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I really honestly believe that there’s not enough appreciation for internal contradiction and conflicting elements both in terms of characterization and relationships.

Like Cas both wants to belong and has the impulse to just go out and do things on his own. He is both proud and ashamed. He is ancient and new. Etc etc.

Dean both feels the need to be the moral authority and is crushed by the burden of it. When he needs the people around him is exactly when he pushes them away. He clings to this rough-and-tumble individualist masculinity, but all he really wants is his family to be together.

And the main thing I've been thinking of is how with Dean and Cas, we always talk about how there’s a fundamental disconnect and miscommunication between them. But I think that sometimes we forget that their relationship is built on their fundamental similarity, on them relating to one another. Like there’s at least a couple of things Misha has said about Cas that I disagree with, but one that i find really interesting is (and I wish I remembered when/where this was) that sometimes Cas feels like Dean is the only one in the world he can relate to.

Like these are contradictory things, but they are all true, and it's important that they’re all true, because contradictory things being true at the same time is was creates tension and creates movement, it's what keeps things dynamic and interesting.

The other day I mentioned a post that had a quadrant chart with a war criminal-angel axis and a virgin-slut axis, and how someone said that Cas was in the middle. But he’s not in the middle, he's at the extremes simultaneously. Like he’s not in some milquetoast little-bit-of-both center. He is all the way at the edges. And you would think it's untenable but that's exactly what makes it interesting.

And I guess that’s also my number one critique on Cas mischaracterizarion. When he's just one thing. When he’s just the poorest little self-doubting wet cat, or just a badass bamf, or just understanding and wise and empathetic, or just alien and clueless. None of those are right. And he’s not in the mushy middle of these things. He's flipping between them, he exists in the overturn, in the revolution.

Castiel is the best, most loyal soldier, and he is the most zealous rebel. He is inhuman and the most human. He is full of self-doubt and he has the courage of his convictions.

This started out as a general post and then became a Castiel post. Because Castiel. But yeah, I don’t think you can fully understand Cas, and therefore understand destiel, unless you embrace internal contradiction.

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omg i'm just sitting here innocently watching the teevee and suddenly THERE'S THE CHOCOLATE GUY on an ad for bailey's lolol

honestly good for him i guess, but i'm only a little disappointed it wasn't a two minute video of him making something outrageous. pretty tame by his standards (even if he did take a bite of a chocolate bailey's bottle lol)

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english ivy: assaulted

leaves: raked

gutters: clear

hvac unit: liberated from autumnal detritus

i have been forcibly removed from the garden

(i was ordered to go inside and sit the fuck down)

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Quick crayon Cas. Hopefully I'll have time for a Dean. Or another Cas...

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13x16//Scoobynatural

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Celebrating AO3's 15th Anniversary

Start the party, AO3 is turning 15 today! Join our anniversary celebrations by participating in our 15-day Trivia Game and Prompt Challenge. Who knows – you might win a cool prize! https://otw-news.org/2p8bn9cr

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re: the post i just reblogged. A LOT of the advice in that post is excellent and i recommend clicking through and reading the whole thing. but especially for fandom, due to personal experiences in the analysis of media, and my growing concern for the last good number of years that the mindset i've seen spreading in fandoms ALSO applies how how we interact with reality in general, i would like to highlight these two points from that thread:

4. Prediction, analysis, and reporting are three fundamentally different things. Learn to identify them for what they are. Reject attempts by amateur “analysts” to predict the future. They know as much as you do. 5. Real subject matter experts know and acknowledge their limits. They’re also (usually) hesitant to try and predict the future. The best frame their predictions in terms of a range of possible outcomes. Subject matter experts may also disagree with one another! It happens!

please internalize these messages!

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A very useful thread on Bluesky:

(There is a lot more. Rather than give you all the images, I've copied the full text below.)

Meredith Rose‬ ‪@mrose.ink‬ November 8, 2024

This is not going to be a repeat of 2016-2020. It will be better, it will be worse, but most of all it will be different. Here are things I want every single person to keep in mind as we head into round 2 of a Trump admin.

My credentials: I’m a queer female public interest attorney working on tech policy in DC. I’ve been doing this for a decade--longer than some, not as long as others. I had to navigate three different administrations, as well as Congress, regulatory agencies, courts, and the advocacy world.

