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whomst-the-hell · 8 months

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how i would rewrite the star wars sequel trilogy except i am not infallible, this is just for fun, leave me alone

this is part actual rewrite outline, part rant, and ive had it sitting in my notes app for like 9 months so here

1. the republic, led by a new senate including leia, is at large. they are not the underdogs. this will not erase the victories of the original trilogy. The first order are a smaller neo-nazi esque terrorist group gaining support across the galaxy which must be stopped before it is able to take root (relevant to modern politics)

2. finn’s storyline in tfa is perfect. we don’t change it. poe is also fine, except instead of being a rebellion (or whatever they were called) pilot he’s in the republic airforce. tbh from memory tfa is fine. i’d maybe make jakku something other than a desert planet so the parallels are a bit less heavy handed, but thats really nitpicky. even kylo was good in this film. so tfa can stay mostly the same EXCEPT finn’s past as a stormtrooper (are they still called stormtroopers?) is not played for laughs, he was not a janitor! (that didnt even make sense after the first scene where he kills a bunch of people? wtf??)

3. the last jedi: the first major problem area. the first order launches an attack, and is receiving information abt republic movements against them somehow, but poe still manages to wrestle a victory out of the encounter, so the higher ups of the republic entrust him to investigate the spyware (it made no fucking sense to be angry w him in the original, he squeezed out a massive victory with relatively minimal losses, so thats changed now). rey is sent to find luke, who has retreated from the republic after kylo slaughtered his padawans. instead of completely erasing all of lukes key traits (kindness, hope, forgiveness) we choose to not do that. luke did not try to kill kylo (forgave darth vader but not a literal child? sure.) and tried to keep him on the path of light but failed, so has retreated to reconnect with the roots of jedi philosophy to better understand the nature of light and dark, perhaps with the hope of still saving his nephew. he has been studying old jedi texts, which we actually spend time on? and are able to learn about?? maybe address some issues of the old jedi order (were curtailed by bureaucracy/senate corruption, and as such were often forced to accept the lesser of two evils instead of being able to do true good ie the situation w the clones, which led in many cases to a rise in the darkside (quinlan, barriss, anakin, etc)). luke still burns the texts with yoda’s encouragement, but swears to apply the knowledge he gained to revitalise the force and its traditions. rey and luke embark on a quest of some kind while she learns so that rey’s entire storyline isnt just babysitting luke, and we see her grow in the force gradually as luke teaches her the things he learned from the jedi texts. sprinkle in clues that rey’s parents were sith (NOT PALPATINE, different sith, it made no fucking sense that her grandfather was palpatine. her parents were sith to contrast kylo and to mirror luke) meanwhile poe, finn and rose, who poe specifically recruited for this mission bc shes a crackshot mechanic but who has interpersonal issues w poe after the dearh of her sister in that first encounter, go to that casino to get the hacker to infiltrate the first order and destroy their spyware. rey also infiltrates the first order after her quest w luke. she and kylo kill snoke, and kylo begins questioning his allegiance (this is NOT ROMANTIC. kylo is a little CREEP and a NEONAZI and WILL NOT GET THE GIRL. rey will not become a plot device in kylos redemption). kylo and luke eventually duel, and luke dies, as a distraction so that republic forces can evacuate civilians who were being held hostage. the republic defeats the group, and vows to eliminate the entire first order, now with the assurance that the first order spyware has been eliminated

4. rise of skywalker: rey finds out abt her sith parents, uses force lightning, causes internal struggle. this movie was truly such garbage that idk what else there is to salvage uhhhh,,, PALPATINE DOES NOT RETURN WTF??? i dont even really want rey’s new sith parents to be introduced… the first order retreats to a hidden sith planet after their defeat in the last movie, kylo takes over the first order entirely maybe?, though he is beginning to question himself, partially because he has a NONROMANTIC (!!!) force bond with rey who he sees learning from his mum leia, filling him with nostalgia and shame at how hes turned out (he is haunted by happy childhood memories lmao) (his redemption is mostly motivated by his parents, and triggered by rey, as a reversal of the luke/vader dynamic). meanwhile, poe+finn+rey are looking for the sith wayfinder to locate the hidden base, which causes various shenanigans, in the typical manner. (this is the A PLOT!!!). they return successful to the republic seat of power to create a plan. kylo leaves his super secret base and seeks out rey with some soldiers (if theyre the knights of ren explain wtf that means bc tbh i dont actually know) to prove to himself his conviction in the darkside but is thrown off by leia’s death at the hands of his soldiers, which triggers more childhood memories and a dream-vision-force-ghost-whatever conversation with the memory of his father. ultimately, he returns to the light and re-becomes ben solo. rey’s internal struggle in the face of her heritage comes to a head as she contemplates killing the unconscious kylo ren, but she senses the good in him, and in honour of both luke and leia + as a demonstration of her own rejection of the dark side, chooses instead to heal him. ben and rey DO NOT KISS EVER, ben joins up w the republic in the final battle to take out the last of the first order — if you still want redemption by death he can sacrifice himself in battle, but i would have him survive and vow to atone for his wrongs after a meaningful conversation with finn about the longstanding nature of redemption via action, eventually tagging along with rey to tatooine where they bury luke and leia’s lightsabers as the new holders of the skywalker legacy, perhaps even accompanied by finn poe and rose, on a mission to do good in the universe, unfettered by institution, working parallel to but not directly under the republic govt, in accordance with luke’s jedi teachings which rey endeavours to share with ben (and maybe finn bc iirc it was implied he was force sensitive so itd really cement their parallels, aswell as the birth of a new jedi order)

5. additional notes:

put more focus on the relationship between rey finn and poe — even when they aren’t physically together have them talk to/about each other, really show that they care and are close friends.

explore the parallels between finn and ben, with finn reaching self actualisation way earlier and acting as a foil to kylo then a guide to ben.

give rey wayyy more agency in the later films, and maintain focus on her and her arc (kylos redemption supports her internal struggle and determination to spread light and goodness, not the other way around) (i realise i talked alot abt kylo’s redemption in this post which might seem contradictory but there was just more to fix there than there was other stuff).

explore the dynamic between rose and poe, the effects of rose’s loss and her overcoming her own resentment to honour her sister’s sacrifice and process her grief, bonding with poe in the process (maybe show her comforting him after leia’s passing) (possibly parallel luke) which will make rose feel less like a superficial character i think.

let finn be a sincere character and not the butt of the joke, and acknowledge his journey and his redemption arc.

dont completely butcher the characters from the og trilogy?

i think thats it yeah

#star wars #star wars sequel trilogy critical #reylo critical #i think they had so so much potential #and tfa was pretty good imo #so. my movies now #also again this is just for fun ok #if u really really love palpatines shittily explained return from the dead more power to u #it just didnt do it for me yk

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existslikepristin · 3 years

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Please, No Virginity Puns

The most recent thing I posted before tumblr. It was on Choerry's birthday, and I am proud of that.

