#the only thing that's necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing

[hug-your-face]

Hey quick reminder that "withholding votes" is a logical fallacy.

Voting isn't the SATs. The only points that count are the votes CAST. There are no "negative points" for votes NOT cast.

Nobody counts the people who "withheld their vote." The only votes that count are the ones CAST.

Nobody says "wow, there sure are a lot of people who Didn't Vote For Our Guy! I guess he's is a bad candidate and we should put someone else up next time." That doesn't happen. That's not how it works. There is no such thing as a "withheld vote." There is only the absence of a vote. The only votes that count are the ones cast.

Refusing to vote isn't taking a stand, any more than refusing to speak is when you're asked what you want to have for dinner. Yeah, you may not get exactly what you asked for, but you have more influence than ZERO, which is exactly how much an uncast ballot is worth.

Politics isn't about getting all our wishes fulfilled. Its not about sweeping change. Politics is like lifting, or running, or drawing. it's about WHAT IS POSSIBLE today and tomorrow. It takes sustained work to arrive at lasting change. Politics is a complex tug-of-war where the needle moves a little bit this way, a little bit that way, a little bit the other way. Failing to vote isn't sending a message, it's letting go of the rope. The only votes that matter are the ones cast.

If I don’t like either party's candidate, and I decide to "send a message" by not voting? Yay, me! All I did was FAIL to make a tally AGAINST the other side. I've FAILED to push for a chance to move the window a bit. I've FAILED to help sustain what is, so that I can go lobby and protest and riot and elect super liberal local and state officials and make things better in the future.

And if I fail to be counted, and the other side swallows their misgivings and comes out in droves to be counted? Then they get more votes. And then they WIN. And then they get free, unimpeded reign to decide who is allowed to vote and who isn't.

Vote.

Vote your conscience in the primaries. Vote for survival in the presidential race.

The only votes that matter are the ones cast.

[inheartofwinter]

Drarry Fic Rec List: Us Vs The World

The list I want to show you to day is one I especially adore: fics with strong vibe of "us against the world". They could be good, they could be bad, they could save the world, they could destroy it, they could simply go on with their lives. No matter what, they will always have each other.

- Hell & Other Places (M; 2,5k) by @tepre

OR: 9 times Draco said ‘I love you’ and 1 time he didn’t.

Draco & Harry are sent to investigate a haunted Bed & Breakfast.

- Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis (E; 49999) by @vukovich

Harry's assignment was simple. Close out Draco Malfoy's missing persons case so he can be declared dead.

But who's making withdrawals from Malfoy's vaults? How is a death omen-turned-Unspeakable involved? Is an organization known as the Moirai to blame?

Harry brushes it off until he can't. Until The Prophet is flooded with sightings of dead people. Until Robards throws himself on his sword. Until Ron turns on his own family. Until Harry scarcely trusts his own reflection in the mirror and trusts the stranger in his bed even less.

Until all that stands between war and peace is Harry, a name plate, a stadium of murderers, and Draco Malfoy.

God save the Ministry.

- Basement Level 9 (M; 2k) by @fw00shy

Draco was behind the bomb that blew up Level 10, though they didn't talk about it.

- Stay with Me 'Til Morning (R; 8,4k) by Lucilla Darkate

In a once upon a time world, white magic would triumph over black, good would carry the day, evil would be vanquished, the valiant would stand and be true, and always, always, true love would end with a happily ever after.

- Purple Words (E; 67k) by FangirlWolfie

“High five me.”

James immediately put Harry down and gave him a high five.

Huh?

Oh.

- In Grey Worsted (M; 2,8k) by literaryspell

Harry's only chance at happiness is slipping away, one piece at a time. He isn’t about to give up, though.

- Ever Fixed Mark (T; 1,1k) by @shealwaysreads

In which Harry decides to burn the world, and Draco watches on with adoration.

Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O no, it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken

Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

- Dead Ends (E; 18,8k) by @toxik-angel & @melcarrianna

Head Auror Harry Potter is the best at his job. Head Auror Harry Potter always saves the day.

But someone has been picking off ex-Death Eaters one by one. Someone has been abducting Harry's friends right out of their homes. Someone is fucking the Minister for Magic.

The Minister for Magic and Head Auror are both very concerned about it.

- Because Potter Is Allergic to Poppies (M; 41,1k) by Lomonaaeren

Auror Harry Potter is in hospital being treated for a curse when someone tries to kill him. Obviously it is up to bored, trapped Apprentice Healer Draco, who was only admitted to the Healer Program in the first place to do the menial work, to find out who did it. Because then they will promote him. No, it’s for no other reason, thanks.

- Toujours pur (T; 21k) by Veralynn

"Malfoy would never confess truth to an enemy, and we’re enemies to him. That’s way I made a plan.”

“A rat,” Harry said.

“Exactly. Someone I can trust one hundred per cent about You-Know-Who. Someone who knows well Malfoy and his past. That makes you the perfect candidate.”

- REVOLVEVLOVER (E; 46,3k) by @firethesound & zeitgeistic

The work Harry does is justifiable. It’s justice. He works for his country, and his country is a republic—the magical side, anyway. It’s not laudable work, it’s not work he’s proud of, but it’s necessary work. Harry has always taken the necessary jobs that no one else has the stomach for.

It’s just that he’s never deciphered a kill sheet and seen Draco Malfoy’s name on it.

Career Choices: Harry: Hit Wizard; Draco: Anti-Government Extremist

- Who we are in the shadows (E; 99,7k) by @quicksilvermaid

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise?

Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life. When he comes across Draco Malfoy in the criminal underbelly of Wizarding London and in need of protection, Harry figures bringing him in to face the Ministry's justice is his ticket back to everything he's lost.

But nothing is exactly as it seems. Not even Harry himself. And as he gets drawn further and further into Malfoy's world of honour and deception he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew—about his childhood nemesis, the Ministry job he misses so much, and most of all, about himself.

What happens when you’re forced to see that you were wrong?

- Draco Malfoy and the Heart of Slytherin (T; 34,9k) by sabershadowkat

At the heart of every Slytherin.

- The Boy and the Sleeping Prince (E; 26,7k) by @phoenix-acid & @writcraft

Harry is miserable and tired of being an Auror, coasting through life until he’s forced to make some changes. Spurred on by his passion for drawing and working with best-selling author Draco Malfoy, Harry develops a charm which gives children a magical, interactive reading experience. But when it’s time to test the spell, the two men find themselves trapped in a nightmarish fairy tale world. Can they escape unscathed, or is Draco right in his assertions that there is no such thing as a happily ever after?

Career Choices: Harry: Illustrator; Draco: Writer

- When Death Comes Calling (T; 2,6k) by @mystickitten42

It’s All Hallows’ Eve and as Harry investigates a string of seemingly related deaths, there’s one he hopes to prevent.

He looks over Harry’s shoulder and Harry turns too. They both see it, the dark translucent figure making its way to shore.

~ Or ~

Getting together in the face of Death. Literally.

- Servile (E; 68,5k) by calrissian18

“I would love anything you gifted me, My Lord, but this,” silver eyes, the same shade as the dragon that marked Harry's arm, glinted in his direction under the Death Eater’s hood, “is exquisite.”

- The Corruption Sequence series (E; 94,2k) by beren

Harry Potter is captured by Voldemort and the Dark Lord has plans for him that involve the essence of many different dark creatures. What Voldemort cannot know is that the presence of Draco Malfoy will affect the outcome of his plots and change everything.

- More Powerful Then Experience (M; 89,7k) by flightinflame

Harry's life changes when he is three, when his parents are murdered and the Dark Lord takes him to raise as his own.

Draco's life changes when he is six, when he finds himself given to a strange green-eyed boy who speaks Parseltongue and casts impossible magic.

Remus's life changes three years later, when a chance meeting proves to him that somehow James and Lily's son is still alive.

- The Gryffindor Prince (G; 6,3k) by @mfingenius

“Do not come near us again, evil Slytherins!” he exclaims, pointing his wand towards them again. Pansy and Blaise look more amused than anything, really, but they hold up their hands in surrender. 

“Alright,” Pansy says, agreeably enough, a smirk on her face. “But Potter, Draco’s a Slytherin, like us. He’ll have to come back eventually.”

Harry’s eyes narrow, and, a moment later, he is throwing Draco over his shoulder, arm tight across the back of his thighs so he won’t fall, and Draco yelps.

Have fun reading!

[aloeverawrites]

I’ve been seeing this encouraged hopelessness in leftist spaces. “Don’t vote they’re all the same” “don’t bother being eco-friendly the companies are responsible” “don’t go vegan animal agriculture isn’t even that bad, it won’t do anything anyway”.

Instead sometimes there are halfhearted calls for violence towards ceos or random targets that they know they’re personally not going to take up.

The only calls to action are to actions you won’t do which is basically a call to not do anything.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

If we don’t plan and act for our future we leave it up to the powerful people we’re complaining about.

Telling others that their actions won’t change anything is pretty much the opposite of activism. It diminishes our own power and negates our responsibilities. When these future disasters finally hit us we’ll say they were inevitable because that’s easier to believe than knowing we could have had a chance but we gave it up.

There’s always a chance to do better. Most people on this earth are not politically or financially powerful. But we’re powerful through sheer numbers. And that wealth was generated by us and that political power is backed by militaries compromised of us.

Their power relies on our power.

When we’re working together, the average powerless citizen of earth is the most powerful of them all.

Don’t let hopeless take away your power.

[oscarisaacasimov]

Oscars 2024 & political issues

I get cheesy about the Oscars.

At its best, this is a celebration of humanity, of people sharing their artistic vision with the world, of creating from the heart of what they care about, of reflecting social and ethical crises through the medium of movies, be they documentary, historical fiction, or fantasy.

--In the monologue, Jimmy Kimmel offered support and solidarity to the members of IATSE, the union representing many crew members, which is currently in contract negotiations that are expected to be difficult. IATSE was a key ally to the writers and actors during their 2023 strikes.

--The In Memoriam segment began with a clip from last year's winning documentary "Nalavny" - "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for the good people to do nothing."

--Osage Nation member & songwriter Scott George says about their performance "We're hoping you see us as a people that have survived and that are able to hold on to what we have."

--Cillian Murphy dedicated his Oppenheimer Oscar to "the peacemakers everywhere."

--Nimona director Troy Quane wore a Protect Trans Kids pin.

--Oscar speeches don't often open with the words, "I wish I'd never made this film." Mstyslav Chrernov accepted Ukraine's first ever Oscar and closed his speech with the words "Slava Ukraini - Glory to Ukraine."

--Zone of Interest filmmaker Jonathan Glazer's speech reflected themes from his movie: "All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, Not to say 'look what they did then'; rather, 'look what we do now.' Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst.

Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and a Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October the seventh in Israel, or the ongoing attack on Gaza. How do we resist?"

