#i'm literally so stupid

[twinkinspector]

resizing a png without losing quality might be my thirteenth reason

[readingintoit]

Animal Farm’s Real Message: Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss

Throughout our lives, we all have to learn to manipulate people in some capacity. Our intentions may not always be sinister, but sometimes you have something you want so much that your desire to persuade others and bring them to your side overrides any kind of moral misgivings you may have. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Napoleon and Squealer are two characters who make use of many types of manipulation techniques, which is most evident in the propaganda they spread. In the beginning of the book, they’re not as transparent with their manipulation, but as their power and human-like tendencies grow, the deception becomes more and more obvious to the reader. They use a variety of propaganda techniques like appeals to fear, ad hominem, and attempts to “otherize” those on the outside and make them seem morally reprehensible when they’re not aligned with Napoleon’s views. But beyond all this complex language, their actions can be summarized through one simple maxim: gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. 

Gaslighting is a manipulation tactic that involves making the victim believe an altered version of events by making them question their own sanity. Napoleon and Squealer use this to their advantage by subtly altering the 7 commandments that the animals are supposed to follow over a long period of time. The first example of this happens when Napoleon and Squealer begin engaging in trade with humans. The animals remember creating a resolution against this, but it is firmly denied by Squealer. “He [Squealer] assured them that the resolution against engaging in trade and using money had never been passed, or even suggested. It was pure imagination, probably traceable in the beginning to lies circulated by Snowball. A few animals still felt faintly doubtful, but Squealer asked them shrewdly, "Are you certain that this is not something that you have dreamed, comrades? Have you any record of such a resolution? Is it written down anywhere?" And since it was certainly true that nothing of the kind existed in writing, the animals were satisfied that they had been mistaken.” Having changed the only physical evidence there was of the rule existing, it is easy for Napoleon and Squealer to convince the other animals that their memory is flawed, and they’re able to get away with breaking this rule. Another example of this is when the commandment about sleeping in beds is altered ever so slightly in the favor of the pigs who begin sleeping in the farmhouse. “Curiously enough, Clover had not remembered that the Fourth Commandment mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so.” The commandment is changed, but since it’s a small change that has taken place under the cover of night, and hidden away from the other animals, the change is not disputed or even noticed. These small changes continue to take place, with a couple of the animals remembering the original versions, and Squealer rushing in to sweep these revelations under the rug, until the commandment list is completely changed and no one can remember the original. Napoleon and Squealer use gaslighting in order to gatekeep the oddly human-like experiences they have as leaders of the farm.

Gatekeeping is when someone limits another’s access to or enjoyment of something because they believe themselves to be more worthy than the other. Napoleon and Squealer constantly engage in behaviors like drinking alcohol, trading, and the previously mentioned sleeping in beds. None of the other animals are able to do these things, and even the way food is rationed heavily favors the pigs. Squealer justifies this by telling the other animals that the pigs are in greater need of these things than they ever could be. “ Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well−being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us.” Since the animals have no reason not to believe Squealer about this, and no real counterargument, they are forced to accept it, and the gatekeeping is successful. This happens again when Squealer explains why Napoleon becoming the sole leader of Animal Farm is actually extremely advantageous. “No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?” Operating on the basis that pigs, Napoleon in particular, are inherently smarter than the other animals, Squealer convinces the others that they have no need of personal freedom, and that any and all decision-making should be left up to the pigs. This gives the pigs more rights and freedom than the other animals, which doesn’t align with the fundamental principle that all animals are equal. But the other animals do not question it, because they are led to believe that it is for their own good. Gaslighting and gatekeeping can be heavily related because a manipulator often uses one in order to accomplish the other, but the most intense and probably the best form of manipulation can have everything to do with these two, or can be achieved by completely unrelated means. Girlbossing is arguably the subtlest yet the most obvious technique that Squealer and Napoleon use in order to make it seem like they are acting in the best interests of the farm.

A girlboss is someone who stays focused on their own goals and ambitions, and works towards them regardless of what others are doing. A real girlboss works and lives only for themself. The way Napoleon uses girlbossing is a bit different from the gaslighting and gatekeeping because it happens through him directly, and he doesn’t do it consciously. He is always working to keep himself in power no matter what the cost, but usually it is through Squealer. He rarely communicates with the other animals directly. But when he does things personally, he really embodies the cutthroat nature that girlbosses have. For example, Napoleon has no problem with using violence to drive Snowball out of the farm and immediately taking sole leadership of the farm, showing he’d planned the event in advance. “At first no one had been able to imagine where these creatures came from, but the problem was soon solved: they were the puppies whom Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared privately.” Even from the very beginning, before Snowball was gone from the farm, Napoleon knew what his goal was, and already was taking action towards it, as a true girlboss would. He also presents himself in a very grandiose way, “Nowadays they did not sit all together as they had done in the past. Napoleon, with Squealer…sat on the front of the raised platform, with the nine young dogs forming a semicircle round them, and the other pigs sitting behind. The rest of the animals sat facing them in the main body of the barn.” Clearly, Napoleon thinks highly of himself and wants to demonstrate his greatness towards the other animals in a physical way. He succeeds in making this change, because this new setup becomes permanent, and the other animals begin thinking of Napoleon as their supreme leader. Napoleon doesn’t stop there, and seeks to grow his power by interacting with humans as well. No matter what, he is not satisfied with what he has, and he always wants more, as any girlboss would. Napoleon and Squealer are not morally sound by any means, but the skill with which they manage to manipulate those around them cannot go unnoticed.

