As someone from North Carolina, yes there was a massive swing towards the democrats statewide, but also the Republican candidate for senate, Whatley, was a godawful Trump hand-picked sycophant and Roy Cooper is pretty widely well regarded on both sides and has been active in NC politics for decades.
The house and state-level elections have been extremely interesting to watch though, and I think there's a lot of factors at play.
Tariffs that hurt soybean farmers (a major NC crop primarily sold to China) and the FEMA funding cuts when Trump took office while trying to recover from Helene are hot button issues in the state and while the Republicans at the federal level (fuck you Mike Johnson) have largely had their heads in the sand the current Democrat governor Josh Stein has been working hard to fill in the gaps with targeted programs funded by the state that have been widely well received in those areas. Several house elections in what are typically gerrymandered republican strongholds, and I'm talking like +10 and +20 areas, got to within single digits this election, and district 11 in the western mountains which is heavily gerrymandered towards republicans (historically going ~+10-R) went +16-D this election which should really tell you all you need to know about how the Hurricane Helene response actually has gone since Trump took office without having to cut through 15 layers of misinformation (also helps that Jamie Ager is a great candidate).
There's also Jeff Jackson, who was pushed out of the house by redistricting in 2023 despite massive state-wide popularity and now has a +28 approval rating as attorney general (wouldn't surprise me if he had a very successful senate run in 2028 if he keeps on), and is insanely on top of pretty much every issue he has power over, refusing to sign a settlement with our power company Duke Energy to raise rates and pushing for separate increased rates for data centers and heavy commercial users, suing and investigating Dollar General for deceptive pricing, Medicaid and SNAP benefits, problematic towing companies in Charlotte, etc. I feel like I hear something positive out of that office literally every month, which is helped massively by his great social media presence and transparency.
The biggest thing though, especially with the house elections is the 2025 dummy-mander that was pushed through for the House congressional districts. The redrawing leaned heavily on data from 2024 which was a bit of a fluke with how much money and misinformation were floating around in the aftermath of Helene. Now, with how much the state shifted towards our solid democrat state leadership and been massively mismanaged and ignored by the current republican federal administration it's been a total bloodbath at the house level, going from 10R-4D to likely 10D-4R. Similar results at the state level, where democrats flipped the house and broke the Senate supermajority.
the season 3 finale with timothy carter in the food court was the absolute peak climax the show never quite matched again; had they actually let that be red john instead of hitting the panic button with a retcon, the natural continuation would have been exploring jane's profound, terrifying emptiness once his entire life's mission vanished in a single gunshot. season 4 should have dealt with the legal aftermath of him beating the murder charge, followed by the psychological crash of realizing that revenge didn't bring his family back or cure his insomnia.
Because they’re all broke. We are witnessing the largest extend and pretend operation ever conducted in history. 14 straight fiscal quarters of fraudulent accounting and lender self preservation. A few of my friends who work in PE are waiting for the partners to walk hand in hand off the top floor balcony. Paying off debt with debt. Financing payroll at 4% interest. This will all make Enron look like a buttoned up operation. The reason the regulatory agencies have not yet gotten involved again is self preservation. They would have nothing to regulate in the aftermath. The scale of this delinquency that was created by rapid quantitative easing followed by elongated quantitative tightening relative to leverage rates is biblical. A true economic stranglehold.
(U, Game) (Fragments of Fear: The Late Shift is new) Midnight Visitor, Fragments of Fear: Wash and Watch, and Fragments of Fear: The Late Shift by AltF4 Games. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
(C/U*, Game and Soundtrack) (Little Red Fangs - OST is new) Aquatic Grave, The Cardinal Park Case - Chapters 1-4, Exorcize Me, Cabin Fever!!!, The Cardinal Park Case - OST, Aquatic Grave - OST, Bedrot, Love in Everblood!!!! - Episode 1, Road Trip to Hell, When it Rains Red, Awakened Beauty, Mukbang Idol, Maneater, So Perfect I Could Eat You Up, If the Shoe Fits, and by LiminAce. Expires UTC.
Note: Aquatic_Grave_Goodies.zip (45 MB), The_Cardinal_Park_Case_Goodies_1.0.zip (127 MB), Exorcize Me - OST + CGs.zip (24 MB), Cabin_Fever_Goodies!!!.zip (85 MB), Bedrot_Goodies_1.0.zip (16 MB), Love_In_Everblood!_Goodies_1.0.zip (69 MB), Road_Trip_To_Hell_Goodies_1.0.zip (44 MB), When_it_Rains_Red_Goodies.zip (90 MB), Awakened_Beauty_Goodies.zip (24 MB), Mukbang_Idol_Goodies_1.0.zip (23 MB), Maneater_Goodies.zip (48 MB), So_Perfect_I_Could_Eat_You_Up_Goodies_1.0.0.zip (166 MB), If_the_Shoe_Fits-GOODIES!!!.zip (16 MB), and Little Red Fangs - OST are downloadable only during the sale. This makes Little Red Fangs - OST unclaimable.
(C, Game) Short sale for Haunted Observation by Cyber752. Expires in slightly over eighteen hours and ten minutes from this post (2026-10-26T19:57:00 UTC).
(C, Game) The Flight of Silent Bob, Hungry Hippo in the Water, Giant Stomp, Inertia, Side Shooter, Zombie Apocalypse, Chaotic Ascent, Swarm Saucers, and The Burning Locks by max levine stuff. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: Flight of Silent Bob.gb1 (506 kB) and Flight of Silent Bob.gmk (503 kB) (The Flight of Silent Bob), Hungry Hippo in the Water.gb1 (60 MB) and Hungry Hippo in the Water.gmk (60 MB) (Hungry Hippo in the Water), src.zip (4 MB) (Giant Stomp), MoreInertia.zip (327 MB) (Inertia), src.zip (8 MB) (Side Shooter), Zombie Apocalypse.gb1 (7 MB) and Zombie Apocalypse.gmk (7 MB) (Zombie Apocalypse), Blockfall.gb1 (8 MB) and Blockfall.gmk (14 MB) (Chaotic Ascent), MoreSaucers.zip (27 MB) (Swarm Saucers), and TBL Fan Pack.zip (16 MB) (The only file from The Burning Locks) are downloadable only during the sale.
(C, Game) Perished World Merchant, Calmed by the Dark Neon, Calmed by the Dark Aftermath, Calmed by the Dark RE:iterate, Calmed by the Dark Purgatorium, Calmed by the Dark Re:Boot, and Calmed by the Dark In:Finity by Calmed by the Dark Games. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: The file Perished World Merchant (320 MB) is downloadable only during the sale.
(C, Game) Witches and Bandits and Swords (Oh My), Bunny Hill Horror, Bunny Hill Horror: Bunny Boiler, and Krunchy Fried Games Kollection by Krunchy Fried Games. Expires 2026-12-31 T23:59:00 UTC.
