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quirkle2 · 2 years

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jay do you ever think if warriors is in the middle of a big battle like the bloodied warriors drawings you made that legend ever has to help him calm down?? :0 man the feral ones you made are such a far cry from how carefree and goofy he usually is!!! aaaaaa I love them!!!!!!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM YES I DO ANON YES I DO

i've mentioned in the past a lot that they Both tend to absolutely lose it if the other is hurt in battle, but i also think abt instances where neither of them r hurt but Something happens in the fight and it makes wars lose it anyway. it could be pretty much anything ?? it could be just a Sound—a particularly familiar way metals scrape together; a yell that sounds like a long-gone soldier of his; the sound of a bomb being lit,,,

it could be smth So small that bothers nobody else at all, but it will instantly take him back to some memory he'd tried to forget. he's suddenly in a different place in his head altogether and he's back in that mindset he'd had to adopt during the war—kill or be killed—and when he of all people gets like that, a literal one-man army, it is incredibly hard to stop him from killing just about anything that moves

it's rare that it happens, but he does occasionally snap into something cold and feral and heartless. sometimes he's pushed over the edge, and ? sometimes only legend can calm him down

the others try ? most of the time wars recognizes them as allies, but on the rare occasion he's too lost in his own head to know who he's slashing at, they Have to get out of the way in order to not get immediately killed. legend is their fastest member. wars is Almost a match, but not quite, and if it rly came down to it, ledge would be able to avoid his strikes long enough to get his attention and snap him out of it

but i enjoy the idea of wars seeing ledge and That's what snaps him out of it. the others have been trying to get his attention, trying to yell for him to stop and it's proven to be useless cuz he's not hearing a word they're saying, but i fuckin adore the idea of legend being the only one wars' mind seems to pause at. if legend yells enough, it usually breaks through the barrier and gets wars to halt and to blink and realize he'd gotten lost in his head

and when he's finally snapped out of it ? he's Instantly panicking. he knows immediately what happened, or at least the jist of it, and he's whipping around to count heads and scan bodies for injuries inflicted By Him. he's actively hyperventilating cuz he doesn't allow himself a Moment of rest between his feral trance and checking the team over for injuries and legend has to grip his shoulders and cup his jaw and force him to Look at him

legend's so ?? it's Scary, for him, to see wars like that. it's scary for everybody, but legend in particular has royal knight trauma, and seeing his best friend, who is a knight, with that heartless, crazed look in his eyes ? it,, it unsettles him so much. legend is Scared of him, in those moments. luckily, they're at the point where ledge knows wars would never hurt him intentionally

and u bet ur ass that wars is so broken up abt losing it on the field. he apologizes endlessly, gets so choked up and guilty abt it, and even though the rest of the chain keeps telling him that they Get it and they understand and they don't blame him, he still beats himself up over it sm. keeps repeating "i could have killed you!" and he's nearly inconsolable

especially if he Does actually hurt one of them. just because that idea hurts me immensely, im gonna say it's never anything more than a simple nick or a twist of a limb <3 but even That . even if he sees a nick on somebody's face and he asks where that came from and they sheepishly admit they'd narrowly dodged one of wars' attacks, he's sofuckign broken up about it.

ur RIGHT anon he's such a goofy and gentle guy and even seeing a Small Cut on any of them, caused by wars, is enough to reduce him to tears. he just keeps thinking that if he'd gone a little faster, if they'd been a little closer, it could have been fatal. it could have chopped their fucking head clean off. That's why he gets so upset. it's how close he got to killing one of his family members

it terrifies him ? he's endlessly apologizing and Instantly unarming himself so he can't hurt them. and it usually takes the whole evening for legend to bring him back to a point where he's calm and not constantly hung up on the fact that he lost it on the field. legend's so gentle w him and the rest of the chain is as well—they're so endlessly patient w him and even if they've said it 16 times in the last hour, they'll keep telling him it wasn't his fault and they do not blame him and No We Don't Hate You Please Never Say That Ever Again

#qktalks #anon #don't quite know what to tag this as ngl #tw violence #tw death mention #????#if i need to add tags pls do let me know im unsure #it's 1am i'm so sleepy so i'll keep my ramblings in the post and Not let it overflow into the tags but GVEIAYGV #ty anon ur mind is so big and wrinkly #that one drawing of him covered in blood next to the red text in that image is my favorite one #love a man who's lost his mind and is covered in blood <33333 HVIUEAGVIA

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dgcatanisiri · 1 year

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So yeah, there's The Quarry finished.

In retrospect, me thinking that there might be a cure, an alternative to killing, probably got more characters killed than anything. Note for next run.

Aside from the mandatory heterosexual bullshit, which, let's be real, it's pretty much the price of admission for any media not 100% made for a queer audience, I'm exhausted but I'm used to this, I did greatly enjoy it, like I have all of the Supermassive catalog. Let me get my replays of Cyberpunk and Andromeda, and maybe a play of another game, I'll easily go back in and try again.

Though I DID make a quality of life choice and disabled the "Don't Move" checks. Those screwed me over enough in Until Dawn for me to not want to deal with their bullshit again. And next time through, I'll probably turn down some of the other choices as well - The idea for first time is to do it with no takebacks or particular foreknowledge. Now that I know how things will play out with only my intuition guiding me, it'll be time to go with guides.

On a character level, though, I will say that Emma was easily my least favorite character of the group. Like her whole thing is saying that she doesn't want anything more with Jacob, but... She not only actively tries to make him jealous, she also is actively and intentionally flirting with him as well, so it's just... Clearly you want different things here, he wants a steady relationship and you want things to just be fun and casual, and this can't be justified as "getting the point across."

On the flip side, I feel like the narrative is basically out to make Jacob a designated whipping boy, considering the way that he is both easily killed AND quickly forgotten about by the others (like no one even MENTIONS him after he leaves the group, when no one even really knows that werewolves are involved). Like, I know he's responsible for the group being stranded there in the first place, but the karmic kicking he takes throughout the rest of the game...

