u/Johnathan_Doe_0

Green = Agree

Yellow = Partly agree or nuanced

Mike Johnson stood, arms folded, looking down on the people crossing the Denver streets below.
Rubbing his chin, he considered the situation at hand.
ELN forces had just taken Bogota and were now rapidly advancing across the Andes- the Self-Defense Forces, as dubious as they were, now stood as the last remaining anti-communist fighting force in the Colombian conflict.
If the ELN actually managed to unite the country, it’d be a horrible look for a newly resurgent America.
Then again, they could always just stay out and pin the blame on the civil war, bring out the Dems for another round of blame and accusation… Johnson could already hear the talking heads on Fox- “These COMMUNISTS would NEVER have gained even an inch of land if it wasn’t for Biden and the Liberals, this NEVER would’ve happened under Trump…!”
But that felt cheap.
He had to do something, right-?
He and his cabinet had discussed intervention for some time now, after the smashing success in Mexico it wouldn’t be entirely out of pocket…
With his time in Congress, Johnson thought he could surely call up a few contacts, butter up some egos and get a resolution passed.
He could do it… Surely, he could do it.
He was the president, after all.
“Mike?”
Johnson spun around.
There was Trump, clearly decrepit, letting out a hacking cough as he wheeled himself over.
He’d been unable to stand for some time now, past few months at least- his health seemed to be getting worse, little sign of recovery. To anyone watching, it’s far from surprising… Leading an entire nation through one of the worst civil wars in recent memory will do that to you.
Yet for all his afflictions, Mike noticed he still had that fire in his eyes.
That’s what made his next words all the more surprising.
“Don’t do it.”
Mike was taken aback.
“...What?”
“Colombia. Don’t intervene.”
There’s no way.
One of the most rambunctious, force-first presidents in American history, suggesting not to intervene against a gang of communists…?
Mike walked over to a nearby chair, sitting down as Trump returned to his desk.
“Why shouldn’t I? You and I both know it’d be a death knell for our foreign policy, not to mention the PR-”
“I know, I know.”
Another cough.
“But… We’re safe. We’re finally safe.”
Mike attempted to protest. “Yes, but-”
“These… Marxists. They’re Marxists, sure. But they’re fighting a conflict that’s not ours, in a country that can do nothing to us. I know you did well in Mexico, but those were violent gangs along our very border. Of course the people supported the war there… You think anyone will care about fighting some Latin American bastards? No. Let them do their shit.”
Mike stared, blank-faced, considering Trump’s words.
As much as he hated to admit it, he had a point.
The civil war was over. The plan was to hunker down from then on out, but when the gangs came crashing down on Mexico City, it became clear their southern neighbor would be a problem. It was a necessary decision at the time.
This would be harder to justify on that end.
“Plus, if you really wanted to execute that plan of yours…”
Mike perked up.
“You… You know about it-?”
Trump grinned.
“Of course.”
Mike held a solemn face.
“I… I know you don’t approve of it-”
“Ahhh, do what you want.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. You know my opinion on those guys, but you’re the president now, Mike.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
“...Though, they have been getting better.”
Mike chuckled.
“You know, I really thought they were done for that first time around, when the Soviets came back from the dead, went knocking on their door- but they really proved me wrong.”
Trump nodded. “I think we all thought so, but, y’know- those AfD folks, real German patriots, they fought well. The French too, I guess, but I still think they’re a bunch of liberals…”
“You hear about the other war that just ended-?”
“Yeah, with that Navalny guy? Shame, I really liked him…”
