#justice is interconnected

[odinsblog]

“And so a lot of what we're doing now is sort of making up for a lot of lost time when a record number of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces increasingly. So while we need more Ukraine coverage, because Ukraine has been made increasingly vulnerable deliberately by MAGA, by what Mike Johnson deliberately did in blocking aid for six critical months in the House, Palestinians need our support as well. And the Israelis on the ground who want a two-state solution, who stand for peace, need to be amplified as well.

So we can't pit these genocides against each other. We can't pit these conflicts against each other. There needs to be room for all of our shared liberation to have to basically carry all of these issues in top of mind, because what happens over there impacts us here at home.

As we know, we're all connected. We know that we've been living that for a long time now. We've been confronted with that truth.

For instance, like Donald Trump did not come to power in 2016 overnight. There was a whole vacuum of Western power that allowed a resurgence of Kremlin aggression to basically bring Trump to power right in front of our faces. Many of us who are longtime Ukraine watchers saw this happening and what a horror we were living screaming at the top of our lungs.

The fact that was allowed to happen, there's no excuse.

So everybody, what happens over in Ukraine matters to us here at home.

What happens in Georgia matters to us here at home.

What happens to Palestinians and democracy in Israel matters to us here at home.

We are up against a coalition of strong men who want to live above the law, who want to dodge accountability and enrich themselves and spread their corruption as a weapon in order to stay in power and die in power. That's what they all want.

Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, the corrupt leadership of Hamas, Sinwar, they all want that same thing. That's why we have to stay vigilant on all these conflicts and we can do it. We're strong enough and brave enough to do it.

It is a moral obligation not to look away.”

—Why the Georgia Protests Matter to U.S. Voters

[lesbiangiratina]

Must work on wiki and scans. Can not make fucked up testament relationship diagram.

[in-tenebris-et-in-solitudine]

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Earth Month and Indigenous Resurgence: Reclaiming Our Place in the Circle of Life

[majaurukalo]

We should really rethink the phrasing “being a burden”. And I don’t mean in a sweet-flowery way/soft talking to hide a harsh reality like “no, you are not a burden. You just have different needs”.

Because we are a burden. All human beings.

We are a burden on the planet and the ecosystem, for starters.

And we are a burden on one another.

Unless you live alone on an island and grow your own food and build your own stuff then you are a burden to someone or something in order to have your needs met.

We all take up space and time and energy from someone else.

That’s how we can survive as a society, as a community of people who live in interdependency with one another.

You need to buy food so you go to a supermarket who someone else put up so it can be easier for you to have access to food and someone else has made possible for you to have your salad or your bacon or your apple.

You live in a house that someone else built for you.

You enjoy a piece of art that someone else created for your enjoyment.

We rely on other people for food, housing, clothing, even entertainment.

And some of us rely on other people for showering, eating, going out, etc..

The Western society teaches that only through self-achievement and personal labour we are valuable and worthy of praise. That’s a toxic mindset that we must unlearn because it’s bound to fail in the long run.

Even our dreams and goals can only happen if we rely on someone else’s work, time and effort.

You want to be a singer? So you write a song. Sure, this comes out from your own effort and talent but then you need to publish it so you go on Bandcamp or Soundcloud. But those platforms exist because someone else built them. Then there are people, your audience, who listen to your song and share it. You rely on them. A record label signs you? That’s other people you are relying on to make your dream come true.

Nothing in this World is achievable through individualism and single effort.

At the end of the day we are tired from all this interdependencing but we also feel more connected and satisfied and even wiser.

Once we understand this we can see as a total “normal” thing the reliance on someone else for the completion of daily tasks.

The “I’d kill myself if I had to have my ass cleaned by someone else” will become nonsense.

And you can tell me that doing music is not like wiping someone else’s ass but both things are products of human labour and we all should learn to put aside our egos and be more humble and compassionate.

And since we all can end up having to have our asses be wiped by someone else maybe you can change your attitude as a gift to yourself. Or someone you love.

(Or maybe I’m just naive. I don’t know. I wish there was more empathy and connection among humans instead od selfishness and egotism).

