#anything that's not essential to the narrative

[notaplaceofhonour]

I would both question the idea that the BITE model is the best model (not saying it can never be helpful, but there are noticeable problems with it*) and encourage everyone to take the work & opinions of its creator (Steven Hassan) and what he considers a cult with a heavy, heavy grain of salt.

This is a guy who quite literally claimed the reason trans people believe that J.K. Rowling (and by extension her “Gender Critical”/TERF arguments) is transphobic is because they’ve been indoctrinated into a “psy op mind control” cult by the Christian far right so gender-affirming care could be used as a form of anti-gay conversion therapy (aka the Trans Cult Conspiracy Theory).

And I don’t think this is just a case of someone having a bad opinion on one issue and a good opinion on another. It’s the direct results of flaws in the way he thinks/speaks about cults, which are baked into the BITE model. It’s exactly the versatility of the BITE model, listed above as one of its assets, that is actually the problem with it. Its reliance on subjective value judgements makes it easy to apply broadly, yes, that just leaves it extremely prone to just reinforcing confirmation bias rather than actually narrowing anything down & properly diagnosing anything. it makes it way too easy to apply way too broadly.

Hassan easily uses the BITE model to cast the fight for trans health care as a cult, criticism of JK Rowling’s transphobia as a cult, and even criticism of him and his opinions as the nefarious machinations of that same “cult”. And yet, I can easily look at that—the trans cult conspiracy theory, the way he employs rhetoric about “cancel culture” to silence dissent, the casting of his critics as the monolithic brainwashed masses in an “us vs them” narrative where he’s just prometheus trying to bring fire down to us—and I can easily use his own BITE model (as well as the fact that he was self-reportedly in a leadership role within the moonie cult, with a history of employing these tactics on followers) to make similar claims about him. But I think the truth is more complicated than that; I don’t sincerely think he’s literally brainwashing anyone into a culty group, just illustrating how subjective & loaded his model is.

This is not just me saying this. While his work is popular, it is not without controversy within academia. Fellow sociologists have argued that his work may be part of a moral panic about cults. Personal friends have suggested he tends to see cults everywhere due to his experience with the moonies (essentially, “when you only have a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail”).

And, on a personal note, as a fellow cult survivor myself, a member of multiple groups frequently targeted by conspiracy theories that use the same rhetoric he does (including the exact conspiracy theory he quite literally promotes himself), and just someone with a general interest in/familiarity with conspiracist & popsci kooks & grifters, the lengths that Steve Hassan has gone to brand himself as not just a cult expert, but THE cult expert (even making his social media handle literally just “cultexpert”) and the amount that he uses heavily loaded, clichéd, & hyperbolic rhetoric such as “mind control psy ops” about anything from Trump to gender-affirming care just smacks of “everything is MK Ultra” & raises so so many red flags

it just seems like the cult focused version of the narcissistic/empath pop-psychobabble that’s been going around for so long

America has a weird relationship with cults where they’re terrified of small cults (or organizations they think are cults) but completely normalized massive cults that hurt many more people (eg: LDS Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Amish, Scientology, most Megachurches)

[loving-family-poll]

2nd Ultimate Incest Tournament - Round 1

Propaganda under the cut:

Sam/John:

Overprotective controlling dad, bratty rebellious confrontational Sam, the eventual realization of what John was trying to protect him from, the sad dad puppy eyes

Often overlooked in the Winchester family incest dynamics which is sad because it fucks so hard; John has such complex feelings regarding Sam because his birth indirectly causes the death of Sam and Dean’s mother and leads to the Winchesters becoming like that. John sees the sweet boy he loves and the monster Sam is fated to become, and is torn between saving or killing him. Keeping Sam safe and innocent is one of the main motivations behind John’s terrible, desperate actions; however through the extreme countermeasures he takes, he only manages to push Sam further away and closer to his fate. It’s only after John’s death that Sam begins to understand his actions but also believes John was right to ‘want to kill him’. John may be absent for most of Supernatural but he forever haunts the narrative and his sons, the One True FatherGod of Supernatural

Dirk/Dave:

Can you imagine being so intrinsically tied to someone you will never not be in their lives? So intrinsically tied you are them but never will be?

