#this is preliminary campaigning but I WILL be putting it on the reblogs for the actual poll as well

[fairybluedreams]

Vote Elatsoe AroAce Swag 2023!

Here is why YOU should vote for Elatsoe in the @aroaceswagcompetition!!

First thing's first -- Elatsoe (goes by Ellie) is the protagonist of the novel by Darcie Little Badger. Ellie/Elatsoe is a Lipan Apache girl living in an alternate version of the U.S. full of monsters, magic, & interdimensional beings from both Indigenous & Western folklore! She's basically living a modern fantasy, Indigenous futurism, and murder mystery all at once.   

Second -- the girl is FULL OF SWAG & MOXIE!! She has supernatural powers related to the dead, can "wake-up" the ghosts of animals (bringing humans back is a huge taboo tho), and has on rare occasions traveled to the underworld for dire circumstances. She faces off against vampires and murderers alike with her faithful (ghost) dog and her best (human) friend!!

Her aroace identity is both canon and respected by her family! The narrative doesn't treat her like she isn't capable of any type of love or caring emotions. (I can't be the only person who's heard "what are you, a robot?" or seen people only headcanon a character as aro/ace if they're super shy or super cold/mean right????) Elatsoe has a FIERCE love for her friends, family, and traditions, and she is more than willing to stand up for them and fight for them!!

Also she has an awesome dog named Kirby who she adores with all her heart and does everything with, how can you not vote for her at least once?? A vote for Ellie is a vote for Kirby!!

In Conclusion: Vote Elatsoe!! and maybe check out her book if you like reading with some awesome rep all around ;)

[readtheking]