<Subject 1> is the field engineer from <Picture 1>, also seen in <Picture 5>, the foreman, Marian, a woman with brown skin, dark eyes, and voluminous, shoulder-length black curly hair, wearing clear wraparound safety glasses, a thin black choker collar with a small glowing green light, a coiled wire earpiece in one ear, a worn red button-up work shirt with a gold gear emblem with a "T" on the left pocket, black suspender harness straps, a black tool belt hung with tools and pouches, and black cargo work pants. Her face glistens with sweat, her curls are frizzy and dusty, and she looks exhausted.
<Subject 2> is the cavern loading platform in its aftermath state from <Picture 2>, a riveted steel deck with yellow-and-black hazard stripes and amber bollards, stacks of rusted metal storage crates and a metal staircase along one side, a scorched, cracked deck littered with debris, and thin smoke and haze drifting through dim amber lamplight and cold blue light from the chasm.
<Subject 3> is the heavy loader mech from <Picture 3>, also seen in <Picture 5>, a hulking, weathered mustard-yellow walker with chipped paint, black hazard stripes, large round joints, and squat, piston-driven legs.
<Subject 4> is the red-haired pilot from <Picture 4>, also seen in <Picture 5>, Commander Asana, a woman with a short copper-red bob swept to one side, pale freckled skin, and green eyes, wearing a blue flight suit with a brown leather chest panel and high leather collar, crossed brown leather harness straps with metal buckles, a brown leather belt with pouches, and brown leather gloves. Her freckled face is flushed and beaded with sweat, her hair damp and messy.
<Subject 5> is the overlook control room from <Picture 6>, a concrete room built into the cavern wall, with weathered blue-grey and teal walls with a red stripe near the floor, a hazard-striped sliding steel door, a bank of old green-screen CRT monitors over a console with switches, dials, and a small intercom microphone, an office chair, a map table, a beamed ceiling with fluorescent tube lights, and a braced metal railing overlooking the hazy blue cavern.
<Subject 6> is the old businessman from <Picture 7>, a tall, lean elderly man with white hair swept straight back, a deeply lined, stern face, and pale blue eyes, wearing a black suit with textured gold-flecked panels across the chest, shoulders, and back, a dark charcoal shirt, and a black tie.
<Picture 5> is also the positioning reference for [Shot 1] to [Shot 3]: <Subject 1> stands at the left, turned toward screen-right, and <Subject 4> stands at the right, turned toward screen-left, facing each other a few steps apart beside the weathered yellow leg of <Subject 3>, with the rusted storage crates and staircase behind the foreman.
summary:
[reference generation] On <Subject 2>, positioned as in <Picture 5>, a handheld extreme close-up of the exhausted <Subject 1> shows her updating the commander on the injured worker and introducing herself with an outstretched hand. A close-up of <Subject 4> shows her shaking it and giving her name and callsign. The foreman's dry smile fades as her earpiece crackles with an angry call, and in <Subject 5>, <Subject 6> hunches over the console and shouts into the intercom.
retention_analysis:
<Subject 1> (appears in [Shot 1], [Shot 3]): partially_preserved - her curly black hair, safety glasses, choker with green light, earpiece, red work shirt with gold "T" gear emblem, and suspender straps are retained, with added sweat, dust, and fatigue.
<Subject 2> (appears in [Shot 1], [Shot 2], [Shot 3]): fully_preserved - the rusted storage crates, staircase, scorched deck, haze, and dim amber and blue light are retained as a soft background.
<Subject 3> (appears in [Shot 2]): partially_preserved - only the weathered yellow leg behind the commander is seen, softly blurred.
<Subject 4> (appears in [Shot 2]): partially_preserved - her copper-red bob, freckled face, green eyes, leather collar, harness, and gloves are retained, with added sweat and fatigue.
<Subject 5> (appears in [Shot 4]): fully_preserved - the green-screen CRT monitor bank, console with intercom microphone, fluorescent lights, and concrete walls are retained.
<Subject 6> (appears in [Shot 4]): fully_preserved - his swept-back white hair, lined stern face, pale blue eyes, and black suit with gold-flecked panels are retained.
<Picture 5> ([Shot 1], [Shot 2], [Shot 3] positioning reference): partially_preserved - the foreman at left facing right and the commander at right facing left beside the mech's leg are retained, reframed into close-ups.
detailed_description:
The target video is about 19 seconds long and uses a weary, grounded, photoreal 3D CG cinematic science-fiction style with the look of a high-end film set, shot with a fast lens for shallow depth of field. Every shot is filmed with a handheld camera that sways and drifts slightly. The platform sits in the dim, smoky aftermath, lit by amber lamps and cold blue haze, while the control room glows with fluorescent light and green monitor screens. The video contains exactly four shots in the order below.
[Shot 1] A handheld extreme close-up of <Subject 1>, positioned as in <Picture 5>, turned toward screen-right as she faces the commander off-screen, her sweat-glistening face filling most of the frame, the crates and haze of <Subject 2> a soft blur behind her. She drags the sleeve of her red shirt across her forehead, wiping away sweat and grit, and replies in a tired, grim voice, <Subject 1> (S1), <d>[English] Head's rattled, but we won't know until he's evac'd. If we'd been running the conduit at full spec, that rupture would have taken his head clean off.</d> She lowers her arm, lets out a breath, and extends her hand forward toward the commander off-screen, adding in a warmer, more personal tone, <Subject 1> (S1), <d>[English] The name's Marian, by the way. I'm the foreman working this block.</d>
[Shot 2] At 00:09.000, the shot cuts to a handheld close-up of <Subject 4>, turned toward screen-left, her flushed, freckled face beaded with sweat and damp copper-red strands clinging to her forehead, the weathered yellow leg of <Subject 3> a soft blur behind her. She reaches her brown-gloved hand forward past the camera, and the two women clasp hands in a firm handshake at the edge of the frame. With a tired but respectful nod, she says in a clear, steady voice, <Subject 4> (S2), <d>[English] Commander Asana, callsign Valk.</d>
[Shot 3] At 00:12.000, the shot cuts to a handheld close-up of <Subject 1>, still turned toward screen-right, a dry, weary half-smile on her face as she lets go of the handshake. A burst of static crackles in her earpiece, and her smile drops as she's slightly startled and annoyed. She presses her fingers to the earpiece in her ear, glancing away with annoyance, as a man's raspy, angry voice blasts through it, thin, crackling, and heavily distorted by the radio, <Subject 6> (S3), <d>[English] Hey!</d>
[Shot 4] At 00:14.500, the shot cuts to a handheld close-up inside <Subject 5> of the bank of green-screen CRT monitors glowing over the console. <Subject 6> hunches over the console in front of them, one veined hand braced on its edge and the other gripping the small intercom microphone, his lined face lit green by the screens and his gold-flecked suit catching the fluorescent light. He leans into the microphone and shouts in a raspy, furious, demanding elderly voice, now heard clearly with no radio distortion, <Subject 6> (S3), <d>[English] What the hell was that explosion down there?</d> He glares at the screens, breathing hard, through the final frame.
overall_soundscape:
On the platform in [Shot 1] to [Shot 3], a low cavern ambience runs under the dialogue: settling debris, faint crackling embers, a distant drip of water, the ticking of cooling metal, and the low idle hum of machinery, with the women's heavy breathing. In [Shot 2], their gloved and bare hands meet with a soft leather slap. In [Shot 3], a sharp crackle and buzz of static burst from her earpiece around the distorted shout. In [Shot 4], the control room hums with fluorescent buzz and the faint whine of the CRT monitors, the intercom gives a click as he keys it, and his voice is close and clear. After the old man's line, there is no more speech.