Okay, yes, full disclosure, I do think he's cute and I have a tendency to forgive things for attractive characters, but still. It seems excessive to me. Like, it feels like the game, in knowing that it's a send up of like campy (pun intended, by both me and the developers) eighties slashers, stories where a character like Jacob would be defaulted as the hero, so here he's not just responsible for the problems by the narrative, but he's also both punished for it AND shoved out of that hero position by the characters more likely to be the hero in a modern story, but I feel like the writing goes so far in flipping that script on its head that it turns around to abusing him for the crime of... being a dumb teenager with no way of knowing that he's been put in the middle of a horror movie.

Seriously, I want him to just embrace the fact that he's clearly a himbo and needs a nice boy to get over the girl with.

And... the gay content. What there is of it. Like, on the one hand, it's handled in a way where no one ever comments on it, and while this IS a horror game sending up slasher movies, so the characters CAN end up dead, that's true up and down for the straights, too, so that's fine. But it's WEIRD how, once Laura appears in the group, she's thrown together with Ryan and even other characters comment on their interactions being "sparks," especially factoring in that Laura's primary motivation is her BOYFRIEND. Like, I can't even say that it's trying to make him seem not-queer, because it doesn't even make sense for either character. It's just a bunch of weirdness, like the writers couldn't give these characters interactions without trying to add that spark (which, given that I'm gonna go out of a pretty firm feeling limb and guess that the writers were all cishet, could easily just be the case).

Like, going back to the feeling of Jacob being written as the eighties version of the protagonist thrown into the modern setting and getting taken to task for his behavior, this feels like the characters' interactions being pulled from another story where they're totally meant to be together.

I mean, y'all know me, I'll call out forced heterosexuality in video games all the time, but this one is just WEIRD because it doesn't even make justifiable sense in universe that these two would be flirting, and I can see TV Tropes has an entry on it, which means even THE STRAIGHTS noticed.

Anyway. On the queer scale, this is probably no higher than a four. Taking that scale and applying the standard "media is so frustratingly heterosexual" curve, I'd still put it in a solid 8 to 8.5 range. If you have played and enjoyed other Supermassive titles, you'll enjoy this one.

#dg plays the quarry

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morgana-ren · 3 years

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For the Shiggy ask question 51, what is his favorite thing to see you wear?

Oh boy! I hope you enjoy unnecessary sexual details because I am incapable of doing anything else!

Tomura is a simple man and pretty far from being a fashionista on any level. Anything he can rough-house open is something he's a fan of. Snappable buttons, rip-off skirts, things below his considerable strength level that he can easily shred off of you with raw power. He's also partial to those fancy little body chains and harnesses, but that's got more to do with his bondage side.

He doesn't really have any opinions on your day to day clothes when it comes to the details, but he does like things he can easily exploit. Short little skirts and sun dresses that he can easily stick his hand up. Low cut tops that give him a nice view, or at least shirts that offer a loose enough neck line that he can cop a feel when he feels like it. Sleazy, sexy underwear he can easily pull to the side and bras that unclip from the front because he hates those infernal contraptions that unhook from the back. He fumbles with them every time and he doesn't have the damn patience to get good at it, so if you wear standard bras a lot, you're going to end up losing a lot of them to his quirk.

In the bedroom, he gets a little more particular. Tomura goes wild for roleplay and cosplay. He'll spend a lot of money on a really nice costume for you and he expects you to be grateful and wear it for him when he asks. His more innocent desires usually consist of his favorite video game or TV show characters. Yes, he is a complete dork, but I wouldn't recommend laughing at his requests. His favorite waifu's clothes but he still gets to fuck you?? Oh yeah, that sends him feral pretty quick. The dry cleaning has got to be miserable because sometimes he just cannot control himself and his cum ends up all over the outfit. At least it's not you who has to look at the poor clerk in the eyes when it's dropped off.

His darker desires get a little bit more... worrisome. It's still cosplay, but this time it's usually an exact replica of some hero's costume that happens to be pissing him off at the time. Other times, it's the hero's apprentice. You can pretty much count on it getting kind of nasty when this is the case. Lots of degradation, choking, berating and bruising. He's also not shy about whipping out his camera and taking videos and photos of the encounter. It's more of a revenge fantasy at this point, so try not to push him too far or he might- um- lose himself a little. He'd never try to actively hurt you, but you'll probably end up with much more than you bargained for.

When active cosplay is too much work, it's pretty easy to get him to lose his mind with the right pair of thigh highs or stockings and maybe a garter belt if you're feeling fancy. He's a fan of the whole 'naked female/clothed male' dynamic because it makes him feel powerful, so I wouldn't plan on wearing much else very often. That being said, he also enjoys revealing you without getting you completely naked sometimes, so perhaps a button up shirt with the entire top part undone and nothing underneath.

On a more innocent note, he does enjoy seeing you in his clothes quite a bit. His wardrobe is really nothing special, but wearing his shirts and sweatpants when you're just lounging around together is something he finds adorable. It's like he's marking you without marking you. When you're out and about, he'll let you wear his hoody or even give you one of his long jackets when it's really cold. It should be noted he started washing his clothes more when you wanted to wear them, so it's a win-win really.

Whatever your style is, he can usually find something he enjoys about it. Whether you're a pastel princess or a tradgoth, he doesn't seem to gravitate toward any particular one, but he will find certain outfits or looks that he enjoys over others. He's pretty easy-going and doesn't tend to care about things like clothes, so most of it comes from his libido. He can just as easily get worked up from seeing you in a tanktop and shorts as he can club clothes, so the end result, ultimately, is the same. There's also definitely accessories he loves on you and will want you to wear more frequently, but for the most part, it all comes down to 'How quickly can I get access to the part of her body that I want with minimal inconvenience'.

#nsft #seriously graphic design is my passion #actually im just having a lot of fun with these creators #they're hideous I love them #its so like neopets barbie era I love it #fucking clipart #it's wonderful

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shihozaki · 3 years

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Heyo I would like to request a haikyuu match up❤️

General facts:

I'm luri a 21 old, female, hetero, ESTP/ESFP, aries, Gryffindor. I have an undercut hairstyle. (length kinda like ushijima so my profile picture isn't that accurate anymore)

Basically I'm a open and humorous person who likes to laugh :) I don't have a particular fashion style, I wear mostly everything from sweat pants and Hoodie with sneakers to mini skirt or rockabilly dress with high heals. I have no favorite color but I don't like pink...