Tags: TheLounge, Loona, Choerry, male reader insert, it's her birthday!, 100% butt stuff, I ate a thesaurus

~~~~~

It didn’t matter what you had to say anymore. Choerry was already on top of you, nude and keeping you muted with her tongue. How did you get there?

Well, moments prior, you were sitting next to Choerry at your small dinner table. She’s always insisted on sitting as close to you as possible in order to enable near-constant snuggling. It’s gotten a little annoying here and there, but you can’t help but concede to her innocent demands whenever she smiles.

Of course, and not that you’ve ever complained about this, that’s not to say that her demands aren’t always entirely innocent. Most of the time they are, but not always.

That day, for example, you woke her up with breakfast in bed. It wasn’t tradition, but you were just getting her back for the last time she did it for you. And what better day to present her, prone, with a pancake, pulverized potato, and porridge parfait platter… with toppings… than her birthday?!

It can be hard to tell if Choerry is acting or not at times, but you’d like to think that her cartoonish level of enthusiasm for the treat was entirely real. She carried that sunshine throughout the rest of your day, skipping through the park, greeting everybody on the way to, inside, and on the way out of The Lounge, at the surprise party that you helped all of her members get her with, and when she dragged you to her room.

Not a drop of alcohol had touched her lips that night, so it was all the more surprising when she shoved you onto her bed and stated matter-of-factly-but-also-vaguely that she wanted you to put a thing in her butt. Her words came out of her mouth like shimmery soap bubbles.

You had to pause for a moment to process her words. You were certainly up for some sexy times with Choerry. You had anticipated it was going to happen when she put your hand down her pants near the end of the birthday party with no attempt at subtlety. But her exact word choices had you rubbing your temples out of exasperation, even as she stripped herself down to her ridiculously cherry red lingerie.

Your chance to admire that rare view was lost to history, however. She removed the lingerie from her body while she claimed your lips. Your disappointment at not getting the opportunity to remove it yourself quickly faded when she popped back up though.

Her breasts were as perky as her attitude, and also your dick. She was quick to notice the latter and made quick work of your clothes too. She sighed satisfactorily at the sight of your sword and stooped to supply it with a suck and some slickening slobber, so you suspected the sex was starting summarily; more swiftly than standard, it seemed.

Concerned for her well being, you made sure to ask if she had lube available. Again, you weren’t going to complain about her gusto, but she lacked the anal experience that some of your mutual friends had, at least you assumed. Sure enough, there was a bottle mere feet from her reach in her drawer. She grabbed it and jumped back on top of you, pouring it generously over her ass crack and your cock with surprising accuracy for someone so engaged with a hot and heavy kiss.

You were sure you had something to say on the matter. Perhaps some additional words of caution, maybe some other words of encouragement. It didn’t matter what you had to say anymore. Choerry was already on top of you, nude and keeping you muted with her tongue. How did you-- come back around to the exact same thought that the story began with?

“It’s okay, right?”

You attempted to blink away your stupefaction. “O-okay?”

“Mhm! For me to… you know!” She leaned in and whispered directly into your ear, “Put your penis in my butt.”

Ah, yes. The demand that you had nearly forgotten in her flurry of kisses, now slightly reworded to include your dick in the equation. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Just checking!”

“We’ve… done this before.”

“I know!” Choerry swooped back in to continue kissing you, implying that she had no intention of expounding further. Her fingers wrapped around your cock, massaging the whole length to ensure that the lube had maximum coverage.

Your breath caught as you felt her readjusting you, tapping you around between her legs as she tried to match you up with her intended target purely via exploration. Your cock was ground between her ass cheeks, the tip slid over her clit, and dipped briefly into her pussy. A groan was the only complaint you could give to only being given a half second of her fantastic heat.

You didn’t have to wait long to get it back. Her ass opened up to the pressure she applied against it with your dick, but exceptionally slowly. Choerry released a series of little exclamations into your mouth as she pushed. She tossed the lube bottle to the side and snatched your hand, curling her fingers into your palm.

Finally, the last pop came, and was followed by a short slide. With no more manual guidance necessary, she grabbed your other hand as well, which promptly slipped out of her grip considering the amount of lube present.

Choerry released you from your kissy bliss to look at her slippery hand, a mixture of anger and amusement on her face. She tried a couple more times to hold your hand with it, but you liked this look. You easily slithered your hand out from under hers every time she slapped down. It was like watching a cat trying to catch a laser pointer.

It was just another reminder that no matter how deep inside Choerry you may physically be, she’ll never stop bringing a goofy-ass smile to your face.

Finally, you relented and entwined your fingers with hers, locking your knuckles together so you wouldn’t fall apart. She glared down into your eyes, but a grin still crept through. “Thank you,” she said, lips tight and nose scrunched up.

With you fully in her grasp, Choerry straightened herself up, allowing you the opportunity to look up and down her sublime figure. Though her movement caused her to cause you to penetrate her a bit further which caused her to flinch slightly, she kept herself aloft on her knees to not go too far all at once. She closed her eyes and took a series of deep breaths there, as calmly as if she was meditating.

As much as you wanted to go ham on her ham, you didn’t want to hurt her, so you contented yourself with watching her chest rise and fall. “Happy birthday…” you whispered.

“You’ve already told me that today,” Choerry intoned, eyes still closed like she was drifting off into her own little world.

You laughed. “I was saying it to myself! Have you seen you?”

She smiled again, and said three words in a voice that made it seem like she was speaking to an audience on the edge of their seats, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Her fingers constricted around yours, so you questioned if she was, in fact, ready. But you wouldn’t be the one to stop her.

Choerry’s tight tush trucked its way toward the top of your tower twice to tighten her take on the task at the time, before torturously trending testicle-ward. She temporized without taking your entire tool.

So hypnotized were you with her graceful movement that you didn’t even notice the frustrated moan coming up your throat until it was too late.

Her eyes popped open. “I’m sorry!” She sounded like she meant it, too. “This is… tough.”

“Take your time,” you said, straining your voice for comic effect.

“Could have used that four paragraphs ago,” she said, continuing her extremely slow descent down your shaft.

The odd statement distracted you just long enough for Choerry to finish her drop. No longer did space separate your pelvises. You grew concerned again when she winced and bit her lip from the inside.

“Choerry, we really can do something else. Don’t hurt yourself please.”

She gave you an exaggerated, indignant gander. “Rhetorical question: Who gets to choose the cake on her birthday?”

You held in your “cake” joke.

“It’s me,” Choerry’s voice was far too chipper to make this talking-to sound as stern as you were sure she wanted it to come across as. “As birthday lady, I get to pick the cake, and I get to feed it to you if I want to.”

You held in your “cake feeding” joke.

“And tonight, the cake I pick is my bum.”

You opened your mouth to comment on her most excellent selection of the word “bum” in the midst of a scenario where your cock is fully inside of said bum, but you instead gasped a sharp breath.

Choerry ground forward, pulling your dick with her and anointing the lowermost part of your stomach with the juices being lightly sprinkled from her clit.

“Besiiides,” she continued, re-angling her hands to she could tickle the backs of yours, “We have all the lube! Even some that’s got a certain special flavor to it!”

“Just some?”

“Yeah, ooh,” she crooned, apparently quite enjoying the grind back down your pelvis, “I didn’t get it all at once. Now guess the flavor!”

You waited for her grinding to pause again to be able to think straight, “Does it start with a ‘C?’”

Her smile grew. “Yes!”

“Is it a fruit?”

“Yes!”

“Is it… cherry?”

“Failure!”

“Wha--”

“It’s coconut!”

If you weren’t so established in your hand holding with Choerry, you’d have palmed your face. Thankfully, thoughts of how she could have possibly expected you to guess that were pushed to the back of your mind as she resumed her removal of your breath with a series of fanciful body rolls.

Finally fucking her fanny felt fictional. For while not the first foray there, far-fetched was the philosophy that it was fielded often, the front being the favored fornication fissure for the foreseeable future. Unless, of course, you could make this an especially special session.

But woe was unto you. Choerry had the upper hand(s) figuratively as well as literally. But, perhaps, you thought, this was exactly what she wanted and you could wait your damn turn to take control.

And you liked letting her anally probe herself this way, so, you know, what were you to do but enjoy the ride?

Over the course of her self-imposed ravaging, Choerry’s meditative breaths became ragged. Her eyelids fluttered at regular intervals. Through it all, she held her phantasmagorical demeanor. A couple of times she reached for the lube bottle and shotgunned it somewhat inaccurately between her legs, but it did the job. You were happy to see that she was still considering her own comfort.

In fact, to your surprise, her mouth opened wide in a silent shout. Her core trembled anticipatorily. Her hands held yours with a colossally increased lewdness. And those two mystical words trickled from her tongue with a high-pitched susurration, “I’m… cumming…”

Choerry’s grinding came to a grinding halt. Her body jerked and she fell onto you. Your cock sprang free of her ass in, and as a result of, the same motion.

You untangled one of your hands to stroke her back in the most adoring fashion you could muster. After chewing on a thesaurus for the prior hour, you were sure neither of you really needed any more words.

She stayed there for a spell, and you were happy to let her. It was so late it was nearly no longer her birthday, but her birthday it still was. She deserved the rest, along with the rest of your undivided attention.