[reginrokkr]

𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐗. A recent Discord conversation made me want to look into the references I've posted on this blog and I couldn't help myself but take special attention on a few ones that point towards how horrible is to be cursed and corrupted once you are, be it by pure corruption or even Eleazar:

◜Craven trespassers… the majestic one’s dark curse… is inescapable…◞ ◜…In death… there is awakening…◞  (Buliwyf, Guardian of the Desolation.)

◜Depart! Depart…! The shadow of the omnipresent struggle is not something you can bear!◞ ◜...The echoes of the end… will never… subside…◞ (Herger, Jester of Bloody Tears)

◜…Void emptiness… everything is… void…◞ (Rethel, Slain of the Split Bow)

...The curse... inescapable... but... we will be reunited... (Sealed Orders — Khaenri'ahn / Schwanenritter).

And how this has very dark connotations when linked with King Irmin as per one of his statuette's descriptions, but more likely than not the crystallized entity met in Caribert that, according to Chlothar, "blessed" him and Caribert but it could be just as good as the curse described by all these Khaenri'ahns.

A one-eyed carving that emanates an ominous energy, with no indication of what it’s made of. As you gaze upon this idol, you can almost hear a strange, comforting whisper… “See, my child. All that lies under the throne of heaven shall be destroyed by upheaval. The eternal peace of the pitch-dark void shall embrace us all.” (Deathly Statuette)

[iirulancorrino]

from We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian

[philosophicalgamer]

Social skills and ethical beliefs are highly tied together.

Self

[moistvonlipwig]

those posts about What Job Would You Do On The Leftist Commune are so funny to me because guess what. i ain't doing any of that shit! and you can't make me! which reveals the fundamental problem with ~Leftist Commune~ thinking which is that these people seem to think that other people will be willing to do backbreaking mentally exhausting boring as hell labor for no compensation just for ~the good of society~ and they have no backup plan for what happens when people decide that actually they don't wanna do that shit. oh sorry i should say no backup plan besides Posting About It In A Scolding Manner. wow. much effective. such good plan

[hotvintagepoll]

What are some screwball comedy pairings you wish had been a thing? Can definitely be gay ones :)

Okay finally!

One of the reasons I made this blog in the first place is that few things bring me as much blinding rage as imagining the movies we could have gotten, if old Hollywood had stopped being racist/homophobic/anti-everyone for ten fucking seconds. There were so many talented hotties working through our tournament era who only got cameo spots or no-budget movies! for no reason beyond white supremacy! there were so many stories that didn't get told because heaven forbid we acknowledge gay people! If this blog has a mission statement, a big chunk of it would be about highlighting all the amazing hotties who never got what they deserved in their heyday.

So! Let's tear Louis B. Mayer a new one and make some better movies.

Diamond Eyes (1946)

Harold Nicholas, the bored but fabulous son of a Manhattan millionaire, decides to take himself off on a transatlantic cruise to recover from the boredoms of socialites, constant martinis, and west side glamor. When working girl Rita Hayworth snags him into a fake dating scheme to throw off a jealous ex (Cesar Romero), he doesn't mean to fall in love with his false fiancé—or to set the ex up with his scheming accountant (Tyrone Power).

To the Tune of Millions (1945)

Ann Miller and Lena Horne are conwomen besties who use a fake dance act to get into casinos, which they then promptly rob. Unfortunately, an over-enthusiastic talent agent (Gene Kelly) sees the act and thinks they're legitimate, hiring them on the spot as the lead number in a newly opened but already failing musicale review. Who can they hustle at a theater that's barely bringing in a dime? The two ex-cons fall in love with show business, Kelly and Horne smooch at the grand finale, and Miller has an intense will-they-or-won't-they sparring relationship with the hot stage manager (Ethel Waters—and they will).

Untitled Three's-a-Crowd Film (1942)

Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman are running interference on a corrupt justice system while trying to keep up the act that they are all simply cohabitating in a shared AirBnB and definitely not falling in love with each other. Wait. This is actually The Talk of the Town. This movie actually exists and does veer this hard into polyamorous romance.

Tomatoes and Toast (1928)

Anna May Wong and Greta Garbo eat sandwiches for three hours. It's riveting.

