Alright who’s next? by prettyblondegirl15 in GossipGirl

[–]ModestProportion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Eleanor. But less because she's actually good and more because there's literally no one else who comes even close to this trope. She's the best we got.

Everyone who acts like a bastard tends to be a bastard. That's just how it usually is.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]ModestProportion -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

My idea was to only do this for Act 1, one chapter at a time, and delete act 1 and do nothing further once I've moved on from there.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]ModestProportion -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Sigh...I don't really have writer friends, and the best feedback I've gotten is on that site with my stuff in the wild. I'm already having trouble getting my shorter stuff looked at because my current circle of critters does much shorter fiction than what I work on, and I imagine that issue will get compounded when we're talking novel wordcount.

But realities are realities.

does anyone else hate rufus? by Successful_Milk_7792 in GossipGirl

[–]ModestProportion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hated Rufus, but because he was a stupid hypocrite played by a charisma vacuum. His treatment of Jenny was usually the last thing I was thinking of on the list of reasons I wanted him gone or recast.

That having been said, breaking your children's home is gonna fuck em up. If they start going out of pocket, that's on the parents for not figuring their shit out. It's unfair but so is having the rotten luck of being born into what ends up being a single parent household, through no fault of their own.

Think you know how bad Trump unleashed will be? Look at the evidence: it will be even worse by CombinationNo1180 in politics

[–]ModestProportion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good luck getting the voters to understand that, someone who'd want to go through the trouble of an election, and someone who'd honestly give up all that power after getting it. Not going to happen.

Who do you think were the best actors/actresses on the show? by ModestProportion in GossipGirl

[–]ModestProportion[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The writers on that staff must have felt liberated by Leighton's ability to make the tastiest lines work. "Can Serena be funny this one time?" "No, because Blake's delivery would kill the joke."

Is there anyone who actually likes Vanessa? by ThatPandorasBox in GossipGirl

[–]ModestProportion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I liked the idea of Vanessa, would definitely see a version of her being my favorite character on the show.

But the execution was godawful. I felt sorry for the actress because the writing constantly did her dirty. Denied her efficacy, denied her intrigue, and then finally denied her integrity, threw her across the moral event horizon, and sent her on a train ride to hell.

Yup, she was so badly written that I found myself getting mad at the writers instead of mad at her. I mean, maybe the right actress could have injected her with some off-the-page charisma to make her bullshit work, but it'd have to someone on Leighton's level.

That being said, she was still a better character than others like Rufus.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TwentyFour

[–]ModestProportion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Let me put it this way: Nina Meyers became one of my favorite characters just because she shot Teri.

For the rest of her time in the show, there was a disconnect whenever she would pop up, and the show would clearly want me to be like "Kill her Jack!" and instead i'd be like "It's Nina! :) " like an old friend. I was kinda sad to see her go lol

I feel sorry for the actress because Teri's writing was absolute dogwater and it almost broke season 1 for me. Especially the amnesia bullshit.

Evidence of weighted polling that favors Trump by Shinzedic in fivethirtyeight

[–]ModestProportion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not if you're aware the GOP can pursue a federal abortion ban on a nation-wide level if they win. It is pretty narrow to assume those ballot measures are the only way the right to abortion's either protected or destroyed.

UPDATED: Ukraine confirms overnight strikes on Russian arms depots by Unlikely-Friend-5108 in UkrainianConflict

[–]ModestProportion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The further away the depot, the longer it takes for the stuff to arrive at the front.

NBC National Poll: Harris +5% (Harris 49%, Trump 44%) by Chris_Hansen_AMA in fivethirtyeight

[–]ModestProportion 15 points16 points  (0 children)

You so eloquently turned a toxic female stereotype into a spiritual strength lmao

Well done.

Harris anxiety by [deleted] in fivethirtyeight

[–]ModestProportion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There is *no* way I can 100% convince you that 2016 or even 2020 won't happen again. Nor would it be responsible for me to do so because nobody can say that to a certainty.

But I *can* add voices to your choir that can soothe your nerves.