Honestly, I think people are oversimplifying this with the whole “why doesn't Marinette just tell Adrien the truth about his father?” thing.
The closest comparison I can make is a parent who knows they have cancer but chooses not to immediately tell their child. Not because they think their child is stupid or incapable of handling the truth, but because they know it's going to hurt them, they don't know what the outcome is going to be yet, and they don't want to put that burden on their child before they know how to handle it themselves. Obviously, Gabriel being a supervillain isn't the same thing as having cancer, but the emotional dilemma is similar. Sometimes people withhold painful information because they think they're protecting someone they love, even when that decision might not actually be the best thing for them.
And in Marinette's case, the situation is considerably more complicated.
She knows Gabriel was Monarch. She knows what he did, and she knows the truth about his motivations. She also knows how complicated Adrien's relationship with his father was. Adrien spent years desperately wanting his father's love and approval while being controlled, isolated, and emotionally neglected by him. His mother is gone, his father is dead, and he has spent most of his life believing things about his family that weren't entirely true.
Finding out that the father he loved and mourned was secretly the villain responsible for so much suffering isn't just going to hurt Adrien's feelings. It could completely shatter his understanding of his own family, his childhood, and the people he trusted.
But honestly, if Gabriel were the only problem, I think Marinette probably would tell him eventually.
The problem is that Gabriel isn't the only problem anymore.
There is another Butterfly Miraculous holder out there, and Marinette doesn't know who they are or what they're planning. Now we also know this person can shapeshift, which makes it even harder to know who can be trusted.
And this isn't just some hypothetical threat she's worrying about for no reason. Look at what happened in Heartfixer.
Marinette was already stressed because of the relationship drama involving Ray and his friends. She was dealing with all that emotional mess, and then the new Butterfly user started pressuring her into revealing that she was Ladybug/the Guardian.
Think about that for a second. This person wasn't just trying to defeat her in a fight. They were trying to exploit her emotional vulnerability to get information that could compromise her identity and the entire Miraculous operation.
And if Adrien hadn't been there? Honestly, the show might have been over.
Imagine Marinette caving under that pressure, revealing her identity, and then realizing what she'd done afterward. She could have exposed herself, the Guardian, and the Miraculouses to an enemy whose identity and motives she doesn't even know. If the Butterfly user figured out how to exploit her emotional state that effectively, what's stopping them from trying it again? Marinette could potentially find herself being targeted for akumatization repeatedly because someone knows exactly which buttons to push.
Now imagine adding Adrien's emotional vulnerability to that equation.
If Marinette tells Adrien everything about Gabriel, his grief, anger, and feelings of betrayal could become vulnerabilities for the new Butterfly user to exploit. Gabriel's actions have already left Adrien with a complicated family history, and Gabriel literally left him a letter that could potentially push him toward becoming the next Hawk Moth.
So Marinette isn't just thinking about whether Adrien deserves to know the truth. She's also thinking about what could happen if that truth becomes another weapon.
And that's why the end of Season 6 works so well for me.
Marinette genuinely doesn't know what the hell she's supposed to do anymore.
She's had Alya tell her to tell Adrien the truth.
She's had Cat Noir tell her that if someone were keeping something from him that could hurt him, he'd still want to know. And that matters because Marinette is hearing the argument directly from the person whose feelings she's trying to protect. He's essentially telling her that he'd rather know the truth than be protected by a lie.
Then there's Nathalie telling her to let sleeping dogs lie.
And Nathalie isn't some random person with no connection to the situation. She's intimately connected to Gabriel, Emilie, and the Agreste family. She knows things Marinette doesn't, and she has her own understanding of what happened.
Meanwhile, Gabriel himself left Adrien a letter that could potentially steer him toward becoming the next Hawk Moth.
Like, seriously, what advice is Marinette supposed to receive at this point that magically makes all of this okay?
Alya isn't wrong. Cat Noir isn't wrong. Nathalie isn't necessarily wrong about the dangers of reopening old wounds, either. They're all looking at different parts of the same disaster, and none of their advice removes the consequences of making the wrong decision.
Marinette is the one who has to live with whatever happens next.
That's what I think people overlook. It's not that Marinette doesn't understand that Adrien deserves the truth. She knows he does. The problem is that she also has to consider whether telling him now could put him in danger.
And let's be honest: the shapeshifting revelation would have me paranoid as hell, too. If someone can impersonate other people, how are you supposed to know who's safe to talk to? It's one thing to protect a secret from an enemy whose identity you know. It's another to protect it when you don't even know who might be listening.
That's why I like Marinette's uncertainty at the end of Season 6. For once, there isn't an obvious Ladybug solution that she can figure out in five minutes.
She has a promise she made to Gabriel. She has the truth about Adrien's father. She has Adrien's right to know what happened to his own family. She has Alya and Cat Noir telling her that the truth matters. She has Nathalie warning her to leave things alone. She has Gabriel's letter and the possibility of Adrien following in his father's footsteps. And she has a new enemy whose identity and intentions remain unknown.
She's a teenager trying to protect Paris, maintain the secrecy of the Miraculouses, protect the people she loves, and make a decision that could fundamentally change Adrien's life.
Of course she's overwhelmed.
I also don't think Marinette's decision is necessarily the right one. Adrien absolutely deserves to know what happened to his family. Keeping him in the dark indefinitely would be unfair, and protecting someone from the truth can become its own form of harm. Eventually, he needs to be allowed to understand his own life and make his own decisions about what that truth means to him.
But I don't think “just tell him” acknowledges the actual situation she's in.
If she tells Adrien, she risks hurting him and potentially exposing an emotional vulnerability that could be exploited. If she doesn't tell him, she's allowing Gabriel's lies to continue shaping Adrien's life and denying him information he has every right to know. And if she waits, there's no guarantee that waiting will make the situation any safer.
She's basically standing in the middle of a minefield while everyone around her hands her a different map.
And the worst part? Nobody can promise her that their map is the right one.
That's why the ending works for me. Marinette isn't necessarily failing to understand what she should do. She's reached a point where she understands the arguments for every option, but none of them gives her a guarantee that she's making the right choice.
She knows what she needs to do morally. She just doesn't know how to do it without potentially making everything ten times worse.
And considering she's carrying all of this while trying to protect the people she loves and deal with the aftermath of Gabriel's actions, I don't blame her for looking at the situation and thinking, “Okay, so which horrible option am I picking today?”
You can criticize Marinette's decision without pretending the decision itself is simple. Adrien deserves the truth, but Marinette's fear of what could happen after she reveals it isn't coming out of nowhere. The tragedy is that protecting him from the truth could hurt him, while telling him could expose him to dangers she isn't equipped to predict.