--attendees from Mark Ruffalo to Billie Eillish to Ava DuVernay wore a red&black pin to show their support for a ceasefire in Gaza

--protestors calling for an immediate ceasefire closed a major intersection and blocked traffic near the Dolby Theatre, delaying the award show — and forcing an acknowledgment of the issues the protest centered on.

[discodeerdiary]

The Laziness Lie pushes us into unfettered, frantic individualism, leaving no room for reflection, listening, or quiet, inward growth. I'm reminded of a quote often attributed to Irish statesman Edmund Burke that's often shared with children when they first learn about the Holocaust: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." It's a powerful statement about the necessity of standing up against evil, and I think a lot of kids connect with the words when they first hear them. Leaders of all stripes call on this quote to justify some of their boldest actions. Doing something is better than doing nothing, after all. At the very heart of the quote and its popularity is the Laziness Lie lurking within it: it says doing nothing is akin to condoning evil.

There's a problem with this quote, though: Edmund Burke never appears to have said it. In fact, no one knows where the quote came from. It seems to have been made up, then widely adopted by a variety of political leaders, activists, and nonprofit directors throughout the world. Burke's actual words are far less individualistic: "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."

This is not a statement about how "good men" must be active and engaged in order to fight evil head-on; rather, it's a call for good people to band together and stand firm against the evil forces attacking them. This quote doesn't praise activity for the sake of activity, it praises community. It suggests that not all battles for good are direct clashes of power, and that violent "contemptible struggles" often will fail. Sometimes, the best thing good people can do is hunker down, care for one another, and survive.

I wonder how many times the fake Burke quote has been used to justify bombing an impoverished country, invading an independent state, or even forcing marginalized people into prisons or corrective camps. If standing by and doing "nothing" is the same as permitting evil, then almost any action you take in an attempt to fight evil can be seen as justified. If doing nothing is evil, then doing something is good, even if that something is foolhardy and destructive. I've sometimes counteracted the (fake) Burke quote by telling people that all that's needed for harm to persist in the world is for evil people to think they're doing good. When productivity is equated with goodness, it becomes hard to tell the difference.

- Laziness Does Not Exist, Devon Price, PhD.

[maddascanbe-blog]

MLB Rewrite: Origins prt. 1 &2

Note- I'm using (POV) to mention who the 'camera' is following for the most part. Also I skim over things that happen nearly the same as in cannon.

Hawkmoth Re-design

Origins Part 1

(Hawkmoths POV)

 Starts the same with Nooroo explaining the miraculous and Hawkmoth’s first transformation, though we wouldn’t see him outside of his hands.  As the butterflies crowd him to transform a scream of pain rings from his throat.

(Fu’s POV)

Like before, Wayzz fills Master Fu in on the butterfly being active.  But I’m gonna pull from the movie's idea of letting Tikki and Plagg choose their own wielders.  Fu does bring them to the school though with the intent of choosing a young initiate.   

(Marinette’s POV)

Marinette is 16 years old, this is her Junior year.

Marinette meanwhile has had a day of it.  Working herself up over everything she might need for her first day and nearly being late after reorganizing her bag for the 4th time that morning.  Finally, Sabine dragged her downstairs and Tom gave her the macarons.

(Adrien’s POV)

Adrien is also 16 at the moment.

Boy is forever trying to get educated but gets caught by Nathalie.

(Fu’s POV)

Master Fu briefly loses Plagg before seeing a black cat sitting on the back of Adrien’s car as it drives away.  Since he saw Adiren get in, and the boy’s face is all over Paris, he knows who his Cat is.

Marinette still saves Fu’s life as he had run into traffic looking for Plagg and paused in the middle of the road after seeing him.  Tikki jumps into Marinette’s bag while she’s picking up the macarons.

Content Fu heads home.

(Marinette's POV)

Chloe basically just says “Switch.”  And Marinette decides it honestly is not worth the hustle and does.  Alya introduces herself and berates Chloe’s actions to which Marinette shrugs and says, “I don’t really care, she probably has a reason.”

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good people to do nothing.”

“A nice rule, but remember you can’t judge someone evil based on their first impression.  You never know what they could be going through.”

(Adrein’s POV)

It fades to Adrien being told his father is busy and can’t scold him right now.  Once Adrien goes back to his room he finds a cat sitting on his table, confused he tries to approach it but the animal just bounds away.  But on the table still, is a ring box.

(Ivan’s POV)

Que Kim and Ivan’s argument.  A black butterfly lands on the crumpled up paper.  All that we see or hear is the mask appearing on Ivan’s face and Hawkmoth's voice.  “Stoneheart, I am Hawkmoth.  You feel unsupported, and unseen.  Allow me to harden your heart and take that pain away.”

(Adrein’s POV)

Adrien is observing the ring when a quiet meow is heard behind him.  The cat is balanced in the back of his couch and looks between the ring and Adrien.

“You want me to put it on?”  He asks and gets a purr in return.   He does and there is a flash of light.

(Marinette’s POV)

Worrying herself to death over Alya chasing the monster, but too scared to follow her.  Marinette finds a box that had fallen out of her bag.  A ladybug lands on the box.

“Bug Mouse!”  And the cup things.

As Tikki explains, Marinette is working herself into a fit.  She’s terrified, but Tikki assures her that very little harm can come to her in the suit.  That she’ll have a partner to help her, and that it will give her a chance to protect Alya.  Unwilling to not even try when an innocent person is being puppeteered by an evil asshole she agrees.

Ladybug Re-design

Chat Noir Re-design

Key Power differences:

Ladybug:

Lucky Charm is specifically stated to give you a solution, not just an object.  The object is only to point you in the right direction.

