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fictionadventurer · 9 months

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#history is awesome #presidential talk #i thought about his story again this morning #and was once again struck by the desire to chase people down and make them understand just how amazing this story is #and instead of harassing random strangers i decided to inflict it on tumblr again #my original essay was rather too long and dry and tangled up in too many other details #and didn't quite capture the 'i want to chase you down and look you in the eye and make you freak out about this with me' vibe of this stor #this still doesn't quite capture it but at least it's shorter #and prevents me from rambling to unsuspecting family members #sorry for inflicting this on you again but what else am i supposed to do?

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htub · 10 months

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I really like that they made Jor-El speak Kryptonian and Clark unable to understand him. The whole "aliens speak English" thing that happens in every goddamn media has bothered me all my life. Ik sometimes Clark just gets zapped in the brain for insta-second language but that always felt like a cheap shortcut.

Jor-El had a lot on his mind when he set up that magic spaceship okay. The world was ending and he was trying to do as much as he could before time ran out so he could be there for his son. He was rushing. He likely didn't consider Kal would be raised with a whole different language and not know any Kryptonian nor have anyone to teach him.

#my adventures with superman #two talks #he still might get zapped with kryptonian but at least it wasn't immediate #let there be a language barrier #it hits home so hard too bc i barely speak my mom's language and can't really talk to my family members bc of iz #it*#that's what being raised on a different planet IS! It's isolating and sad bc that's your FAMILY and you can't even understand them #fucking love superman #clark is so close and yet so far bc everything he craves to know about himself is Right There #but he doesn't speak the language of his own people and has no way to learn #it's heartbreaking and i'm so fucking here for it

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tales-of-the-ghost-zone · 8 months

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DP X DC crossover prompt

Sam and Tucker, thanks to living in Amity Park and being overshadowed and controlled by ghosts so many time, had become very liminal. Until an accident while trying to stop the newest ghost enemy led to the two of them becoming halfa’s. Sam’s ghost form looks like what she looked like during the whole Undergrowth thing. And Tucker’s ghost form looks like his King Tuck design.

After a reveal gone wrong, Danny, Sam, and Tucker flee Amity Park. The trio run away to Gotham, and using money Sam managed to snag from her account before they left, they buy a nice sized building right in the middle of Crime Alley. They decide to turn it into a bookshop and cafe. There’s a garden/greenhouse attached to the back end of the building where Sam grows all her plants and herbs. Tucker has his own tech room in the basement alongside Danny’s tiny lab space. They live together in the apartment above the bookshop/cafe.

One day while out on a walk, Danny stumbles across two tiny twin half formed baby ghost cores. They’re nothing more than tiny little balls of glowing light at the moment. Baby ghosts that are just starting to form but are nothing more than cores at the moment. But they seem to be slowly fading. Danny refuses to let them fade away into nothing. He scoops them up, infuses them with some of his ectoplasm to get them going, and then shoved them into his chest for safe keeping and so that they can be close to his own core which starts slowly feeding them energy.

Danny rushes back to the shop and drags Sam and Tucker to the upstairs apartment and shows him the baby ghost cores he’s found. The three all agree that they’re going to help these cores develop into actual ghosts. They switch off on who carry’s the ghost cores around. Some days it’s Danny. Some days it’s Tucker. And some days it’s Sam. Each of them feeding the cores a little bit of their ectoplasm to help them grow.

One of the cores feels distinctly female and has a purplish blue glow to it. The three start jokingly calling her violet. The other core has a distinctly male feel to it. It’s an orangish red and has a small crack along one side of it. Danny jokingly said one time how he (the baby core) kind of looked like Nemo’s egg at the beginning of Finding Nemo and ever since they’ve been calling him Nemo.

The two cores have been developing very slowly, both seemingly unable to absorb the needed ectoplasm, to form into full ghosts, quickly. The trio is fine with this, they can be patient, and wait to meet their twins.

Then one day there’s some kind of massive ghost attack. Maybe a cult or something attempted to summon the ghost king but messed up the summoning and accidentally summoned something else. The Justice League try and fight the thing, but they’re no match for this ghost monstrosity. And the JLD aren’t available to help for whatever reason. The trio decides to step in and help. They kick the crap out of the ghost pretty easily and send it back to the ghost zone. Then Danny, in his King Phantom garb (crown of fire, whispy white fire like hair, a regal looking version of his hazmat suit, the ring of rage on one finger, and a cape around his shoulders, the outside being pure white but the inside looking like the vastness of space) approaches the cult and rebukes them, telling them how even if they had managed to summon him he never would have helped them take over the world.