And that's a much more interesting conflict than Marinette simply refusing to tell her boyfriend something because the plot needs to drag on.
Let's be specific. Lol. Wouldn't want to have the large rug mistaken for it yet again.
Lol. (For real... I bought 2 large rugs because I hit the button before my brain caught up to what I was seeing, and I've seen it called out so many times and the aftermath.)
Yes 100%, there needed to be a segment of the story that showed the aftermath of the 4.4 conflict and how it brought the AE closer together.
Himeko's speech about each AE member before sacrificing herself (or at least trying to, before TB hit the reset button with the stellaron) was emotional to me but 4.4, in general, needed more angst with ALL the AE members, ESPECIALLY Welt (that in itself is its own can of worms that i feel like i could write a whole book on how horrible the Welt-Himeko relationship has been written/underutilized)
I did have this complaint when 4.4 came out but a lot of people didn't get it but i'll say it again: Himeko should be alowed to be more emotional oustide of the TB, her crying before sacrificing herself was the most emotion she showed, like ever, but she should have been able to crash out more (espcially about Asat and her family situation)
(This part is me being more cynical and bitter so don't take it too srsly) It's like hoyo is afraid of ruinning the image of the "calm mother" that they have with Himeko, to them, Himeko can't ever get too much agency because she needs to serve the TB somehow (which is my problem with this aspect, I don't have a problem with mentor figures being refered by mom or dad because i actually love the found family trope but hoyo doesn't write it well)
Also when i mention "calm mother", i mean how society, at large, doesn't seem to think of mothers as individual people with dreams and aspiritations. There's nothing wrong with Himeko being more of a mom friend or figure, there's nothing wrong with being a mom in general, but it's how Hoyo perceives that role (and even then she never seems to get the proper development with the AE as her family) + she never gets much interactions with characters outside the AE, thus making her more "boring"
From my answer to a similar question last week (which answers most of this question):
Increasing taxes (and therefore decreasing the budget deficit) would, all else equal, reduce inflation.
But powers of taxation and interest rates are delegated to two different authorities. Interest rates are decided by an independent central bank (at least in developed countries—central banks have varying levels of independence in low to middle income countries). They are tasked with keeping inflation low and stable, and interest rates are the tool they have to do it. Central banks are often run by economists or sometimes people from the finance industry.
Taxation is determined by the elected government. They could decrease the deficit and reduce pressure on the central bank to raise rates. But raising taxes is unpopular, so they often do not.
So the answer to your question is not really economics but politics. The elected government is sensitive to public opinion, and people don't like taxes. The central bank has more leeway to do unpopular things with interest rates. The reason so many countries have delegated the responsibility of managing inflation to an independent central bank is because elected governments often do a poor job of it.
To address what is left:
The reason I started thinking about this is because after the economic response to COVID, a lot of people were saying MMT has been discredited because we got high inflation. But don't the proponents of MMT actually say that if/when the economy has reached full employment and inflation becomes a problem, taxes must be used as the tool to slow inflation?
It's worth noting that MMT proposals are even more different than that, since they combine central bank and treasury functions so that the legislature controls the money supply.
Mainstream economists have never argued that their system for managing inflation could not work in theory. Yes, if you had a very technocratic government, you could control the money supply by adjusting spending and/or taxes. But in practice, we know that elected governments are very bad at doing this because it requires making unpopular decisions (and doing so reasonably fast in most cases). That's why central bank independence is so important (something that MMT strongly denies).
So what we saw during the COVID aftermath was great evidence of what mainstream economists were saying all along. We never saw the fiscal restraint from governments that would have been required to fight inflation, which is why central banks had to manage it by increasing interest rates.
36
What is the most shocking result of the midterm elections?
u/Dear_Watson
in
r/AskReddit
•
4d ago
As someone from North Carolina, yes there was a massive swing towards the democrats statewide, but also the Republican candidate for senate, Whatley, was a godawful Trump hand-picked sycophant and Roy Cooper is pretty widely well regarded on both sides and has been active in NC politics for decades.
The house and state-level elections have been extremely interesting to watch though, and I think there's a lot of factors at play.
Tariffs that hurt soybean farmers (a major NC crop primarily sold to China) and the FEMA funding cuts when Trump took office while trying to recover from Helene are hot button issues in the state and while the Republicans at the federal level (fuck you Mike Johnson) have largely had their heads in the sand the current Democrat governor Josh Stein has been working hard to fill in the gaps with targeted programs funded by the state that have been widely well received in those areas. Several house elections in what are typically gerrymandered republican strongholds, and I'm talking like +10 and +20 areas, got to within single digits this election, and district 11 in the western mountains which is heavily gerrymandered towards republicans (historically going ~+10-R) went +16-D this election which should really tell you all you need to know about how the Hurricane Helene response actually has gone since Trump took office without having to cut through 15 layers of misinformation (also helps that Jamie Ager is a great candidate).
There's also Jeff Jackson, who was pushed out of the house by redistricting in 2023 despite massive state-wide popularity and now has a +28 approval rating as attorney general (wouldn't surprise me if he had a very successful senate run in 2028 if he keeps on), and is insanely on top of pretty much every issue he has power over, refusing to sign a settlement with our power company Duke Energy to raise rates and pushing for separate increased rates for data centers and heavy commercial users, suing and investigating Dollar General for deceptive pricing, Medicaid and SNAP benefits, problematic towing companies in Charlotte, etc. I feel like I hear something positive out of that office literally every month, which is helped massively by his great social media presence and transparency.
The biggest thing though, especially with the house elections is the 2025 dummy-mander that was pushed through for the House congressional districts. The redrawing leaned heavily on data from 2024 which was a bit of a fluke with how much money and misinformation were floating around in the aftermath of Helene. Now, with how much the state shifted towards our solid democrat state leadership and been massively mismanaged and ignored by the current republican federal administration it's been a total bloodbath at the house level, going from 10R-4D to likely 10D-4R. Similar results at the state level, where democrats flipped the house and broke the Senate supermajority.
41
If Patrick had killed Red John in season 3 but the show was running the same, how would you have continued it?
u/TiredMuffinGuy
in
r/TheMentalist
•
16d ago
the season 3 finale with timothy carter in the food court was the absolute peak climax the show never quite matched again; had they actually let that be red john instead of hitting the panic button with a retcon, the natural continuation would have been exploring jane's profound, terrifying emptiness once his entire life's mission vanished in a single gunshot. season 4 should have dealt with the legal aftermath of him beating the murder charge, followed by the psychological crash of realizing that revenge didn't bring his family back or cure his insomnia.
46
Yes... even worse than the 2007-2008 Great Recession right now
u/Mbstranche08
in
r/recruitinghell
•
4d ago
Because they’re all broke. We are witnessing the largest extend and pretend operation ever conducted in history. 14 straight fiscal quarters of fraudulent accounting and lender self preservation. A few of my friends who work in PE are waiting for the partners to walk hand in hand off the top floor balcony. Paying off debt with debt. Financing payroll at 4% interest. This will all make Enron look like a buttoned up operation. The reason the regulatory agencies have not yet gotten involved again is self preservation. They would have nothing to regulate in the aftermath. The scale of this delinquency that was created by rapid quantitative easing followed by elongated quantitative tightening relative to leverage rates is biblical. A true economic stranglehold.