THE CLIMATE This week ahead of preparations for the World Cup Sampaoli has released a preliminary squad of 35 players. As is our custom in the football world, the players he has chosen and those he has omitted have generated a lot of opinions from fans and pundits alike. But I would like to explore the climate the national team finds itself in first before jumping into that. The atmosphere around the players is crucial before this tournament. Our victories and failures in Russia will go a long way in reshaping  the team’s image, or furthering its reputation of being “pecho frios.” We’ve seen how discord within a squad has imploded before in the form of France in 2010. They had arguably some of the best talents football had to offer that year. On paper they could have easily topped their group, or finish second at least. Instead, they finished 4th with just one point, behind South Africa, the host nation, and suffered a humiliating early exit from the tournament. We aren’t used to that.Things are always different for us. Morale is usually high before a World Cup for Argentina, but as I mentioned in my previous article, expectations are at an all time low for the albicelestes. It isn't simply because we lost three finals in a row either. We've lost consecutive Copa America finals to Brazil in 2004 and 2007; we still went to South Africa in 2010 with an attitude, as if we were going to school everyone and lift the trophy. Our slogan was “Last stop:Glory.” the prospect of Maradona on the sideline as our coach, coupled with Messi’s genius on the pitch gave all of us wet dreams of 2 international icons coming together to gift their homeland another accolade. Nothing could stop us from dreaming, not even the dreadful memory of losing to Brazil. I wouldn't dare blame it on a difficult qualifying campaign either. In 2009 it took a last minute goal from Palermo to keep our hopes alive in qualifying, and still, as previously mentioned, we went to South Africa as if we would school everyone. Whether it was just confidence oozing out of our pores, wishful thinking, or a complete lack of humility, Argentina is usually confident that the trophy will be theirs when it’s all said and done regardless of what their form was in qualifying. It is quite ironic though that such confidence has eroded us while we still have arguably the greatest player of all times captaining the squad. How do we not feel invincible with Messi on our side? Many have already blamed him for the trophy drought that becomes a little more unbearable year after year, but the truth is we are unsuccessful in spite of what he brings to the team, not because he fails to give his best in every game as some would suggest. In my opinion, it would be ridiculous and almost criminal to blame him for our hopes and dreams being so limited ahead of the tournament this time around. We even experienced a bit of magic with la pulga in qualifying last year that would have fueled our arrogance  under normal circumstances. He gave us life, he made us scream at the top of our lungs when it mattered most, and he made us feel that everything was going to be okay when all hope seemed to have been lost heading into our last qualifying game on our way to Russia. Ecuador was our last game, our must win. We had exhausted every chance of qualifying early. We couldn’t afford any more excuses, yet 40 seconds into the match we had already conceded a goal. It was an assault on our already frail spirits; we were all dreading that the remaining 89 minutes would be spent in agony, but thanks to Messi this wasn’t the case. La pulga answered with a hattrick. Each goal was a carbon copy of its predecessor. They all started with his tiny boots spriting rapidly pass the defense at the top of the box, tapping into the ball every other millisecond to help it glide on a poorly maintained pitch, and before you could catch your breath from the magic of seeing the ball stick to his boot practically like a siamese twin, he’d let it fly into a top corner just to taunt the goalkeeper. He couldn’t be responsible for our failure, he’s part of the solution, he’s our only giant killer. Controversy surrounding the players is certainly a factor one would consider. Rumors that Icardi would not be called up were put to rest as he was named among the strikers for this preliminary squad. many were and are still offended by his history with his ex-teammate's wife.  Suspicions also linked his absence in the national team with a lack of chemistry and friendship with Messi. Perhaps our captain was worried about the sanctity and security of his own marriage, but even Maradona’s doping scandal in 1994 could not bring down the AFA’s prestigious institution, so really the reason for such a hectic climate is down to us finally accepting reality. Why were we always such hot favorites every World Cup year despite not lifting the title since ‘86? In comparison, many won’t even speculate if we will make it passed the group stage this year when we were finalists in the very last edition. Is it our way of thinking that has changed? Getting trashed by spain 6-1 in a friendly  was perhaps the wake up call we needed to finally accept that reality and ditch our overconfidence for more practical reasoning. We did the same things over and over again, expecting different results, and still remained cocky after falling short of our goals. That's the attitude that saw a player like Riquelme not lift a major trophy with Argentina. Our current climate is that of uncertainty and hope. It is us crossing all of our fingers and toes for a chance to see Messi finally accomplish what some considered destiny ever since his debut on the world stage. It’s a climate that finally recognizes that we aren’t invincible. The digital world has changed everything. The narrative about just any subject shifts in as short a time period as our attention span in the current world. The pressure grows with every tweet, every reblog of all our short comings, and every satirical video of us bottling finals. Our expectations are no longer built on a mountain with reputation as the only valid argument at its core. All albiceleste fans can finally express their opinions at the same time, and not just be silenced or abandoned for a media narrative. And if you ask me, that is a good thing for Argentina, Sampaoli, and Messi. We no longer have to operate from the point of view that we are the greatest. We can finally humble ourselves and admit that our old formula is failing. We have been slacking and it is time we reclaim our greatness by adapting to reality and changing accordingly.

[fairybluedreams]

Vote Nina AroAce Swag 2023!

Look out for Nina in the @aroaceswagcompetition!!

Nina is one of the protagonists in "A Snake Falls to Earth" by Darcie Little Badger. She's a Lipan Apache girl who loves storytelling and connecting to her culture. She still believes in the old stories, and this belief pays off big time. She teams up with & befriends a bunch of shapeshifters from the Reflecting World, and helps wrangle a hurricane, lasso a tornado, and catch a murderer with the power of friendship! (& animal people magic 👀)

She's canon ace! She also has a deep love for her friends, family, and traditions, and fights to protect them.

Nina’s story draws on traditional storytelling to weave a tale of monsters, magic, and family, and deals with themes like climate change in the natural world, Indigenous connections to land & stories, and the power of found family in the wake of disaster. Nina, her friends, & her story are worth a vote & a read!

In Conclusion: Vote Nina!! and maybe check out her book if you like reading with some awesome rep all around ;)