After that the trio become members of the Justice League. Thanks to some of Danny’s previous time travel shenanigans, and Danny being the ghost king, and Sam and Tucker his consorts/mates(?) the Justice League all think that the trio are ancient eldritch ghost gods.

And then one day when the trio are in the Watch Tower with the rest of the League their twin baby ghost cores come up. Maybe it was time to switch out who was carrying them, and mid meeting or lunch or whatever, Danny just reaches into his chest, pulls out two small glowing orbs. He cradles them close to his chest for a moment, looking at them lovingly, and whispering something soft to them in ghost speak. Then hands them over to Sam, who does the whole cradle them close and whisper softly in ghost speak before shoving them right into her chest.

They look up from this to see the whole League staring at them wide eyed and confused. Danny just casually explains that those are their children but they’re still forming so the trio needs to keep them close to their cores to help them grow, but they like to switch up everyday who carry’s them. Every member of the Justice League becomes super protective of the trio after this. They see it as the three essentially being pregnant (sort of), and they don’t always know which one of them is carrying the baby ghost. So best to just be protective of all three. The trio finds this kind of amusing and a touch bit sweet.

When the twin baby cores finally develop into actual baby ghosts, the two kind of look like a mixture between Danny, Sam, and Tucker’s ghost forms. Though Violet has dark purple hair and eyes and Nemo has bright orangish red hair and eyes.

#dp x dc #dpxdc #dc x dp #dp x dc prompt #danny phantom #everlasting trio #ghost king phantom #Violet and Nemo become the darlings of the Justice League #the two hellions run around the watch tower whenever possible #Wonder Woman sneaks them candy whenever possible #Dani stops in one day to meet her niece and nephew #the three proceed to cause chaos together #most of the time if you see the twins at least one of the trio is with them #if not one of the trio then some member of the Justice League #and if none of the trio or the Justice league is around #then Fright Knight is assigned guard duty #lord help the soul of anyone that try’s to mess with the prince and princess of the ghost zone #because non of the above mentioned people will show them any mercy

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poko-no-spoko · 1 year

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He… buys them

At awful prices

EDIT: Part II is up!

#beidou can say goodbye to her crew’s savings #at least one member is happy though #genshin impact #genshin fanart #genshin impact memes #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha #sumeru #genshin dori #beidou

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hajihiko · 8 months

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At least let the man walk around

#Ryoma hoshi #Drv3 #danganronpa v3 #an art #Officer please hes just a little guy #Look I'm just saying. The Yakuza has members in prison and you generally don't wanna fuck with them right #Get Ryoma a big scary Yakuza buddy to watch his back in prison at least

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chodzacaparodia · 2 months

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It's so wholesome that each member of "Team Kindness" (Isagi, Hiori and Nanase) is somehow attracted to Rin, one of the people with the most anger in Blue Lock.

It started with Isagi, who starts treating Rin as his biggest rival almost from the very beginning and tries to surpass him:

Then there is Hiori, who was the only one who was willing to give Rin a helping hand without hesitation:

And recently Nanase, who wanted to become Rin's disciple, also joined this group:

+ Honorable mention: Bachira who, although not officially a member of "Team Kindness", is the best boy and he deserves to be here, because he also freely makes contact with Rin without much resistance:

Rin is not a person who attracts others with his positive energy. It's quite the opposite. You may get the impression that he pushes others away and wants to stay away from them. After all, he doesn't need anyone. But somehow he lets Isagi, Hiori, Nanase and Bachira, i.e. people who are perceived as kind (at least at the beginning of the series for some of them) and want to make contact with him, into his space. And this is beautiful.

#oh the good times when Isagi was seen as nice #and Hiori as a super sadist also changes the meaning of “team kindness”#please let Nanase stay a nice guy at least #Bachira is the best boy and deserves to be a member of the “kindness team”#especially since this team should throw out some of its current members #itoshi rin #isagi yoichi #nanase nijiro #hiori yo #bachira meguru #blue lock #bllk #blue lock spoilers #blue lock manga #bllk spoilers #bllk manga #blue lock analysis #team kindness

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macdennislongcon · 9 months

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charlie kelly is really the dude ever made. I've never seen another character in any media exude the same weirdness he does. It's not a bad weirdness it's just charlies type of weirdness. he thinks he has seen ghouls.he has bitten santa claus in the neck. he tortured a random guy because he thought it was a leprechaun. he's a musical savant. he looks like a butch lesbian whenever he has a tank top on. he really likes cats. he's somehow a genius at managing the worst bar in philadelphia. he likes magnets. he's the prettiest mf ever. he has been wearing the same green jacket for 18 years straight. he didn't even know pineapples were a thing. he eats stickers all the time. there's a good chance he's covered in grime.he was immediately ready to kill himself when mac's dad was released from prison before considering any other option. he faked his own death with a shitty video where he and his boy best friend do a thelma and louise reference. denim chicken. he has hallucinations. he can't write in english but can both write and speak irish. he is everything to me.

