is softer now, though still rough around the edges. “I’ve got some basic stuff here. It ain’t much, but it’s better than nothing.”

You want to tell him to calm down, to not worry so much, but your body feels like it’s betraying you. The dizziness is relentless, a cruel reminder of your current predicament. Ben’s hands are a blur as he works, but you catch glimpses of him preparing something—perhaps an old remedy or just basic care, you can’t tell.

“Goddamn, you better not have caught some fucking bug or something,” Ben grumbles, more to himself than to you. His concern is evident in his voice, despite his gruff exterior. “We’ve been through too much shit for you to be falling apart now.”

You hear him moving around, and it’s clear he’s trying to make do with what little he has. It’s both reassuring and unsettling to see him so focused, so determined to make things right. You feel a pang of guilt for being a burden, for dragging him into yet another mess.

“Ben,” you say, your voice barely more than a whisper. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Shut the fuck up, sweetheart,” he interrupts, his tone softer but still firm. “I don’t want to hear it. Just focus on staying awake. We’ll figure this out. We always do.”

You try to heed his advice, focusing on the sound of his voice as a tether to reality. The room continues to spin, but Ben’s presence is a constant anchor. His hands are steady and reassuring as he applies a cool compress to your forehead, his touch gentle despite his usual roughness.

After what feels like an eternity, Ben finally sits back on his heels, his eyes never leaving your face. “Alright, this is the best I can do for now,” he says, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and relief. “Just stay with me. We’ll get through this.”

You want to tell him that you’re fine, that you don’t need to be coddled, but the words won’t come. Instead, you nod weakly, doing your best to keep your eyes open. Ben’s expression softens slightly, though the worry still lingers.

“Fucking hell,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair. “This isn’t how I wanted this to go down.”

Despite the dire situation, there’s a strange comfort in Ben’s presence. His unwavering determination, his concern—it’s a stark contrast to the harsh world outside. It’s a small, bright spot in an otherwise dark and uncertain time.

The minutes tick by slowly, each one dragging on as you fight to stay conscious. Ben stays close, his presence a steady reassurance amidst the chaos. His occasional muttered curses and frustrated sighs become a strange lullaby, a reminder that despite everything, you’re not alone.

“You know,” Ben says after a while, his voice low and contemplative. “I always thought we’d get through this. Hell, I always figured we’d come out on top. But I never thought we’d be here, like this.”

You try to respond, to offer some form of comfort, but the dizziness and weakness make it difficult. Instead, you focus on the sound of his voice, the feeling of his hand resting lightly on your shoulder. It’s a small comfort, a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there’s a sliver of hope.

Ben’s eyes meet yours, and for a brief moment, the fierce soldier’s mask slips away, revealing a glimmer of vulnerability. “We’re gonna make it through this,” he says firmly, though the edge of doubt lingers in his voice. “We always do.”

You want to believe him, to hold onto his words like a lifeline. The room continues to spin, but Ben’s presence is a steady anchor. His determination, his refusal to give up—it's a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak situation.

Slowly, the dizziness begins to ebb, the world around you settling into a semblance of stability. You still feel weak, but the worst of the spinning has subsided. Ben’s eyes never leave your face, his concern evident in every line of his expression.

“Feeling any better?” he asks, his voice softer now, tinged with a cautious optimism.

You manage a weak nod, the effort making you slightly lightheaded. “A little,” you croak out.

Ben’s face relaxes slightly, though the worry still lingers. “Good. That’s good,” he says, his voice filled with a mix of relief and determination. “We’ll keep an eye on you. Make sure you don’t go down again.”

As you rest there, Ben’s presence a constant comfort, you allow yourself to hope. Despite the chaos and uncertainty, there’s a sense of calm that comes from knowing that you’re not facing this alone. Ben’s unwavering determination, his refusal to give up—it’s a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark and uncertain world.

The minutes continue to tick by, each one bringing a little more stability, a little more strength. Ben remains by your side, his presence a steady reassurance amidst the turmoil. And as you start to feel a bit more like yourself, you can’t help but feel grateful for the stubborn soldier who refuses to let you go.

You were sprawled on the couch, feeling like a half-deflated balloon for what seemed like ages. Ben’s fussing and cursing were a constant backdrop to your recovery, his heavy footsteps and occasional grunts a reminder that you weren’t in this mess alone.

It took some time, but finally, the dizzying haze of whatever the hell Vought had done to you was starting to lift. Your vision cleared, and the world stopped spinning like a damn carnival ride. Ben, ever the persistent asshole, had stayed by your side through it all.

“Fucking finally,” he grumbled, tossing the medical supplies back into the first aid kit with a rough shove. “You look like a human being again.”

You shot him a tired smirk. “Glad I’m not looking like roadkill anymore. Thanks for not letting me die on your watch.”

Ben snorted. “Like I’d let you off that easy. Can’t have you croaking before we sort out our shit.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigar, the crinkling of the wrapper loud in the quiet room. “Here, take this. It’s not gonna fix you up, but it’ll take the edge off.”

You eyed the cigar with a mix of amusement and suspicion. “You know, if we weren’t on the run, I’d ask where the hell you even found a cigar. But right now, I’m just too damn tired to care.”

He tossed it to you, and you caught it with a lazy hand. “Well, consider it a gift from one fucked-up asshole to another. Light it up and relax, will ya? You’re starting to look like you’re ready to pass out again.”

You huffed a laugh, managing to sit up and fumble with the lighter. “I suppose one cigar won’t kill me. Might actually help with the goddamn stress. And lord knows, I’m tired of dealing with your ranting.”

Ben’s smirk was evident even as he watched you, his rough demeanor softening slightly. “Hey, I’m a goddamn expert at ranting. It’s a talent.”

After a few clumsy tries, you managed to light the cigar and took a long drag, savoring the brief respite it provided. The smoke curled around you, a welcome distraction from the persistent gnawing feeling of something still being off.

“Okay,” you said, exhaling a plume of smoke. “I’m feeling somewhat normal now. Thanks for the smoke break.”

Ben leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes narrowing. “You still look like shit, though. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

You took another drag, the cigar’s warmth a small comfort. “It’s probably the fucking chemical Vought messed with me. I’m starting to think it’s still lingering in my system or some shit.”

Ben’s brows furrowed, and he let out a low, frustrated growl. “Seriously? They’re still fucking with your head? I thought we’d gotten rid of that crap when we made a run for it.”

You nodded, feeling the frustration mount. “I thought so too. But the way I felt earlier? It’s not just normal exhaustion or stress. There’s something else, like a goddamn residue of their mind-fucking bullshit.”

Ben’s face twisted into a scowl. “Fucking Vought. They never know when to quit. Always got to leave their goddamn mark.” He rubbed his temples as if trying to erase the anger. “So what the hell do we do now? We can’t exactly waltz into a lab and get your system cleaned out.”

You took another drag, the cigar’s taste a bit bitter but strangely satisfying. “Well, first thing’s first, we need to figure out how to deal with this shit without getting ourselves blown up or caught. And maybe stop living like fucking hermits.”

Ben snorted. “You think I don’t know that? But we’re kind of on a goddamn tightrope here. Vought’s still sniffing around, and we’re not exactly in the best position to go making noise.”

You leaned back against the couch, letting out a long, smoky breath. “Yeah, I get it. We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. But just because we’re stuck doesn’t mean we can’t do something about it. I’m tired of being a goddamn guinea pig for Vought’s experiments.”

Ben’s expression softened slightly as he took in your frustration. “I get it. I’m fucking tired of it too. But we’ll figure this out. We always do.”

You gave him a skeptical look. “Yeah, right. Like our usual method of ‘wing it and hope for the best’ has worked out perfectly so far.”

He rolled his eyes. “Hey, we’ve survived this long, haven’t we? Not saying it’s ideal, but it’s worked. And I’ll be damned if I let Vought win this round.”