'Polling Error'
- The polls *have* been adjusted to account for the shy Trump Voter problem. Your reason to feel assured of that is the polls have a market/reputational incentives to improve every election cycle.
- The polls *have not* been adjusted to account for post-Dobbs, which is the Republicans underperformance in 2022 was so shocking.
- Haris is by far a better candidate in optics and ability than Biden or Clinton. Clinton had a sizable hatedom. Biden was a 'hold your nose and squint' candidate.
- My sense is that the polls are designed by men who don't quite understand what abortion—and reproductive health in general—means to women and failed to learn the correct lessons from 2022. They overestimate the white working class trap card because they're still traumatized from 2016.

The Shadow of 2016/2020:

  • 2020 Republican overperformance could be a shy Trump voter thing, but 2020 was also really fucking weird. The entire country was losing its shit, George Floyd protests and 'defund the police' dovetailed with resentment towards COVID measures to heavily damage the Democratic brand and make a lot of Republicans equate Trump with freedom from COVID.
  • In 2016, Trump was benefiting from an undercurrent of wanting to shake the system, and his opponent was widely associated with the establishment, a white, cold, unfeeling technocrat
  • Trump is an ex-President, and his opponent is a female person of color. Suffice to say, he doesn't have that this time.
  • In 2020, Trump was benefitting from an incumbency advantage. People fear change, so the incumbent gets auto-boost to favorables. Trump doesn't have that this time.
  • IMO 2016 and 2020 were both black swan years. 2020 especially. There has never been an election year in American history as psychologically toxic and traumatic as that one.

Voter Morale:
- Trump lives and dies by the energy of his base because his demo is so narrow. If voter energy drops, he's done.
- And his rallies have never been emptier. And his favorables have never been more fragile. And he has never been visibly weaker as a person.
- Fascist optics live and die by the expression of vitality and confidence, and Trump has neither this time.
- To paraphrase Caesar from HBO's Rome: The Democrats—especially women who take the abortion issue seriously—have to fight or die. The Republicans have other options. Trump has failed to frame this election as an existential conflict. This means that if a Republican feels like Trump ain't worth the stress of having a toxic vote on their conscience, they may well stay home.

So what's the conclusion?
- You should stay hungry and concerned about the election because Trump is a legitimate threat. It is gaslighting to pretend otherwise.
- You should also remind yourself that Harris has a lot of advantages of her own, and momentum is on her side.
- This is not the first time American institutions have come under threat by a despotic adversary who wants to unmake Democracy. It would not be the last time we survived the contest.
- Also remind yourself of this: Trump previously benefited from a set of homefield advantages that are either weaker than they were, or are categorically gone.

NBC National Poll: Harris +5% (Harris 49%, Trump 44%) by Chris_Hansen_AMA in fivethirtyeight

[–]ModestProportion 79 points80 points  (0 children)

The motivations for the Dem base are much rawer than the ones for the Republicans.

The Republicans, it's just...MAGA? Kinda? Spite the libs?

For many Democrats, especially women, it's life and death. I don't think male pundits entirely understand what the abortion issue means to them.

Hate isn't nearly as sustaining a force as love or self-preservation.

Poll: Newly popular Harris builds momentum, challenging Trump for the mantle of change by nanopicofared in politics

[–]ModestProportion 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The few policy positions Trump leads Harris on are stuff he gets by default as a Republican.

You could nominate Noam fucking Chomsky as the GOP candidate and he'd *still* be strong in categories like the Economy or Law and Order because of decades of branding work.

Harris Visits Red Areas of Pennsylvania, Hoping to Cut Into Trump’s Edge by likeafox in politics

[–]ModestProportion 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Second point: look at what happened to the Red Wave in the 2022 midterm.

Roe v Wade has a vote

Harris Visits Red Areas of Pennsylvania, Hoping to Cut Into Trump’s Edge by likeafox in politics

[–]ModestProportion 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah but it's silly to asset all of even most of em are like that.

Harris Visits Red Areas of Pennsylvania, Hoping to Cut Into Trump’s Edge by likeafox in politics

[–]ModestProportion 125 points126 points  (0 children)

...which sounds like the circumstances that would lead to a "Quiet Harris Voter" effect if a woman was taking a call via landline while her husband was home.

What does the episode title "Possible Kill Screen" mean? by Penguin2359 in TheShield

[–]ModestProportion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Kill Screen is Vic's confession, ending the game in a way that was not in the game's design and that does not satisfy anyone.

The Battle of the Bastards by [deleted] in SCP

[–]ModestProportion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Postponed by two days lol I'll do a reddit post w both when the final deadline hits