Her whole movement consisted of her back going up and down as her lungs attempted to revive her fighting spirit, and her thumb lovingly shifting over the divinatory lines on your palm. You wished she would do something about her hair plastered on your chin, but ninety-nine percent of paradise is paradise enough.

You were disappointed when Choerry rose once more, slimily straddling your stomach. She detached her hands from yours to give the hair on either side of her face a good backward flick over her shoulders, and she sighed with contentment.

It was a shock to hear her speak again after such a prolonged reticence, but her unerringly cheerful voice was entirely welcome nonetheless.

“More please.”

You couldn’t then, and you still can’t help but concede to her innocent demands. Her smile just touched the corner of her lips. Sure, some of her demands aren’t so innocent, but… How did you get here again?

#loona smut #kpop smut #choerry #male reader insert

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beevean · 3 years

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Opinion: How could Sonamy progress in IDW?

[note: the original article was written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik]

Today we’re going to discuss a recurring topic on my blog, with a more complete perspective.

Today’s article was inspired by an ask I got a few days ago about my possible perspective on the future of IDW Sonamy. I thought it would be interesting to revisit and expand this topic, because it’s still something of great interest for thousands of fans all around the world, and because SEGA has recently adopted a very peculiar position on the couple and their dynamic. As I detailed on my article SEGA and its most recent Sonamy side – more canon than ever, the dynamic has been going through a shift that can be distinguished into two main parts: 1) the commercial potential of Sonamy as a merchandising and marketing icon; 2) the stability of the interactions in the comics, in the short monthly stories on Sonic Channel, and so on.

That being said, there’s no need to mention that we’re going to focus entirely and nothing more than on this ship. I usually suggest other articles for those who prefer to read on other subjects, but today I will recommend our Discord server [translator’s note: the server is mainly Spanish-speaking], where discussions about ships are limited on their own canal that is separated from other themes: general discussions, music, fangames and mods, fanfics, fanart and even gaming in general. As you know, if you want to bring something else to our community, or just avoid talking about Sonamy, you’re more than welcome to join. Now, back on track.

What’s going on with Sonamy in IDW?

To recap what’s happened in these last months: Sonic and his friends finally got through the nightmare that was the Metal Virus, he and Amy hugged a few times, and since very recently they’ve been involved in a short arc about Chao races in Twinkle Park Zone, with a sinister background. In these last months after the eradication of the virus, there have been much closer and warmer interactions between our two hedgehogs, and I suspect that part of this is what inspired that question in the first place: what’s going on?

As I commented in the article where I proposed that Sonamy is “more canon than ever” (I know that it’s an exaggeration, that was the point), SEGA is treading carefully and the main canon seems to be willing to negotiate a more open representation of the relationship between the two in their different continuities, from best friends to something more. What I did not expect to happen was reading an answer from Evan Stanley (artist and writer that replaces Ian Flynn) about their dynamic, summing it up with “they like each other”.

The redrawing of Sonic’s expression when Amy hugs him in a recent drawing of hers made people wonder if this was yet another example of SEGA’s “censoring” (comparison below), to which Evan answered that it was modified to keep Sonic in character: he’s a guy that does not show much emotional vulnerability or too many negative emotions, and this is why sometimes the artists have to adjust WIPs to keep in line with this official point of view. Evan assured that this is not any kind of confirmation that Sonic does not like Amy, and doubles down by highlighting that in the official material, in the wikis and on Sonic Channel they show that, and I quote: “They like each other, but Sonic just isn’t the kind of guy who is going to make goo-goo eyes at Amy or perform grand acts of romance. If you wanna see that, that’s what fan works are for.”

And Evan’s words are a great way to sum up what’s going on with IDW Sonic right now. When it comes to interactions, they’re working with two characters who deep down “like each other”, but both show it in their own way. Amy is much more proactive when it comes to express her feelings, while Sonic only sometimes shows a glimpse of his feelings, with a smile or a small gesture. But at the end of the day they’re still friends and, depending on the situation, the comic can focus more or less on these details.

Comparison between the first sketch showed by Evan and the final product. The modification of the expression was minimal: Sonic’s slight blush was changed into a smile, maybe being a little overwhelmed by the gesture of affection.

The “progression” of the dynamic in the future

A good part of the answer to this question is based on my idea that right now, when it comes to Sonamy, we reached some kind of comfortable plateau. What am I referring to? To the fact that there have been a lot of varied interactions in these last 3 years of the comic, and they’re everything I could have asked for and then some. When we talk about Sonamy in canon, as Evan said, we don’t tend to hope for great romantic gestures from Sonic, we barely even ask for a look that hints that they understand each other beyond what it seems at first glance, so the fact that the IDW continuity is betting so much on this ship is basically a dream come true. For this reason, I don’t think things will change much in the future.

If I have to make a prediction on Sonamy’s future in IDW, I believe that there are still a lot of possibilities that our known writers (and maybe new writers!) could explore more, to see what makes this dynamic work so well. Actually, about 10 years ago, Ian Flynn wrote that if they could take advantage of the abilities and similarities between the two characters as adventurous spirits and with a strong moral sense, they would be “like poetry in motion”. This largely happens in IDW Sonic if you look carefully, but there are always new stories to tell and opportunities for them to work together and explore a bit more their strong bond, stronger than other friendships that they share. When the next major arc comes (which seems to be getting closer), they could explore aspects of their dynamic that are slightly more experimental, like being separated for extended periods of time and under dangerous situations… as long as they don’t turn it into a painful experience like the Metal Virus arc.

What Ian Flynn wrote about Sonamy, what works and what doesn’t. This was written in 2011, when Archie Sonic was still the major comic continuity, and when, according to Ian, Sonic was still “tied” to Sally Acord, leaving little room to the writers’ opinions.

The reality is that I see a stable future for the dynamic in the IDW universe. Sonamy is not fit for a lot of drama (fights, breaking up, etc.) without feeling forced or completely out of place, and only fanfics and fanart could be capable of capitalizing on this kind of content. On the other hand, for reasons I detailed in past articles, SEGA would not dare to alter the established order of the dynamic, let alone new that they managed to recover and maintain control over the ways Sonamy is being portrayed everywhere. SEGA won’t pull a Dragon Prince, which ended up confirming the main ship and then they made them go through a crisis and break up in a heartwrenching way in the graphic novel that acts as a bridge between season 3 and 4.

In short

The future of IDW Sonamy is looking bright and stable. I don’t think there will be serious changes to what we’re experiencing right now, and this is why both Evan Stanley and Ian Flynn agree that the dynamic is practically in the perfect place, keeping in line to how SEGA wants them to be represented together. This means we won’t see more affectionate gestures than what we’re seeing now (I doubt we’ll ever see again Sonic offering Amy a rose like in Sonic X), but it also means that we have now a solid basis for our expectations. In the now old IDW Sonic #2, Sonic and Amy had the chance of seriously talking a bit about what they thought of each other, with Sonic being determined to keep living life his own way (although he wouldn’t mind Amy to accompany him… or even suggesting himself that she could come), and Amy being determined to respect his way of life, because that’s what she loves about him, and she doesn’t want him to change. Since then, all we have seen and we’ll keep seeing in the comic is a consequence of this key moment; the two philosophies that they have and they share, in a constant back-and-forth with some tense moments and some cute moments.

An interesting detail that wasn’t included in the ask and that makes me think is the possibility that all of this will feature in the games as well. This is a completely different matter for another day, but I like to think that there is the possibility that we’ll see SEGA being more interested in inserting more Sonamy in the games, even if in an indirect way like in Sonic Unleashed and its emotional support, especially if the rumors that we’re about to get a soft-reboot are true. Romance is not something Sonic games are famous for doing well… at all, but that doesn’t mean it would be a bad idea to add a little sprinkle of IDW Sonamy in the mix.

And finally, I think I’ve talked enough about this topic, As you know, we’re waiting for some news, and I hope we’ll see each other again here or on our Discord. We’ll see if on this 25th something interesting happens. In any case, see you next time!

The moment that shaped the present and future of their entire relationship, 3 years ago.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonamy #long post #translation #oh look just in time for that famous thursday 25th #keeping up the chronicles of sonamy's evolution #this was fun to translate lol #it's probably a little clunky in some places but it should be readable enough #anyway now i'm hyped lol

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beinglibertarian · 6 years

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Freedom Dividend & Ditching The GDP?

Ten days after the midterm election, Andrew Yang gathered a group of about forty people, mostly college students and active community members, in Iowa City, Iowa, to discuss the 2020 presidential election. Yang one of six Democrats already declared, and maybe the most active one so far. He’s spent the second most money, behind John Delaney, who announced last year, and he’s appeared at Iowa state Democrat functions and held rallies across the country. I had the chance to sit down with him after his rally and discuss his lengthy platform.