You took another drag, the cigar almost done. “Fine. I guess we keep at it. But I swear, if we end up getting fucked over because of this, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

Ben chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you don’t pass out on me again. I’m not up for another round of you looking like a goddamn zombie.”

You smirked, tossing the cigar butt into the nearby ashtray. “I’ll do my best. And maybe next time, I’ll be less of a burden.”

“Fucking hope so,” Ben said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile. “For both our sakes.”

You could feel the tension easing slightly, a small relief in the midst of the chaos. The cigar had helped, more than you’d care to admit, and Ben’s presence was a rough but comforting reminder that you weren’t completely alone in this mess.

“Alright,” you said, pushing yourself to your feet with some effort. “What’s next on our list of shit to do? We need to get this sorted before we’re back to running from goddamn Vought.”

Ben’s eyes sparkled with a mix of irritation and determination. “Next on the list is figuring out how to deal with your chemical hangover and making sure we don’t get our asses handed to us. But first, you’re going to sit your tired ass down and get some rest. I’ll handle the rest of the shit for now.”

You gave him a grateful nod, leaning back against the couch. “Alright, boss. You’ve earned the right to take charge for a while.”

He grinned, a rare moment of genuine warmth cutting through his usual rough exterior. “Damn right. Now, just relax and try not to get us both killed while I figure out our next move.”

You leaned against the cool tile of the bathroom wall, your hand resting on your stomach. A frown pinched your forehead as thoughts spiraled through your mind like an endless loop. It was quiet, save for the muffled sounds of the world outside. The scent of old wood and bleach filled the air, mixing with something raw and vulnerable that clung to your heart. You breathed out slowly, trying to untangle the web of emotions inside you.

You were staring blankly at your reflection, the person looking back at you a mere shadow of the confident, brash figure you usually portrayed. It was just a simple bathroom, one of many you'd encountered in your life, yet it felt like a fortress, protecting you from the outside world. Outside that door was Ben, the man you had been entangled with for longer than either of you cared to admit.

The thought of him made your stomach twist, but not in a way you were used to. It was more like a punch to the gut, a reminder of the recent past that felt heavier than any weight you had ever carried. Just a couple of weeks ago, everything had been so different. The vibrancy of life had filled your belly, but now it was an empty ache, a loss you didn't know how to confront.

The door creaked open, and you turned your head just enough to see Ben stride in, his boots thudding against the floor. He looked rugged as ever, his dark hair tousled and a five o’clock shadow gracing his jaw. His brow furrowed slightly when he caught sight of you, and your stomach churned with an unsettling mix of gratitude and annoyance.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, his voice gruff but tinged with concern.

You quickly straightened up, forcing a nonchalant shrug. “Nothing,” you lied, the word tasting bitter on your tongue.

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he shot back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve seen you look like this before. You can’t fool me.”

You turned away from him, gaze drifting back to the mirror. “It’s just… it’s been a long day,” you muttered, trying to sound casual.

“Long day?” He scoffed, stepping closer. “Since when does a long day make you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

You clenched your jaw, unwilling to let him in. “Maybe I’m just tired, alright?”

Ben’s expression shifted, a mix of confusion and frustration clouding his features. “Tired? You look like you’re about to lose your lunch. What the fuck is really going on?”

Your heart raced, a storm of emotions bubbling beneath the surface. You knew he was only trying to help, but you didn’t want to open that door. Not now. Not ever. You turned to face him, your hands balling into fists at your sides. “I said I’m fine, dammit! Just drop it, okay?”

He let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair. “You’re never fine, you know that. You’re always either ready to kick someone’s ass or…” He paused, his gaze falling to your stomach, the implication hanging in the air like a loaded gun. “What’s going on, really?”

A heaviness settled in your chest, and the weight of his scrutiny made your heart race even faster. You had been through so much together, the two of you—friends, lovers, partners in crime since the '40s. You had shared everything from laughter to battles, but this was different. This was something raw, something that threatened to tear you apart if you let it.

“I just… I don’t want to talk about it,” you finally replied, your voice softer, though it held an edge of defiance.

He sighed, frustration flickering in his eyes. “Well, you don’t have to talk about it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stand by and watch you crumble. We’ve been through hell together, and if something’s eating at you, then damn it, I’m going to want to know.”

The resolve in his voice made you flinch. You hated how much you respected him, how much you cared. You had spent years crafting a tough exterior, refusing to let anyone close enough to see your vulnerabilities. But Ben had a way of breaking down those walls, and it terrified you.

“I told you, I’m fine,” you insisted, though your voice lacked conviction.

“Fine? You’ve got that look on your face that says you’re about to lose your shit. And don’t try to pretend it’s just because you don’t like the smell of the bleach in here.”

A laugh escaped you, though it was devoid of humor. “Well, maybe the smell of your bullshit is just as bad.”

He took a step closer, the intensity of his gaze pinning you in place. “You think I’m letting this go? Not a chance. You know damn well that I can smell when something’s wrong. Just tell me what’s up, and I swear I’ll be out of your hair.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the words caught in your throat. The truth hung heavy, a ghost that refused to leave you. You thought of the last time you had felt hope, the last time you had dared to believe that something beautiful was blossoming within you. It had all been ripped away, and now you were left with nothing but grief and confusion.

“Just… don’t,” you finally murmured, the defiance in your voice fading. “It’s not what you think.”

He furrowed his brow, his confusion deepening. “Then what the hell am I supposed to think? You’re acting like you’ve lost something, and I want to help.”

You turned away, your heart racing as the memories flooded back. The way you had held on to that tiny flicker of life, how you had nurtured it, and the devastating moment when everything had come crashing down. The bathroom walls felt like they were closing in on you, and you struggled to catch your breath.

“It’s just… it’s complicated,” you finally managed, your voice barely a whisper. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Ben’s expression softened, and he stepped closer, invading your space. “Try me,” he said gently. “You think I haven’t dealt with my share of complicated shit? Hell, we’ve both been through enough to fill a goddamn library. Whatever it is, I’m here for you.”

His sincerity disarmed you, the tenderness in his eyes making your chest tighten with conflicting emotions. You wanted to push him away, to keep him at arm’s length, but the truth was you were scared. Scared of losing him, scared of losing everything you had worked to build together.

“Ben, please,” you pleaded, your voice cracking slightly. “I can’t… I can’t talk about this right now.”

He nodded slowly, though his eyes were still filled with concern. “Alright. I get it. But don’t think I’m just going to forget about it. I care too much to let this go. Just remember that.”

You nodded, feeling a mixture of gratitude and frustration. You didn’t want to admit how much his words affected you, how much you needed him in that moment. Instead, you turned back to the mirror, focusing on the face that stared back at you, a mask of bravado and pain.

“You’re a stubborn pain in my ass, you know that?” you said, trying to lighten the mood, though it felt forced.

Ben chuckled, his tension easing slightly. “Yeah, but you love it.”

“Maybe,” you replied, a smirk tugging at your lips. “Or maybe I just tolerate it because I have no choice.”

“Sure you do. You could always kick me out, but then who’d listen to your bullshit?”

You shot him a glare, but it was half-hearted. “Don’t push it, soldier.”

He grinned, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. “Look, I know you’re hurting. Just promise me you’ll let me in when you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

The sincerity in his tone sent a wave of warmth through you, and for a fleeting moment, you considered breaking down the walls. But the fear of vulnerability held you back, and you simply nodded, knowing that words would only complicate things further.

“I’ll think about it,” you replied, trying to sound casual, though your heart felt like it was about to burst.

“Yeah, that’s all I can ask for,” he said, pushing himself off the wall and moving toward the door. “I’ll be outside if you need me. And don’t think you can escape without me knowing. I’ve got eyes like a hawk.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” you said, waving him off as he stepped out, leaving you alone once more.

As the door closed behind him, the silence enveloped you. You stood in front of the mirror, your reflection a reminder of the battle you were fighting within yourself. You wanted to scream, to cry, to let it all out, but you couldn’t. Not yet.