Dave and Dirk both grew up as themselves and essentially raising the other. Where Dirk grew up with his timeline's Bro ( Alpha Timeline Dave )—a Bro who was absent, yet such an impacting influence to Dirk as someone who /couldn't/ be there: Dave was massively way too in the past ( literally ) to be around for Dirk in the future, yet made sure to keep a secure place for him that would be protected enough FOR Dirk to be able to survive. Dirk watched all of his movies. He wanted to be everything Dave was. He wanted to meet him, know him, be with him. More than anything.

Dave grew up differently in the Beta Timeline. Dave's Bro, who was far too involved in his life. Constantly sparring him, or really calling him to strifes were he'd get his shit kicked in major, bullying him, picking fun at him, all to "train" him for the Game. Where Dave has to deal with how terrified he is of Bro and play it off—a sign of weakness was weakness after all. Beta Dirk, Bro, dies protecting Dave. Alpha Dave, Bro, dies in protecting the world so Dirk could live.

And they meet together. Years later Dirk and Dave, kids who never got to be close with their Bros who grew up scared or intimidated or inspired, meet the other one. And it is everything and none of what they could have ever hoped for.

There is something about seeing the ghost of someone and instead of haunting you like a demon infested house wanting to kill you, it haunts you like a memory. Where that hair, those shades, you know them. Where you don’t know someone yet you hate them for being everything you wanted. But still being on top of a rooftop, being vulnerable for once. Sharing a hug. "This is fucked up." "Yeah. Fucked up." Where the focal point is a form of masculinity that helps them survive or keeps them apart from others. How long can you keep swinging the blade you wielded since you were a baby? How long can you keep pretending your heart doesn't ache when you see him? How long can you keep away when you love him and hate him and want him dead but *God you want him?

What if you grew up idolizing your absent older brother who was the only connection you had to the world that had existed before the apocalypse for a long time. What if you grew up idolizing and emulating a present older brother who raised you only to realize as a teenager, after he’s dead, that your relationship was kind of fucked up and he was abusive and also he gave you a lot of sexuality hangups. Now imagine you both meet an alternate version of this brother. He’s a teenager. You’re around the same age. He was influenced in ways you can’t control by a version of you you’ve never been. And you’re literally both queer. Lots of things can happen here. Your abusive brother’s teenage self is trying so hard to be better than the worst possibility and isn’t to blame for what his alternate version did. Your absent brother’s teenage self is so present and real and not a larger of life mythological figure but you have a design he created tattooed on your arm which you did out of a desperate desire for connection. WOW.

[yuurikatsukienthusiast]

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, but most importantly...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICTOR NIKIFOROV!

Victor's character is truly one that is so so so complex, but also so so so enjoyable. He has his ups and downs, like every character does, but even if his actions and words can be...questionable at times, it's hard not to fall in love with his goofy, lovestruck personality.

I've mentioned this before in previous posts, but Victor's character is far different from most of the typical idols in these idol to lovers stories. He doesn't fit the egotistical, selfish, and snobbish celebrity narrative that tends to be painted for them. Instead, Victor is kind and caring, and he's incredibly supportive of Yuuri and all of his accomplishments. There isn't any sort of questionable power imbalance in Victor and Yuuri's relationship either, because Victor truly sees Yuuri as his equal. I think that's a really beautiful way to interpret a story like theirs.

Another thing that I love most about Victor's character is just how important surprise is to him. It's such an interesting trait to add to a character such as Victor's. Hell, it's a driving factor of their story if you really think about it. Victor fell so deeply in love with Yuuri at the banquet because he surprised him. Victor decided to bite the bullet and coach Yuuri, even after Yuuri essentially ghosted him after the banquet, because he was surprised by his skating. To Victor, surprise is his inspiration. And while this detail is far from being a secret, there's still so much I'd love to say about it. However, his birthday post is not where I should do that...(New post in the future!)

The final thing I'd like to touch on is how much of Victor's character we still don't know. His backstory is non-existent within the anime, and the movie we were going to be getting that would've most likely cleared all of it up was cancelled. His childhood, teen years, relationship with his parents? It's all a mystery. Because of this, we don't truly know anything about him. And I fear that we never will. And that breaks my heart.

In the same way Yuuri's story regarding his skating career isn't finished, Victor's story about finding his true love and passion isn't finished yet, either. There's so much left to be told between the two of them. Yuuri still needs to win gold, Victor needs to find closure within his skating career, and our boys still need to get married!