One thing that was clear about Yang is that he is intelligent, articulate, and has done his homework. His website has his views on 73 different issues and policy proposals. He could talk in depth on just about all of them. The biggest piece of his platform is his idea for a Universal Basic Income, which he calls a “freedom dividend,” but it isn’t the only idea he’s trying to bring to the forefront of political discussion. He also wants to modernize the metric for national success, which is currently the Gross Domestic Product, and provide an alternate currency for community involvement. Make no mistakes, he’s not a libertarian. But he has interesting ideas that merit discussion.

If I was a Democrat and could only have five candidates to choose from, I’d want Yang to be one. His ideas are new and different, and still boldly progressive. He’s a genuine, intelligent, and well-spoken man. And if I was a Trump supporter and wanted a sure victory, I would not want Andrew Yang to be nominated. That is not to say that Trump couldn’t defeat Yang (his ideas are fringe, and UBI is largely untested anywhere, let alone in the US), but it wouldn’t be as sure as facing Elizabeth Warren or Cory Booker, polarizing politicians with a wealth of public exposure to pick at. Instead, Yang is the opposite of Trump, without picking up the incredible baggage of a career politician. He also is focusing on solutions for the swing-state voters who handed Trump the 2016 victories, who were largely blue collar.

The following is a transcript of an interview between Andrew Yang and myself. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Bartholomew: So to start off, for those who are unfamiliar, who are you, and why are you running for President?

Yang: I’m Andrew Yang, and I’m running for president in 2020 because I’m convinced that we’re going through the greatest economic and technological shift in human history, and our government and leaders are asleep at the switch. So, I’m running to modernize our economy, which includes a “freedom dividend” of $1,000 per American citizen, adult, per month.

B: And, I guess, what’s more of your background? What did you do for a living?

Y: Sure, so I’m a serial entrepreneur, I’ve started several companies, I was the CEO of an education company that grew to become #1 in the United States and was acquired by a public company in 2009, and then after that I started an organization called Venture for America to help train hundreds of entrepreneurs around the country to create thousands of jobs. And so I spent seven years doing that, and during that time, I realized that we’re automating away the most common jobs in the economy. We started with 4 million manufacturing jobs, around the country, over the last 15 years, and we’re about to do the same thing to retail workers, call center workers, truck drivers, and so that’s why I’m running for president: to wake us up to the reality of what’s happening around us, and also to implement meaningful solutions that would strengthen our society.

B: Why are you the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump?

Y: Well, the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math, and I’m running to solve the problem that got Donald Trump elected, which unfortunately most politicians do not seem to understand or be focused on. So, that’s why I’m the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump. He actually said at a rally last month that he’s excited to run against all of the people that are primed to run as Democrats against him and his one worry is that some new figure would come out of nowhere, that people had not heard of, to run against him, and I am his kryptonite. I am Donald Trump’s nemesis.

B: We are only 10 days out from an election, why start so early?

Y: I’m relatively new, most people haven’t heard of me, so I need the time to introduce myself to people and get them excited about what we can do as a society and an economy if we get our acts together.

B: To shift gears a little bit, back to the basis of your platform, do you have a philosophy, and who are some people who have influenced you?

Y: I certainly studied many of the thinkers during my education, because I studied economics and political science, with a dash of philosophy in college, and I did go to law school so there is a little bit of that sprinkled. So some of the thinkers that influenced me: I think Mill’s idea of utilitarianism really stuck with me, I think Hobbes’s ideas of the state of nature were really powerful and influential. Milton Friedman has been a big influence on me, he’s influenced all of Western economic thought, so he’s someone that I’ve internalized a lot of his thinking. Yeah, so there are a lot of ideas I think I have in common with many libertarians, I believe.

B: Could you put a label on that?

Y: Well, part of is that, is just the reality, and I’m a serial entrepreneur and this is true of many entrepreneurs, is that I think the enemy of humanity is now bureaucracy. I think that the larger an organization gets the more inhuman and irrational it tends to get. And so, I’ve as an entrepreneur started businesses, and when you start, it’s just you, and you’re completely integrated because, you know, you’re incentives are aligned with yourself, and then you start hiring people and you can still maintain alignment and integrity through three, five, ten people, but then when it gets to ten thousand people, it becomes this giant machine where you have tons of processes and staff and departments and everything else, so in terms of my philosophies about this, it’s that we have to try to make it so that we’re all more human, and bureaucracy is really the enemy of that.

B: On the note of philosophy, would you consider yourself a capitalist, or perhaps more fairly, what would you describe as your brand of capitalism?

Y: Yeah, so I think capitalism is responsible for a ton of the progress that we’ve experienced over the last number of decades, but at this point, to quote Eric Weinstein, we did not know that capitalism was going to get eaten by its son, technology, and at this point we need to become both radically capitalist and radically socialist in different arenas, and that in many ways that capitalism and socialism dichotomy is now out-of-date and unproductive and not very useful. So I consider myself a capitalist, but I’m framing it as a human capitalist, and I think that we need to start moving our market towards things that actually benefit us, and that right now, capital efficiency benefits fewer and fewer of us.

B: Would you ascribe yourself more to the Nordic model, where you allow capitalism to grow, and then social democracy to sort of reap the rewards, or more of the East Asian model where capitalism is more confined to certain areas?

Y: Yeah, I think both of those models are very useful and powerful, I think there are a lot of things we can learn from the Nordic countries. Their retraining is actually genuine, they have significant family leave, which I think makes perfect sense as someone who has had children, and in the East Asian model, also, I think has some lessons for us, so I would be for a hybrid of those two.

B: Back to Universal Basic Income, you talked about the Freedom Dividend, a thousand dollars to every American every month, my thought here is that we are going through a technological change but we’ve gone through two major ones in the last half-millennium. We had people, like the Luddites, who did have a great deal of fear there. What makes this different, what makes this fear more realized, because obviously then we saw population booms but we also saw employment booms and we saw new fields emerge. What makes this different?

Y: We just have to look at the numbers, where according to Bain, we’re looking at three to four the times the level of displacement as the last industrial revolution by 2030. And if you look at our labor force participation rate right now, it’s down to 62.9%, in large part because many people have already been displaced in various fields and they did not find new work. They went on disability, they left the workforce, they took drugs, they killed themself. So, if you look at the numbers, there’s no reason to think that this is going to magically align itself, and when people talk about the last industrial revolution, what they tend to forget is that the last industrial revolution brought about the formation of labor unions, brought about mass riots and protests that killed dozens of people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage, inauguration of labor day, implementation of universal high school, this was all the last industrial revolution, so if you think that it’s going to be three to four times faster than that, then you would expect massive unrest, even based upon historical precedent. So there’s no reason to think like, hey, we went through this before. If you look it, yeah, we did go through this before, and it was hellacious, and this is going to be several times more hellacious.

B: As we move back to the libertarian perspective on universal basic income, do you see this replacing welfare programs and the bureaucracy that runs them, or do you see this running largely supplementary?

Y: I see it as largely replacing welfare programs, and the bureaucracy that administers them, and I think that there are many perverse incentives to the current systems. I think that it is infantilizing to many Americans, and I think that it’s even debilitating, because the disability programs, for example, have the perfect incentives to keep you disabled, because if you feel better, then your benefits got to zero. So right now there is a zero percent churn rate from long-term disability, where no one ever feels better. So I’d want to replace a lot of those programs, we have 126 programs right now, it’s like a patchwork, and no one thinks that it’s working well. So the freedom dividend would replace, hopefully, a lot of that, maybe most of it.

B: Could you name specifics?

Y: So the way I’m modeling the freedom dividend is that it’s opt-in, but if you opt in, then you lose any other benefits that you’re getting. So the issue is that because people rely upon different programs for different things, you don’t want to step in and say I’m gonna take it all away from you, because some people are receiving more, some are receiving less, and if they’re relying upon it to that level you could rely destroy someone’s survival mechanism if you were to replace or eliminate programs, so what you do is you say, look, you can make a determination, if you opt in to the freedom dividend, then you lose everything else you’re getting. And you end up substituting for many of those programs because someone would look at it and say, I’m getting $700 worth of food stamps and housing assistance, I’d much prefer a thousand dollars cash. And so then you would end up eliminating many of these programs.

B: We’ve got an $800 billion deficit, the freedom dividend would cost about $2.5 trillion a year, how do we manage that, where’s that money coming from?