Taking a deep breath, you placed your hand back on your stomach, feeling the emptiness there, the loss that echoed in your heart. You knew you couldn’t hide forever. Eventually, you’d have to face the truth, face Ben, and confront the reality of what you had lost.

But for now, you allowed yourself a moment of solitude, a moment to gather your strength. You weren’t ready to let him in, not yet. But when the time came, you hoped he would be there, waiting to catch you when you finally fell apart.

1983:

The opulent luxury of the hotel room was a sharp contrast to the rough and raw energy that had just unfolded within its walls. The king-sized bed, with its crisp white linens and extravagant pillows, lay rumpled and disheveled. The sheer curtains, pulled halfway open, allowed the dim glow of the city lights to seep in, casting a sultry ambiance over the room.

You lay sprawled on the bed, your body still tingling from the intense passion you had just shared. The cool air of the air conditioner brushed against your sweat-slicked skin, providing a fleeting relief. You caught your breath, the previous moments of heated fervor slowly giving way to a familiar post-coital exhaustion.

Beside you, Ben was stretched out, one arm draped casually over his eyes, his breathing uneven but steady. His dark hair was in disarray, sticking to his forehead in a way that only added to the raw, unfiltered appeal he exuded. The bed creaked softly as he shifted, his muscular frame moving with a languid grace.

You turned your head to look at him, a smirk tugging at the corner of your mouth. The man was a damn force of nature—blunt, obnoxious, and fiercely unapologetic. It was part of what made him so damn irresistible, despite the fact that both of you were more than willing to push each other’s buttons.

“You know,” you said, your voice husky and tinged with amusement, “for someone who’s always so goddamn rough, you’ve got quite the knack for taking it easy afterward.”

He snorted, his arm lowering to reveal a cocky grin. “Well, pet, it’s not like I’m gonna be a raging bull 24/7. Sometimes, even I need a break.” He shifted closer, his body heat radiating toward you. “Besides, someone’s gotta give you a chance to catch your breath.”

You laughed, though it was more of a throaty chuckle than a full-blown laugh. “Catch my breath, huh? I’d say you’re just too lazy to do more.”

“Lazy?” He raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Let’s not pretend you’re any better. I seem to recall you screaming my name like you were calling for a rescue.”

“Hey,” you said, turning to face him, “don’t act like you’re some kind of saint. You’re just as bad as I am, if not worse.”

He laughed, a rough, gravelly sound that was both comforting and infuriating. “Guilty as charged. But you know what they say—better to burn out than fade away.”

You rolled your eyes, but the smile on your lips remained. “Always so dramatic. It’s a wonder you haven’t tried to take up acting yet.”

He shot you a mock-serious look. “Oh, please. I’d be terrible at it. I’m much better at being a reckless asshole.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that supposed to mean? You think I’m just some kind of saint?”

He chuckled, reaching out to stroke your hair. “No, not at all. You’re just as much of a wild card as I am. That’s what makes this whole thing work.”

You shifted slightly, feeling the weight of his hand and the warmth of his body. The intimacy was strangely comforting, despite the gruffness of your interactions. You had both built a fortress around yourselves, yet somehow, this unfiltered connection managed to break through.

“Yeah, well,” you said, propping yourself up on one elbow and looking down at him, “I suppose we’re both a couple of hardasses. But at least we know how to make it work.”

“Hell yeah, we do.” He grinned, his eyes twinkling with a mix of affection and mischief. “And speaking of making it work, don’t think I’ve forgotten about our little game.”

Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Game? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Come on,” he said, his grin widening. “You know exactly what I mean. That little bet we had about who could go longer without…”

You rolled your eyes again, though the amusement in your gaze was clear. “Oh, right. The bet. I suppose I should have known you wouldn’t let that go.”

“Damn right,” he said with a chuckle. “But let’s be honest, neither of us was exactly keeping track.”

You smirked, leaning closer. “True enough. We’ve always been more interested in enjoying ourselves than actually playing by the rules.”

He reached out, his hand cupping your face with a rough tenderness that always seemed to surprise you. “And that’s why I love this mess we’ve got going on. It’s never boring, that’s for damn sure.”

You let out a soft sigh, leaning into his touch. “Yeah, I suppose it isn’t. Even if it does come with its share of headaches.”

He chuckled again, his thumb brushing against your cheek. “You mean like the one you had earlier?”

You gave him a sideways glance. “Don’t remind me. I’m still trying to forget that little disaster.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he said softly, his tone more serious. “We’ve all had our share of those days. But at least we’ve got each other.”

You met his gaze, feeling a rare moment of vulnerability. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s nice to have someone who gets it.”

He pulled you closer, wrapping his arms around you with a protective and surprisingly tender hold. “Damn right it is. And no matter what happens, I’m not going anywhere.”

You rested your head on his shoulder, the roughness of his skin against your cheek providing a strange comfort. “You better not. I don’t think I could handle you disappearing on me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, his voice low and sincere. “We’ve been through too much to let it all fall apart now.”

The silence that followed was thick with unspoken understanding. It was rare for either of you to let down your guard, but in these moments, when the raw edges of your interactions softened, it felt like you could actually breathe.

You glanced around the room, the luxury and opulence starkly contrasting with the reality of your lives. The extravagant setting seemed almost absurd in light of the gritty, rough lives you led outside these walls. But for now, it was a sanctuary—a place where you could be as blunt and unfiltered as you wanted.

“Hey,” you said, breaking the silence, “you ever think about what comes next?”

He gave a thoughtful hum, his fingers idly tracing patterns on your skin. “Sometimes. But mostly, I just focus on the here and now. We’ve got enough to worry about without adding more to the pile.”

You nodded, appreciating the simplicity of his approach. “Yeah, I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

“You know it is,” he said, his voice taking on a more playful tone. “And anyway, as long as we’ve got each other, I’m not too worried about what comes next.”

You smiled, the warmth of his presence melting away some of the hardness that had settled over you. “Yeah, I suppose we can handle whatever comes our way.”

He grinned, pulling you closer until you were nestled against him. “Damn right we can. And if anyone tries to fuck with us, they’ll have to go through me first.”

You laughed softly, your fingers tracing idle patterns on his chest. “I’d like to see them try. We’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“Hell yeah, we are,” he said, his voice filled with a rough but genuine affection. “Now, why don’t we enjoy the rest of this night before it all goes to hell?”

You sighed contentedly, letting yourself be enveloped by his presence. “Sounds like a plan. For once, I’m more than happy to let the world outside fade into the background.”

He chuckled, his arms tightening around you. “Good. Because I’ve got no intention of letting you go.”

And so, in the luxurious confines of the hotel room, amidst the remnants of passion and the comfort of shared intimacy, you both allowed yourselves a rare moment of peace. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t always easy, but it was real. And for now, that was more than enough.

You woke up to the soft, muted sounds of the city filtering through the thick curtains of the luxury hotel room. The morning light crept in, casting a warm glow over the plush bedding. For a moment, you enjoyed the calm, the gentle embrace of the sheets that cocooned you. But that moment was short-lived. A tightness in your stomach sent you jolting upright, and before you could fully register what was happening, you were bolting out of bed.

You barely made it to the bathroom in time. Your stomach churned violently, and you doubled over, retching as your body expelled whatever remnants of last night’s indulgences remained. The taste of bile burned at the back of your throat as you grasped the cool porcelain of the toilet, your knuckles whitening with the pressure.

After what felt like an eternity, you finally settled back against the wall, panting and trembling. The fluorescent lights above hummed, and the stark whiteness of the bathroom felt overwhelmingly bright and sterile. You took a deep breath, the air feeling sharp and acrid. Slowly, you pulled yourself together, trying to steady your racing heart.

As you sat there, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of your stomach. This wasn’t the first time you had felt nauseous in the morning. In fact, over the past few weeks, you had noticed a series of bizarre cravings—things you’d never even considered eating. Pickles and peanut butter, raw tomatoes, and even the occasional urge for a strange concoction of ice cream and hot sauce. You had laughed it off, chalking it up to stress, or perhaps just the weirdness of being a super who had too many mental battles to contend with.