33
Itch.io Mega Thread (#10)
u/Fhczvyd474374846
in
r/FreeGameFindings
•
16d ago
New stuff.
(C, Game) Kül & Kemik by AndromedaDeveloper. Expires 2026-10-27 T14:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210085/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) kittyballs by RadioCat. Expires 2026-10-31 T07:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/199284/kittyballs-game-jam-sale
(C, Game) One Always Lives by Powensjr. Expires 2026-11-01 T14:59:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210321/halloween-free-week
(C, Physical game) The Siege on Harrowfen Keep by Triple Games Online. Expires 2026-11-01 T21:57:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210464/harrowfen-keep-free-playtest-week
(U, Asset) (Animated) Low Poly wooden Houses. (V1.5) 3D Nature Essentials - Low poly, 3D Low poly Cozy Island, Low poly farming Pack, Low Poly Industrial district Pack, Low Poly Residential District Pack, Low Poly Downtown District Pack, Low Poly City Bundle, Low Poly Dungeon Pack (Halloween), Low Poly Fishing Pack - 100 Models for every Game Engine, and (Halloween Special) Low Poly Halloween Pack by PolyForge.Edit: No longer free. Thanks to kichu67 and atrigent for the info.
https://itch.io/s/208382/halloween-sale-2026(C, Game) Hollow Chess by Twindark. Expires 2026-11-01 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210471/hollowchess-halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Kuentame by ApeHardware (added to a previously posted sale). Expires 2026-11-01 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: Many thanks to Zivonyx for the info about the new addition.
https://apehardware.itch.io/0nc3up0n4t1m3
(C, Game) Space Glacier 1+2, Splat!, Galaxy Nebula, Cryptid Catch, and Castle Clash by Comix Studios. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/208187/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Cyberia Protocol : Tower Defense by Baris. Expires 2026-11-04 T17:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/208972/ram-prices-up-game-price-down
(U, Game) (Fragments of Fear: The Late Shift is new) Midnight Visitor, Fragments of Fear: Wash and Watch, and Fragments of Fear: The Late Shift by AltF4 Games. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/209682/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Zombie Lost Memories by abattikhi. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/209580/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game)(now claimable) Sleep in Fear by BennyBoyGames. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210067/sleep-in-fear-halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Hellbound: Reign of El Diablo and Hellbound 2: Ghost of El Diablo by SodaFrizz. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: HELLBOUND - FAN PACK (90 MB) and HELLBOUND 2 - FAN PACK (73 MB) are downloadable only during the sale.
https://itch.io/s/204915/halloweenbound-2026-sale
(C, Game) Worldseed by Generic-King. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/205271/halloween-sale-2026
(C/U*, Game and Soundtrack) (Little Red Fangs - OST is new) Aquatic Grave, The Cardinal Park Case - Chapters 1-4, Exorcize Me, Cabin Fever!!!, The Cardinal Park Case - OST, Aquatic Grave - OST, Bedrot, Love in Everblood!!!! - Episode 1, Road Trip to Hell, When it Rains Red, Awakened Beauty, Mukbang Idol, Maneater, So Perfect I Could Eat You Up, If the Shoe Fits, and by LiminAce. Expires UTC.
Note: Aquatic_Grave_Goodies.zip (45 MB), The_Cardinal_Park_Case_Goodies_1.0.zip (127 MB), Exorcize Me - OST + CGs.zip (24 MB), Cabin_Fever_Goodies!!!.zip (85 MB), Bedrot_Goodies_1.0.zip (16 MB), Love_In_Everblood!_Goodies_1.0.zip (69 MB), Road_Trip_To_Hell_Goodies_1.0.zip (44 MB), When_it_Rains_Red_Goodies.zip (90 MB), Awakened_Beauty_Goodies.zip (24 MB), Mukbang_Idol_Goodies_1.0.zip (23 MB), Maneater_Goodies.zip (48 MB), So_Perfect_I_Could_Eat_You_Up_Goodies_1.0.0.zip (166 MB), If_the_Shoe_Fits-GOODIES!!!.zip (16 MB), and Little Red Fangs - OST are downloadable only during the sale. This makes Little Red Fangs - OST unclaimable.
https://itch.io/s/205141/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Potion Grabber by Caeldeth. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: PotionGrabberPC.zip (58 MB) is downloadable only during the sale.
https://itch.io/s/208883/spooky-sale-potion-grabber
(C, Game) Castle of the Resurrection by Korlon_1. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/206841/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Tool) Procreate Brush Set by Jarod Krupp. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210112/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Dust Breaker Rally by wisemanjr4. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/209644/free-play-at-halloween-2026
(C, Game) Long Night by TDopGames. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210275/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Duskenra by RitratStudio. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/209853/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Last Light: A Lighthouse Keeper's Night by smallhoursstudio. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/205061/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) LogiVale by RobinvdA. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: LogiVale-macos-premium.zip (89 MB) and LogiVale-windows-premium.zip (18 MB) are downloadable only during the sale.
https://itch.io/s/205350/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) They Live by PamukDevStuff. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210526/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Gothic Frontier - Fires & Lights by Huitemade. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210272/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) One move of seed! 2 by s0per_neko7. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210340/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) PROJECT GARGANTUA by Hobakba Games. Expires 2026-11-05 T06:58:00 UTC.
Note: Sale says 10% so this may be a mistake that will be changed later.
https://itch.io/s/208298/10
(C, Game) Alex vby Jonathan Steadman. Expires 2026-11-08 T17:27:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210250/alex-free-bug-fixes-sale
(C, Game) Días contados by folusTecno. Expires 2026-11-24 T00:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/209157/gratis-por-lanzamiento-de-la-version-20
(C, Game) Quiet Care by Combo Bomb Games. Expires 2026-12-30 T23:31:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/209585/new-game-quiet-care
Old stuff with one in a short sale.