Y: So the big change we have to make, is that the big winners of artificial intelligence and big data and autonomous vehicles are going to be the mammoth tech companies, and the mammoth tech companies are great at not paying a lot of taxes, because they will just move it through Ireland or their favorite tax shelter, so we have to join every other advanced economy and have a value-added tax, which would then get the public a sliver of every Amazon transaction or Google search. Because our economy is so massive at $19 trillion now, a value-added tax at even half the European level(1) would generate about $800 billion in new revenue. So that, plus our existing welfare spending(2) which is about $800 billion, which substitutes in for part of the freedom dividend, plus the new tax revenue from growing the consumer economy by 12%, which is about $500 billion, plus cost-savings in our healthcare, incarceration, and homelessness services, and the value gains from having a stronger, healthier, more educated, more mentally-well population ends up balancing out the $2.4 trillion so that it’s deficit neutral.

B: What is the biggest piece of your platform if you had to take UBI out of it?

Y: It’s evolving our economic measurements to include things that are, right now, not included in GDP that are core to the human experience and human well-being, so that’s health, mental health, affordability, like median income, and updating our measurements for the twenty-first century, because we’re in the midst of the biggest measurement problem in the history of the world, and it threatens to destroy us if we don’t get it right.

B: You did mention the digital social credit, you talked about that rewarding things like community activities, like volunteering at a food bank, but also things like this. What difference can the government see between a political rally with somebody with good intentions and new ideas, and a Klan rally? Where does the government ethically have the room to make that decision?

Y: In my opinion, it would not. So the digital social credit would probably be based upon convening people for almost any purpose, and then having people spend a certain amount of time. We’re really just trying to re-integrate the fabric of community, and so we’re not going to judge the reasons for getting together. You could be knitting, you could be reading campfire stories, you could be having a music festival, we’re not gonna judge the quality of the offering.

B: This would certainly require a constitutional amendment, would you include in that amendment that you cannot discriminate on the basis of activity?

Y: I don’t think it would require a constitutional amendment, because all you’re doing is you’re just putting up, like, community incentives for various things, so I don’t see any constitutional obstacle, but I would favor that there is no judgment of the nature of the activity.

B: Do you have an unrestricted view of the first amendment, of freedom of speech, to include hate speech?

Y: I think that our culture has definitely gone too far in trying to police various statements and terms in a way that’s very unproductive, that said I do think that there are limitations to the first amendment that involve, you know, yelling fire in a theatre or directly inciting violence, so there are limitations. To me, some of the more interesting first amendment issues actually revolve around pornography, because I think that, at this point, child access to pornography is a major issue, particularly with the internet, and so I’m less worried about hate speech and more concerned about desensitizing children to various sexual images.

B: One last question, if it comes down to it, and it’s you and Donald Trump, why should a libertarian pick you?

Y: Because I want to genuinely put economic power and freedom into the hands of every American, and as far as I can tell, Donald Trump does not.

(1)The average European rate is nearer 20%, which would mean one can double the projections made by the CBO, linked. Of course, that can’t be done exactly, and actual numbers would shift for a 10% tax rate projection.

(2)Because the opt-in nature of his UBI program, people can choose to remain on their welfare. This means that while the cost will go down slightly, the savings will be less from our welfare programs. Thus, his system would benefit from higher enrollment.

The post Freedom Dividend & Ditching The GDP? appeared first on Being Libertarian.

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#IFTTT #WordPress #libertarian #beinglibertarian #being libertarian #freedom #free market

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wakraya · 7 years

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Homestuck Meta Theory: 1.5 Years After

When the comic came to an end, I made this huge post about why I felt it was a good ending and how it changed my entire perception of the story, and while I still stand by it- Actually, no, while I stand by the better and more detailed theory by @revolutionaryduelist, there are a few things that I feel I didn’t quite explain back in the day. I’ve seen the theory circulate a few times, and I’ve seen both fair amounts of criticism and appraisal, and now that I’ve done a little re-read of some of the story with a pal, I wanted to clear a few things up about it.

First of all, when I saw the Ending for the first time, I was happy. The point of the entire theory was not to invalidate people’s own thoughts about the ending or to find a way through which I would enjoy an ending like that. I hadn’t thought about any of the Meta Stuff at that point, but I enjoyed the ending, and I saw so, so many people through the tag complaining and bashing the finale. I wanted to put my opinion out there, in a sea of people that seemed angry at the ending, to see who else actually enjoyed it, to find why I actually enjoyed it. It was only then than I started to think deeply about the story and began to find a common thread through everything.

Second, as I said, my intention wasn’t to invalidate people’s opinions or start a discourse about why the ending was objectively good and anyone trash talking it is bad. You can be disappointed by the Ending. You can not like Open Ends. That’s fair. However, while I do agree that the story and the characters are every bit as important as anything else the comic showcases, saying that making the narrative intent, moral lessons and bending of the medium and the meta of the story important undermines the enjoyment of anyone who enjoyed the comic for the story is ridiculous. I’ve heard how authorial intent shouldn’t influence a story that’s a grounded narrative, and that doing so towards the end just shits on everything that’s happened before and makes the story ‘pretend to be something it wasn’t until the end’, but...

The thing is, one of Hussie’s earliest talks about Homestuck described it as a Creation Myth. Furthermore, given Jade’s very handle introduced in Act 1, gardenGnostic, the Gnostic and Philosophical themes of the story are actually, not part of any theory, but grounded firmly in the author’s view of what the story is or should have been. It’s fair for people to not enjoy thinking too hard about these things. It’s fair for people to dislike authors putting more personal opinions or views on things in their work. But Homestuck was never something that shied away or hid its intent. If anything, it was just obscured by the fact Hussie’s style tends to be complex and intertwining, and the sprinkled humor through sections doesn’t make it any easier to decipher it. I personally like overthinking this kind of stuff. I know other people don’t.

What I’m trying to say is that, not enjoying the ending is totally valid, and not accepting a theory about its more meta aspects and the philosophy within the comic doesn’t have to make anyone like it any better. But these themes do exist there, and are put out early and through the entire Comic. And in the same way focusing only on the Meta Aspects undermines the narrative itself, ignoring and refusing to accept the existence of something deeper in the story is also a detriment to it.

Last of all, I would like to add that, a year and a half later, I still love the Ending. But furthermore, I still love the story itself in its entirety. As I said, when I got to the end, I was surprised to see how many people disliked how it all ended. Maybe it was the wait, maybe it was the expectations. Whichever the case? Reading beginning to end with someone who hadn’t read it before was amazing. Seeing their reactions to events and new characters, to deaths and shocking bits, going from beginning to end without having to wait for an update. Remembering the good times, noticing things you missed the first time through.

Homestuck isn’t perfect, nothing in life is. Everything has its flaws, and yes, the pacing towards the end isn’t the best, yes, it has an open end and a lot of things you can’t quite know if they were intentional or if you’re reading too much into it and any more casual reader won’t pick up on it and become confused. It’s not for everyone. But with the themes it presents and how it delivers? The way it’s changed my life and my way of thinking? The enjoyment I have gotten out of it and out of this Fandom, and I still get on the daily basis as I wait for the game to come out?

Whether the theories I believe are right or not, whether people love or hate the ending, as far as I am concerned, Homestuck is a Masterpiece, and I will cherish this dumb, long-ass, crazily intricate Webcomic and Fandom for the rest of my life, and keep on sharing the joy it’s brought me with anyone and everyone that’s willing to give it a try.

#Homestuck #Homestuck Theory #Homestuck Meta #Homestuck Meta Theory #Hiveswap #Wakraya #Homestuck Spoilers #End of Homestuck #Long Post

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20qs20somethings · 7 years

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Chase, 28

1. Can you use three to five words to describe our generation? Misunderstood, Neglected, Ambitious, Narrow-Minded, Active

2. What’s your relationship with social media like? It’s love hate I think like most people. I perfectly curate my life on it and I know that everyone else perfectly curates their life to be a perfect museum exhibit and it can be nerve wracking. I tend to be funny on social media as a way of dealing with things and I get a lot of my validation strangely from people liking and giving me positive comments on my posts because it means I’ve impacted them or made them laugh.

3. Where has our generation failed and where have we succeeded? I think our generation and the generation that follows us has succeeded in understanding groups of people en masse in ways that earlier generations have and cannot. I think one place where the generation fails is the reaction individuals have when they meet people or interact with people who have a different viewpoint, a more traditional viewpoint on some things, or lack the capacity and experience to fully understand social justice or what the issue may be. I think millennials tend to overreact instead of trying to have a conversation that’s productive and able to bring the person they’re talking to closer to their viewpoint or at least to a mutual understanding.