But the signs were all there, laying themselves out like a damning series of clues. You felt your heart begin to race as the realization washed over you like a cold wave, crashing against the shoreline of your thoughts.

“No. No, no, no,” you muttered under your breath, shaking your head in denial. This couldn’t be happening. You were too young, too wild, too reckless for this. The very thought of being pregnant sent a jolt of panic through your system, making your hands tremble.

You pushed yourself up from the floor, swaying slightly as the realization sank in deeper. Your fingers gripped the edge of the sink as you leaned over the mirror, staring at the reflection that looked back at you—a face filled with dread, uncertainty, and an overwhelming sense of vulnerability.

“Shit, shit, shit,” you whispered, your voice barely above a breath. “This isn’t happening.”

©️ 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐤 / 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨

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[sampsonstorm]

This is fucking bullshit. I am so sick and tired of my adult life being ruled by other people's kids because the parents are too fucking lazy to be a parent and supervise their children on the Internet. And to those who will say "well the parents work" then either teach your kids internet safety or take away their damn phones so they can't access it. Don't make it the entire fucking adult worlds problem. I got policed plenty while I was a child. Don't fucking do it to me when I'm an adult. This isnt right. This is a blatent violation of free speech and human rights. We all know what the government will do with this act. It has NOTHING to do with protecting kids. It has all to do with isolating the United States and closing off connections so people are unable to organize.

It will cut off abused children from seeking help. It will cut adults off from educational material containing "adult content". What? Are we going back to our elementary years "Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 14-hundred 92? Where we make cute little cut-outs of the bastard who tortured people? Yeah that's real cool to teach children. Not harmful at all. Wasn't harmful at all realizing all the propaganda I learned in school was BULLSHIT. When I could've been learning about; how to pay taxes, how to buy a car, how to buy a house, medical affairs, sexual education, how to clean properly, how to manage finances, types of trades. ALL THE SHIT TO ACTUALLY HELP IN MY ADULT LIFE.

Oh and you really wanna help kids? Let them fucking beat the shit out of their bullies and let those little monsters learn early, fucking with people for your enjoyment ISNT ACCEPTABLE, instead of your schools institution blaming the victim and sweeping the incident under the rug. Maybe then we wouldn't have so many adult monsters and people full of anxiety!

This will affect artists and indie creators who are primarily LGBTQ or who create adult related contents in their works. It will ruin any indie creators chances if they do not pair with a big company. It will systematically DESTROY our ability to connect and grow our audiences. It will be THE END for adult online cartoons, comics, web series, etc.

Oh and I'm saying this as someone who was groomed and had friends who were groomed. Wanna know why? Because my friends parents couldn't bother to be parents. But that also didn't stop us from watching bad VCR tapes. Kids are gonna find "harmful" content anywhere. It's called growing up. If you shield kids from the Internet you're just going to isolate and shelter them further while predators find a way around it once again. Hello the age of Normalizing the Dark Web which will put MORE people in danger including your precious children and minors. The Internet 2 will be the wild West again and the cycle will just repeat. Heed this warning. Leave the fucking internet alone. It's the last bastion of true freedom and if you take it away; SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES will come. Because people will finally hit their limit.

Leave it alone KOSA - REBLOG IF YOU AGREE

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Rockets continue to be fired at Israel, at least one person was injured, a 64 years old man. Here's a reminder that this is what it looks like AFTER Iron Dome has intercepted a rocket from Gaza, as the rocket's debris falls over the residential area that the terrorists fired it at, and debris can surprise people by landing up to a few minutes after an interception:

And this is what it looked like when a girl happened to be outside when the siren sounded, and she didn't have enough time to get to a bomb shelter:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by חמ״ל - חדשות מתפרצות בזמן אמת (@hamal_news)

I've mentioned 77 years old Chana Katzir before. She was held hostage by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second biggest terrorism organization in Gaza, which released a vid with her and another captive kid, and then claimed that she was killed by IDF fire. She then turned out to be alive, and was released by Hamas on the first day of the hostage deal. Her family said she was healthy when she was kidnapped, but she returned from captivity with heart problems. Her condition deteriorated, and she is not hospitalized, with a real threat to her life.

This is Chana in the vid:

(the Arabic subtitle reads, "I am Chana Katzir from kibbutz Nir Oz")

And this is her with her family:

Chana's son Elad is still in captivity.

The IDF continues to expose constantly how Hamas uses civilians areas, including schools and kindergartens, for its terrorist activity:

The US Congress discussion on Antisemitism at college campuses was even more shocking than I thought it would be. It was evident that they would claim that certain phrases are disputed in meaning, and therefore protected by freedom of speech. I did NOT think that three presidents of prestigious higher education institutes would sit there, and not be able to bring themselves to say clearly, that an EXPLICIT call to genocide the Jews goes against their schools' code of conduct.

As a gay, Jewish and disabled woman, I think the following vid is incredibly important. It shows the "free speech" line of defence is applied selectively, it's used to allow harassment of Jews, while speech that is offensive to other marginalized groups is NOT allowed.

The answers (obviously coordinated, because these presidents are parroting each other, down to using the same terms) claimed that as long as this call was "just" speech, not conduct, it was not a violation of their code. I just wanna point out that the way we get to hateful conduct, IS by allowing hate speech. Also... what does that even mean, "if it turns into conduct" in the context of a call to genocide? Jews have to be massacred (with intent to destroy the whole nation) on UPenn's college campus, for the president of this university to finally think it constitutes harassment of Jews? Plus, harassment is absolutely one of the crimes that doesn't have to be an action. Sexual harassment has long been recognized to include speech, so why is harassment of Jews treated differently to harassment of women? Does anyone think that a Jewish student, who hears dozens of students on campus calling for the genocide of the Jews, is not feeling harassed?

And at the same time, House resolution 894, condemning antisemitism, passed with over 300 votes in favor. Which is good. What bothers me is that there is even a single person who would vote against it. And it turns out, no less than 14 people voted against it. Not to mention those who voted, "present." This should be an eternal shameful stain on the records of every single one of the people, who couldn't bring themselves to clearly say no to Jew hate.

This is 20 years old Assachalo Sama.

He's one of the Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the fighting resumed. He was mortally injured, and for two weeks, doctors fought for his life, before he succumbed to his wounds. The people who served with him said he was the heart of the unit. May his memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[alarajrogers]

Just re-reading some of my old "for the love of God vote for Biden so we don't get Trump" posts, and I'm super happy that instead we have Kamala Harris, who people seem to be excited about... but I did notice a recurring theme in the leftist opposition (aside from refusal to actually understand electoral politics or pay attention to what's going on outside of the one issue they care about):

"We need to smash the existing system because it doesn't serve anyone! We need a revolution!"

It is understandable that Americans should believe in this fantasy. We have been taught that our Glorious Revolution that started this country was the height of righteousness and a wonderful thing for the whole world.

The problem is, it wasn't a revolution except in the most technical sense. It was the overthrow of a distant colonizing power and the institution of locally controlled government.

"Revolutions" that get rid of distant colonizing powers and grant the locals self-governance are often pretty successful, because the locals have a structure for self-governance already -- no distant colonizing power has ever been successful by installing nothing but puppets at every level of government in the entity they're trying to govern. But they're not really revolutions. They're the overthrow of occupying powers.

France took inspiration from us, misunderstanding what our "revolution" really meant, because they hadn't had 250 years to understand colonialism and what it meant and how it behaved... and their revolution involved unspeakable bloodshed and then takeover by a strongman who wanted to conquer Europe, and came damn close to doing it. How many French people died in the revolution? How many in the Napoleonic wars? Yeah, eventually they got their shit together and got a better government in place. It only took them a hundred years after the revolution... which, by the way, killed 16,000 French people. There were not that many nobles in the country. During the century of unrest that followed -- Wikipedia quotes this:

"Every [French] head of state from 1814 to 1873 spent part of his life in exile. Every regime was the target of assassination attempts of a frequency that put Spanish and Russian politics in the shade. Even in peaceful times governments changed every few months. In less peaceful times, political deaths, imprisonments and deportations are literally incalculable."