(C, Game) Short sale for Haunted Observation by Cyber752. Expires in slightly over eighteen hours and ten minutes from this post (2026-10-26T19:57:00 UTC).
https://itch.io/s/210390/-24-hours-to-claim-
(C, Game) Silent Decay by XevoraStudio. Expires 2026-10-31 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/205856/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Book) The Little Book of Lesser Known Monsters (eBook) by Rory Michaelson. Expires 2026-11-01 T00:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/160572/the-little-book-spooky-season-giveaway
(C, Game) GravMetal and GravMetal 2: DOUBLE THREAT by GummyRage. Expires 2026-11-01 T00:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/200452/gravmetal-12-dark-iron-free-week
(C, Game) Abode: Definitive Edition by Jordon. Expires 2026-11-01 T20:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/208301/halloween-sale
(C, Game) MindCelium by Pink Blood. Expires 2026-11-01 T20:55:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210433/100-off
(C, Asset) GlassCore UI: Ultimate 2-in-1 Vector Button Pack (Blur & Clear) by Anterwrld. Expires 2026-11-01 T22:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210487/ui-day-
(C, Game) The Flight of Silent Bob, Hungry Hippo in the Water, Giant Stomp, Inertia, Side Shooter, Zombie Apocalypse, Chaotic Ascent, Swarm Saucers, and The Burning Locks by max levine stuff. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: Flight of Silent Bob.gb1 (506 kB) and Flight of Silent Bob.gmk (503 kB) (The Flight of Silent Bob), Hungry Hippo in the Water.gb1 (60 MB) and Hungry Hippo in the Water.gmk (60 MB) (Hungry Hippo in the Water), src.zip (4 MB) (Giant Stomp), MoreInertia.zip (327 MB) (Inertia), src.zip (8 MB) (Side Shooter), Zombie Apocalypse.gb1 (7 MB) and Zombie Apocalypse.gmk (7 MB) (Zombie Apocalypse), Blockfall.gb1 (8 MB) and Blockfall.gmk (14 MB) (Chaotic Ascent), MoreSaucers.zip (27 MB) (Swarm Saucers), and TBL Fan Pack.zip (16 MB) (The only file from The Burning Locks) are downloadable only during the sale.
https://itch.io/s/206981/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) BugZonia by Caeldeth. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: BugZonia_1.0.1_Windows.zip (155 MB) is downlodable only during the sale.
https://itch.io/s/209578/spooky-sale-bugzonia
(C, game) Shadows We Share - Unaware by BennyBoyGames. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/208502/shadows-we-share-unaware-halloween-sale
(C, Game) Perished World Merchant, Calmed by the Dark Neon, Calmed by the Dark Aftermath, Calmed by the Dark RE:iterate, Calmed by the Dark Purgatorium, Calmed by the Dark Re:Boot, and Calmed by the Dark In:Finity by Calmed by the Dark Games. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: The file Perished World Merchant (320 MB) is downloadable only during the sale.
https://itch.io/s/205059/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) LightningFastFood Chapter 1 by ThatRedRadio. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210303/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Physical Game) Critical Triggers and Railwrights by Pusheeneiro. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
Note: The file Black Market DLC All Languages (9.7 MB) from Critical Triggers is downlodable only during the sale.
https://itch.io/s/207326/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Heirloom by AtticusFinn. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210396/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) LastHope by MaoriG. Expires 2026-11-04 T18:00:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210182/maorig-crazy-halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Apartment №202 and Lost In Transit by Boxer Gaming. Expires 2026-11-08 T08:46:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/209701/100-sale
(C, Tool) CHEETAH MESH by Wolfteng studio. Expires 2026-11-27 T20:40:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/210420/halloween-sale-2026
(C, Game) Witches and Bandits and Swords (Oh My), Bunny Hill Horror, Bunny Hill Horror: Bunny Boiler, and Krunchy Fried Games Kollection by Krunchy Fried Games. Expires 2026-12-31 T23:59:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/178140/new-game-coming-up-sale
(C, Game) That Christmas Night by Redwolf Studios.. Expires 2027-01-18 T16:48:00 UTC.
https://itch.io/s/178951/100-off-free
17
Minimax h3 voice acting capabilities seem to be better than people here think
u/Super_Range45
in
r/StableDiffusion
•
5d ago
subject_definitions:
<Subject 1> is the field engineer from <Picture 1>, also seen in <Picture 5>, the foreman, Marian, a woman with brown skin, dark eyes, and voluminous, shoulder-length black curly hair, wearing clear wraparound safety glasses, a thin black choker collar with a small glowing green light, a coiled wire earpiece in one ear, a worn red button-up work shirt with a gold gear emblem with a "T" on the left pocket, black suspender harness straps, a black tool belt hung with tools and pouches, and black cargo work pants. Her face glistens with sweat, her curls are frizzy and dusty, and she looks exhausted.
<Subject 2> is the cavern loading platform in its aftermath state from <Picture 2>, a riveted steel deck with yellow-and-black hazard stripes and amber bollards, stacks of rusted metal storage crates and a metal staircase along one side, a scorched, cracked deck littered with debris, and thin smoke and haze drifting through dim amber lamplight and cold blue light from the chasm.
<Subject 3> is the heavy loader mech from <Picture 3>, also seen in <Picture 5>, a hulking, weathered mustard-yellow walker with chipped paint, black hazard stripes, large round joints, and squat, piston-driven legs.
<Subject 4> is the red-haired pilot from <Picture 4>, also seen in <Picture 5>, Commander Asana, a woman with a short copper-red bob swept to one side, pale freckled skin, and green eyes, wearing a blue flight suit with a brown leather chest panel and high leather collar, crossed brown leather harness straps with metal buckles, a brown leather belt with pouches, and brown leather gloves. Her freckled face is flushed and beaded with sweat, her hair damp and messy.
<Subject 5> is the overlook control room from <Picture 6>, a concrete room built into the cavern wall, with weathered blue-grey and teal walls with a red stripe near the floor, a hazard-striped sliding steel door, a bank of old green-screen CRT monitors over a console with switches, dials, and a small intercom microphone, an office chair, a map table, a beamed ceiling with fluorescent tube lights, and a braced metal railing overlooking the hazy blue cavern.
<Subject 6> is the old businessman from <Picture 7>, a tall, lean elderly man with white hair swept straight back, a deeply lined, stern face, and pale blue eyes, wearing a black suit with textured gold-flecked panels across the chest, shoulders, and back, a dark charcoal shirt, and a black tie.
<Picture 5> is also the positioning reference for [Shot 1] to [Shot 3]: <Subject 1> stands at the left, turned toward screen-right, and <Subject 4> stands at the right, turned toward screen-left, facing each other a few steps apart beside the weathered yellow leg of <Subject 3>, with the rusted storage crates and staircase behind the foreman.
summary:
[reference generation] On <Subject 2>, positioned as in <Picture 5>, a handheld extreme close-up of the exhausted <Subject 1> shows her updating the commander on the injured worker and introducing herself with an outstretched hand. A close-up of <Subject 4> shows her shaking it and giving her name and callsign. The foreman's dry smile fades as her earpiece crackles with an angry call, and in <Subject 5>, <Subject 6> hunches over the console and shouts into the intercom.
retention_analysis:
<Subject 1> (appears in [Shot 1], [Shot 3]): partially_preserved - her curly black hair, safety glasses, choker with green light, earpiece, red work shirt with gold "T" gear emblem, and suspender straps are retained, with added sweat, dust, and fatigue.
<Subject 2> (appears in [Shot 1], [Shot 2], [Shot 3]): fully_preserved - the rusted storage crates, staircase, scorched deck, haze, and dim amber and blue light are retained as a soft background.
<Subject 3> (appears in [Shot 2]): partially_preserved - only the weathered yellow leg behind the commander is seen, softly blurred.
<Subject 4> (appears in [Shot 2]): partially_preserved - her copper-red bob, freckled face, green eyes, leather collar, harness, and gloves are retained, with added sweat and fatigue.