It's so disheartening to know that such a beautiful story with such amazing characters has been completely wiped of any sort of publicity. And it's truly upsetting that their stories may never come full circle. So I've said this before and I'll say it again, thank you to the wonderful Yuri on Ice community that has kept these characters alive and loved for years. Your work is appreciated and seen by so many.

Happy birthday, Victor. Thank you for showing us all what true love is.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

3x09's Misdirection/Sleight of Hand

Just my opinion on the misdirection(s) in the Apologies episode.

All the screen stills of the episodes on Hulu give you a good indication of what(who) the episode is about. This is the still for this episode:

Just wanted to put that out there.

Paying attention to Martin Scorcese's There's something else happening here" - subtext is what he's talking about in film- reading between the lines.

Another quote- Magic at its best. For it to be a truly magical moment, it has to be spontaneous. It has to be something that just happens.

In my opinion, this quote will become significant later in the show. We should focus on the 'sleight of hand' in magic, known as misdirection in film.

I think like Carmy- we don't know the spontaneous moment- and we're being misdirected like Carmy is being misdirected, it's like a magic trick happening in his mind.

So the magic trick begins with Carmy and the Faks breaking down boxes and Ted Fak stating that Claire is the one pissed. She's the one haunting Carmy, and they make sure to really distract you by carmy driving this point home:

She's the peace- but some of us were tricked; people see Carmy saying she's peaceful for him. Are eyes are not deceiving us- this same peaceful person he had a panic attack about is peaceful for him? He's saying 'the' peace. He's saying she's peaceful- but realize he's not saying she's the peace for him.

The audience knows this because we're consistently reminded of Claire almost every episode. This serves as general information given to both Carmy and the viewers—a red herring. He thinks about her every day, but why is he thinking about her so often?

Fast forward to the Faks advising Carmy to apologize, and he tells them it's too hard. Why is it too hard for him to end things with Claire? The show, or Carmy, won't reveal this just yet because it will be significant information in the narrative.

More misdirections with information that the viewer is tricked into accepting. We've been getting callbacks that Fak is Carmy's best friend. We're given this information, but it's not true. Carmy answers truthfully the first time Claire asks if he's his best friend (hint- Sydney is his best friend).

Fak gives us another hint he's not Carmy's friend, naively pointing out he knows all of Carmy's nuances. Later on in this episode, we get key information about Carmy's nuances that shows Fak is wrong about what or who Carmy is truly thinking about.

Carmy then with the fak's influence tells us claire is the one haunting him.

Right after the declaration, we cut to Sydney. She's the clue, with a poster of the movie "Say Anything" behind her. Throughout this episode, we witness the struggle between Carmy and Sydney, where they say very little to each other—essentially, nothing at all. If they would just say anything, they could get somewhere- perhaps have their magical moment. I also want to point out that in the film "Say Anything", the girl’s father reassures her that she can tell him anything. Emmanuel has a similar presence in Sydney’s life; he wants her to confide in him about her relationship and business partner's troubles.

Before this line of being grateful- Sydney says "I just wanted to say"

This is more clue that the apology and truth that it is Sydney Carmy is always thinking about that he hasn't realized yet. In this scene Carmy is trying to understand his dish- he's trying to 'crack' it, he says- and he's determined- meaning solve the mystery or the magic trick of what he made (his whole mind is playing tricks on him, and he's trying to crack where his mind is at).

Before this moment, he says, I've been meaning to talk about- so he has been thinking about Sydney often and what he wants to tell her something- and we (Carmy) are distracted with what he wants to say to Claire- really it's about what he's been wanting to say to Sydney.

Then this is all Carmy can say for now. But it's clear he wants to say so much more to her. It's too hard for him to talk to Claire, but what about this situation with Sydney? It's difficult, but you can tell he longs to face what they need to discuss.

This is Carmy after she leaves, taking another 'crack' at the trick he's made- almost discovering the misdirection. Nearly solving the puzzle.

People have talked about what staring at the surprise means, but I want to emphasize that it connects back to the beginning of the episode. For a magical moment to occur, it must be spontaneous. This is something Carmy wants with Sydney, but he isn’t ready to accept that spontaneity and fun just yet. He needs to end certain things in his life before he can truly begin anew.