The Russian Revolution killed even more people. They started with the idealistic notion of a state that would wither away, and ended up with totalitarianism, and widespread hunger and black markets, because their version of Communism had to start with a state strong enough to strip everyone's property. They had a brief period of free press and free speech from the mid-80's when the Wall fell, to the 10's when Putin started turning them back into a colonizing empire. Now they are no better off than they were before the Revolution -- overall better food and health care, maybe, but less freedom to speak out against the government.

Oh, but our revolution would be different, right?

I want y'all who hope for revolution to seriously ask yourself these questions:

In the US, who has the most weaponry (outside of official government functions like military and cops)? How strong is our military? How leftist are our soldiers, in general? How leftist is the country, in general? Who controls the media that tells most of the country what to think?

I will answer those questions for you:

Right wing gun nuts who hate queers, Jews and Muslims and are not real happy with the notion that women and black people are human

Strong enough that if every single right wing gun nut rose up in revolution to kill our elected leaders, the military could put them down

Not very leftist at all

Our "left" is the rest of the world's center or moderate right

Big corporations, and a disproportionate number of evangelical Christian billionnaires who control those corporations

In other words, a violent leftist revolution is NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. Never. Not in our lifetimes, at least. And I'm including three year olds in that "our" there. And if it did, it would probably condemn our country, and most of the world, to unrest for a hundred years, and might result in us ending up with a far-right-wing dictatorship at the end of the churn.

The far left wing of this country -- the communists and extreme socialists who want to see all or most capitalism destroyed -- are a tiny minority of the nation. The progressives, who want stronger socialist protections but are okay with capitalism existing with stronger controls, and who want to see all people being treated as equals, are not a minority but have almost no guns in comparison to the right wing. Guns are actually necessary in rural areas due to the existence of wolves, bears, coyotes who will eat your chickens, etc, so even if we had excellent gun control measures, the majority of the non-government weapons would be held in the rural areas, which are predominantly white, Christian, and have been largely taught that queers, Jews, Muslims, atheists and socialists are evil subhumans. But most of the non-military weapons are held by cops... who exist to protect property rights and are so riddled with racism, sexism, ableism and corruption that good cops often end up dead rather than being able to change anything.

When do you think a minority of leftists who mostly do not have guns are going to be able to mount a revolution against the most powerful military in the world, against cops who are willing to drop bombs on civilians (check out the story of MOVE in Philadelphia, and recall that the cops have gotten worse toward civilians since then), against the people who feel like they're not really safe unless they have twenty-seven guns in their home and they know how to shoot all of them?

Your leftist violent overthrow of the wealthy will never happen, because all the wealthy will do is use the media to redirect a substantial number of you into attacking Jewish doctors and lawyers for being "rich" instead (or for being "Zionists", which is happening right now, because anti-semitic hostile powers like Iran and Russia have infiltrated your leftist spaces and filled them with misinformation), and the people who should share your class consciousness think you should be dead for not being a straight evangelical Christian, or for believing in Communism, or both.

Your only hope is to change the culture. Change the government through non-violent ways like peaceful protest, calls and letters to your representatives, and voting. Change people's beliefs by writing, teaching, running for office and speaking, controlling school boards to make sure the next generation are taught to question authority and not mindlessly accept everything the media tells them. Make things better in little ways, then crow about it so everyone knows you did it, then use that to prove that you could make things better in bigger ways if you were given the power to do so.

You have tried, election after election, to "teach the Democrats a lesson" by withholding your votes, to make them go further left. As a result they went further right. Because if leftists don't vote, why should an elected politician care what they want? Go after the people in the middle who could maybe be pried loose from the right wing, by catering to them. That's how we got Don't Ask Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act and welfare "reforms" that fucked over poor single moms and why we still don't have national marijuana legalization despite the fact that Bill Clinton admitted to smoking it in college. When a strategy has not only failed to work but has made matters much worse, over the course of at least 20 years, maybe 50, why do you keep pushing it like it changes anything?

You argue, votes don't change anything. Has nothing changed in 50 years? Corporations have more power now than when Howard Beale yelled "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" in the movie Network, in the 70's. Real wages are down. The job I do paid $90 an hour in 2010 and now it pays $70 -- that's not "with inflation", that is actual numbers. AIDS happened and killed untold thousands of gay men, drug users, hemophiliacs and people who needed blood donations, because the left wing didn't come out to support Jimmy Carter, so we got Reagan instead. Reagan didn't cause AIDS, but he did his damned best to make sure that AIDS research got no federal funding. Many things got worse because you didn't come out and vote.

Things have also gotten better. Because people who are nowhere near as far left as you economically, but who believe all humans should have rights, have voted, so now we have a world where on paper everyone is equal and discrimination is illegal, which is nothing at all like a world where everyone is actually equal but a hell of a lot better than a world where people are allowed to legally discriminate. But meanwhile things turned to shit for the working class. Because you guys are the ones who put pressure on the government to protect people's economic rights, and you abdicated because you wanted to teach the politicians a lesson. Well, you sure did. You taught them that nobody who votes cares all that much about economic justice. It's only now that late-stage capitalism and corporate/right-wing control of our economic system has gotten so toxic it affects the middle class, that we're seeing any economic reform at all or any pushback against corporations -- because you gave up. Because you declared, on the basis of no evidence because most of you are 20 and the rest have become so beaten down by life that you're hopelessly cynical, that votes don't matter.

The right wing buckled down and voted. Every election. Dogcatcher, school board, municipal waste authority, whatever. Vote for the person who gets you closer to where you want to go. And as a result, we are on a precipice where, despite how unpopular their extreme ideology is nation-wide, they are on the verge of being able to achieve it -- the rollback of everything we've successfully achieved throughout my lifetime, 55 years of progress, gone. Or, we can have leadership who have been trying to push a progressive agenda, uphill both ways but they're doing what they can.

This is where we are. Because you want moral purity. You want to absolve yourselves of all the bad things American leaders do by not voting for any of them. But since you had the power to vote and you didn't use it, there is no absolution for you. Everything an American leader does that is worse than what his opponent would have done, your hands are dirty if you didn't vote against him. And if you wilfully refuse to understand that voting third party in a presidential election is basically not voting at all, and that all it does is make both of the large national parties that are capable of winning ignore you, and that this behavior is why we are in such a shitty place right now...

Well, maybe you think your conscience is clear, but honestly, you are the guy standing next to the trolley lever operator, saying, "Well, I didn't do anything to stop him from making sure 1 guy died instead of 5, because making 1 guy die is as bad as making 5 guys die, so my hands are clean!" And then the next trolley operator comes along and wilfully kills the 5 people on the train tracks and you didn't stop him either, because the last guy killed 1, and you refused to accept that your choices were 1 or 5. And because you gave away all your actual power, and fantasized about power you don't have and never will, you imagined that someday, in a perfect world, you and your friends will fix the trolley system so it never hits anyone. But you aren't even engineers, you won't pick up tools, you don't join public transportation planning committees, and you won't even stop the guy who keeps turning the lever to kill 5 people because the 1 on the other track gives him money, because the other guy killed 1 to save 5 and that makes him just as bad in your eyes.

[sgiandubh]

People have opinions about kids, etc great state opinions, but when they post as absolute facts is the problem accompanied by fake voices on videos and blurred pix, that's a problem. Making up lies as facts are the problem. Denigrating Cait and or Sam or worse their families members because you have no real proof is wrong and goes beyond having a peaceful opinion.

Dear Opinion Anon,

First, our traditional spelling bee, because you people still did not learn how to write properly, ok?