Purification allows her to cleanse the akuma.

Miracle Cure allows the world to heal from and injuries caused by a miraculous  (Only Physical Damage) "Miraculous *Insert Name*"

Cat:

Cataclysm can either turn an object to dust or cause it to stop functioning.

Purgation destroys the dark energy in an akuma

Miracle Purge allows the world to burn out any effects a miraculous had on a person (Only works on Non Physical Effects) "Miraculous *insert Name*"

(Marientte’s POV)

They meet about the same way as cannon.  The fight up to a point is pretty similar, except Marinette is very thinly veiling her utter panic with humor.  Chat picks up on this and starts cracking jokes to help put her at ease.

After breaking the akumatized object they part ways, but the butterfly goes “Oops, bye bitch.”

Tikki’s like- “So you got the akuma right?  Right?”

“I can’t do this Tikki, I couldn’t even listen long enough to know what my one job was.  There are two many bad things that could happen, and all I can think about is how I can continue to mess things up in the future.  Paris doesn't need a Ladybug who can’t trust herself.  You deserve better.”

She removes the earrings and puts them back in the box.

Marinette goes to sleep with plans to give up the miraculous to Alya in the morning.

 The akuma is targeting people who had been rejected or feel unseen, turning them to stone more medusa style statues than Stoneheart’s golem influences.

Marinette wakes up late that night to the miraculous in its box buzzing, asking to be let out.

She goes to beg Tikki to please choose someone else.  Except when she picks up the box the earrings shoot from the box.  It leads her down and out of the house.  To a stone woman frozen in misery.

Marinette can’t stand to see someone suffering like this and tells herself she’ll do what she can to help until either Stoneheart is defeated or she can hand the miraculous off to Alya.

Origins Part 2.

In the morning, Marinette finally returns home to get ready for school.  She was up all night finding every akuma still loose and catching it.  She tells her parents she just went for an early morning run (technically true) and is okay, she is late for school though.

On TV she see’s Ivan has once again been re-akumatized, after trying to read Mylene his poem when they both got to school.  Knowing Alya will be chasing the akuma Marinette chugs some coffee and chases him too.

When Alya gets trapped Chat Noir is captured, same as cannon, she decides to be Ladybug just a little longer.

(Though she finds a hiding place first, gosh cannon Alya was like 20 feet away)

As Ladybug chases down Stoneheart she catches Chloe after she is thrown from the Eiffel tower.

Hawkmoth does not do the floating head thing.  Instead Stoneheart mentions that the butterfly that made him strong wants the miraculous.

Officer Raimcomprix tells Chat Noir that they’ve already failed one.

Chat Noir scoffs.  “No shit.  We’re two teenagers in spandex.  Of course we're gonna make mistakes.  But you don’t really have a choice but to trust us.  Because you can’t beat this thing, and we can.”

He turns to face Stoneheart.

“I know you can hear me, you’ll be looking through his eyes right?  Well listen up little Papillion.  I don’t know what you want, what drove you to this.  But I'll give you a bit of a friendly tip, you messed up.  Because you chose to prey on an innocent teenager, tried to force him to nearly kill Chloe Bourgeois, and attacked the girl he loves.  You’ve definitely made a mistake, bigger than either of ours.  Because you honestly thought that we would roll over and let you get away with it.”

Ladybug, in awe of her partner's confidence even in the face of failure, starts planning how to take out Stoneheart.

They do the kiss thing and both teens are rescued safely.  Ladybug catches the akuma and uses the Miracle Cure to fix the damage and bring the stone people back to themselves.

Chat asks to meet with Ladybug to talk about their new jobs later that night.

When Marinette arrives back at school she meets Adrien.  Because Nathalie is awesome.

+x+

“So you’re the rival Chloe’s told me so much about?”

Marinette floundered a little at the son of her favorite fashion designer, and a supermodel in his own right, stuck his hand out.  “A- Adrien.  You’re Adrien Agreste.”

He winced a little.  “Yeah that’s me.”

Somehow the girl managed to snap herself out of the stupor enough to shake the boy's hand.

“Adrikins,”  Chloe called.  “Come on, I need to show you around before class starts.”

Marinette was in a daze all the way back to Mme. Bustiers class.  She just met Adrien Agreste, the Adrien Agreste.  And she was a total spaz about it.

She sat down in her seat and placed her head on the desk.

She didn’t remember the seat change until Chloe reemerged with her friends in tow.

“Move.”  She told Marinette.

Marinette really didn’t want to do that.  She didn’t want to be next to Adrien where she could potentially embarrass herself more.  If he told his father about the mess of a girl in his class her dreams would be crushed before they even got off the ground.

(It is of course bold of Mari to assume Adrien’s father speaks to his son.)

Maybe- maybe if she was going to stand up for herself as Ladybug, at least until she found a better candidate, then starting as Marinette would help.

“No.”  She said plainly.  “It’s my seat, and I don’t really want to.”

She clenched her hands into her jeans as Chloe raised an eyebrow.

“Whatever.  This isn’t worth my time.”  Chloe sighed like she had just wasted precious hours on that interaction.

Marinette let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

Alya slid into the seat next to her and grinned triumphantly.  “Nice job girl.”

Marinette smiled back, but it was shaky.  She hadn’t slept last night and was really starting to feel it.

“So girl, check this out.”  Alya held up her phone.

On it was a blog template with red and black spots covering it.

“The Ladyblog?”  Marinette read the title at the top.