#its like 1.30 am where i live i have to get up early tomorrow. i also puked two times at ab amusement park.#the only coherent thought i have rn is Charlie kelly.#also I'm pretty sure ive seen this type of post be made with at least another member of the gang so im reallt sorry to the ops 🙏#im not trying to copy you i just felt the need to list the top charlie kelly moments #he is the dude of all time #charlie kelly #iasip #its always sunny in philadelphia #it's always sunny in philadelphia #charmac #mac mcdonald #mac iasip #always sunny #rants

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puppetmaster13u · 9 months

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DTC Au

Okay so y’know the Divine Twitch Chat Aus with Billy? Where Billy can hear the voices of the Gods in his head? Hear me out.

So Martian Manhunter can create psychic links between Justice League members, or anyone really. So, does that mean if/when Marvel is connected to it suddenly everyone also connected can hear the six other voices trying to egg him on? Do they also hear the Mediterranean Magic Men? Do they hear both Marvel and Billy?

Are they utterly befuddled and concerned about this? Like the captain is pretty chill and just, this is what he has to deal with 24/7??

#they hear him telling the unknown voices to please at least let Billy sleep tonight #Marvel is the twitch chat moderator lol #Billy is the streamer #Divine Twitch Chat #Billy Batson #Captain Marvel #DCU #DC #DTC AU #Justice League #Martian Manhunter #Everyone is utterly befuddled and maybe a bit freaked out #The moment they notice that there's other people the gods all shout about a raid #JL Member: Why does Marvel sound like a twitch streamer sometimes??#JL Member: Oh #JL Member: Oh that's why-#Shazam

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twinstxrs · 3 months

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nobody hold me to this but i think the next funniest step for fabian’s toxic romance journey to take could be fabian having a deeply flirtatious energy with whoever his equivalent in the ratgrinders is. like let’s keep those narcissus vibes coming!

#assuming each member of the ratgrinders is indeed a designated Mean Bad Kid Equivalent. which if they aren’t booo #dimension 20 #fabian seacaster #fhjy spoilers #fantasy high #fhjy #other funny possibility is at least one of the other bad kids finding ratgrinders fabian attractive & fabian’s PISSED (jealous) like 😭#*fabian voice* what the HELL does that IMPOSTER have that i DON’T???

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egophiliac · 3 months

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Tl;Dr - I stopped playing the game but I like the characters and I wanna draw them but idk if the wiki I use is up to date for cards

Do u know any wikis that have up to date cards for all the twst characters-

Asking specifically bc of Malleus cause I can't tell anymore if he has any more new cards bc HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A 100 DISNEY ANIVERSARY CARD IN THE WIKI I USE 😭

Like compared to everyone else in Disanomia, he has 12 cards (in the wiki I use) and then Lilia has 17 cards 💀

Cause I think Malleus has a Bean's Day card as well, but that could just be a fanmade one, I don't have JP twst nor ENG twst anymore so I can't confirm it myself urhghrhevw 🫠

Malleus doesn't have a Beans Day card, so that would've been fanmade! and the 100 anniversary cards are actually the new round of birthday cards, so most of the characters don't have 'em yet -- Malleus should be getting his in a couple of days, when his birthday event starts! oh god my keeeeeys

I think the wiki.gg stays pretty up to date? it looks to me like they have everything that's currently up through JP, at least. :O I did go through and do a quick count just because I couldn't believe Malleus only had 12 cards, but. he really does have the least...defeated only by Silver with 13...astonishing. we need his gargoyle club wear immediately.