People have opinions about kids, etc. great Great: state opinions, but when they post as absolute facts is the problem, accompanied by fake voices on videos and blurred pix, that's a problem. Making up lies as facts are is the problem. Denigrating Cait and/or Sam, or worse, their families' members, because you have no real proof, is wrong and goes beyond having a peaceful opinion.

Look at you, little fascist who knows nothing about the subject-verb agreement in English grammar! Being told what is right and what is wrong by someone clearly unable to properly read and write does not help, pumpkins. Send in your green berets, next time, please: this is way past boring!

I always said I shall speak only for myself on this page. So I am asking you:

Where did you see that particular video on this blog?

Where did you see those funeral pics on this blog? Let alone I explained why I never posted them and you bunch of coward liars all cackled. At length.

Where did I insult Sam's family members on this blog?

Where did I insult Cait's family members on this blog?

When and where did I stalk Sam, Cait or their entourage, unlike one of your queens?

And the question summing them all up:

Do you have a problem with freedom of speech in general?

People post whatever they want to post. They do not need me or you or Moo or *urv or Marple to tell them what to think or post. It is their constitutional right. This is not North Korea: this is an immaterial, almost completely deregulated space, where the demand for information meets the available offer via clicks, shares and comments. Other information is traded in DMs, Telegram groups and other outlets.

Have I made myself clear?

I'll tell you what. You are at once very nervous, curious and afraid of the whole bunch of things we collectively know. You still cannot understand how and why we are still here. You are perplexed by the number of intelligent professionals that are actively debunking all the shite you post regularly. You are upset by the fact real, strong friendships exist in here: something perhaps unheard of in your halls of gloom. And we elicit this reaction only based upon roughly 10 to 15% of the whole content in our, again collective, possession. If you knew all we know, your brain couldn't take it, duckie.

And then I know something else:

No shipper, ever, phoned an employer of an Anti to explain their employee was on Tumblr instead of doing their job.

No shipper, ever, phoned resorts, hotels or airline offices around the world in an attempt to find out where S, C, their progeny or other side players were, at a given moment in time.

No shipper, ever, used their own contacts' network to send false messages about the other side of the fandom war to the two leads, STARZ or the OL production team.

No shipper, ever, sent heinous comments on Anti blogs.

No shipper, ever, harassed Twitter and Instagram posters with endless questions about the time, place and people present at a randomly given event.

No shipper, ever, mounted via sock accounts a whole denigration and calumny campaign on Twitter when one of the leads was involved in a PR blunder.

No shipper, ever, used sexually loaded vocabulary to express 'appreciation' for the actors' work.

No shipper, ever, went on Wikipedia to repeatedly edit the male lead's dedicated page in order to include false sexual orientation reference, which then was screencapped and used as 'evidence' in subsequent flaming wars.

And many more...

You know, people have criticized me for even answering you. But answer you I shall, every time I shall think a reminder is necessary. I think shippers have turned the other cheek for way longer than they should have: a strategic choice that gave you both space and confidence. That you all went in a frenzy just before Christmas tells me perhaps more than you'd think about the kind of people you really are.

I am done with you. Don't bother coming back - you will be immediately blocked: you, your terrible grammar and your impertinence.

[exilepurify]

Shigeo and Mob omitted scene dialogue translation

I felt like the way some of the dialogue in the MP100 manga during the Confession Arc “No one will save me” scene (not included in anime) was a little confusing, so I got my hands on the raws for that chapter and translated it from the Japanese to English to get a better feel for it.

Translation under the cut! (It’s long)

This scene happens in the manga directly before Reigen’s scenes start. It’s basically Shigeo’s internal dialogue that happens as Serizawa and Reigen are attempting to reach Shigeo using the umbrella as a shield. It’s also one of my top three scenes in the entire manga and I was crushed it wasn’t included in the anime.

But! The translated dialogue can be pretty confusing. The subject matter is already a bit abstract and nebulous, and it’s made even harder to fully grasp translated out of its original language. It’s the curse of translated media to always be slightly less clear than the source material. This is why I wanted to go and translate the Japanese myself.

The first page I translated is this one:

Below is the translated dialogue, separated by speech bubble, going right to left and top to bottom:

Mob: なぜこんなことを？— Why do something like this?

Shigeo: 僕のためだ。— For me.

Shigeo: やりたいことをやるためだ。— To do what I want to do.

Shigeo: 僕は僕のためにいる。— I am here for my own sake.

Shigeo: 僕には僕が必要なんだ。— I need myself.

Shigeo: 車にはねられたのを覚えているか？ — Do you remember being hit by a car?

Shigeo: そして身体だけじゃ動けなくなった。— After that, I couldn’t move with just my body.

Shigeo: だから意思で動くしかない。— So I had no choice but to move with my will.

Mob: 何を言っているんだ。お前は僕の意思じゃないよ。— What are you talking about? You’re not my will!

Shigeo: わかってないな。それが偽物だっていうんだ。— You don’t understand, do you? I’m saying that it’s not true.

Shigeo: ツボミちゃんに会いに行くための強い気持ちがあるだろう。— You have strong feelings about going to meet Tsubomi-chan, don’t you?

Shigeo: 僕にとってそれはとても大事なものだ。— To me, that is a very important thing.

Mob: そんなもの… こんなに人に迷惑かけてまですることじゃない。お前の考えは普通じゃないよ。— Something like that… isn’t worth making trouble for people like this. Your mindset isn’t normal!

Shigeo: 普通ってなんだ？またそうやって僕そのものを否定するのか？What’s “normal”? Are you going to keep denying me like that?

Shigeo: アンタはいつもそうやって納得したつもりになってた。— You were always pretending you understood like that.

Shigeo: そして割りを食うのはいつも僕だ。— And it was always me who scraped by as a percentage.

Shigeo: このままアンタが壊れて消えれば… — At this point, if you break apart and disappear…

Shigeo: もう僕は我慢しなくていい。— I won’t have to endure it anymore.

Shigeo: 僕の好きにやらせてもらう。— I will be able to do as I please. 

Mob: 自分勝手に力を速って… — Using my powers for selfish reasons…

Mob: 誰かに迷惑をかけることが「自由」なのか？— and making problems for everybody… Is that “freedom”?

Mob: 僕はそんなことを求めて生きてない！— That’s not what I want, or what I’m living for!

Shigeo: 誰かって誰た？誰に迷惑がかかるんだ? — Who is “everybody”? Who are you making trouble for?

Mob: え… — Uh…

Shigeo: 誰なんだよ。— Who??

Shigeo: その誰かが僕を幸せにしてくれるのか？— Will those people bring me happiness?

Shigeo: いつか助けてくれるのか？— Will they save me someday?

Shigeo: 思い出すんだ。Remember.

Shigeo: …いつも僕を助けてたのは…僕だろう。— …The one who always saved me… was me.

Shigeo: そんなこと… 利用されてたんだよ。— You always used me… for that sort of thing.

Shigeo: しかもそれをわかってて喜んでた。なぜ？— And yet, knowing that, you were pleased. Why?

Shigeo: 臆病だからだよ。自分の行動に…力に…責任を持ちたくないから… — Because you’re a coward. Because you don’t want to be responsible for your actions… your power…

Shigeo: だから他人のためにしか自分の力を使わない… — So you only use your power for the sake of others…

Shigeo: でも力を認めて受け入れてもらえるのは嬉しかった。なせ？— But you were happy that your powers were acknowledged and accepted. Why?

Shigeo: 力を使う僕こそ本当の僕だから。— Because the me that uses my powers is the real me.

Mob: 違う。力は関係ない。力がなくたって僕は僕だ。— That’s wrong. Power is irrelevant. Even without power, I am me.

Shigeo: 関係ある。力があってこその僕だ。— It is relevant. It’s precisely because of power that I am me.

Shigeo: 自分の本性を、裏を、半分を、隠して安心？— Does it give you peace of mind, hiding your true nature, your hidden side, half of yourself?

Shigeo: 嘘だな。— It’s a lie.

Shigeo: 自分に嘘をついたまま長いこと忘れちゃってたんだよ。— Telling yourself lies for such a long time like that, you ended up forgetting.