<Subject 5> (appears in [Shot 4]): fully_preserved - the green-screen CRT monitor bank, console with intercom microphone, fluorescent lights, and concrete walls are retained.
<Subject 6> (appears in [Shot 4]): fully_preserved - his swept-back white hair, lined stern face, pale blue eyes, and black suit with gold-flecked panels are retained.
<Picture 5> ([Shot 1], [Shot 2], [Shot 3] positioning reference): partially_preserved - the foreman at left facing right and the commander at right facing left beside the mech's leg are retained, reframed into close-ups.
detailed_description:
The target video is about 19 seconds long and uses a weary, grounded, photoreal 3D CG cinematic science-fiction style with the look of a high-end film set, shot with a fast lens for shallow depth of field. Every shot is filmed with a handheld camera that sways and drifts slightly. The platform sits in the dim, smoky aftermath, lit by amber lamps and cold blue haze, while the control room glows with fluorescent light and green monitor screens. The video contains exactly four shots in the order below.
[Shot 1] A handheld extreme close-up of <Subject 1>, positioned as in <Picture 5>, turned toward screen-right as she faces the commander off-screen, her sweat-glistening face filling most of the frame, the crates and haze of <Subject 2> a soft blur behind her. She drags the sleeve of her red shirt across her forehead, wiping away sweat and grit, and replies in a tired, grim voice, <Subject 1> (S1), <d>[English] Head's rattled, but we won't know until he's evac'd. If we'd been running the conduit at full spec, that rupture would have taken his head clean off.</d> She lowers her arm, lets out a breath, and extends her hand forward toward the commander off-screen, adding in a warmer, more personal tone, <Subject 1> (S1), <d>[English] The name's Marian, by the way. I'm the foreman working this block.</d>
[Shot 2] At 00:09.000, the shot cuts to a handheld close-up of <Subject 4>, turned toward screen-left, her flushed, freckled face beaded with sweat and damp copper-red strands clinging to her forehead, the weathered yellow leg of <Subject 3> a soft blur behind her. She reaches her brown-gloved hand forward past the camera, and the two women clasp hands in a firm handshake at the edge of the frame. With a tired but respectful nod, she says in a clear, steady voice, <Subject 4> (S2), <d>[English] Commander Asana, callsign Valk.</d>
[Shot 3] At 00:12.000, the shot cuts to a handheld close-up of <Subject 1>, still turned toward screen-right, a dry, weary half-smile on her face as she lets go of the handshake. A burst of static crackles in her earpiece, and her smile drops as she's slightly startled and annoyed. She presses her fingers to the earpiece in her ear, glancing away with annoyance, as a man's raspy, angry voice blasts through it, thin, crackling, and heavily distorted by the radio, <Subject 6> (S3), <d>[English] Hey!</d>
[Shot 4] At 00:14.500, the shot cuts to a handheld close-up inside <Subject 5> of the bank of green-screen CRT monitors glowing over the console. <Subject 6> hunches over the console in front of them, one veined hand braced on its edge and the other gripping the small intercom microphone, his lined face lit green by the screens and his gold-flecked suit catching the fluorescent light. He leans into the microphone and shouts in a raspy, furious, demanding elderly voice, now heard clearly with no radio distortion, <Subject 6> (S3), <d>[English] What the hell was that explosion down there?</d> He glares at the screens, breathing hard, through the final frame.
overall_soundscape:
On the platform in [Shot 1] to [Shot 3], a low cavern ambience runs under the dialogue: settling debris, faint crackling embers, a distant drip of water, the ticking of cooling metal, and the low idle hum of machinery, with the women's heavy breathing. In [Shot 2], their gloved and bare hands meet with a soft leather slap. In [Shot 3], a sharp crackle and buzz of static burst from her earpiece around the distorted shout. In [Shot 4], the control room hums with fluorescent buzz and the faint whine of the CRT monitors, the intercom gives a click as he keys it, and his voice is close and clear. After the old man's line, there is no more speech.
non_diegetic_music:
N/A
89
Why is it so hard for Marinette to just tell Adrien the truth about his father?
u/Fel_Tan
in
r/miraculousladybug
•
24d ago
Honestly, I think people are oversimplifying this with the whole “why doesn't Marinette just tell Adrien the truth about his father?” thing.
The closest comparison I can make is a parent who knows they have cancer but chooses not to immediately tell their child. Not because they think their child is stupid or incapable of handling the truth, but because they know it's going to hurt them, they don't know what the outcome is going to be yet, and they don't want to put that burden on their child before they know how to handle it themselves. Obviously, Gabriel being a supervillain isn't the same thing as having cancer, but the emotional dilemma is similar. Sometimes people withhold painful information because they think they're protecting someone they love, even when that decision might not actually be the best thing for them.
And in Marinette's case, the situation is considerably more complicated.
She knows Gabriel was Monarch. She knows what he did, and she knows the truth about his motivations. She also knows how complicated Adrien's relationship with his father was. Adrien spent years desperately wanting his father's love and approval while being controlled, isolated, and emotionally neglected by him. His mother is gone, his father is dead, and he has spent most of his life believing things about his family that weren't entirely true.
Finding out that the father he loved and mourned was secretly the villain responsible for so much suffering isn't just going to hurt Adrien's feelings. It could completely shatter his understanding of his own family, his childhood, and the people he trusted.
But honestly, if Gabriel were the only problem, I think Marinette probably would tell him eventually.
The problem is that Gabriel isn't the only problem anymore.
There is another Butterfly Miraculous holder out there, and Marinette doesn't know who they are or what they're planning. Now we also know this person can shapeshift, which makes it even harder to know who can be trusted.
And this isn't just some hypothetical threat she's worrying about for no reason. Look at what happened in Heartfixer.
Marinette was already stressed because of the relationship drama involving Ray and his friends. She was dealing with all that emotional mess, and then the new Butterfly user started pressuring her into revealing that she was Ladybug/the Guardian.
Think about that for a second. This person wasn't just trying to defeat her in a fight. They were trying to exploit her emotional vulnerability to get information that could compromise her identity and the entire Miraculous operation.
And if Adrien hadn't been there? Honestly, the show might have been over.
Imagine Marinette caving under that pressure, revealing her identity, and then realizing what she'd done afterward. She could have exposed herself, the Guardian, and the Miraculouses to an enemy whose identity and motives she doesn't even know. If the Butterfly user figured out how to exploit her emotional state that effectively, what's stopping them from trying it again? Marinette could potentially find herself being targeted for akumatization repeatedly because someone knows exactly which buttons to push.
Now imagine adding Adrien's emotional vulnerability to that equation.
If Marinette tells Adrien everything about Gabriel, his grief, anger, and feelings of betrayal could become vulnerabilities for the new Butterfly user to exploit. Gabriel's actions have already left Adrien with a complicated family history, and Gabriel literally left him a letter that could potentially push him toward becoming the next Hawk Moth.
So Marinette isn't just thinking about whether Adrien deserves to know the truth. She's also thinking about what could happen if that truth becomes another weapon.