FIRST: don’t let despair override your media literacy.

The left has grifters, just like every other movement. If you’re able and compelled to donate, give to orgs with established track records. Avoid giving to individuals, especially anyone who emerges overnight with a one-weird-trick “plan.”

The left is not immune to misinformation, and everyone—EVERYONE—falls for it sometimes, present company included. There is no shame in it. When (not if) it happens to you, you should acknowledge it; delete or retract the post to reduce the spread; and move on.

If a source consistently shares half-truths or outright misinformation, it is not trustworthy, no matter how much “their heart is in the right place.” Unfollow and move on.

Prediction, analysis, and reporting are three fundamentally different things. Learn to identify them for what they are. Reject attempts by amateur “analysts” to predict the future. They know as much as you do.

Real subject matter experts know and acknowledge their limits. They’re also (usually) hesitant to try and predict the future. The best frame their predictions in terms of a range of possible outcomes. Subject matter experts may also disagree with one another! It happens!

SECOND: What we know for sure about how the Trump, how he operates, and how that will impact the next four years.

Trump is a narcissist who avoids reading and doesn’t care about details. He cannot be persuaded by argument or logic; he’s moved mostly by flattery, and will agree with the last person who flattered him. He can and will upend his own administration’s work without warning, often by tweet.

As a result, most policy experts—even those "on his side"—dread him taking an interest in their field. Ask any Republican staffer who worked in Congress during the last administration, and most of them will confirm that their greatest fear was Trump tweeting about anything related to their work.

As such, people who are serious about their work will do everything to make it as invisible and boring-seeming as possible. This is the policy equivalent of defensive camouflage. Lots of “normie” work will continue in silence. (The lion’s share of tech policy ends up in this bucket.)

If you have a niche issue that you care about, now is a great time to donate to orgs that work on it. Lots of money will be funneled to big legacy orgs working on headline issues: ACLU, climate change orgs, etc. Consider sending your donations where they matter most: local, niche, established.

Trump runs his cabinet like the Apprentice. He thrives on chaos and making people compete for his approval. Not only does he not reward collaboration between his subordinates, he actively undermines it.

Moreover, everyone who works with him knows that they’re vulnerable to being thrown under the bus at a moment’s notice, for any reason (or for no reason at all). His cabinet is going to be scorpions in a bottle. They will not be able to coordinate, for good or ill.

One scorpion can still do a lot of horrific damage. But large scale inter-agency coordination is unlikely, particularly after the first few months, by which point he will likely (prediction warning!) have gone through a handful of cabinet secretaries already.

FINALLY: The view from inside civil society heading into 2025.

In 2016, Trump was a largely unknown quantity. The left and establishment right alike wasted a lot of time trying to read tea leaves and make sense of this guy, because he was completely outside the realm of what anyone had dealt with. That’s not happening now.

He did us a favor by broadcasting his plans in advance (aka Project 2025). Civil society has spent the last 2.5 years strategizing around it. We’re not starting off flat-footed.

The Biden admin did a good amount to future-proof its own achievements. Folks can speak to their own areas of expertise, but clean energy and CHIPS and Science Act (investing in domestic semiconductor production) have benefitted from huge sunk investments. That money’s not getting clawed back.

OVERALL TAKE-AWAYS:

It's going to suck. But civil society and the political left have some advantages we didn't have last time. We know him, we know his angles, and we know who he's bringing in--none of which we had in 2016.

We'll get through this. It will be grim, but we'll get through it.

John Cutting‬ ‪@johncutting.bsky.social‬

Thanks Meredith. I really valued your analysis over the past few years, and I think this is a reasonable, actionable framework to think about the upcoming storm

Meredith Rose‬ ‪@mrose.ink‬

I really cannot overstate how much time was (necessarily) wasted in 2017 trying to figure out this guy and his influences. The fact that he's not only a known quantity, but ran the most over-studied administration in this nation's recent history, makes this a very different game.

John Cutting‬ ‪@johncutting.bsky.social‬

I bet we can weaponize his narcissism. Let's say some ghoul starts making progress with a mass deportation effort, if we start calling that ghoul that "shadow president" en masse, Trump would fire him in right away and appoint Hulk Hogan or something

‪Meredith Rose‬ ‪@mrose.ink‬

This is exactly why I don't think Musk will last very long. Trump is very clear that he's the only one in the room allowed to have an ego or any kind of brand name.