Personality/character :

When you first meet me I am nice, polite but rather quiet. Knowing each other better I am very direct and straight out with my emotions of any kind. Whether I'm mad, sad or in a good mood. Even then I'm quite humorous. I am like an open book for most to read as you can tell by my nonverbal body language what I am like right now. I can get very aggressive and angry if someone is stupid towards me or starts a fight with me or my friends. On the other hand I speak before I think without any filter ... And I only notice that afterwards... But if someone points my inappropriate behavior out to me I would apologize immediately :)

- I'm a very helpful and nice person. I would do everything for my friends and family if they ask

- I'm a good listener. And because of my own family history I know If someone’s having a bad day and needs emotional support.

- I'm really good in organizing things

- I'm faithful and loyal. If you mess with me or my friends I will fight everyone.

- I'm to stubborn and straight forward. When I have a goal in mind, I don’t give up so easily. It can also backfire.

- I speak before I think. So I may say inappropriate in front of others...

- When I'm interested in something, sometimes I just focus on it and only want to talk about it, which can really get on others' nerves

Hobbies:

My hobbies are

producing my own little video clips or drawing,

I like to bake, and

practice my Krav Maga skills (Israeli Military Self-Defense Technique) :)

I can play violin but I don't get any lessons anymore :)

I am interested in technology especially IT and love to make, build and program things and websites myself.

I love helping with repairs on the house, but also building furniture, as well as electronics and electrics.

What I dislike about people:

-I don’t like being underestimated by my intelligence and physical strength and behaving towards me as if I were a fool.

Fun facts:

-I have an extreme visual defect (nearsightedness) + I can't see in three dimensions, so I'm kinda blind in some way xD

(if I don't wear glasses it's as if I see my surroundings as a picture...)

- so basically I'm looking for a guy who shares my humor and is able to handle/accept my flaws :) and he shouldn't underestimate me.

- I think I would go to Karasuno.

- in my opinion I'm a Iwaizumi kinnie :)

- I love movie soundtracks! the whole soundtrack, original music from the composer + epic soundtracks from two steps from hell, audiomachine, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Rachel Portman etc. So they are my favorites(recently my favorite soundtrack is the whole haikyuu soundtrack!).

But i also have pop and rock on my playlist along with some electronic songs and classic music. So basically a bit from everything :)

- I can't handle horror. I am a upfront person and straight forward but I'm such a softie BUT can't handle anything with horror (like movies or dungeons) xD

- in the HQ universe: I think I would be a senpai for the third years. I like the thought of visiting them for their weekend practice and film their activities :) and I'm kinda into being the older one in a relationship :) but I don't have to. But I also like the thought of being a third year and watch them play and record them. (I don't want to choose a high school, but my favorites are Karasuno, Shiratorizawa and Fukurodani. But I think I'm a Iwaizumi kinnie.)

Love language & what I look for:

- When I'm in a relationship with my boyfriend I would spoil him physically(massages) , with gifts and emotional equally (showing up ar his work place, preparing dinner, organize quality time in front of the TV with cuddling and watching favorite movies, etc.)

- I look for a guy who match with my humor or at least doesn't hate it

- I like it when guys handle my flaws and are ok with them

- I would take everything as a date. City trip, shopping if it is shopping for technology or Mangas, movie date (without horror), just stay at home :)

Soooo I hope that's not too much information, and I hope I included everything you need :)

Thank you in advance ❤️

I pair you up with Ushijima Wakatoshi!

- So you used to go to Karasuno High, becoming very good friends with the volleyball team. Even after graduation, you occasionally visited the team.

- One day, when you had visited the baseball team’s practice, Hinata and Kageyama had gone on a run and hadn’t come back for while. You offered to look for them and went on your search. You found them talking to the famous number one ace in Japan. He asked you for his number after you tried to drag the boys away.

- You started texting him after that, and surprisingly, you guys quickly became friends! He found your “wear your heart on my sleeve” personality very amusing, while you found his “I swear I’m laughing on the inside” personality amusing. You guys went into a relationship pretty quickly too

- He was surprised that you were older then him- he thought you were younger at first. In fact- that’s what his teammates thought too

- Adores your talking. Since Ushijima is a man of few words, he loves listening to you talk about your recent obsessions. He find you admirable for being extroverted and finding what you love.

- He doesn’t think you have any flaws? Like he doesn’t seem to find any but even if you do have some, why would that matter? He believes that humans were meant to have flaws. And he thinks “flaws” are just “special personalities”.

- He’s surprisingly very soft and warm towards you. He says it’s because he’s comfortable around you. He tries his best to be a good boyfriend too, by always trying to spend time with you. He gives you his full attention.

- He does have humour- but he just says them in a straight face. Which makes you crack up even more.

- Loves you taking care of him. Your little massages and your little gifts make him feel fluttery inside, and poor boy doesn’t know how to react. He gets so cute when he’s silently flustered.

Overall you guys are both very straightforward and dominating couple, where each of your teams make fun of you guys for being whipped at each other :)

Scenario: First meeting!

‘Where did they go?’ You thought as you wandered around the streets. You should have know that Hinata and Kageyama would get lost- they weren’t exactly the brightest. It was still odd, they couldn’t have gotten that far. ‘Don’t tell me…’ You thought before running to the Shitatorizawa school. You made your way to the field, and there they were. Hinata, Kageyama, and… Ushijima? They were standing beside the door to the Shiratorizawa’s gym. As you got close to them, you could hear Ushijima talking about someone named Oikawa..? It didn’t matter. “Hinata! Kageyama!” You yelled. “The team is waiting for you, what are you doing here?” Hinata and Kageyama immediately turned to you, there faces filled with determination. “We were talking to the ace!” Replied Hinata. You quickly bowed. “Sorry about them, I should have supervised them correctly.” You motioned for Hinata and Kageyama to follow you back to Karasuno. As you were about to leave, your hand was pulled. You turned around, your face meeting with Ushijima’s. “If it isn’t too much to ask… May I have your phone number?” Said Ushijima in a monotone voice. He looked away to the side after, as if he was embarrassed. It was surprisingly cute. You blushed, then took his phone and punched in your number. He quickly thanked you and went into the gym. You turned back, your heart beating faster and faster. “What- he- you can’t- why did you-“ Hinata stuttered while blushing and pointing at you. “Are you dating Ushijima now?” Asked Kageyama. You became even more red from the blunt comment. “No…” You replied, walking towards Karasuno high with the boys trailing behind. ‘Not yet.’ You thought with a smile.