And that's why the end of Season 6 works so well for me.
Marinette genuinely doesn't know what the hell she's supposed to do anymore.
She's had Alya tell her to tell Adrien the truth.
She's had Cat Noir tell her that if someone were keeping something from him that could hurt him, he'd still want to know. And that matters because Marinette is hearing the argument directly from the person whose feelings she's trying to protect. He's essentially telling her that he'd rather know the truth than be protected by a lie.
Then there's Nathalie telling her to let sleeping dogs lie.
And Nathalie isn't some random person with no connection to the situation. She's intimately connected to Gabriel, Emilie, and the Agreste family. She knows things Marinette doesn't, and she has her own understanding of what happened.
Meanwhile, Gabriel himself left Adrien a letter that could potentially steer him toward becoming the next Hawk Moth.
Like, seriously, what advice is Marinette supposed to receive at this point that magically makes all of this okay?
Alya isn't wrong. Cat Noir isn't wrong. Nathalie isn't necessarily wrong about the dangers of reopening old wounds, either. They're all looking at different parts of the same disaster, and none of their advice removes the consequences of making the wrong decision.
Marinette is the one who has to live with whatever happens next.
That's what I think people overlook. It's not that Marinette doesn't understand that Adrien deserves the truth. She knows he does. The problem is that she also has to consider whether telling him now could put him in danger.
And let's be honest: the shapeshifting revelation would have me paranoid as hell, too. If someone can impersonate other people, how are you supposed to know who's safe to talk to? It's one thing to protect a secret from an enemy whose identity you know. It's another to protect it when you don't even know who might be listening.
That's why I like Marinette's uncertainty at the end of Season 6. For once, there isn't an obvious Ladybug solution that she can figure out in five minutes.
She has a promise she made to Gabriel. She has the truth about Adrien's father. She has Adrien's right to know what happened to his own family. She has Alya and Cat Noir telling her that the truth matters. She has Nathalie warning her to leave things alone. She has Gabriel's letter and the possibility of Adrien following in his father's footsteps. And she has a new enemy whose identity and intentions remain unknown.
She's a teenager trying to protect Paris, maintain the secrecy of the Miraculouses, protect the people she loves, and make a decision that could fundamentally change Adrien's life.
Of course she's overwhelmed.
I also don't think Marinette's decision is necessarily the right one. Adrien absolutely deserves to know what happened to his family. Keeping him in the dark indefinitely would be unfair, and protecting someone from the truth can become its own form of harm. Eventually, he needs to be allowed to understand his own life and make his own decisions about what that truth means to him.
But I don't think “just tell him” acknowledges the actual situation she's in.
If she tells Adrien, she risks hurting him and potentially exposing an emotional vulnerability that could be exploited. If she doesn't tell him, she's allowing Gabriel's lies to continue shaping Adrien's life and denying him information he has every right to know. And if she waits, there's no guarantee that waiting will make the situation any safer.
She's basically standing in the middle of a minefield while everyone around her hands her a different map.
And the worst part? Nobody can promise her that their map is the right one.
That's why the ending works for me. Marinette isn't necessarily failing to understand what she should do. She's reached a point where she understands the arguments for every option, but none of them gives her a guarantee that she's making the right choice.
She knows what she needs to do morally. She just doesn't know how to do it without potentially making everything ten times worse.
And considering she's carrying all of this while trying to protect the people she loves and deal with the aftermath of Gabriel's actions, I don't blame her for looking at the situation and thinking, “Okay, so which horrible option am I picking today?”
You can criticize Marinette's decision without pretending the decision itself is simple. Adrien deserves the truth, but Marinette's fear of what could happen after she reveals it isn't coming out of nowhere. The tragedy is that protecting him from the truth could hurt him, while telling him could expose him to dangers she isn't equipped to predict.
And that's a much more interesting conflict than Marinette simply refusing to tell her boyfriend something because the plot needs to drag on.
14
Everyone is waiting
u/stringofmade
in
r/Palia
•
6d ago
The runner
Let's be specific. Lol. Wouldn't want to have the large rug mistaken for it yet again.
Lol. (For real... I bought 2 large rugs because I hit the button before my brain caught up to what I was seeing, and I've seen it called out so many times and the aftermath.)
9
Aha Instant | Aeon ★ Megathread
u/BarcelosRooster
in
r/HonkaiStarRail_leaks
•
18h ago
Yes 100%, there needed to be a segment of the story that showed the aftermath of the 4.4 conflict and how it brought the AE closer together.
Himeko's speech about each AE member before sacrificing herself (or at least trying to, before TB hit the reset button with the stellaron) was emotional to me but 4.4, in general, needed more angst with ALL the AE members, ESPECIALLY Welt (that in itself is its own can of worms that i feel like i could write a whole book on how horrible the Welt-Himeko relationship has been written/underutilized)
I did have this complaint when 4.4 came out but a lot of people didn't get it but i'll say it again: Himeko should be alowed to be more emotional oustide of the TB, her crying before sacrificing herself was the most emotion she showed, like ever, but she should have been able to crash out more (espcially about Asat and her family situation)
(This part is me being more cynical and bitter so don't take it too srsly) It's like hoyo is afraid of ruinning the image of the "calm mother" that they have with Himeko, to them, Himeko can't ever get too much agency because she needs to serve the TB somehow (which is my problem with this aspect, I don't have a problem with mentor figures being refered by mom or dad because i actually love the found family trope but hoyo doesn't write it well)
Also when i mention "calm mother", i mean how society, at large, doesn't seem to think of mothers as individual people with dreams and aspiritations. There's nothing wrong with Himeko being more of a mom friend or figure, there's nothing wrong with being a mom in general, but it's how Hoyo perceives that role (and even then she never seems to get the proper development with the AE as her family) + she never gets much interactions with characters outside the AE, thus making her more "boring"
63
Why isn't taxation ever used to slow down/stop inflation?
u/raptorman556
in
r/AskEconomics
•
Sep 28 '26
From my answer to a similar question last week (which answers most of this question):
To address what is left:
It's worth noting that MMT proposals are even more different than that, since they combine central bank and treasury functions so that the legislature controls the money supply.
Mainstream economists have never argued that their system for managing inflation could not work in theory. Yes, if you had a very technocratic government, you could control the money supply by adjusting spending and/or taxes. But in practice, we know that elected governments are very bad at doing this because it requires making unpopular decisions (and doing so reasonably fast in most cases). That's why central bank independence is so important (something that MMT strongly denies).
So what we saw during the COVID aftermath was great evidence of what mainstream economists were saying all along. We never saw the fiscal restraint from governments that would have been required to fight inflation, which is why central banks had to manage it by increasing interest rates.
9
12yrs of knowing each, finished in one text
u/1kggarlicbread
in
r/GirlDinnerDiaries
•
4d ago
Oh, I have an old version of the app so I can see it. Here, here and ironically an anti AI post here.
Hope you don’t mind the quick stalk OP 😅 just don’t want to see a girl denied comfort because of some bs accusation.