“I did too, but man did he suck at a war.”
“Bastard got pushed all the way to Moscow…”
They reminisced for a moment more, before Mike finally decided to seal the deal.
“So… You think we should rejoin NATO?”
Trump looked over at Mike with uncharacteristic softness.
“Do it.”
They both leaned back in their chairs in silence.
There’d been something else Mike had been thinking of for some time.
Never quite had the gut to ask- now, though, he thought he’d finally break the ice.
“Don?”
“Hm-?”
“Why didn’t you pick Vance…?”
Trump let out a simple grunt, looking at the skyline in front of him in thought.
“I never told you what happened?”
Mike shook his head.
“Well- J.D, y’know, I’m sure you heard, fought hard to participate in the war. He was a great general, really… Think he contributed to the breakthrough at Lafayette in the first week or so. Anyways, he loved to fight, fight for me and fight for our country. After Biden and the radical left fell, and soon after the-”
Cough, cough
“-Fake Patriots… In the East… And the Commies out West… Well, he still wanted to fight. We had plenty more opportunities for him.
When the first war in Europe started, we sent him with a few of our boys to fight along the east… Helped with the breakthroughs in Bell Ruth- Bell… Bela Ruth… Belarus-? Yeah, Belarus… and Latvia. Real fine job. You remember, he came back a hero.”
Mike arched an eyebrow. “And you let him do it despite being VP at the time?”
Trump nodded.
“I couldn’t say no. He really wanted to, he really did- I just couldn’t say no.”
His eyes shifted downward.
“Eventually, he… He volunteered to fight in Korea, back when the Asian War started up. That Chen guy, real bad guy- they called him the Asian Hitler, y’know…? Wanted to kill anyone who wasn’t Chinese. Anyway, J.D. volunteered to fight in Korea, they were getting pushed back to Busan. Repeat of history, cause J.D. performed so well, he pushed them back to China. He just… He couldn’t…”
Sigh.
“He caught a stray bullet, close to the head.”
…
“It was bad. Real bad. He barely survived, luckily it hit him in just the right spot he didn’t die. The doc got to him in time, but he… He didn’t come back the same.”
Mike sat up straight.
It finally made sense.
“You needed a replacement.”
Another nod.
“You were the only one who had the experience, being my… Secretary of War… at the time-”
“Interior.”
“Huh…?”
“I was Secretary of the Interior.”
Trump zoned out, looking back over the buildings in the distance.
“Yeah…”
Mike could tell it was about time he left.
He got up and walked over to call the elevator, but as he did he heard something else from behind him.
“Mike-”
Mike spun around.
“Yes, sir…?”
Trump smiled, only slightly.
“You’ve still done well.”
Mike smiled, too.
“As did you, sir.”
He turned back around.
“Nice tower, by the way.”
Trump looked up at the people below, milling about as they would any other day.
“Yeah. Denver’s really grown on me.”
As the elevator descended back down to the lobby below, Johnson reflected back on their conversation.
The following week, news would break that Donald Trump had passed away peacefully in his sleep.
President Johnson quietly cancelled any plans toward intervention, instead focusing any and all diplomatic efforts toward re-entry into NATO.
The final treaties would be signed on New Year’s Eve, a full decade since the start of the conflict which would ravage the once-proud nation- now a returned hegemon on the global stage.
That night, as the fireworks went on, Johnson sat at his desk in the Oval Office.
He sat there and thought about his country.
Thought about where it is.
Thought about where it’s been.
Most importantly, he thought about the man who had brought it to this point.
As he did, he heard faint music in the background- muffled, but just loud enough to make out.
21st Century Breakdown.
Green Day.
He liked it.
After a minute more, he got up and joined his family outside, watching the fireworks in the night sky…
At that moment, he realized one thing:
America was truly great again.