Song: Miss Independant by Ne-yo!

Thank you for requesting, I enjoyed writing this. The episode this scenario is based on is episode 1 from Season 2 (Timestamp 13:30). Please let me know what you think about it, and I hope to see you again soon :)

#anime fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #haikyuu matchups #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu!!#ushijima x reader

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trylonandperisphere · 4 years

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Battle over mail-in voting could leave both parties with doubts about results in November | WPMI

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — President Donald Trump again accused Democrats of trying to “steal” the November election Monday as Democrats continued to question his willingness to abide by the results, and new polls suggest the public is growing increasingly concerned about the security of the process and the credibility of the outcome as Election Day draws nearer.

“In an illegal late night coup, Nevada’s clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state,” Trump tweeted Monday morning. “Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation. Using Covid to steal the state.”

A bill approved in a special legislative session over the weekend would empower Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak to direct the secretary of state to send mail-in ballots to all active voters. Seven other states are already planning to do the same, despite objections by the president and some Republicans.

President Trump’s latest complaint about states shifting toward voting by mail due to the spread of the coronavirus came days after he floated the possibility of delaying November’s election entirely. He backed off that suggestion after bipartisan backlash, but he continues to predict it will be “the greatest election disaster in history.”

The pandemic has already presented unprecedented challenges in the primaries, bringing a massive surge in demand for absentee ballots, a shortage of volunteers willing to work at polling sites, and long delays in tabulating results. Voters in Georgia waited in lines for hours to cast votes in person, more than 20,000 ballots submitted by mail were rejected in Wisconsin, and New York election officials have taken over a month to determine who won some races.

“It is irresponsible for political officials to suggest that the United States cannot conduct a valid and legitimate election during a pandemic,” said Elizabeth Bennion, founding director of the American Democracy Project at Indiana University South Bend. “At the same time, it would be irresponsible to assume that it should be business as usual.”

In three months, state election systems will be tested again, with many more ballots and much higher stakes. Election officials are racing to rectify errors, establish safeguards, and prepare for an expected onslaught of early voting and absentee ballots as Americans aim to avoid gathering at crowded polling locations on Election Day, and some say the president’s rhetoric is not helping.

"I think it really shatters peoples' confidence in the process," Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, a Republican, said in an interview with NPR Saturday. "We need to make sure we're inspiring confidence in the public that this is a fair election. And the way you do that is balancing access and security."

While some election integrity experts appear confident states will be able to resolve the problems that emerged in the primaries and hold safe and secure elections in November, voters do not share that faith in the process. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday found a majority of Americans are afraid the 2020 election will not be fair.

About half of respondents, including 80% of Republicans, echoed the president’s complaints that increased use of absentee ballots would result in widespread fraud. In addition, about three-quarters of registered voters expressed concerns about voter suppression and “organized voter fraud by political actors.”

Still, 67% of voters said they expected their ballot would be counted accurately if they voted by mail, including six out of 10 Republicans. GOP voters were twice as likely as Democrats to worry ineligible people would cast ballots, but even 40% of Democrats believe voter fraud is a widespread problem.

A Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll released last week showed 70% of voters support having a mail-in ballot option, but 78% are concerned about vote tampering. About 80% of respondents opposed the practice of ballot harvesting, in which partisan groups can collect mail-in ballots door-to-door and submit them in bulk in some states, and 60% worried ballots would erroneously be sent to people who have died or moved away.

“The new normal of questioning legitimacy for the candidates has now been extended to the process of selecting a winner,” said Michael Cohen, CEO of the Cohen Research Group. “This is far worse. It solidifies political polarization and gives reason to those who opt-out of democracy that it’s all rigged, anyway.”

Republicans and Democrats are locked in litigation in 18 states over attempts to expand access to absentee ballots in light of the pandemic. Democrats maintain anyone who wants to vote by mail to protect their health should be allowed to do so, but the Trump campaign and its allies insist blindly sending ballots to all registered voters will result in rampant fraud.

Though election security experts say mail-in ballots are somewhat more susceptible to fraud than voting in person, states have protocols in place to mitigate those risks and there is no evidence any kind of voting fraud is common. That is why many have called for the federal government to provide more money to states for election administration to ensure they have the resources to distribute, collect, and count votes accurately.

House Democrats approved billions of dollars to assist states with vote-by-mail in the HEROES Act in May, but a Senate Republican stimulus proposal released last week included no such funding. Election funding is just one of many contentious issues Democratic leaders and the White House are trying to hammer out a compromise on this week, and there is no guarantee additional money is coming for elections.

At least 16 states have made changes to voting procedures because of the pandemic, and 77% of all voters will now have the option of voting by mail without an excuse beyond fear of the coronavirus, according to a Washington Post analysis. Only eight states will require voters to provide a reason besides the pandemic to obtain absentee ballots, and none of those are likely to be decisive states in the presidential election.

Still, election night will likely look a lot different this year than in past cycles because of the reduction in in-person voting, and experts say the media and political leaders should be preparing the public for days or weeks of uncertainty. Barring an overwhelming victory by Trump or Biden, several key states could be too close to call on Nov. 3, with millions of mailed ballots not yet counted or still in transit from voters.

“It seems likely that people who disagree with the outcome of the election will question the integrity of the process, especially if they are primed and prompted to do so by candidates, campaigns, and opinion leaders,” Bennion said. “This is why it is important for politicians and election administrators on both sides of the aisle to promote voter access and ballot security.”