One Soul, Two Bodies (1948)

Farley Granger and Vincent Price star as Alexander the Great and Hephaestion in this sword-and-sandals period piece. Though clearly made on a studio backlot with a budget of $3, the dashing romance grounds the chariot races and cardboard sword battle sequences.

Grand Central Station (1931)

Interconnected narratives of Josephine Baker, Joan Blondell, Dolores del Río, and Fredric March all vying for the last seat on the 5:45 train out to Poughkeepsie. When they realize they're jostling to sit next to the same sugar daddy who's been stringing all of them along, the four decide to unionize. Pre-code thrills; the four-in-a-bunk Pullman car scene remains notable for a reason.

I have more but I think I've gone a bit delirious.

[incorrectbatfam]

The time travel fix it trope but it's Alfred. It's been Alfred for a long long time.

Ok but imagine:

Alfred tries to fix things by going back to the day at the movie theater and preventing Thomas and Martha's deaths. He thinks that should be it, that should make everything okay because it was the root of all the problems, right?

He then returns to the present. Thomas, Martha, and Bruce are all older. Bruce is now in charge of Wayne Enterprises. The Manor is always bustling with galas, dinner parties, and visits from important guests and business partners. Alfred goes back to his job as the butler, but after a while, he realizes what he's done.

With Thomas and Martha alive, Bruce has no reason to become Batman. Without Batman, Dick Grayson grows up floating from one foster home to the next until he aged out and was left to his own devices. Jason Todd manages to claw his way out the gutter but he's a completely different person. Tim Drake begrudgingly follows his parents' footsteps and becomes another fake smile on the cover of a magazine. Barbara Gordon pursues an ordinary job that she doesn't like. Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, and Cassandra Cain are all lost in the conversation. Damian Wayne never existed. Crime and villainy are rampant but Bruce is safe and far removed. There's no Justice League. No Titans or Young Justice or Birds of Prey. No batfamily. No warmth.

So Alfred goes back. He travels back to when his first iteration was going to save Thomas and Martha, and he stops himself. The Waynes are murdered in that alleyway and it breaks Alfred's heart all over again, but it's the only way to set things straight. Or so he hopes.

Holding his breath, he goes back to the present-day Manor. Of course, the first person he sees is Bruce and of course Bruce immediately picks up that something happened because he is, after all, the World's Greatest Detective. Alfred ignores him and, to his relief, finds the Batcave entrance in the clock.

Dick and Tim are going through a set of cold cases that Tim thinks might be interconnected. Steph is recounting her fight to the Riddler to Cass and Babs. Jason is holding something out of Damian's reach and Duke is giving Damian a little boost. Kate and Bette are helping each other wipe clay off their uniforms while Harper and Cullen test a prototype taser on a dummy. Luke is calibrating his armor. Helena is sharpening her arrows. Selina is opening a fortune cookie from their post-patrol takeout. Ace and Titus are fighting over a chew toy while the cat naps on the keyboard.

They're all there.

Bruce catches up and asks, "Alfred, is something wrong?"

Alfred shakes it off and composes himself. "Not at all, Master Bruce. Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure," Bruce says before he goes and joins the family.

Alfred's family.

Not perfect, but whole.

Just the way it should be.

[archaic-stranger]

the environmental science students

understanding how everything is interconnected

analyzing how we impact the world around us

evenings in the lab, analyzing soil and water samples

pressing plant specimens between the pages of your textbooks

dirt marking the creases of your palms

a strong sense of justice

ice cold water from a glacial lake

looking for the past in tree rings and ice cores

science textbooks alongside Walden and Silent Spring

a garden filled with native plants

seeking a more sustainable way to live

long summer afternoons, warm and languid

the faint sound of birdsong, a backdrop for your thoughts

picnics with your friends after a long day of fieldwork

tracking change in an ecosystem over time

studying everything from geology to atmospheric chemistry

helping to shape how environmental policy is written

seeing firsthand how species adapt to changes in their environment

pointing out different types of clouds

a desert after rain, alive with brilliant color

memorizing biogeochemical cycles, the systems that keep us alive

[evelynpr]

The Fontaine main cast are all so thematically, emotionally, and narratively connected to each other that you can ship them in nearly every way and it somehow works.