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The satirical news company plans to shutter Jones’ Infowars and rebuild the website featuring well-known internet humor writers and content creators, according to a person with knowledge of the sale.

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please enjoy the funniest fucking thing i have heard in ages... The Onion now owns InfoWars. that is all.

it's not an onion headline.

i mean, it is an onion headline, but it's also true :'D

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To the people in the OTW Tumblr Inbox asking about how the OTW is responding to the American Election.

This is a separate post (and not a response to a specific message) because we all need to see it.

Folks have been asking Support (through the form) as well as the other social media mods, and we have now been given the following to tell you.

We are continuing to closely monitor political developments that may affect AO3 and the OTW as a whole. First, we want to assure you that there are several factors that tend to protect AO3 and its users from legal risks and challenges. These include that we are a non-profit, do not host images, do not use algorithms to promote or advertise content to users, are not aimed at children, and collect very little user data. The results of the 2024 U.S. election are deeply concerning, but the OTW remains committed to providing an inclusive space for fannish expression and will continue to fight for fans' free expression, both in court and through legislative efforts, in the U.S. and worldwide. We have seen that fans are a powerful force for promoting free expression, and we will continue to inform people about opportunities for their voices to be heard. If a bill is likely to be passed in the future that could impact our ability to provide services, our legal team will be prepared to offer updates, guidance, and legal support to our users. Fans are not alone in this fight. Both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/the-aclu-is-fighting-back-against-trump ) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/11/2024-us-election-over-eff-ready-whats-next ) made preparations for this outcome and have developed strategies to combat anticipated efforts to curtail online freedoms. We urge our users to support these organizations and others as they fight for your rights and ours.

<3 Mod Remi

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The wings give an extra lift

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13x14: Good Intentions

I just want to quickly say that seeing everyone’s collective meltdown over Destiel this week was just such a joy to see on my timeline.

Then:

Cas is suspicious of our resident soulless prophet

Now:

They’re just hitting us with the feels right off the bat. Jack wakes in the bunker to the voices of Sam and Dean. He hears their relieved conversation about having Jack back and how he’s home safe. The bunker’s red alert starts blaring and smoke starts pouring into Jack’s room. He runs out to investigate only to hear Sam and Dean’s cries for help. He tries using his powers to help, but they backfire back onto him. And this all turns out to be a mental ruse by AU!Zachariah. (Flashes of The End with our own Zachariah messing with Dean’s head. And flashes of the pilot where another parent burned to death.) Michael wants to break Jack to use him to open a rift between worlds. (And I am really digging Michael in this episode. He’s truly menacing to me.)

At the bunker, Donatello is busy translating the demon tablet. He’s so far into the translation that he’s all out of chicken wings and didn’t even notice! Cas brings him breakfast though and asks about his state of mind. “The tablet has a raw energy,” Donatello admits. Cas continues to keep his suspicions at the “what a weird dude” level, and heads out to find the brothers.

He finds them in the kitchen, but noticeably does not enter it himself. He hangs back in the doorway. (Natasha: weeping) He fills them in on Donatello’s progress and insists that they should be out there looking for Lucifer, and his angel grace. Also, they really shouldn’t discredit the threat of Michael entering their world. Dean has a plan, and they’re going to see it through through.

We cut to Jack, now standing along a shoreline, majestic mountains in the background, and Castiel beside him. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Castiel asks.

Cas wants Jack to see the natural world before humans destroy it all. “Humans, they take and they take and they just can’t help themselves.” Cas wants to teach Jack how to use his powers. Jack wonders about Sam and Dean, and then remembers the last time he was with Sam and Dean. “You’re not Castiel. None of this is real.” 

Keep reading

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My sweater is finally done!

It has lovingly been named the 'Unicorn Hunt Sweater' and the pattern can be found on both:

Etsy and Ravelry

Very happy with it, i will wear it forever probably.

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If you're American will you reblog this with where you grew up and wether or not they had sixth grade camp. I grew up in southern California and every class in sixth grade would take a field trip and go to a camp for a week and this is absolutely bewildering my wife cause she's never heard of sixth grade camp