Leaders and pundits have instead, at times, stoked voters’ fears about this scenario. According to The Washington Post, President Trump has attacked the integrity of voting by mail more than 70 times since March, often with little or no evidence to support his claims, and undermining his party’s efforts to encourage supporters to use absentee ballots in the process.

“I want to have the election. But I also don't want to have to wait for three months and then find out that the ballots are all missing and the election doesn't mean anything,” Trump said at a press briefing last week. “That's what's going to happen. That's common sense, and everyone knows it.”

As Trump wavers on whether he would trust the results, top Democrats have voiced concerns he might rig the election or somehow refuse to leave office if Biden won. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., suggested Sunday the president does not support “fair and unfettered elections.”

“I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue to hold on to office. And that is why the American people had better wake up,” Clyburn said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Appearing on the same CNN program, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams—who has often alleged the 2018 election she lost was stolen from her due to Republican voter suppression—warned President Trump is “doing his best to undermine our confidence in the process.” She also accused him of trying to weaken the Postal Service at a time when reliable mail service will be integral to ensuring a fair election.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., tweeted Monday that Republicans would “lie, cheat and steal to stay in power.” Her comments highlighted reports that new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s efforts to slow down mail delivery in the name of cost-cutting could prevent voters from receiving and submitting ballots on time.

“Trump put Postmaster DeJoy in charge of the postal service to dismantle the USPS & sabotage vote by mail. New procedures are causing massive delays,” Waters said.

None of this is going to give partisans in either party much reason to believe their candidate truly lost once all the votes are counted. Cohen predicted a disputed election is “a near-certainty” at this point, and he cautioned that chipping away at the foundations of democracy, even if lawmakers see valid cause for concern, could weaken the nation in the long run.

“Leaders should be dialing down the rhetoric for members of their political tribes so there is confidence in the process, and so, if they win, they can be viewed as legitimate,” Cohen said. “Putin and Xi are rooting for Trump and Biden to fail on this.”

Foreign interference is another potential complication. William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, warned in a statement last week that foreign adversaries are “seeking to compromise the private communications of U.S. political campaigns, candidates and other political targets,” as well as attacking state and federal election infrastructure.

Evanina also accused China, Russia, and Iran of using social and traditional media to spread disinformation and undermine confidence in elections.

“As Americans, we are all in this together; our elections should be our own,” he said. “Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy. Neutralizing these threats requires not just a whole-of-government approach, but a whole-of-nation effort.”

These are not new problems. President Trump has governed for three-and-a-half years under a cloud of liberal suspicion over Russia’s role in the 2016 election, and some Democrats still openly claim his election was illegitimate. Trump was among those suggesting the same about his predecessor based on false allegations that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya.

Many Democrats still harbor resentment and doubt over the outcome of the 2000 election, in which the Republican majority on the Supreme Court halted a recount of votes in Florida, allowing President George W. Bush to declare victory. President Bill Clinton faced legitimacy questions, as well, after winning the 1992 election with only 43% of the popular vote.

If the 2020 election is close, experts foresee lawsuits, protests, and massive media campaigns waged by both parties intended to convince the American people they won before all the votes are counted and the results are certified. If the litigation reaches the Supreme Court and two Trump-appointed justices—including one who secured his seat only because Republicans refused to consider President Obama’s nominee in 2016—cast deciding votes that afford him another term, the outrage from the left would be deafening.

No matter who wins in November, though, the president who is inaugurated next January will likely find much of the country harboring deep doubts about his legitimacy, and that could make enacting his policy agenda and leading the nation far more difficult.

“Neither president will have a honeymoon, meaning it will be extremely challenging to get big legislative wins in that crucial first year,” Cohen said.

However, the fact that the United States has gone through several disputed and divisive elections in the past provides Bennion with hope that American democracy can weather whatever happens this November without suffering deep institutional damage.

“We have survived terrible crises and periods of great division before, and we will survive it again,” she said. “Public officials can lead the way by showing a shared commitment to free and fair elections.”

#u.s. elections #elections #mail in voting #u.s. politics #u.s. government #u.s. culture #vote

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vegafiction · 6 years

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Hey there! Thanks for the Voltron Bad Things Happen bingo ficlets. Would you be able to do an Isolation for Lance? It seems like the thing that would suck the most for him. Maybe he's lost in the wilderness on a dangerous world and has to wait for the rest of the team to find him. Doesn't have to be shippy, but I'm cool with klance if that's you're preference (that was the only ship I noticed was in the tags).

Count: ~1.2kPairing: N/AChara(s): LanceFandom: VoltronPrompt: IsolationWarning(s): None

So, I didn’t add a ship in this. It’s mostly Lance-centric, none of the other Paladins show up because I was interested in exploring his mental deterioration as a result of prolonged isolation. I made a note on Ao3 about it so I’ll include it here: Lance’s perception of Red in this is skewed by prolonged isolation and constant stress from having to survive on an alien planet. It’s up to you to believe whether or not Red’s decision here was the right one.

I feel like this could have been way better but I’m not going to force my brain to push out anything else this late at night. >_

Get your own card @badthingshappenbingo

Ko-Fi | Ao3 | Masterlist | Request

He tore through the forest as fast as his legs could carry him. He was mindful of the upturned roots or the low hanging branches that whipped past his face or just barely grazed his cheek, but he couldn’t afford to slow down. He clutched his damaged gun close to his chest, his breathing harsh as he forced his legs to pump faster. The loud roar of the creatures behind him carried through the sky. They didn’t sound close, but they weren’t far enough for him to rest.

Lance jumped off a small ledge and slid down the muddy wall until the momentum bounced him off the wall. He stumbled into a small creek, splashing and spraying water all along the length of his sore legs. He continued running.

He didn’t stop until the planet’s three moons drifted into the sky. He slid down another hill then, finally, collapsed safely inside a cave opening.

He gasped for air, feeling his lungs and body burn from the strenuous effort of trying to survive in a world that desperately wanted to kill him.