Shigeo: 部活に入って自分を変ようとしたけどそんなのは無理だ。— You tried to change yourself by joining your club, but that’s not possible.

Shigeo: 簡単に新しい自分を作ろうとしてるだけ。— You’re simply trying to fabricate a new self.

Shigeo: 一番難しい問題を先送りにして努力した元気になってるんだよ「モブ」は。— You tried to put off the most difficult problem by working out and getting fit, “Mob”.

Shigeo: ずーっと… 僕を見てなかった。— You didn’t look at me… for a very long time.

Mob: だって… もしこれが本当の僕の姿だっていうなら… — That’s because… if this is my true form…

Mob: 本当の僕になんて誰も近寄られない。誰も… — If this is the real me, no one will want to be near me. No one…

Mob: 誰も助けてくれない。そんなの嫌だ… — No one will save me. I hate it…

Shigeo: 本当は僕は誰も信用していない。まあ…律はわかってくれたみたいだけど。— The truth is, I don’t trust anyone. Well… Ritsu seemed to get it, though.

Shigeo: こうやって暴れる僕だって本当の僕だ。— The one violently raging like this is the true me.

Shigeo: まだ認めたくないの？— Don’t you want to admit it already?

Shigeo: まだ逃げるのか… — You’re still running away…

Shigeo: 本当に弱い… — You really are weak…

Shigeo: だから認めるんだ。これが僕だ。— Admit it. This is me.

Shigeo: 誰も助けてくれない。No one will save me.

Shigeo: それならそれでいい。それが僕だから。— If so, that’s fine. It’s me, after all.

Shigeo: 次に目覚めたときは僕は僕になってる。— When next I open my eyes, I will become me. 

Shigeo: さようなら、モブ。— Goodbye, Mob.

———-

Notes:

1) In the most widely-used scanlation, this line:

Shigeo: そして割りを食うのはいつも僕だ。— And it was always me who scraped by as a percentage.

is translated as:

Shigeo: “And it always put me at a disadvantage.”

It’s generally correct, but I think it loses some of the impact that the original, seemingly very intentional wording has. 割り means “percentage” or “proportion” in this sense, and 食う, though most widely used as a masculine slang word for “to eat”, has a secondary usage meaning “to survive/to make a living (through hardship)” My version of this line is not the most strictly dictionary-accurate one but I feel like it captures the feeling well, which is the point of translation when done well.

2) The line:

Mob: 誰も助けてくれない。そんなの嫌だ… — No one will save me. I hate it…

is translated in the scanlation as:

“No one will save me. I don’t want that…”

This is still technically correct, but I’ve always thought 「嫌」 to be a bit stronger than that. It’s most often used to express dislike of something, so it’s correct to say “I don’t like it…” but it’s also the kanji used in 嫌い (I hate…), and it makes more sense to me to think of it as “I hate it” because it also parallels Ritsu’s “嫌いだ/ I hate it” statement in his vs ??? sequence.

Anyway, sorry this was so long! I hope it makes sense. I feel like it cleared up a few of the murkier statements for me.

A list of interesting vocab used here, for Japanese language learners:

偽物　「にせもの」：(n) counterfeit, imitation, sham

迷惑をかける　「めいわく」：to cause trouble (for someone), to bother, to inconvenience

否定　「ひてい」：denial, disavowal, repudiation

我慢する　「がまん(する)」：to endure, to bear with (something)

臆病　「おくびょう」：cowardly, timid (kanji literally means “timidity sickness”)

近寄る　「ちかよる」：to approach, to draw near

暴れる　「あばれる」：to act violently, to rage, to be riotous

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

On Thursday, Justice Neil Gorsuch released a 26-page opinion venting outrage about a legal dispute that does not exist, involving websites that do not exist. Yet this case, built on imaginary grounds, will have very real consequences for LGBTQ consumers, and for anti-discrimination laws more broadly. All of the Court’s Republican appointees joined Gorsuch’s opinion in 303 Creative v. Elenis.

That said, the fake dispute that Gorsuch imagines in his 303 Creative opinion involves a reasonably narrow legal question.

In the past, Christian right advocates have sought sweeping exemptions from state and federal civil rights laws, rooted in their expansive notion of “religious liberty.” Often, these lawsuits claimed that the Constitution’s safeguards for people of faith allow anyone who objects to LGBTQ people on religious grounds to defy any law prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

303 Creative involves a much narrower dispute. The case centers on Lorie Smith, a website designer who wishes to expand her business into designing wedding websites — something she has never done before. She says she’s reluctant to do so, however, because she fears that if she designs such a website for an opposite-sex couple, Colorado’s anti-discrimination law will compel her to also design wedding websites for same-sex couples. And Smith objects to same-sex marriages.

As Gorsuch summarizes her claim, Smith “worries that, if she [starts designing wedding websites,] Colorado will force her to express views with which she disagrees.”

This is not a religious liberty claim, it is a free speech claim, rooted in well-established law, which says that the First Amendment forbids the government from compelling people to say something that they would rather not say. In ruling in Smith’s favor, the Court does not say that any religious conservative can defy any anti-discrimination law. It simply holds that someone like Smith, who publishes words for a living, may refuse to say something they don’t want to say.

The full implications of Gorsuch’s opinion are not entirely clear. In the past, religious conservatives have argued that artists and artisans of all kinds — including bakers, photographers, and floral arrangement designers — should also be allowed to discriminate under the First Amendment, because all artistic work necessarily entails some kind of expression. Gorsuch punts on this question, writing that “hypotheticals about photographers, stationers, and others, asking if they too provide expressive services covered by the First Amendment,” are not present in the 303 Creative case.

And it is worth emphasizing that the particular kind of work that Smith does, writing words on a publicly available website, fits more snugly within the First Amendment than a similar claim brought by a wedding cake designer or a florist.

Before this case was argued, I wrote that if Lorie Smith had been approached by a same-sex couple and refused to design a wedding website for them, and if she had then been sued for refusing to do so, then she would have a very strong First Amendment defense against such a suit. As the Supreme Court said in Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (2006), “freedom of speech prohibits the government from telling people what they must say.” And that includes the right of a web designer to refuse to write words on a website that they do not wish to write.

But none of these events have actually happened. And, for that reason, the Supreme Court should have dismissed the case.

THIS CASE SHOULD HAVE NEVER MADE IT THIS FAR

The frustrating thing about this case is that it involves an entirely fabricated legal dispute. Again, Lorie Smith has never actually made a wedding website for a paying customer. Nor has Colorado ever attempted to enforce its civil rights law against Ms. Smith. Indeed, in its brief to the Supreme Court, Colorado expressed doubt that its anti-discrimination law would even apply to Smith.

Yet Gorsuch’s majority opinion repeatedly paints Smith as a hapless victim, oppressed by wicked state officials who insist that she must proclaim a dogma that she denies. As he writes in the very first paragraph of his opinion, “Colorado does not just seek to ensure the sale of goods or services on equal terms. It seeks to use its law to compel an individual to create speech she does not believe.”

This claim is simply untrue. Colorado has not brought any enforcement action against Smith, or taken any other step to compel her to say anything at all — or to design any website that she does not want to design. Nor has anyone ever sued Smith for allegedly violating Colorado’s anti-discrimination law.

Indeed, in one particularly amusing turn, Smith alleged during an early stage of this litigation that she was approached by a man about doing some design work for his wedding to another man. Yet, after the New Republic’s Melissa Gira Grant contacted this man, she learned that he never reached out to Smith — and that he was married to a woman.

These facts matter because federal courts, including the Supreme Court, do not have jurisdiction to decide hypothetical cases. As a unanimous Supreme Court held in Texas v. United States (1998), “a claim is not ripe for adjudication if it rests upon ‘contingent future events that may not occur as anticipated, or indeed may not occur at all.’” So the Court should have told Smith to go away and come back when she had a real dispute with the state of Colorado.