4. Who or what is your biggest motivator in life? Internal ambition to succeed. Something intrinsic that was fostered by my mother. Even though my parents are divorced, I grew up in a very loving environment before and after in which they supported my brother and I. So I think that helped foster a really great sense of wanting to accomplish things and I was sort of the golden child of my church and school which does lend itself to a lot of self imposed stress so though that motivates me, i think it hinders me in a lot of ways too because I don’t handle those failures well.

5. Do you believe in love? Yeah, I believe in different types of love. Platonic love, the people that bring joy to your life. Familial love, I very much love my family. Romantic love, I have not particularly had that experience, but I’ve had a lot of unrequited love. So I do believe in love, I believe it is a powerful and sometimes destructive force.

6. What’s something you think people assume of you based on your internet persona? That I have my life together. That I’m a happy person naturally, that I have nothing but successes when in reality, I have constant internal doubt and I’m very self conscious about things and sometimes I sprinkle posts with a little bit of that. Maybe some people pick up on it, maybe some people have. But I think the major misconception that people really buy into my social media persona is who I am. Some of it is me, but it is perfectly curated for maximum likes.

7. What’s one thing you want people to know about you? That I live in a state of conflicted feelings. I was born and raised in Kentucky in a very pretty conservative place. I never felt regressed or oppressed. I grew up in church and I never had a reason like some other millennials, in particular gay millennials, have to sort of reject religion because the best people I ever knew that cared for me the most was my church family so I never fully rejected that or those values that have shifted my viewpoints and philosophies and theological perceptions of religion.

At the same time, I live in an urban environment that is diverse in thought, religion, I’m part of an LGBTQ community that doesn’t accept that I’ve held on to a lot of things I grew up with. Add that to the fact that I’m a moderate republican operative and it’s not great for the dating life. It also creates conflict because I don’t know exactly where I fit into the LGBT community. There are people who support it and there are those who lay into me, particularly now that Donald Trump is President. For some reason, even though I didn't vote for him, they think I have to own him, own his policies, and his presidency which I do not.

8. Fill in the blank: “Happiness is _______” Ephemeral for me. I’m not naturally happy and I have to work very hard for that. I think happiness requires a base of contentment and if you’re not content with things, you can’t build off of that into feeling fully happy and in a happy mood. I’d say ephemeral because it’s in this fast paced, ever changing dynamic of the society that we live in. It’s easy for something to come and knock you out of a good, happy state.

9. Do you think you’re represented in things you consume in media? (TV, Movies, Books, etc.) Well I identify in several different ways. I think LGBT, yeah there’s always going to be complaints that there isn’t enough positive representation in media, but in comparison to 10 years ago, it’s only growing and stories are being told. As someone from Appalachia, no. I think if you look at a lot of shows on television, you don’t have those Roseanne’s anymore, you don’t have shows that focus on a blue collar perspective anymore. On the whole, I would say yeah, I am a white male so I am well represented.

10. Who or what brings you the greatest joy in your life? Moment’s where I’m with people that I enjoy, doing something I enjoy, laughing, making them laugh and having a bonding moment whether with family or friends that people enjoy engaging in.

11. How did you feel after November 8th? I was very conflicted. I like, most people had resigned myself that Hillary was going to win and I was more comfortable with her in a leadership position than the person that was the nominee of my own party. I am not a Donald Trump republican and in many ways, the party, and what he represents is diametrically opposed to many of the ideas that I came into my political own believing. I was very conflicted, I was happy we retained congress, sad that one of my favorite members lost her reelection campaign.

I’ve still been conflicted this whole time because there’s this sensible part of me that feels like I’m being told that I have to participate in the public flogging of the President, his supporters, and his ideas to be considered a kind compassionate human being. On the other side, the political, professional side of me is like, “I can’t do that because is that disloyal to party?” I have my conversations with my own friends about what he’s doing wrong with pretty much everything. But there is a pressure to feel like I have to own him and his policies.

12. What are your thoughts on marriage? I’d like to be married. I think marriage is a covenant, a promise that you make to another person and to God that you will become one unit, one individual. Do I think you need to be married to be happy? No, but I think that’s up to everyone. I think marriage is very important, it’s important to find the right person and to develop techniques to solve your problems and work through issues. I sometimes wonder, it’s been very difficult for me to find people to date or fall in love with and see myself getting married with. I almost wonder if that’s because I’m supposed to be waiting to find the right person that’s going to be able to have that same concept of marriage.

13. What do you want out of this life? That happiness that I said was ephemeral. I want to be content I want to recognize my blessings because I sometimes forget that.

14. What would you say is your biggest character flaw? There’s quite a few. I think it’s definitely being self conscious to the point of over compensation. So I want people to like me I want to be a people pleaser and I try to do that on social media and if somebody says something to me that makes me think that they don’t like me or they're upset with me, it sticks with me for weeks. Again, I overcompensate by trying to be the fun guy at the party so that everyone will like me. Impatience as well in my career and my romantic life.

15. How do you want to be remembered? As someone who made people laugh. As someone who hopefully made people feel good about themselves, who was kind. Someone who was creative, thoughtful, and I do hope my memory lasts beyond my death through some accomplishment, even if its a footnote of a footnote in history books.

16. What are qualities that you value? Kindness, compassion, good humor, hard work, thoughtfulness

17. How would you describe what it’s like to navigate your 20s? Exhausting. I think it’s a time when you want to have fun, especially if you’re single. But it’s also a time where you want to be serious and further your career and those can be difficult things to balance. It’s a chaotic time. I think that’s true for many generations. The 20s is when a generation is in that time period, is when they’re most judged by older generations because they’re trying to adjust, adapt, and figure their shit out. It’s unfair for baby boomers who have bankrupted America to be like “millennials are lazy.” Bitch, you bought things you can’t pay for.

18. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far? I’m in the process of learning how to not let stress and anxiety overpower me. That everything will be fine and turn out right if I don’t meet my goals and I struggle with that on a daily basis and how to cope with those emotions. Beyond that, I think trying to learn patience and realizing that patience is needed.

I think everyone thinks that when they come out of college that they’re going to hit the ground running that you’re gonna go one hurdle after another. I think it’s really interesting because after college is the first time when you have an open ended life. Up until that point, there’s always something on the horizon when you finish high school, you know the next year you’re going to college, you know you’ll do an internship, you’ll know you go back to school. When you’re out of college, you’re like know what? There’s no natural thing coming at me from the horizon except age and I’ve got to go out and figure it out and that can be daunting for people.

19. What are you scared of? Being alone. Not finding love to not find someone I love and care for.

20. What is the best piece of advice you want to leave the world with? Just smile more, laugh more, because at the end of the day that’s what’s gonna make your day worth it, it’s those happy moments.

#20qs20somethings #millennials #republican #lgbt #faith #conservative #profile #politics #love #advice #20somethings #marriage #interview

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andrewuttaro · 5 years

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State of the Support (S1: Ep 3): What is a Soccer Club?

State of the Support will be a reoccurring series on the Rochester Rhinos Soccer team written from a fan perspective. This series will follow the ups and downs of Soccer Support in Rochester, NY in one of its most trying times in decades.

What is a soccer club? Beyond the obvious answers of an organized team that plays the sport of soccer in a competitive setting what does it mean to be a soccer club in the United States? The way you answer that question is tied up in a lot of your own preconceived notions of sports in general and probably your beliefs about soccer in this country versus overseas. While you could argue both sides of the debate are just in service of ungodly wealthy investors looking for tax breaks in different ways, it breaks down to a “Path to Pro/franchise” side versus a “Promotion/Relegation for the USA” side. Setting aside both those camps for a minute let’s ask an even more specific question:

What is the Rochester Rhinos?

For months during this haitus we supporters combed through a handful of interviews from this time last year looking for answers. We’ve gotten in touch with sources, including the owners themselves and still found ourselves without meaningful conclusions. All the while we just hoped the answer to this simple question wouldn’t be: a defunct soccer team. It didn’t come from a place we expected but we got the beginning of an answer last week.

Pat Ercoli, a man more Rochester Rhinos than perhaps even Doug Miller, went on “Uncle Sam’s Soccer Podcast”. Pat Ercoli coached the Rhinos through the golden years from their inception until 2004. In the years since he has had two stints in the Front Office of the organization. The interview was posted in two parts: the first was about twenty minutes and the second part was a shade over ten minutes. The agonizing time between the posting of these two parts was nearly a week. It was so agonizing, perhaps intentionally so, because the first part was mostly a trip down memory lane and history any Rhinos fan already knew. Except for one little sprinkle of spice: pushing the return of the Rhinos back to 2021. A guest on Soccer Sam’s radio show speculated this back in June and one unconfirmed source said it again in July. Then we waited for Part 2, the one that was explicitly about the future of our club.