There were dragons on this planet – large, impressive, dangerous beasts who took one sent of Lance and decided he was something they would have for dinner. In other circumstances, Lance would have been in awe. They were gorgeous creatures, ancient and mystical, but terribly temperamental and vicious. He’d encounter a few who had been friendly to him; a very small herd he wished he had stayed close to. Their alpha had been the one to save him from the ravenous wolves Lance had accidentally stumbled upon, but most of the dragons on this planet were quite unfriendly.

Some of them had even managed to break his bayard.

Lance rolled onto his back with a pained groan. His muscles screamed in protest with every movement he made, but lying there, so close to the entrance of the cave, would give him away. He forced himself to his knees and crawled further into the cave.

Deep inside, Lance allowed himself to collapse onto the makeshift bed he had fastened from the leaves of the trees and other fibers. He dropped his damaged bayard beside him and turned to the wall.

Lines were etched into the solid rock. There were four lined together as neatly as possible with another slashing diagonally across. Lance picked up a sharpened rock from the ground and scratched a new line beside the others. There were six lines now.

He sighed.

“It’s been thirteen quintants since I’ve been on this planet,” he said to the silence, eyeing the tally marks. His eyes trailed upward toward the ceiling. A sense of dread washed over him. “I really hope I don’t have to fill up this whole wall.”

He tossed the rock aside and, with much discomfort, rose to his feet. He gathered wood and tinder from the far corner and tossed them into the fire pit. He lit a fire through the sparking of rocks then shuffled around the cave for his supply of food.

His first few days surviving alone on this planet had been… unpleasant. He’d gone hungry for three days before he finally managed to kill a few of the smaller beasts. He learned the hard way what berries were edible and which ones were poisonous. (He’d been lucky the poisonous berries were not potent.)

Finding the cave alone had been a blessing. Everything else was pure survival instinct.

“You know, I bet if the others were here, they’d be really impressed.” He grinned to the fire. It flickered and crackled in response. “I know right? I bet they never would expect me to survive out here on my own, but hah! I managed to survive thirteen quintants with just my bayard!”

At the mention of the broken weapon, Lance felt his good mood grow somber.

The flames sizzled.

“It’s my fault. I should’ve been more aware of where the dragons were.” Just like it’s my fault I’m here in the first place.

He propped a berry into his mouth and chewed.

Are they even looking for you? It’s been thirteen days.

“I’m sure they’re looking. They probably… they probably can’t find Red’s coordinates. Once they find him, they’ll find me.”

But you’re nowhere near the Red Lion. Even if they find it, they won’t find you.

Lance shifted uncomfortably in his place, suddenly burdened by the harsh reality that was the Red Lion.

Why hadn’t the Red Lion activated on its own? Whenever Keith was in danger, the lion would act on its own volition and yet, when Lance had been faced with a life or death situation, the giant, mechanical lion had just… remained frozen. It was as though he were unfazed by the fact that Lance’s life was on the line. Like Lance’s life held no importance in the lion’s eyes because he simply was not Keith.

Lance’s brows furrowed as realization dawned on him.

That had to be it. That had to be the reason why. He was not Keith. He wasn’t the skilled fighter pilot Red had chosen at the beginning of their unwanted adventure. Lance was just… Lance, a bottom of the barrel cargo pilot who barely scraped by in the Garrison.

He wasn’t some cool, edgy half-human, half-galra fighter. He wasn’t Keith. He could never be Keith, and maybe… that was why Red had chosen to remain frozen. They were just complete opposites.

Where Lance failed, Keith excelled. He’d been chosen by Red, deemed the only one who could control the lion’s unruly nature. Then, he’d been chosen by the Black Lion as their new leader in Shiro’s absence. And even when he’d willingly gave away the position back to Shiro upon his return, the Black Lion still chose him as their leader. It still obeyed his every command, just like Red, just like the others do.

Maybe Red saw something in him that it doesn’t see in you. Said the voice in his head. Or maybe it sees exactly who you really are: a rotten kid from Cuba and unworthy of being a Paladin.

Lance stared blankly into the flickering flames. He felt the heat of the fire caress his skin, warming his cold, exhausted body. He hadn’t realized he’d been shivering until then.

He tossed another piece of wood into the flames.

“Sometimes I wonder if Blue only chose me to get to Allura.” Suddenly, he chuckled. “Imagine that? A lion using me to get to a girl. I guess that can still happen out in space.” He laid back onto his hands, eyes unseeing. “Maybe I’m exactly where I need to be? Blue doesn’t need me anymore. I’m not worthy to pilot the Black Lion and Red just doesn’t seem to like me. Maybe this was my destiny the whole time, getting stuck on an alien planet, far away from home.”

Tears welled in his eyes, but he refused to shed them.

At least you won’t be a burden to them anymore.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

He rubbed his weary eyes with the heel of his palms as a yawned ripped itself from his throat. He crawled back to his pile of leaves and curled onto his side, facing the flames. A part of him wondered if he should snuff it out, it seemed dangerous to fall asleep with an open flame. Yet, he chose not to move. He remained where he laid, watching the fire dance among the shadows until his vision blurred into darkness and the only thing left in his mind was the fuzzy visage of the Red Lion.

#nada writes #long post #badthingshappenbingo #langst #vld lance #vld #voltron legednary defender #fanfiction #anonymous

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sagebodisattva · 4 years

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The Slaughter of the Sacred Cows

In my last video, “The Conspiracy Brain Syndrome”, I went on a vigorous attack against conspiracy theory, and left it battered and broken, bleeding to death on a darkened path, deep in the woods, gasping for it’s last breath under the pale blue moonlight. It seems that I managed to hit a lot of raw nerves with the type of message I was speaking, and, apparently, more then a few people seemed to get quite upset about it. Awwwww. Isn’t that a pity? I’m not quite sure who these protestors are, because most of the emotional commotion was originating from several highly active sock accounts with absolutely no content, who began trolling the comment section relentlessly. In so far as, who I think these people might be, (because none of these accounts are known followers of the Meta Sage), a lot of evidence is pointing towards the dual-sock; who may or may not have recruited a minion to help do his bidding. Or, as hacking reports from the bat cave have implied, the dual-sock with dual socks, or some combination thereof. No matter what the case, the dual-sock is getting punished over this, severely, and I’m not too overly concerned about whether or not he is solely responsible, is in cahoots with an underling, or claims that he had absolutely nothing to do with it; there’s going to be serious consequences nevertheless, because I have already warned him about this kind of troll conduct, several times.