Alya practically squealed in excitement.  “Isn’t it cool?  Since your’s truly got the best footage on the attack I thought I’d start my own blog.  The one stop spot for everything Ladybug.”

“What about Chat Noir?”  Marinette mused.  “He’s super cool, Ladybug just kinda fumbles around after him.”

“Don’t be like that.”  Alya pushed the girl’s shoulder.  “Ladybug was the one to come up with the plan to save the day both times.  And she saved me today.”

Marinette wished she could point out that Chat Noir had saved Alya twice, but that would reveal that she was there.

“But you are right, I need to think up something good for Chat Noir.”  Alya leaned back.

+x+

(Adrien POV)

Vibing, waiting for the car.  Marinette comes outside and waits too.

Adrien’s like, “Hey.”

And Marinette apologizes for being a spaz.  Explaining that she was just caught off guard and that she didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable.

Adrien explains that he’s pretty used to it, and laments that no matter where he goes people will always know him before ever speaking to him.

“I almost don’t even know how to act in public.  I wanna make friends but- I feel like people will only ever see the boy on the posters.  …  Sorry, that’s kind of a lot to dump on a stranger.”

Marinette paused.  “You shouldn’t have to deal with that.  I can’t change the fact that people know who you are.  But we are still kind strangers.  So- Hi, I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

He chuckles at her outstretched hand.  “Hello, I’m Adrien Agreste.”  He shakes her hand and smiles.

“So, you’re new to the school?  What do you think of Mme. Bustier?”

(Fu’s POV)

He watches on as Ladybug and Chat Noir meet each other for the first time, again.  Making idle small talk until the same car from before arrives to take Adrien home.

Before getting in the teen hands Marinette his umbrella with a parting goodbye.

Wayzz asks if he came to check in because he questioned Tikki and Plagg’s choice.

Fu admits that he was worried, but he needn’t be.  Those two will help each other, in and out of the mask.  They’ll be okay.

(Ladybug’s POV)

Ladybug meets Chat at the Eiffel tower.

She tells him how much his words of confidence helped her, since she had been so upset about her failure she forgot that mistakes are not the end of everything.  So long as you try and fix them.

She confides that she’s still considering giving up the Ladybug miraculous, since she’s worried her catastrophizing will cause her to be overwhelmed and fail.

“Well m’ lady.  I know a thing or two about Cat-astrophizing.  And if you promise not to give up just yet, then I promise to help keep you from spiraling.  Deal?”

She agrees to keep trying.

END

Okay let's get into the details.

1. Hawkmoth's transformation hurts like a bitch. His head is full on splitting open to make way for the butterfly wings, that's part of his face. He's spending most of his time lying on the floor in too much pain to move until Ivan get's akumatized.

2. Marinette will have the first suit design, with the plain suit and boots. Chat Noir will also have his first design, but his is a bit more interesting than LB's since Adrien has a little more faith in himself.

3. Since I'm overhauling Chloe's personality there was no reason for the gum incident, so I just dropped it all together. There would have been 0 purpose. Instead their rough start is caused by Marinette having a fairly normal reaction to meeting a super model who is also your idol's son. She does feel bad about it later, but Adrien harbored no ill will.

4. Around here is when the crush starts developing, but it's just that. A crush, she has the vague idea that she might like Adrien, but she doesn't know him super well yet.

5. Fu, you bastard. He really does think choosing two legal children is a good idea. I'll partially blame the Order of Guardians, but he knew what he was doing. Children are more likely to believe that they are just "The Chosen Ones" and not question anything, or wonder gave them the miraculous. Tikki and Plagg actually don't like that they had to choose two teenagers, but they aren't going to take that out on the kids. Fu's probably gonna get hot sauce in his tea curtesy of Wayzz for pulling that though.

[freddyfreebat]

I don’t normally post political stuff on here, but this isn’t about politics, it’s about standing up against an horrific act of terrorism and violence against innocent civilians.

This is not a time for “looking at both sides”, this is the time to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish brothers and sisters against terror and genocide, not sit in silence 💔🇮🇱

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.”

[noomyart]

The Ravens were complicit in their own abuse before being complicit in anyone else's. Being complicit in your own abuse shows that you feel trapped, whether physically bared from leaving, emotional ties, or conditioning to where this feels normal. Any of these things make you very unlikely to recognize and take action against other situations that aren't a-ok. There's that saying of "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" but this is specifically for people in a position to do something, for people who chose not to sacrifice their own comfort when they see something wrong. The Ravens were not in such a position (Whether perceived or real).

There's a big difference between the actions of people like Grayson, who was not complicit but actively participating and reveling in the abuse and taking actions motivated by own enjoyment, not survival. You can even argue the 4 other Ravens who agreed was the same. But we've gotten no hints the average Raven was like that. The average Raven most likely just did what they had to get through the day. Keep your head down so you don't get beaten, stay out of business that don't involve you because you will get beaten. And not only will you get beaten, your partner will get beaten as well. Stick your nose into things and you are getting your only ally here hurt.

Sure, they would have probably discovered something fishy if they were to launch full scale investigation into their team mate and their injuries. But why would they when everyone was being abused day in, day out, day in, day out.

You are ultimately saying that an abuse victim is cruel for focusing on their own survival first and foremost, rather than focus on someone else's abuse.