#art #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland spoilers #...maybe? tenuously? i have no idea #i think lilia and floyd are tied for the most at 18 each #twst loves the chaotic gremlins #granted card quantity is separate from card rarity/significance/whatever #i remember all of us losing our minds when vargas camp 2 came out and trey FINALLY got an event ssr after a million years #anyway i am looking forward to the upcoming magift cards and all don't get me wrong #but i am VERY VERY excited to see what the gargoyle club wear looks like #i NEED to 1) know what malleus thinks gargoyle fashion is and 2) see him in it #jade is also in a weird club by himself but at least that. y'know. has a gear theme and everything.#tangentially i do sometimes think about the fact that malleus and jade are both in single-member clubs #despite how in...i think lilia's robes story the music club was in danger of disbanding because they only had three members #although i do genuinely believe that crowley is too scared of both jade and malleus to tell them they can't have their clubs #so y'know. it tracks.

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daenerysies · 2 months

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it’s always ‘rhaenyra did nothing to secure her ascension, she just relied on her daddy to uphold her claim’ and never ‘aegon did nothing to prove he was worthy of being named heir, let alone being king, and solely relied on his mommy and grandpa to cover for his less than stellar hobbies like his drinking issues and his raping of serving girls’ in this essay i will-

#house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen #pro rhaenyra targaryen #team black #anti aegon ii targaryen #anti team green #mind you she literally ruled dragonstone for what 13ish years in the book?#and at least 6 in the show?#and was an active member of the small council for 10 #so like explain to me in layman’s terms how this isn’t just a typical misogynistic tg take #bc it ain’t adding up #the irony is not lost on me

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mugwot · 2 months

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sometimes you sound bit too mean, it happens

it was Supposed to be in colour, and them the bw version Just Looked better

this is mostly based on this meme

#biggest thanks to the person in the discord who just i guess had this screenshot On Hands?? i would not be able to find it #kinda feel like im burning out with art #should take a rest probably #isat #in stars and time #is this spoilers??? probably not??? maybe??? will tag in case #isat spoilers #isat siffrin #isat isabeau #is mostly there as eye candy #any one of the party members could be there #the attitudes would be different tho #i like having at least a vague sense of blackstory for things like this so isa has just finished shopping for fabricks #a long and arduous process in my experience #i feel so bad that i cant draw stylish clothes isa deserves better but i am supremely unfashionable #my art #comic

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feelingtheaster99 · 2 months

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I know Beardsley already alluded to thing but it was really sad and powerful when Kristen tells Cassandra that she knows “chaotic is not cute.” And then Cassandra straight up tells her, “I can’t rely on you.”

And Kristen and the entire audience have to agree. It’s really humbling for me as an audience member but I’m guessing also for Kristen in that moment

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aprill-99 · 6 months

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Rhys: “So let’s see if I’ve got this; you have immense shadow power, incredible combat skills, height, tattoos, secrets, dead parents, a thirst for vengeance, the weight of the world on your shoulders, a rebellion to lead, and a dragon?”

Xaden: “Yeah? I mean, there’s also my girlfriend who I’m completely in love with and 107 people under my protection but-”

Rhys: *frantically flipping through papers* “this is the hyper-intelligent girlfriend with unprecedented lightning powers? The one you speak to with your mind and call a nickname permanently?”

Xaden: “I do only have the one girlfriend. Kinda offended you’d think otherwise.”

Rhys: *signs a paper* “Adopted. The rebellion thing is handled. Me and your aunts and uncles have got this. Your new mom is going to need some time to add you and your mate to the family portrait gallery. Your bedroom is upstairs, knives are in the training ring, family dinner is every Thursday, your allowance is infinity and your curfew is never.”

Xaden: “I am…. Older than your wife?”

Rhys: “Did I fucking stutter?”

#incorrect quotes #fourth wing incorrect quotes #fourth wing #incorrect acotar quotes #acotar #crossover #who wants to write it?#bat boys #xaden riorson #rhysand #you cannot tell me im wrong #Xaden would be adopted in 0.8 seconds flat #Violet and gwyn can hang out #Rhys and Azriel might have to fight over custody #Violet would have a lot of fun with the valkyries #Brennan has things to say about Night Court medical practices #Tairn Sgaeyl and Andarna have a lot of thoughts about Byraxis #if Xaden is 23 than he is factually at least 2 years older than the oldest we’ve seen Feyre and that’s objectively fucking funny #Rhys is in his Dad era and even if he weren’t Xaden is everything he looks for in adoptive family and IC members #Rhys thinks Xaden is baby brother shaped and Xaden thinks Rhys is a weird powerful guy who might be able to help him win the rebellion #Xaden needs a nap #Xaden is adaptable and he’ll roll with this #but damnit all if he’s not bringing Violet with him #Violet is sure something about this is funny #crack fic #crossover fic

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