Be that as it may, maybe there were some among you who were genuinely upset with the message I was conveying, but if so, I’m not sure why, as anyone who would regularly tune into the Meta Sage transmissions shouldn’t expect anything less. If anything, this opposition only reveals that many of you have not yet done what’s been expected of you. Not only have many of you NOT let go of your addictive attachments, but, you are, in fact, actively harboring them, and trying to hide them all under a guise of “philosophical disagreement.” No, not acceptable, at all. I already told you, a long time ago, that, at least when it comes to the Meta Sage channel, there are no sacred cows. I am a reality deconstructionist, and everything you hold dear, is on the table. When you were asked to “let go of everything”, that didn’t mean to let go of everything, except for the special exceptions you keep hidden on the side. No, “let go of everything”, means exactly that. EVERYTHING. There are no special exceptions; and the fact that I have uncovered some of these special exceptions, means that I’ve got a lot more work to do.

You see, I have to apologize to a certain extent, because, up until now, I have been in a transition between spiritual strongholds, and, as of late, have not been able to give the adequate attention to my work, as I usually would. And for this, I am truly sorry. A little cryptic back story on this. In the early part of 2018, the time had finally arrived to where, I had to depart from my old spiritual stronghold. It served me well for a time, and I managed to produce more then two years of content in that place, but, eventually, the space became an inadequate setting for the upcoming chapters of my work, and so, I left that place, and then began a transitional phase, and ended up getting waylaid for a time in a sort of interval stasis situation; but, eventually, I broke out of that, and, in the early summer of 2019, established a new foundation in a more appropriate environment, and ever since then, the production of my new spiritual stronghold has been underway, and now, is at least 95% done. Complete enough to where, I can now begin to refocus my attention back onto the pressing issues at hand, and, start to bring everything back into clean sharp order. I must clear away all the cobwebs, and cast out certain rodents, then, I can finally take my place in a brand new seat of power, and begin the task of casting judgment on everything in the field of the mind-space; and then decide the fate of everything that finds it’s place within the framework of this domain. Yes, I will be deciding what should stay, and what should go; so let’s hope that you can account for yourself, and have not been behaving like a shameless parasite.

But anyway, getting back to the story being told here, at hand. I was disappointed by some of the reactions people were having to “The Conspiracy Brain Syndrome”, video. Not only did it reveal the existence of hidden clinging attachments, but there wasn’t many arguments in opposition that didn’t respond with either externalizations, or yet even more conspiracy theory. It just goes to show that, no matter how meta you get, some people will never be able to see beyond the worm’s eye view. It’s just simply beyond their capacity. But how desperate they’ve become in trying to stop me from remaining lucid about the mind-space. No, they don’t want that, because if that happens, then the bar gets raised; and the higher the bar gets raised, the harder it gets for “others”, to function, because this type of raised bar demands high concentration and discipline, and introduces a whole new set of arduous standards. No, they’d much rather I get distracted and lose clarity, so they can continue to be greedy and lazy.

“No Sage, look at history! C’mon Sage, research these factions! Stop it Sage, pay attention to the outside world! Do anything Sage, but please forget that it’s a mind-space! We don’t want to take on any power or responsibility! We’d much rather be slaves to an illusion. It takes less effort. And it’s secure and comforting. Please Sage!”

Yeah, I know. But, too bad. I am already aware that it’s a mind-space, and I’m not ever going to lose sight of it again, so, you can just forget about that. It’s too late. I’m already across that threshold, and I’m never going back. So you should stop trying to use cheap tactics in an attempt to lower my clarity. No, instead, let’s crank up the pressure, and crack the whip down, on YOU.

And so, this brings us to the solipsistic implications of the issue; which should be noted, as it brings us back to the metaphysical meat of the matter. After I posted the “Conspiracy Brain” video, during all the chaos of the ensuing sock puppet uproar, at a certain point, one of them did try to actually muster up the concentration to articulate a half-assed ideological argument, employing, of all things, the philosophy of solipsism. It seems like he was trying his best to try to throw down some kind of unmanageable conceptual sticking point, but it wasn’t effective. At the time, I didn’t go into an in-depth exchange with the fool, because it’s really not worth typing paragraphs and paragraphs of discourse, only to have it later deleted; so now, when dealing with trolls, it’s better to just sling a couple of insults, and then block them immediately. So a lot of comments got lost in the shuffle. But, luckily, before the dust settled, I managed to screenshot his comments, because I figured, at some point, I would later address them, just for amusement. And so, I will now proceed to impale them endwise, properly.

So onto the sock-puppet’s first comment.

Sock puppet: quote - “Corona is bullshit. Strange that you don't even believe there is a real world Meta Sage, as you're a solipsist (which i basically agree with) -- and yet you think the coronavirus plan-demic is real, and there's a real pandemic happening in the time and space of a big world -- a world which you previously claim in your solipsist talks doesn't even exist? That's pretty ridiculous. You're contradicting yourself if you believe in coronavirus and yet don't even believe in an objective solid reality. How are all these supposed people dying on the news if they don't even exist because solipsism is real? You've become a contradiction.” unquote.