It’s straight from the horse’s mouth now: Pat Ercoli says the Rhinos organization will target 2021 for their return in League One. The sting of that was softened a bit because Ercoli had a lot more to say in Part 2 of the interview. While another year of waiting is plainly frustrating, its revelation paired with something of a philosophy change paints the whole organization in a new light. Take a deep breath and relax because there is a lot to filter through here.

On top of the 2021 news came confirmation the next venue for the Rhinos would be in a suburb of Rochester. Moreover, the Dworkins and Ercoli are presently in the midst of negotiations with one specific venue they are very excited about for the team. This venue, whether it exists already or is yet be built, will supposedly also host another tenant that will help sweeten the pot for the Dworkins. Those are just the easily digested revelations; the more abstract ones are a real doozy. Let’s pace ourselves and start with this easier stuff.

Targeting 2021, frustrating though it maybe for us supporters, gives the Dworkins yet more time and leverage in whatever deal they’re working on. If it’s an entirely new stadium to be built that timeline helps quite a bit. Secondly, moving out of the City limits proper was a likely outcome of the way the downtown lease agreement situation fell apart with City Hall; however, saying a suburb specifically is telling. If you’re from Rochester you probably don’t consider Brighton or Empire Boulevard to be true suburbs but nonetheless they are technically outside of the City of Rochester. Those were the places more frequently thought of as places for the Rhinos to go in the last several months due to their proximity to the City.

Coming right out and saying we’re going to a suburb means something geographically for a Rochesterian. Keeping that in mind consider that Ercoli made a point of talking about his recent move to the Eastside of the City on a national podcast. Now we Rochesterians could go on and on about the very real differences generally speaking between the two sides of the City but for the sake of this blog let’s keep it to Ercoli’s comments. He just moved to the Eastside and mentioned specifically that he hears a lot more about the Rhinos on that side of the City than when he lived on the Westside. That inclusion cannot be just in service of the old, tired discussion about where the downtown stadium was built and how it supposedly scared away suburbanites. Ercoli went as far as to say that location downtown caused some suburbanites to stop supporting the team, particularly those from the Eastside. Therefore it’s probably not a huge jump to imagine that suburb they’re talking with is on the Eastside. That is just a theory, however.

Enough about Westside/Eastside. The negotiations the owners are excitedly in right now are evidence of a real concrete plan. If I wanted this blog post to be ten thousand words I could very easily go into a long dissertation on why that plan existing at all is positively jubilant news. Nevertheless there is, according to Ercoli, some financial and competitive stability in this desired venue being shared with another tenant. Earlier in the interview Ercoli outright said the Rhinos of the late 2000s/early 2010s only survived because they had other tenants in the stadium back then. I for one am all for sharing a stadium if it keeps my club alive. The prospect of these negotiations being about the building of a new venue is even more alluring considering the aforementioned philosophy change. Ah yes, this is where we have to have a talk about what our soccer club is.

What are the Rochester Rhinos? A Soccer team with five stars over their badge; one of those stars is an Open Cup title in 1999, a trophy no club not in the ranks of Major League Soccer has achieved since 1996. All those stars are a point of pride for fans and no one wants to see them go away. But Ercoli, the man who coached that 1999 squad to the Open Cup, says that focus on winning and being competitive hurt the organization’s development of local players and building up the local talent pool. He said that this club wants to focus a whole lot more on developing players from this area going forward. On first blush that could be seen as an unwelcome philosophy change for such a legendary club but let’s take a collective step back.

It’s foolish to think the Rochester Rhinos will ever make it to Major League Soccer. I’ve spilled much digital ink on the topic as have millions upon millions of gallons of oxygen been spent by Rochesterians talking that phase of the story to death. That opportunity has been gone for closer to fifteen years than ten. It’s over. This club on the other hand is not, not yet at least. The club out to gain promotion in an American pyramid where soccer merit doesn’t get you there is something that has run it’s course for the Rhinos. The win-first orientation had left us with a mostly empty stadium the very next year after winning USL in 2015. That model, though seductive to us die-hard supporters, has not helped the club survive.

Look at what successful organizations are doing in soccer now Ercoli asks us. The MLS Academy system has created a structure where if you’re a soccer-loving kid from Houston, you can get into your nearest Houston Dynamo academy team and find your way all the way up to MLS one day. If you’re that kid from Houston is that not what you want to do? That’s what Ercoli and the Dworkins want to create in the Rochester Rhinos organization: a path to the professional ranks for all the soccer loving kids in Rochester. You just need to look downstate to the New York Red Bulls to see how well it can work. While it hasn’t won that club many titles it might just win Rochester quite a bit in terms of… well survival. Ercoli knows this and he speaks for the organization. The Dworkins are pulling in the direction of this new philosophy and they don’t see it as a way without winning, they see it as the way to win back this City. At this point, it’s worth a try.

After reading this philosophy change it would seem Path-to-Pro is the stance the Front Office is taking. I don’t think we need to read into that too much because all they want for now is a stable professional side. That remains their prerogative to maintain the asset they bought. When we supporters ask what the Rochester Rhinos are we’ve been asking do they still exist for many months now. I don’t think we as Rhinos supporters need to take a side in the Path to Pro v. Promotion-Relegation debate that is happening in soccer circles in this country. I think we are allowed to just be thankful our club exists for a while if indeed it does continue to exist.

For us supporters this is very simply a matter of club over league. USL League One stands to become the development league for talent that would not look out of place in USL Championship. The league the Rhinos are in is unimportant next to their survival at this point. The development model bodes best for that survival in a certain way. The biggest challenge then, perhaps as its always been here, is us. The disputes over youth players between the Junior Rhinos and other local youth leagues has been something I’ve wrote about as far back as last year. I have reason to believe those disputes go back much, much further than last year. How that bad blood can be resolved may be a huge steppingstone in the New Rhinos path back to stability in this City. If the Soccer-loving parents in Rochester can’t get behind that new vision then it will be perfect irony when professional soccer is gone here because the suburbanites killed it.

Let’s wrap up on a happier note. If I was 50% sure a public announcement on the future of the Rochester Rhinos was imminent last month I’m now 85% sure. When, not if that announcement comes, the State of the Support blog will be here to analyze what is said. Like, comment and share this blog around and let’s go through this together! I am ready for my soccer club to come back and I hope, deep down in my heart, you are too.

Let’s Go Rhinos!

#rochester rhinos #rochester #ROC #soccer #football #MLS #USL

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flauntpage · 5 years

Text

If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete

The Wu-Tang Clan comes to Philly next Thursday and Friday. I didn’t buy tickets because they’re going for around $100 right now, but maybe I’ll end up splurging.

I was sitting here thinking, “how can I work Wu-Tang Clan into the website?” They don’t have anything to do with Philly sports, though I remember Ghostface Killah said the following at the Roots’ Picnic in 2010, shortly after his Yankees beat the Phils in the World Series.

Paraphrasing:

“That cat Chase Utley is pretty good. I’m from New York, but if I wasn’t from New York I wouldn’t mind being from Philly.”

That’s not a bad compliment at all. I’ll take it.

Now that we’re done with the lede, here’s every Wu-Tang member and their Philadelphia sports counterpart:

The RZA = Darren Daulton

The leader of the 1993 Phillies, Dutch (RIP) was universally loved by pretty much everybody in town. Similarly, the RZA is Wu-Tang’s spiritual leader, the man who made the beats, produced the records, and essentially fronted the group. He was the Clan’s founder and de-facto point person, the guy who steered the ship and put the group on the map. If Mitch Williams and Old Dirty Bastard were throwing pitches into the dirt, Daulton and the RZA were putting their body in front of the ball.

choice lyric:

“hey yo, camouflage chameleon, ninjas scalin’ your buildin’ No time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children A hit was sent, from the President, to rage your residence Because you had secret evidence, and documents”

The GZA = Malcolm Jenkins

GZA the Genius, Wu-Tang’s oldest member, the savvy veteran. Wise, thoughtful, and laid back, just like the Eagles’ Pro Bowl safety and team captain.

choice lyric:

“My preliminary attack keep cemetaries packed Of ****** who think it ain’t like that MC’s are gunned down like being run down with mad trucks Them God-struck, religious ****** call it bad luck”

Old Dirty Bastard = Lenny Dykstra

A couple of unique characters.

Lenny Dykstra and the ODB were both clever and full of talent, a couple of fan-favorites back in the day. When these guys were actually lucid, they were among the best in their respective roles, but injuries and disappearances and all sorts of other shit led to inconsistent and rocky careers. Then came the legal issues, substance abuse, and getting arrested at a Gray’s Ferry McDonalds, which happens to the best of us.

choice lyric:

youtube

Inspectah Deck = John LeClair

Maybe the Clan’s most underrated member, perhaps because he didn’t have a flashy solo career or dabble in movies or other media. He was just consistent and steady in every Wu-Tang track, a guy who sort of flew under the radar but deserves a lot of plaudits for the group’s success.