303 Creative, moreover, is the second time Gorsuch has taken such liberties with the truth in order to rule in favor of a religious conservative. Almost exactly one year ago, Gorsuch handed down the Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022), a case about a public school football coach who, after games, would walk to the center of the 50-yard line and ostentatiously kneel down and pray before students and spectators — often while surrounded by players, community members, and even members of the press.

Indeed, in her dissent in Bremerton, Justice Sonia Sotomayor included a photo of Coach Kennedy holding such a prayer session, as a throng of uniformed football players and other individuals kneel with him, and as people holding video cameras look on.

And yet, Gorsuch’s opinion in Bremerton claimed that Kennedy merely wanted to offer a “short, private, personal prayer,” and then Gorsuch ruled in favor of Kennedy based on this fabricated version of Kennedy’s actual conduct.

Needless to say, this is aberrant behavior by a Supreme Court Justice — and really by six Supreme Court justices, since all of the Court’s Republican appointees joined Gorsuch’s decisions in 303 Creative and Kennedy.

[queersatanic]

is that post about you wanting to discriminate against immigrants a meme? or????

It sounds like you're referring to this post, which you're right, is pretty jarring without the context of the bitter but serious joke being made there.

In the wake of the psychic trauma of the 2016 election and Hillary Clinton's electoral loss to Donald Trump, a librarian named Kristin Garvey came up with the following sign:

In this house, we believe: Black Lives Matter. Women���s rights are human rights. No human is illegal. Science is real. Love is love. Kindness is everything.

Basically saying, "Unlike those people who supported and support Trump, we are reasonable people who have basic human decency and right opinions," and presumably these people vote for the most progressive Democrat they can in every election.

But pretty quickly the sign was mocked and satirized by others, especially on the political Right. On the Left, though, this was often done by noticing how such people tended to also be wealthy white liberals who would suddenly grow very reactionary when an issue moved away from platitudes to something material like greater housing density near them, sending their own children to public schools, or non-carceral government responses to immigrants or visibly homeless people. Even the opening phrase "in this house" tells you that you're talking about a certain kind of person with a certain kind of wealth because to be able to plant a yard sign you both need a yard and have the authority to put something on it, which renters rarely have.

So let's go back to @papasmoke's post, riffing on that:

In this house we believe in Housing de-regulation A strong border wall Discriminatory immigration policies Infinite funding for the police Rhodesia 2's right to rape, murder, and conquer A maximally lethal military Loving who you love ❤️

This is a reference to the current state of the Democratic Party under presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and specifically her speech at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024 (the day before papasmoke's post was made).

Now, we may be differing with @/papasmoke here in that "housing de-regulation" in the sense of ending shit like single-family zoning probably is actually a good thing. But the point we'd agree on is that Democrats aren't talking about using the federal government to step up dense, public housing projects like they did in the mid-20th century. It's just, "We're going to solve the problem!" as an applause line.

On the border, Harris is criticizing Trump for not being as strong on "border security" as she will be.

On police, since 2020, the Biden regime, and surely Harris as well, will continue to push for more federal resources for cops around the country. The spigot will be turned on for the publicly-funded thugs doing the attacks on unhoused people but not so much for the unhoused people.

In regards to "Rhodesia 2", of course we have Harris saying this about Israel:

And let me be clear. I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself — (applause) — and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7 — (applause) — including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.

Not only is there continued material support to proceed continuously bombing Gaza for what will soon be a year, there is not even the rhetorical condemnation of Israel raping, murdering, and starving two million people, all in the name of greater living space and manifest destiny of a brutal apartheid state.

For the USA's own military, Harris says:

As commander in chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. 

However, Harris does say that at stake is "the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride," which is one of the main clubs Democrats use to tell queer people in particular that if you aren't OK supporting genocide, cops, and imperialism, then you are not a serious or practical person and you deserve whatever the next Trump regime does to you.

All of this was wildly popular to that room full of people, who also chanted "U-S-A" in response to people trying to just get a Palestinian speaker on stage to have their suffering recognized.

There's an old joke about how if you ask a socialist to describe their problems with capitalism, the socialist tells you a long list of problems with capitalism. But if you ask a capitalist the problems with socialism, they just describe the status quo under capitalism.

U.S. politics is like that with progressive voters in particular. If you were to accurately describe the Biden regime's current immigration/border policy or the enabling of Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing to a liberal in 2017-2020, they would tell you, "That's why the next election is so important to get a Democrat in office."

Then when you look at what Democrats do while in office, yeah, you can argue that it could be worse. But it could be a hell of a lot better, too, and the fundamental problem is there are tens of millions of liberals and partisan Democrats who only seem capable of imagining and working toward a better world when the opposing party is in power. Meanwhile these same people call life under their own rule the best of all possible worlds and see anyone conceiving and working toward something better than that to be actively sabotaging them.

So, that's a much longer explanation than you presumably were asking for, but that's what that post is criticizing specifically and why it's in that format, and it's also why people left of Ronald Reagan are so antagonistic toward partisan Democrats and their political class when we recognize that, yes, Donald Trump and the GOP are horrible and want horrible things for everyone they can put under their power.

[sleepinginpanic]

I feel like if Charlie had actually ran as himself and not Gegg than he would be winning in a landslide. He’s so smart and actually makes such great points, the only problems are the bits he has committed to.

Because he has to only use signs and only say a few words at a time, his freedom of speech is very limited making it harder to make his points. He has to constantly be writing things down and if no one decides to read what he wrote it can be completely ignored. Seen when he was trying to argue with Celbit and him just not reading any of the signs (mostly because he was busying arguing with others at the time and probably just didn’t notice them.) Charlie has a really good voice it’s strong and he’s very charismatic. We’re not seeing a lot of that with Gegg though, Gegg’s voice isn’t commanding like Charlie’s can be, it’s scratchy and hard to understand (which is the point but still) it makes it difficult to want to listen to it. Charlie has played several characters and has the ability to make his voice very loud, or threatening as well as soft and very happy go lucky. This can be very beneficial for his campaign as he can participate in the debates more.

The other bit is the whole we are Gegg thing, which I understand is more of a we are all one but it comes off as weird, kinda culty. It just struggles to come across as Charlie wants it to because of Gegg, his constant referring to stuff as Gegg-something or something-Gegg makes it hard to understand the point. If Charlie wasn’t Gegg then this point could be better construed.

The last bit that really damns him is the whole burn the world. If toned down a little of not the whole world but mostly the government then it might come better across or at least explained better. Also by him running as Gegg a lot of people have taken it as a joke, meaning they might not even consider Gegg to be a real opinion.

On the other hand if Charlie has run as himself it would make winning harder too, especially when going against the others.

People shut up when Gegg gets his turn because he writes it all down, if it was just Charlie speaking there is a lot more of a likelihood that he will be talked over or interrupted like the other candidates.

Also being an egg gives him more of a sense of security, despite everyone knowing that he’s Gegg, they still treat him like an egg when it comes to certain things. They jump to his aid a lot faster and have more of an instinct to protect him.

Maybe it’s Charlie himself or Gegg but a lot of people also just go with the bit with him. He’s funny to them and it makes them play along more. No one’s calling out the whole burn the world thing because it funny, it’s this little egg that wants to burn shit. It makes his actions less questionable.

All together both of them have their ups and downs. Which is why it would have been cool to have them be co runners. In all actuality it would be hard to pull of especially with Charlie not wanting people to know he’s Gegg but if they could have Charlie sometimes talk in his actual voice at least for arguing parts or explaining things better it would be a lot more helpful. Listening to Charlie talk to BBH and seeing how easy Charlie seemed to get him on the same page makes me think if Charlie was talking then they could convince a lot more people of their standing.

Also I wish that they would have everyone speak in their actual languages and have the translators fixed. It would solve a lot of issues. People would most likely listen more and they have to read what’s said like with Gegg and it makes it more comfortable for those who don’t speak English. It’s hard to get points across when you don’t know the right words.