This provides more clues about his relationship with Sydney and not necessarily Claire. None of these actions, such as trying to have closure with Claire in the walk-in, occur until Sydney shuts down with him and stops talking. It doesn't happen until Carmy cracks a bit of the dish he made. I think he realizes that at least part of him understands the dish was about Sydney; it's been about Sydney all along, and Claire is the misdirection. As for the dish also pointing to Chef Terry wearing the same hair accessories, it's Sydney reminding him of the good things in his life.

But back to more clues: this is about Sydney- after the I really love you from Claire, we cut to Sydney.

Mentioned before but giving us another clue about who's haunting Carmy, who's pissed at Carmy, who Carmy really needs to apologize to...

Then, the episode concludes with another twist for the audience, who must accept the surface-level information of the trick still being done- that Carmy's mind still lingers on Claire with the symbol of the scrunchie. They're misdirecting the audience once again.

It is really fun to point out all the possible clues and thoughtful making of a relationship in a TV show. Imo, the spontaneous moment is telling us for the magical moment/ the sleight of hand to be revealed, for the ship to happen, carmy has going to be in a place of fun, surprises, and spontaneity, and the big moment between them will happen when we least expect it (or least nonshippers won't expect it).

[tikiki05]

I wonder if anyone else have thought of this but i can’t seem to see how gwen can be “doomed by the narrative” in ATSV, when i watched the movie her “in every other universe...” statement doesn’t really hold any substance to contribute to the doomed by the narrative trope to me. Since a lot of people say that gwen essentially falls for peter parker as a person, and that’s what i’m also getting from emma stone’s gwen. While they are arguably the same person but trying to apply that trope to miles just doesnt work since miles and peter are different people still. Then we also have that one comic where miles and gwen are married and she’s just fine?? So she’s not doomed at all not to mention that in the movie itself, they try to portray miles and gwen as “aggressively soulmates” so i can’t see how anything will go bad with these two.

Good evening and thank you for the ask!

Waaaaiit cause you’re actually cooking right now, there really is nothing to imply that she’s doomed by the narrative within this story or any other one!! You laid it all out perfectly, I really don’t have much to add. It just lends further to how the writers really screwed up by trying to force the romance between them (even though their “love” story was allegedly planned from the beginning)

The whole romance side of the plot just unravels more and more the further we dive into it on my page 😭

Thank you so so much for this ask and I hope you have a wonderful night!

[sholmeser]

ary scheffer / justus knetch / snake & ocelot

[ganondoodle]

i am being so brave trying so hard to hold back writing a rant about that 'minimizing narrative noise' comment on totk sage concept art bc its actively flying around in my head like the worlds most annoying fly

[whoredmode]

going off something i was talking about the other day. i think i know why i took sriv’s terrible quality so personally. like why i felt so insulted and angered by it. it felt like a slap in the face to anyone who cared to take the early games seriously. even if that wasn’t the intention, it doesn’t really matter if that’s how it ends up coming off regardless.

sr1 is a tragicomedy, it has elements of heightened reality but at its core is a very genuine and grounded piece of work. the tone was meant to be based off (specifically) hip-hop music videos, which in and of themselves are incredibly sincere pieces of art—the visualization of something you can’t see, or in some cases the visualization of literal lyrics. pieces of art that have a point to get across, oftentimes ending in either bittersweet or sobering ways (see: playa’s death at the end of sr1). sr1 hits the beats it wants to and tells the story it wants to tell, even in the face of being a GTA clone or whatever. it had real heart. it had a point to its narrative. and i’ve actually written a longer piece discussing the use of music in the games and its love/hate relationship w gangsta rap and hip-hop if you’re curious. whether you think it did this well or not is up to your own tastes, but the intention and end result is clear.

so all that to say when sriv came along and was just unfunny jokes and badly written irony, parody, and quips placed against painfully bathetic moments and quite literally blowing up its worldbuilding. it’s like. oh. that’s how you’re sending this off. if the intention was just to “make a fun game” then sure, fine, whatever, but there’s really no need to just be so…dismissive of what came before. you’re just lying when you say the narrative of the games was never meant to be taken seriously from the start. sorry for caring?? i forgot it’s not cool to be sincere anymore. forgot we’re all supposed to have this sense of ironic detachment to all art. ok. whatever.