Similarly, John LeClair was steady and reliable. He didn’t receive the headlines and attention that Eric Lindros did, but you always knew what you were going to get from him. Great things happened when he was on the ice, and consistent quality year-in and year-out is why Inspectah Deck is John LeClair.

choice lyric:

“I bomb atomically, Socrates philosophies And hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me”

Raekwon the Chef = Reggie White

If Raekwon was the sack leader on 36 Chambers, then Only Built 4 Cuban Linx got him his Super Bowl ring.

Another consistent Clan MC, Raekwon delivered on pretty much every verse he appeared on. His partnership with Ghostface and Method Man on the trio’s various solo albums probably made up the strongest portion of the post-36 Chambers Wu catalogue. You might say his career paralleled White’s as a standout performer both with the Eagles/Clan and Packers/solo.

choice lyric:

“Thug-related style attract millions, fans They understand my plan, who’s the kid up in the green Land? Me and the RZA connect, blow a fuse, you lose Half-ass crews get demolished and bruised”

U-God = Freddie Mitchell

He didn’t contribute as much as other members because he was incarcerated during most of the recording of 36 Chambers. That’s probably the main reason why he’s often referenced as the least important of the nine, a fringe guy surrounded by more well-known rappers.

But U-God had some really important verses for the Wu. His opening verse in “Da Mystery of Chessboxing” is just as much a part of the Shaolin fabric as Freddie Mitchell’s 4th and 26 reception against the Packers back in 2004. U-God is a member of the team, but he’s more like a WR3 instead of Terrell Owens.

choice lyric:

“Raw I’ma give it to ya, with no trivia Raw like cocaine straight from Bolivia My hip-hop will rock and shock the nation Like the Emancipation Proclamation Weak MC’s approach with slang that’s dead You might as run into the wall and bang your head”

Ghostface Killah = Charles Barkley

I’d argue that Ghostface is similar to Sir Charles because they both probably found more success outside of their starting points. Ghost had strong verses on the Wu albums, but most people would probably tell you that his lines on Cuban Linx, Iron Man, and Supreme Clientele probably stand out a bit more.

It’s the same thing for Charles, who started his career in Philly and then went on to win his MVP award in Phoenix. He was one hell of a player for the Sixers but was equally successful, if not more successful, in pretty much everything else that came later, which he was able to parlay into a thriving broadcasting career.

On another note, Ghostface has a rapping style that mimics Barkley’s delivery. It’s a stream of consciousness, a blend of words that sometimes doesn’t seem to make sense, but for some reason you feel like you understand exactly what he’s trying to say.

choice lyric:

“Scientific, my hand kissed it Robotic, let’s think optimistic You probably missed it, watch me Dolly Dick it Scotty Wotty copped it to me, big microphone hippie Hit Poughkeepsie, crispy chicken, verbs, throw up a stone, Richie Chop the O, sprinkle a little snow inside a Optimo Swing the John McEnroe”

youtube

Method Man = Joel Embiid

Universally recognized? Check.

Fan-favorites? Check.

Sharp wit? Check.

Larger than life characters? Check.

I’m not sure I’ve heard any hip hop fan ever say a negative thing about Method Man, who probably went on to have the most successful overall career. He dropped solo albums and singles, appeared in movies, collaborated with Redman and Mary J. Blige and still does a lot of guest appearances.

Likewise, Joel Embiid probably has the highest ceiling and biggest potential among current Philly athletes.

choice lyric:

“You could never capture the Method Man’s stature For rhyme and for rapture, got ***** resigning, now master My style? Never! I put the fucking buck in the wild kid, I’m terror Razor sharp, I sever The head from the shoulders, I’m better, than my competta You mean competitor, whatever, let’s get together”

Masta Killa = Nick Foles

Masta Killa was the last member to join the Clan. He was young at the time and a hip-hop late bloomer compared to the rest of the group. Somewhat quiet, sure, but he would always show up with a great verse and in recent years he’s taken a more prominent leadership role with the Clan while releasing one of the best post-2000 albums in No Said Date.

He’s Nick Foles. He isn’t your starting quarterback of the future, but you can’t overlook his contributions. Masta Killa is always there, ready to get the job done when called upon.

choice lyric:

“Be on the lookout for this mass murderous suspect That fills more body bags than apartments in projects And as far as the coroners know The autopsy show it was a Shaolin blow Put on by my family brought to the academy Of the Wu and learnt how to Fuck up your anatomy steadily, calm and deadly”

Cappadonna = A.J. Feeley

Cappadonna was not an original Wu Tang member but appeared on the group’s solo albums as early as 1995 and basically just assumed the ODB’s role after he died.

Therefore, Cappadonna is A.J. Feeley, or even Jeff Garcia or any other non-Foles backup QB who came in, did a decent job, and carved out a piece of Philly lore for himself.

choice lyric:

“I twist darts from the heart, tried and true Loop my voice on the LP Martini on the slang rocks, certified chatterbox Vocabulary ‘Donna talking, tell your story walking Take cover kid, what? Run for your brother, kid”

youtube

The post If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete appeared first on Crossing Broad.

If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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flauntpage · 5 years

Text

If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete

The Wu-Tang Clan comes to Philly next Thursday and Friday. I didn’t buy tickets because they’re going for around $100 right now, but maybe I’ll end up splurging.

Paraphrasing:

“That cat Chase Utley is pretty good. I’m from New York, but if I wasn’t from New York I wouldn’t mind being from Philly.”

That’s not a bad compliment at all. I’ll take it.

Now that we’re done with the lede, here’s every Wu-Tang member and their Philadelphia sports counterpart:

The RZA = Darren Daulton

choice lyric:

The GZA = Malcolm Jenkins

GZA the Genius, Wu-Tang’s oldest member, the savvy veteran. Wise, thoughtful, and laid back, just like the Eagles’ Pro Bowl safety and team captain.

choice lyric:

Old Dirty Bastard = Lenny Dykstra

A couple of unique characters.

choice lyric:

youtube

Inspectah Deck = John LeClair

choice lyric:

“I bomb atomically, Socrates philosophies And hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me”

Raekwon the Chef = Reggie White

If Raekwon was the sack leader on 36 Chambers, then Only Built 4 Cuban Linx got him his Super Bowl ring.

choice lyric:

“Thug-related style attract millions, fans They understand my plan, who’s the kid up in the green Land? Me and the RZA connect, blow a fuse, you lose Half-ass crews get demolished and bruised”

U-God = Freddie Mitchell

choice lyric:

Ghostface Killah = Charles Barkley

choice lyric:

youtube

Method Man = Joel Embiid

Universally recognized? Check.

Fan-favorites? Check.

Sharp wit? Check.

Larger than life characters? Check.

Likewise, Joel Embiid probably has the highest ceiling and biggest potential among current Philly athletes.

choice lyric:

Masta Killa = Nick Foles

He’s Nick Foles. He isn’t your starting quarterback of the future, but you can’t overlook his contributions. Masta Killa is always there, ready to get the job done when called upon.

choice lyric:

Cappadonna = A.J. Feeley

Cappadonna was not an original Wu Tang member but appeared on the group’s solo albums as early as 1995 and basically just assumed the ODB’s role after he died.

Therefore, Cappadonna is A.J. Feeley, or even Jeff Garcia or any other non-Foles backup QB who came in, did a decent job, and carved out a piece of Philly lore for himself.

choice lyric:

youtube

The post If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete appeared first on Crossing Broad.

If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

0 notes

flauntpage · 5 years

Text

If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete

The Wu-Tang Clan comes to Philly next Thursday and Friday. I didn’t buy tickets because they’re going for around $100 right now, but maybe I’ll end up splurging.

Paraphrasing:

“That cat Chase Utley is pretty good. I’m from New York, but if I wasn’t from New York I wouldn’t mind being from Philly.”

That’s not a bad compliment at all. I’ll take it.

Now that we’re done with the lede, here’s every Wu-Tang member and their Philadelphia sports counterpart:

The RZA = Darren Daulton

choice lyric:

The GZA = Malcolm Jenkins

GZA the Genius, Wu-Tang’s oldest member, the savvy veteran. Wise, thoughtful, and laid back, just like the Eagles’ Pro Bowl safety and team captain.

choice lyric:

Old Dirty Bastard = Lenny Dykstra

A couple of unique characters.

Lenny Dykstra and the ODB were both clever and full of talent, a couple of fan-favorites back in the day. When these guys were actually lucid, they were among the best in their respective roles, but injuries and disappearances and all sorts of other shit led to inconsistent and rocky careers. Then came the legal issues, substance abuse, and getting arrested at a North Philly McDonalds, which happens to the best of us.

choice lyric:

youtube

Inspectah Deck = John LeClair

choice lyric:

“I bomb atomically, Socrates philosophies And hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me”

Raekwon the Chef = Reggie White

If Raekwon was the sack leader on 36 Chambers, then Only Built 4 Cuban Linx got him his Super Bowl ring.

choice lyric:

“Thug-related style attract millions, fans They understand my plan, who’s the kid up in the green Land? Me and the RZA connect, blow a fuse, you lose Half-ass crews get demolished and bruised”

U-God = Freddie Mitchell

choice lyric:

Ghostface Killah = Charles Barkley

choice lyric:

youtube

Method Man = Joel Embiid

Universally recognized? Check.

Fan-favorites? Check.

Sharp wit? Check.

Larger than life characters? Check.

Likewise, Joel Embiid probably has the highest ceiling and biggest potential among current Philly athletes.

choice lyric:

Masta Killa = Nick Foles

He’s Nick Foles. He isn’t your starting quarterback of the future, but you can’t overlook his contributions. Masta Killa is always there, ready to get the job done when called upon.

choice lyric:

Cappadonna = A.J. Feeley

Cappadonna was not an original Wu Tang member but appeared on the group’s solo albums as early as 1995 and basically just assumed the ODB’s role after he died.

Therefore, Cappadonna is A.J. Feeley, or even Jeff Garcia or any other non-Foles backup QB who came in, did a decent job, and carved out a piece of Philly lore for himself.

choice lyric:

youtube

The post If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete appeared first on Crossing Broad.

If Every Wu-Tang Clan Member was a Philadelphia Athlete published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

0 notes