[marcelwrites]

It's crazy to think about how different your life can be from one week to the next. We spend our lives dealing with choices and notions of control but really we have very little say in what's going on and why. There's a sea of people out there operating on their own frequency, some of those frequencies align with yours and there's a beautiful harmony, and others are diametrically opposed to yours and there's no chance of unity or cohesion. Most though are in that middle ground, on the border between neutral and indifference. I once read a wise man say that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. Perhaps that's where we all go wrong. It's not in the love or hate of something but in that vague grey middle of the two; in simply not caring at all. I also once read that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. That sounds to me like indifference is to enable. Wouldn't you agree? I believe that some men are born good, some are born bad, but most don't feel much either way and let the television, and now, social media, decide for them. That brings me back to the last week and how different it's been from the one prior to this. When we're complacent, when we drift, good things rarely happen to us, and sooner or later, we wind up wishing we'd done more; wishing we'd done anything. If you're reading this then I challenge you to make a decision, make a choice, do something you've been putting off or trying not to think about, because I can promise you that the door won't open until you reach out for the handle and open it yourself. And if you find out it's closed? At least now you know, and that's much better than the murky limbo of the in-between.

[uptoolateart]

‘As long as WE know she’s lying...’

You know that moment way back when Lila first arrived, and Adrien said to Marinette, ‘As long as we know she’s lying...isn’t that enough?’

It’s always stuck out at me, because on the one hand, he’s right. It’s important to pick our battles. Not everything merits a fight. This is especially important to remember in our modern social media world, where many people find it all too easy to lay into others when they’re hidden behind a screen.

On the other hand....

I think Adrien’s question was a rhetorical moment for the audience, demanding us to ask: is it really enough?? Because it can be paired so easily with the other frequently quoted line: ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.’

And we need to match all of that up with the common theme of ‘adults ruin everything all the time’, said by Nino back in ‘The Bubbler’. Because so much in this show is about seeing through corruption.

If Lila were real, I’d see her as a troubled teenage girl in desperate need of help. However, Lila is a character in a TV show that makes heavy use of symbolism and allegory, and so I regard her as a symbol for the ‘small’ deceptions we come across in daily life. The ones we shrug off as ‘harmless’ and therefore allow to flourish without our awareness, stealthily gaining followers, until suddenly you might find yourself surrounded by people parroting the same discomfiting views.

When Alya invites Lila into their group established to help take down Monarch...that’s your classic mole scenario, planted to feed misinformation. That same episode ends with Nino actually shaking hands with Gabriel. The allegory could not be shoved into our faces more.

I suppose the real problem is: how do we know what’s misinformation and what isn’t? How do we know when we’re a Marinette or an Alya, i.e. seeing through the deception vs inviting it into our lives? Well...I’m not sure we can know. That’s the scary part. It really is for each of us to decide individually, trusting our instincts.

The key point is: when do we let it slide, and when do we take a stand? Because if Lila really were just a school girl with problems, I think Adrien’s initial stance was the correct one. There are things you just need to let go. Unless, of course, you take the view that standing up to bullies today means saving future victims from harm - very valid.

But we, as the audience, know Lila is so much more than just a school bully, and Adrien will naturally learn this too, in time. He lets a lot slide, but soon he will learn it is all too big to let go.

At that point, he and others will see that they needed to step up sooner. Because standing by and doing nothing has allowed evil to triumph...for now. But, importantly, as soon as we see through a ‘Lila’, it’s time to speak up and do something. No matter how bad things get, it is never too late to make that stand.

*** In comments, please refrain from bringing any ‘misinformation specifics’ into the conversation. These will be deleted. I do not want this thread to turn into an argument. I only wanted to point out that I believe the story arc is reminding us that when we see things that conflict with our moral views, there are times when it’s important to speak up. But not in a hostile way, as this just makes us part of the problem. ***

CAVEAT: I am watching in order, with no spoilers, and have only seen up through Transmission. Please no spoilers in comments :) :)

[horror-princess-2002]

Hi, I was hoping you could do a matchup for me, if that's ok?

I'm a girl, 5 foot 9inches tall, with long dark curly hair, that falls half way down my back, a voluptuous hour glass figure and hazel eyes.

I have a calm easy going personality, with a wild streak which gets me into trouble. Some days I wake up with a burning desire to be bad. I never back down from a fight, I dislike bullies, and people who are rude and cruel. I'm fluent in sarcasm and innuendo. My best friend describes me as having integrity. I read a lot, love to rollerskate and dance.

I have several separate groups of friends, and each of them would describe me in a completely different way. Which probably means that I'm sort of chameleon-like as I adapt to each new environment with a minimum of fuss. Lots of people would claim to know me, and know me well, yet there is really only one person who does. I suppose that means I have trust issues (but who doesn't).

I'm a film student, so my style is quite eclectic, on campus, I'm a girly girl, all skirts and stockings and cute cropped tops. When I'm working as a member of the crew on set, it's jeans, t-shirts and boots. At home, I'm a hoodie and thigh high girl, soft and comfortable. Because of my curves if the clothes aren't fitted and tailored, I look twice my size, so I tend to raid vintage shops for clothes that compliment my figure.

I'm physically affectionate, I link arms with my friends when we walk down the street, hug the people I love, and tell them often that I love them. I sing (very badly) in my kitchen, drink copious amounts of coffee, and am fiercely independent. I'm the friend who makes sure everyone gets home safely after a night out.

In relationships I'm often accused of "emotionally being the guy" because I'm not clingy. I also walk away at the first sign of an issue and never look back.

My musical tastes run the gauntlet from AC/DC to Kira Te Kanawa to Billie Holiday, Chopin, Placebo, Nina Simone, Chris Stapleton and the RHCP, Missy Elliott and The Beastie Boys. I play chess, read Sun Tzu and Machiavelli. My favourite quote is "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (people) to do nothing." I believe in magic and fate, I love tarot, and mystical, spiritual things. While I love nature, and walking in the rain is a favourite pastime, especially in Autumn, I somehow manage to kill every plant that has ever been gifted to me (without malice I promise 🥺). Oh and I'm a Sagittarius ♐.