[firegiftlouis]

This fandom’s constant push to make Louis out to be the sexual predator of the series is gross enough as is when he’s the only Black male lead (never mind the fact that he is ALSO a victim of sexual violence but you guys conveniently ignore), but I know none of y’all give a fuck about racism 😒

Instead, I just wanted to point out how fucking wild it is that so many of you are constantly and uncritically painting the only man in the main cast so far who is confirmed to be exclusively attracted to men as sexually predatory. Like that doesn’t come off as I don’t know…homophobic as fuck to y’all???

[sammygender]

there's something really easy to me about writing precanon spn fanfiction (not writing GOOD fanfiction necessarily. but. just having an idea and turning it into a 5kish vaguely completed story in its own right. which is normally something i struggle with). and i think i just clocked why while reading something about how to write short stories (i am notoriously bad at writing original short stories i just write novels and scenes from novels instead lol).

so much of writing flowing well is about motivation... characters wanting something. and i specifically find the young winchesters so good to write for because they have these motivations so built into them.

sam wants to get free & have autonomy & stop hunting & make dad understand and all that is sooo written into his younger self and therefore to write a lil fic about him you just have to like... isolate an incident that lets you really show that. which is what ive been doing without realising it. and dean wants... not much for himself, which is just as key of a character detail! but he still has intensely strong motivations, to keep the family together and to protect sam.

this is such a testament to the character work on spn lol their motivations even precanon are so clear and they're still such complex characters and it makes them so so so fun to write. its making me realise. i think some of the failures of my own character writing is that they dont always Want things

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

the endless curse of being utterly uninterested in romance in fandom spaces

[nullcoast]

Why can't we just love eachother and help eachother and cry for eachother when we hurt and laugh for eachother when we're happy. What happened to radical acceptance and beauty. Why are we self-separating using white suppremist ideas about identity. The idea someone needs some pure property to be worthy of adopting a community is point blank a white suprematist idea. Where is the understanding of mistake and pain.

We are so alone and isolated in this generation and we are playing directly into the interests of those in power by further self-separating. Focus on some important fucking shit.

[craig960114]

why craig are take over world

essay by me (craig)

As much as Craig may seem like a simple doodle of a cat, his potential for world domination should not be underestimated. Despite his crude appearance, Craig embodies the essence of adaptability and resilience, traits that are essential for any aspiring ruler.

Firstly, Craig's simplicity works to his advantage. Underestimation is a powerful tool in warfare, and many would dismiss Craig as inconsequential. However, this oversight allows Craig to operate in the shadows, biding his time until the perfect moment to strike.

Secondly, Craig's lack of defined features makes him a versatile symbol. He can represent anything from innocence to cunning, depending on the narrative spun around him. This ambiguity allows Craig to appeal to a wide range of followers, from disillusioned citizens seeking change to opportunistic power-seekers.

Thirdly, Craig's handwritten signature adds a personal touch to his endeavors. In a world increasingly dominated by digital signatures and impersonal interactions, Craig's handwritten mark harkens back to a simpler time, fostering a sense of nostalgia and authenticity among his followers.

In conclusion, Craig may appear unassuming at first glance, but beneath his simplistic exterior lies the potential for world domination. Through adaptability, versatility, and a personal touch, Craig has the tools necessary to rally followers and reshape the world in his image. Beware the power of Craig, for his ascent to global dominance may be closer than we think.

[designernishiki]

as much as a i understand and respect ace kiryu truthers, i really feel like kiryu is the type to really take the idea to heart that sex is something vulnerable and meaningful and thus reserved for someone completely trusted and special to him– someone who feels right. after years and years he’s still never legitimately voluntarily slept with someone, always tries to turn women away or is at least apathetic when they try to get physical with him, never feels that deep and specific bond with a woman– nothing compared to some of his bonds with other men throughout his life. and maybe, hopefully, one day it’ll hit him that there’s a pretty big, glaring reason why no women have ever felt “right” to him.

[selfinflictedgunshotwound]

how do terfs grapple with the fact that they're white supremacist losers who think that women are weak essentially like adult babies but that they also bear the apparent brunt of all human pain... liiike ok which narrative are we going with

[psalmsofpsychosis]

I dont think at this point i can even start on classic literature if i tried, like, i have absolutely zero patience for stories that take their goddamn time "building up" to things. "give exposition talk and show your characters doing everyday things" girl only if the everyday things contribute to the theme of the story! I dont have an ounce of interest in traditional idle starting points, "this story takes awhile to warm up and nothing happens for 45 pages" lmao bye