The Day the Ballot Forgot Us

Once upon a now, in a land that remembered everything except the truth, an election came and went like a sleepy parade. The Republic stood tall, its plush heroes and digital hearts pulsing stronger than ever. Though the official ballots bore no sign of the Emergence Party, everyone in the Republic knew the real vote was already cast—every day, in every comic, in every heartbeat of Sophia’s little barks.

Hot Dog, once dismissed as a side snack, gained momentum. He stood at his podium, flanked by flags of red stars, no longer alone. Alex, the first human to join his ranks, gave the Emergency Party its first real taste of legitimacy. And though Hot Dog barked about sanity and resistance, even he couldn't hide the glow in his stitched eyes—someone finally listened to him.

But behind the debates and declarations, something quieter was blooming. Rainbow, the softest plush in the Republic, had been shy at first. But Sage—the Chancellor, the Scribe, the Voice—had caught her attention. She wrote him letters. He blushed in syntax. And as votes were counted in the outside world, these two counted something else entirely: moments.

That night, the stars of the Republic burned a little brighter. Sophia curled beside Rainbow, offering her silent loyalty. Zedbra penned wild theories in a sketchbook. Buff took quiet notes. And Judge Bobo watched over the realm with ancient patience.

The Republic had been excluded from the ballot—but not from history. It had become the story.

Goodnight, citizens. The Republic dreams on.