How to Debate an Exploding Candidate 2

[Zeke]

This is a weird one, but it's long in coming. (It's also just long.) Way way back in 2008, I wanted to do something election-related but far enough removed to be fun, and because even I don't feel like doing Star Trek every time, I took advantage of a then-hot sci-fi show for the purpose. The result was one of my all-time favourite things I've ever written: How to Debate an Exploding Candidate, in which Heroes characters ran for president against each other in a debate hosted by Mohinder Suresh and Sylar, whose dynamic was an absolute blast to write.

I've long wanted to do some kind of followup, but 2012 didn't inspire me. Even 2016 didn't -- at first. Eventually I did come up with a pretty good angle I could approach that one from; the pieces didn't all come together in time, but I kept the idea in my back pocket, figuring it would still be fun to do even after the fact. One problem was that while I had a good replacement for Heroes as my "universe of discourse", I couldn't think of a good pair of moderators.

Years passed, including 2020, another election year that didn't inspire me. But this year, again, felt like one I could work with -- if I got through 2016 first, because my idea for that one was now so calcified I couldn't just skip over it. And that's when the vital realization finally struck. Why not go ahead and replace Heroes for the most part, but keep my hosts?

With Election Day looming, I knuckled down, and tonight I've finally finished. The sequel I've contemplated for so long is finally here. It's even longer and stupider than the first one, and this time the candidates are coming to you from a fandom much bigger than Heroes (though you'll still benefit if you remember that show). And I remembered my great subtitle idea just in time!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you How to Debate an Exploding Candidate 2: I Don't Wanna Explode.