Thank you in advance. I think these are really cool! Hope you have a great weekend ☺️🤗

Sorry it took me a while I hope you enjoy hun ❤️

I match you with stu matcher

[traceamountsoftimetravel]

I have a lot of emotions flowing after today's events. I don't want gratitude to give way to complacency; we have a lot of work to do, and by "we," I mean anyone willing to stand up to the gravest threat to humanity in generations. It doesn't matter who or where you are or what side of the conflict you're on. There is always time to do good and to help, even if the task at hand feels overwhelming.

I thought of Spielberg's masterpiece Schindler's List and the scene where Schindler felt he did not do enough. I'm sure many who helped bring the issue to a vote today felt similarly. When a good person navigates a world besieged by evil, doing anything altruistically feels like an impossible task. Yet, they persisted. And now the needle moves in a positive direction. And why use Schindler as an example? Maybe it's because cinema is a powerful tool that can inspire people. Or maybe it's because it takes guts to change who you are and do the right thing.

And the people who stood in the way of lifesaving aid...they know who they are. Or maybe they don't. Maybe it's possible to be so selfish that it blinds you to the evils of the world. I've met that kind of evil before; it's bone-chilling. It's something I hope none of you ever encounter. But sometimes...sometimes we need a sobering reminder of what goes on elsewhere in the world, and how the saying "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" often rings true...

I don't know. I don't care if I never do. Today is bittersweet. But I will take the victory. I'm sure many millions will take that as well.

[mariacallous]

In a video posted on Alexey Navalny’s YouTube channel on Monday, the Russian opposition leader’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, announced that she plans to continue his work in his absence. She also said she knows “exactly why Putin killed Alexey three days ago” and that Navalny’s team will reveal more about this in the near future.

“I wasn’t supposed to be making this video,” she said. “Somebody else was supposed to be in my place. But that person was killed by Vladimir Putin.” She continued:

Putin killed the father of my children. Putin took away the most precious thing I had, the closest person to me, and the person I loved most in the world. But Putin also took Navalny from you all.

In killing Navalny, she told Russians, Putin didn’t just want to kill one person: “He wanted to kill our hopes, our freedom, and our future.”

“Alexey died in a penal colony after three years of torture and agony,” she said:

He wasn’t just behind bars like other prisoners. He was tortured. He was held in an isolation cell, in a concrete box. Please just imagine it: a room of only six or seven square meters [65-75 square feet]. Nothing in it but a stool, a sink, a hole in the floor instead of a toilet, and a bed that’s attached to the wall so you can’t lie down. A cup, one book, and a toothbrush. Nothing else, for hundreds of days.

But despite being tortured and starved for three years, Navalnaya said, her husband didn’t give up:

And not only did he not give up, but he supported us the entire time: encouraging us, laughing, joking, and inspiring us. Never for a fraction of a second did he have doubts about what he was fighting and suffering for.

It was because of this perseverance, she continued, that Putin ultimately killed Navalny. “[He killed him] in a disgraceful and cowardly way, never daring to even look him in the eyes or even say his name,” she said. “And in the same despicable and cowardly fashion, they’re now hiding his body, refusing to show it to his mother, not handing it over, pathetically lying, and waiting until the traces of yet another batch of Novichok [poison] disappear.”

“We know exactly why Putin killed Alexey three days ago,” Yulia said. “We’ll tell you about it soon.”

Navalnaya vowed that she and her husband’s associates will find out “exactly who committed this crime and how” — and will reveal the perpetrators’ names and faces.

She also addressed the question of why her husband returned to Russia to face certain political imprisonment after being poisoned by the Putin regime three years ago. “After all, he could have lived peacefully, taken care of himself and his family, right?” she told viewers. “He could have stopped speaking out, stopped investigating, stopped fighting, right? No, he couldn’t have,” she said:

Alexey loved Russia more than anything in the world. He loved our country. […] So deeply and sincerely that he was ready to give his life for it. And his immense love will be enough for us to continue his work. For as long as it takes. Just as fiercely and just as bravely as Alexey himself.

“By killing Alexey,” Navalnaya said, “Putin killed half of me — half of my heart and half of my soul. But I still have the other half. And it’s telling me I don’t have the right to give up.”

She called on Russians to join her:

I will continue the work of Alexey Navalny. […] And I call on you to stand beside me. Not only to share the grief and the endless pain that has engulfed us. I ask you to share the fury. The fury, the anger, the hatred towards those who have dared to destroy our future.

She ended with a clip of Alexey Navalny himself from the 2022 documentary about his poisoning. “All that’s necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing,” he told his compatriots. “So don’t do nothing.”

[asukiess]

socqueline said “you have to know when to step in, that’s the only way you can change things” and alya said “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing” and Marinette took that personally 

[oodlenoodleroodle]

Saara Ilvessalon Facebook-päivitys. Teksti alla.

Hyvästi Åbo Akademi – jossa seksuaalisesta häirinnästä ei rangaista mutta siitä puhumisesta rangaistaan

Olen irtisanoutunut ÅA:lta ja aloittanut työt esihenkilönä toisaalla (tästä lisää toisessa yhteydessä myöhemmin). Työ yliopistolla oli mielekästä, kunnes työnantaja ja työtäni osaltaan ohjannut häiritsijäni, merioikeuden professori Henrik Ringbom, tekivät työympäristöstä vastenmielisen. Prosessin kruunasi se, että irtisanoutumiseni jälkeen ÅA syytti minua häirinnästä, koska olen puhunut asiasta julkisesti.