I'm talking Furina, Neuvillette, Arlecchino, Clorinde, Navia, and Wriothesley here.

Wriolette? The upholders of the order of Fontaine. One on the surface, and one in the depths.

Clorivia? Childhood friendship, betrayal, and now healing with the truth and past resolved.

Neuvifuri? 500 years of closeness and understanding, mixed with distance and regret. Only after her sacrifice are they finally both free.

Arlefuri? Changing their fates through sheer force of will. Protecting the people who need on them, while accepting nothing in return.

Wriolinde? They were going to protect Fontaine together if its the last thing they do. Their trust is unbreakable.

Arlevia? Protecting their loved ones beyond the law. With a system and world that did not care for them, they care for their family their own way.

Knavilette? The seemingly cold and distant with bleeding hearts. They always keep their distance for fear of what would happen in a moment of weakness, especially with their overwhelming power.

Navilette? Personal regret with injustice and loss, now healing with compassion and understanding.

Furinde? The selfless princess and her loyal champion. She has always been by her side, protecting her with her blade, but only now does she get to know the real "Furina"

There are even more I haven't touched on (lemme know if you'd appreciate it ig?). These characters are just so...so interconnected through Fontaine with its themes on justice, order, love, loyalty, and more. They really knocked it out of the park with creating such a beautiful and complex cast of characters.

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Honoring Earth Month: A Call to Reconnect with Mother Nature

[roach-works]

for all its (apparently many?) flaws, i really enjoyed the fallout show, and i'm ride or die for maximus, obviously. but one of the things i enjoyed about lucy's arc isn't that she wasn't necessarily proved RIGHT or WRONG about her own moral code, she didn't learn that either kindness is its own reward or that niceness is suicidal in a fight for survival.

what she learned, i am pretty sure, is that context matters. you can't actually help people if you don't know anything about them. you can't enact justice if you don't know what the case on trial is. you can't come in out of nowhere and make snap decisions and be anything more than one more complication in a situation that was fucked up long before you were born.

that's what we see over and over: she comes in out of nowhere, she makes an attempt to help based on her immediate assumption of what's going on, and then everything continues to be dangerous and complicated and fucked up. she doesn't let the stoners explain that some ghouls will genuinely try to eat you the minute they get the chance, and she pays for it. she jumps to the wrong conclusion in vault 4 because not everyone who looks like a monster IS a monster, and she pays for it. yeah a lot of the time cooper is abusing her for his own satisfaction, but when she's a free agent she's a loose canon and it's not because the show is punishing her for TRYING to do the right thing. it's because the show is punishing her for jumping to conclusions.

this show gets a lot of laughs from Fish Out Of Water situations, but i think that even though cooper explicitly says "you'll change up here and not for the better, you'll become corrupted and selfish just to survive" that's not the real message. what lucy learns is how important it is to hear people out, meet them where they're at, and get the full story.

that's why the final confrontation with her father is so important. she hears everyone out. she gets the full story. she listens to all of it. and then she acts with full knowledge of situation. that's what the wasteland taught her: not to be cruel, not to be selfish, but that taking the time to understand what's actually going on really matters.

this is a show that's incredibly concerned with truth and lies. everyone is lying to each other and themselves. scenes change over and over as they're recontextualized. love and hate and grief and hope are just motives in a million interconnected shell games, not redeeming justifications. maximus's many compounded falsehoods are approved of by his own superior, who finds a corrupt pawn more useful than an honorable one. cooper finds out his wife has her own private agenda and this betrayal keeps him going for centuries. lucy's entire society is artificial and from the moment they find out they're not safe and maybe never have been, all the vault dwellers are scrambling to deal with that.

ANYWAY. i just think it's neat. sci fi is a lens to analyze our present through a hypothetical future, and i think it's pretty significant for this current age we live in, where we're all grappling with misinformation, conspiracy theories, propaganda, and deepfakes, there's a huge anxiety over how hard it can be to find the truth out about anything. i think the show suggests that it's always worth the work to try.