To this, I basically replied that, my acknowledgment of the coronavirus, doesn’t translate into an endorsement of an objectively existing physical world. The sock puppet assumes this, because he is, in fact, the only real materialist here, who doesn’t even genuinely subscribe to solipsism; so it’s not clear why he was trying to elucidate it’s points. So I brought it to his attention that, even though the world is illusory, the illusory nature of the world doesn’t mean the illusory events that take place it in it, are a deception. You want to assert that there’s lies being told within an illusion, and the reason they are lies is because it’s an illusion. That’s what you imply by this line of reasoning. If you really understood that reality is not in ‘time-space’, but is, in fact, a ‘mind-space’, then you wouldn’t posit such a silly proposition. No, the world perceived through the senses is indeed illusory, but everything that happens within it, is conditionally true. We say “conditionally true”, to emphasize the illusory nature, while, at the same time, acknowledging the structure of illusion. Yes, there are illusory people in an illusory world, but the illusory world has illusory rules. If an illusory body steps out in front of an illusory truck, the illusory truck is going to crush the illusory body. Period. It’s as simple as that. So it would be real stupid to call the coronavirus a deception within the illusion when it’s clearly a part of the illusory world, and has the potential to kill you; just as there are lots of other things killing people all the time. People are getting eaten by sharks, right now. People are perishing of cancer, and dying in car crashes, right now.

To this, the sock puppet replied with:

Sock Puppet: quote - “Meta Sage, you said someone right now is dying in a car crash -- wrong. Solipsism posits the ONLY thing that you can prove to be real, is your own consciousness. If someone calls you on a phone from Hawaii - you don't KNOW they exist right now in Hawaii -- all you KNOW and can PROVE is that your phone has a voice of someone who claims to be in Hawaii right now. But you, can never be in 2 places at the same time, and therefore you will never ever ever be able to prove that person actually exists in Hawaii right now when you're somewhere else in the world talking to them on a phone. You are here and now -- and only here and now -- forever. So you saying someone is dying in a car right now is pure speculation. "Solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure; the external world and other minds cannot be known and might not exist outside the mind”, that's the definition right off of google itself. So you're NOT a solipsist by saying someone is dying in a car right now -- unless you can photograph it and are there in person -- it's bullshit. Just like you claiming all these people are dying of coronavirus. And your claims break the code of solipsism and contradict it entirely.” unquote.

The main issue here, that seems to be this troll’s major mental malfunction, is his inability to directly apply solipsism with the pure mind. Instead, he only considers it intellectually, which, inevitably, is always going to fall short of the mark. Becoming lucid, versus only having knowledge about the subject of solipsism intellectually, are two completely different things. It’s a divide too wide to negotiate, and nothing in this sock puppet’s little bag of dirty tricks, will be sufficient enough to bridge the gap. The examples he references, and the definitions he cites from the internet, are also intellectual misinterpretations of solipsism, and it doesn’t wash. Sorry, no matter how you slice it, I win, and you lose.

So, let’s go ahead and review the second statement, then parse through it’s points briefly, and dissect them accordingly.

“Solipsism posits the only thing you can prove to be real, is your own consciousness.”

“Solipsism”, posits this, eh? Is solipsism an entity that can make assertions now? Silly enough on it’s own, but then you start talking about “what YOU can prove.” So, I ask, who’s the “you”, referring to in this statement? “OWN consciousness?” Who’s the owner of this consciousness exactly? You seem to place a whole lot of weight in the existence of an identification with the ego personality. I guess that’s why you could possibly think that this ego is the only ego you can be sure that exists; as if you are an ego that has an existence in the first place. This conclusion is based on a mis-identification, and is a common stumbling block for existential explorers who don’t journey deep enough. No, you have not made the proper lucid connection yet. The entirety of the dream is a whole, and the ego personality is woven right into the very fabric of it. The ego is no different then those that you refer to as “others.” Both are equally aspects of a dream, and this dream is found within the imagination of awareness. So, more aptly stated, the ‘awareness of the dream’, is the only thing that can be known for sure to exist. Understood this way, there is no confusion. But, even if we take this the wrong way, and argue it out falsely, in the way you originally wanted, I still win. If my ego is the only ego that exists, and everything else in the world, including other people, are all figments of my personal mind, it does nothing to lessen the fact that the coronavirus, and anything else for that matter, are all conditional aspects of my imagined world. In other words, I am dreaming of an imaginary physical world where there are imaginary physical entities that are vulnerable to all kinds of imaginary deaths, via all kinds of imaginary circumstances. And one of the things I am imagining to be killing lots of these imaginary entities, is an imaginary virus. Hence, I imagine hearing about all these imaginary deaths going on in my world. So, that doesn’t work. Ultimately, what we can say with confidence, is that, however which way you want to look at it, the sock puppet troll who left this comment is just as real or fake as the coronavirus. So think hard about how you wanna answer that. The coronavirus is as much of a hoax as you are. Whatever you say the coronavirus is, you fall into the exact same category.

Then the troll goes on to quote from a Google search: quote - “Solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure; the external world and other minds cannot be known and might not exist outside the mind.” unquote.

Yeah, but the thing is, this whole “own mind”, versus the “other mind”, bullshit, is completely false. And the reason it’s false, is because it’s a mere assumption grounded upon a faulty premise. Things that are outside of own mind? And what the hell might that be exactly? There’s no “own” anything. How can a thing be outside of one’s own mind when all there is, is mind? It’s ALL mind; so please explain how anything can be outside of itself. There is no “outside”, and this is the crux of your misunderstanding, mr. sock puppet man.

See, the problem here, is that you are not sincere. Instead, you are just playing little word games, and engaging in intellectual thought experiments, that have no basis in reality. And the reason you are doing this, is because you want to both hide your attachments, and attempt to distract me from clarity; but, you’ve failed on both fronts. And now, I am going to turn the tables and put you through your paces. I know that you are actively trying to hide your special exception attachments from me, but now, I think the time has finally come, for a slaughter of the sacred cows. So watch out. I am coming for everything, and I will hunt down every last sacred attachment that you have hidden, deep in your mind. I am going to find them all, and lay them bare. Nothing is safe. And if you think for one second that, by erecting fortified walls around your precious attachments, that it’s going to do anything to stop me, then you are sadly mistaken, my friend. It’s not going to stop anything. I will find every last attachment you have concealed, and I will drag it out into the open, and then brutalize it, harshly. And I don’t care how vigilant you are in your protective efforts. It’s just a matter of time, and I have an obscene amount of patience. You have to go to sleep some time; and when you do, I will break into your mind and search every nook and cranny of it, until I have found all of your hidden special exceptions. Then, I will proceed to quickly strip them down, and then club them repeatedly, to within inches of their lives.

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