Aiemmista käänteistä olenkin somettanut aikaisemmin: minuun useammalla tavalla valta-asemassa oleva Ringbom kähmi minua ja puhui seksistä, työnantaja ei tehnyt käytännössä mitään 8 kuukauteen, sitten käytiin liian myöhään raskaita keskusteluita jotka eivät johtaneet mihinkään, sitten Åbo Akademi pyysi minulta anteeksi prosessiaan.

Anteeksipyyntö ei johtanut ihan siihen mitä voisi kuvitella. Sen jälkeen minut haukuttiin sekä yliopiston johdon, miespomoni että vanhemman miesprofessorikollegani toimesta siksi, että olen puhunut häirinnästä ja häiritsijästä julkisesti.

Minun on annettu ymmärtää, että minä, ei itse häiritsijä ja häirintä tai surkea prosessi, olen ongelma. Minä, ei häirintä, olen kuulemma vaikeuttanut työyhteisön toimintaa ja ilmapiiriä. Olen egoistinen, itsekäs ja ajattelen vain itseäni, koska puhun häirinnästä. Minun pitäisi vaan antaa asian olla.

Olisiko ongelma kuitenkin itse häirintä ja se, ettei sitä käsitellä asianmukaisesti, ei siitä puhuminen? Häirintä ja ÅA:n paskan prosessin kaltainen reaktio siihen on tarpeeksi traumaattista muutenkin, puhumattakaan siitä että uhria syyllistetään puhumisesta.

Asiat eivät ratkea vaikenemalla vaan puhumalla. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing

Yksi ihminen jaksaa kuitenkin taistella vain tiettyyn pisteeseen. Kun uusi työmahdollisuus tarjoutui, en empinyt tarttua siihen.

Irtisanoutumisen jälkeen ÅA päätti syyttää _minua_ häirinnästä, koska olen puhunut asiasta julkisesti. Yliopiston ”selvitys” tästä asiasta oli täynnä todistettavissa olevia virheitä, puolueellisia väittämiä ja puutteellisia tietoja minun näkökulmastani. Yhtään selkeää perustetta tai asiaa, jossa olisin oikeasti toiminut väärin, ei esitetty. Olen kertonut julkisuuteen vain ja ainoastaan ei-luottamuksellisia tosiseikkoja. ÅA vaikutti haluavan rankaista minua siitä, että olen käyttänyt sananvapauttani ja tuonut esille heidän sekä Ringbomin toimintaa.

Sattuu ja tuntuu aivan älyttömän epäoikeudenmukaiselta tulla seksuaalisen häirinnän uhrina syytetyksi häirinnästä tekijää ja prosessin ryssinyttä työnantajaa kohtaan.

Viestintuoja on näköjään helppo ampua. Miksi ärsyttävä tyttö pilaa meidän muiden mukavan meiningin vaatimalla tasa-arvotekoja?

Nämä ”selvittäjät” olivat samoja, jotka aiemmin eivät katsoneet Ringbomin harjoittamaa seksuaalista häirintää yliopiston ongelmaksi, jotka eivät osaltaan tehneet asialle mitään ja joiden toimintaa olenkin siksi julkisesti kritisoinut. Eivät ehkä ihan puolueettomia?

Åbo Akademilla ei siis rangaista seksuaalisesta häirinnästä, vaan siitä, jos ongelmista puhuu julkisesti.

Tässäpä vinkki: Ongelma ei ole häirinnästä puhuminen vaan HÄIRINTÄ.

Olen tunnistanut tämän ”pahoista asioista ei saa puhua” -problematiikan hieman korostuneen suomenruotsalaiseksi ongelmaksi. Tästä lisää mm. artikkelissa vuodelta 2017 (surullisen vähän on muuttunut kuudessa vuodessa): https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-1257447

Urakkani loppuu tältä osalta tähän, ja olen onnellinen ja innostunut uusista töistäni. Tuntuu, kuin olisin taas saanut herätä eloon. ÅA:ta ei jää ikävä, paitsi tietenkin opiskelijoita ja niitä mukavia kollegoita!

Toivottavasti joku muu siellä jaksaa jatkaa taistelua – olen saanut paljon tukea esimerkiksi opiskelijoilta, ylioppilaskunnalta, tutkijayhdistykseltä ja yksittäisiltä kollegoilta, sekä tietenkin lukuisilta ÅA:n ulkopuolisilta. Tuhannet kiitokset teille.

Åbo Akademi saa jatkaa tyhjiä sanojaan yhdenvertaisuuden kehittämisprosesseista – uskon vasta kun näen oikeaa muutosta. Siihen asti en valitettavasti voi suositella tätä työ- tai opiskelupaikkaa, varsinkaan oikeustieteellistä, enkä varsinkaan nuorehkoille naisille.

Epäoikeudenmukaisuuksien edessä minua ei saa hiljennettyä jatkossakaan, mutta tämän jälkeen en halua suoda tälle asialle enää yhtään energiaani tai jaksamistani.

[flightfoot]

I love how Soqueline has the motto “You gotta know when to step in, it’s the only way you can change things in life”. Between that and Alya taking Majestia’s philosophy of “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing”, Marinette has a tendency to become good friends with people who commit to helping when they see some sort of trouble, to trying to change things. No wonder Marinette’s friends are so interventionist, she selects for that XD.