Seems like a fire could rise at any moment

It's odd, I can't seem to find any way to connect with anyone nowadays.

Even if we have shared interests, there's something about conversation now that just feels shallow. I put on the same smile (if its irl), I say all the same words, send a few emojis/emoticons, act excited, rinse and repeat. I rarely feel I ever have many conversations of actual substance anymore, of things that actually feel like they matter.

Nobody's teaching us how to communicate well, either. I largely taught myself how to post-COVID... It's presented an awkward situation in which I'm able to socialize one-on-one quite well- I've been complimented on it before- but I don't perform well in group settings

nor does it feel all too real

similar to putting on a mask of sorts

I feel more like I'm playing out a character than anything.

Over time, I feel I've become more and more like that character... Unfortunately, I think I begin to build myself a sense of ego as a result

I don't feel I can connect well among my peers, so I try to think of myself as beyond whatever they discuss. I still try to keep myself to a moral core, though, avoid drifting into megalomania

It all simply ends in me feeling envious toward those around me for the seeming fun they're having... I know things such as sex, drugs, and drink carry negatives in the long-term, but that's not too much comfort in the short-term

The denial of such things makes you feel alienated from everyone else, especially when everyone you know is doing it (or feels like it)

I've never even been to a party before, never

I feel it's all more of a shame than anything...

Yet I feel I can't do much more than keep moving forward.

I plan to fix problems in the future, build something better for those around me. I intend to stick to this path, no matter what may happen. It feels better being the man behind the scenes...

It's also kinda nice having a rant space like this, air off some of my concerns

(Note: Picture above is not mine.)

It's just odd to me that whenever somebody makes a new fictional character nowadays, they always call it an "OC" (original character).

Isn't any character one makes original...?

For example, I made a few characters for an old comic series of mine. I never called them OCs. I saw them as simple characters, same as any other you'd see in fictional media; what makes OCs any different?

Is it that they're used a certain way? Presented in a specific manner?

Would a non-OC character have to be used often in media or owned by a larger corporation?

If that last one's the case, that would mean that for a while, characters such as Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog were OCs for a time...

Where does the line get drawn here? What has the internet done?

This change would've taken place earlier in American history, perhaps while both NY and NJ were colonies under the English.

And yes, it will be called "New Jersey City".

obviously I used cheats lol

originally was js playing because they were going up against Brazil in the World Cup, guess it's time for a new caliphate now tho 😭

Me personally, I'd choose "Clubbed to Death 2" by Rob Dougan (picture is from the album, "Furious Angels").

(HL3 will happen, trust)

Any opinions...?

no, seriously, nothing.

I've never actually been attracted to any fictional character, no matter the show.

perhaps there've been one or two where I've thought "huh, she looks good," but nothing past that... and if so, I can't remember

if I'm being honest, I'd say the same for actors/celebrities, too.

almost every celebrity or actor I've seen I rlly haven't felt too attached to.

taking this at face value, I know you'd say "you're prob asexual/aromantic," but I know that's not the case- I've 100% been attracted to folks I've met irl

so idrk what to make of it to be honest

^(Note: ^^No ^^absolute ^^guarantee ^^I'll answer.)

any thoughts...?

*QUICK EDIT*

15-17 in age instead.

Recommended Song: Music Sounds Better With You
(Every post in this series will have a "recommended song" to listen to while scrolling through, an optional detail simply provided to enhance the experience.)

The 2000 United States presidential election has proven to be one of the most contentious in history. In what was initially thought to be smooth sailing for Gore, riding off the back of Clinton's previous successes, has turned into a virtual slog as both candidates viciously compete for the keys to power. In the last hours of Election Night, recounts in Nebraska's 2nd congressional district and a lone elector in Bush-won New Hampshire would propel Gore to exactly 268 electoral votes, enough to change the fate of the race entirely, all contingent on Florida- if Gore were to win Florida, his trial will be complete... Should Bush manage to push ahead, however, those two crucial electoral votes will guarantee a contingent election in the House.

As the days drag on and volunteers down in the Sunshine State wrap up the count, Gore's legal injunctions eventually lead the Supreme Court to come to a final decision in December of that year: Bush did indeed have Florida. This one decision brings about the first election to be tossed to the House since 1824, casting further uncertainty onto this already chaotic affair. Just a few weeks before Inauguration Day arrives, the House votes in favor of Bush, officially electing him President of the United States of America by a comfortable margin- 29-21. Despite the enormous win, Bush's troubles remain far from over; in yet another unprecedented move, six liberal-leaning Republican Senators (Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Lincoln Chaffe, Arlen Specter, George Voinovich, and Jim Jeffords) cross party lines and cast their ballot for Joe Lieberman in the Senate vote for VP, shocking the nation. By January 20th, Americans are faced with a prospect not seen since 1796- a split administration. As Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Joe Lieberman are tossed into the same unfortunate boat, many are left to wonder what else to come of this troubled century...