Napoleon and Squealer embody the values of the phrase “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss,” and they show these things in their behavior throughout the book. They gaslight the animals into misremembering the rules and fundamentals of Animalism, they gatekeep the privileges and quality of life that different types animals are allowed to have, and they girlboss by never losing sight of their goal, and expanding their ambitions further and further. All of these things help them not only gain control of the farm, but also maintain their power. Napoleon and Squealer are a great team when it comes to working well together. Their desire for power is something that is present in every human being, and perhaps it is what makes them so human-like. For all the manipulation tactics they use, and all the lies they spread, where would they have learned it, if not from man?

[batllethinker]

Reasons to use gloves while using a punching bag

[nucleos]

if you are complaining about dragon age veilguards artstyle being inconsistent with dragon age's overall artstyle then I know for a fact, that you have not played all the games. You are lying, because consistency?? in dragon age?? this is Alistar in all three games

(edit: reblogs turned off because i dont want to hear from some of u)

[saebaragi]

I have so much to say but I keep censoring myself when posting in MY OWN STUPID BLOG because thanks to that dear anon from many moons ago I got the impression that people care about my opinions like ????? they obviously don't. as I said before, not even I care about most of my opinions. but everytime I get a stupid thought and I think "haha i'll tell this to my stupid blog no one cares about" I always remember how awful I felt trying to understand why that anon was mad cuz the post they were referring to was not saying anywhere that I was right or that someone else was wrong it was just saying i was fighting the urge to argue, so now before posting I think "... but what if someone do care?? and they don't like it??? I will literally die" so I delete the post and just stare at my screen in complete terror of the idea of receiving another angry anon ask

[lazylittledragon]

mombin pt 9!! it's been too long i'm sorry

(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)

[maykitz]

get-along t shirt

[pisshandkerchief]

I fucking hate love triangles in media. just try polyamory

[dekariosclan]

PSA: If Tav fails the weave scene…

So, I’m assuming that most players (like me) thought that you *had* to pass the “channeling the weave” scene with Gale in order to begin his romance. Makes sense, right? Gale is a learned scholar, he tells you magic is his life, so it’s understandable that even he might hesitate to romance you if you are unable to follow his simple instructions and share a moment with him.

…but nope! Nope. Of course Gale is so wonderful that even if you fail the scene, he’s still down bad for you, and to top it off? His response is one of the sweetest lines in the whole damn game.

If you are a Galemancer and you haven’t seen this before, please stop whatever you are doing, sit down, view his expression + hear his line delivery, and try not to pass out:

Tav: It was a pity your lesson in the Weave ended so soon - I was enjoying our moment alone. Do you think about us being alone again?

Gale: Do you?

Tav: Yes.

Gale: So do I. You see, I'm not a big believer in fate, but I do believe in serendipity.

Gale: Life is a tempest of events that sometimes we brace against, and sometimes embrace.

Gale: You're one such event that one day soon perhaps, I'd like to embrace.

[mamawasatesttube]

my ideal timkon don't get together until they've both already done some queer realizations and dated other guys a little bit, in part because on tim's end, i think he's been in love with kon since he was 17, but at 17 tim didn't even know he was bisexual, forget anything else. and his feelings for kon were so big but also so constant that he didn't even realize they were there or significant because they've always been there and been huge. for years. so he putters along and does his time in the torment nexus (the closet) and languishes a bit but slowly starts to figure it out.

meanwhile kon dates someone, mostly like omg im dating a guy this is ALLOWED !??!?! and its pretty lowkey and casual and doesnt last bc like . super identity issues, right. kon would Never just tell someone, but secrets and casual relationships dont last long etc etc. but just the entire principle of kon dating someone and then being like yeah idk im not really feeling it like hes nice and all but i think hes more interested in like… yknow, my hot bod, than me. its whatever tho. and tim just being SOOOOO mad that someone would date kon and not absolutely adore him. tim will not be unpacking why hes so mad about kon having a shitty boyfriend. obviously its just bc kons his bestie and deserves better. (😶)

so he's just grouchily tinkering on some upgrade for his car to get the grumpy energies out. like WHATEVER! (angrily turns socket wrench) he's not saying kon should dump the guy or anything (angrily turns socket wrench) but he's just SAYING, kon can do BETTER!!!!! (angrily turns socket wrench) and kon DESERVES better!!! kon deserves someone who will treat him RIGHT!!!!! (angrily turns socket wrench) like if TIM was gonna fuck kon he wouldn't do it like a goddamn quickie and just fucking leave (angrily grabs the next size socket and scoots further under the car) like kon OBVIOUSLY doesn't like that so why won't this guy GET THAT!!!! (angry tinkering noises) if he's that shallow he can go find himself a sexy body pillow to screw!!! leave kon alone!!!!

and cassie sitting on a chair nearby is just like. sorry what was that? "if i was gonna fuck kon"? did you just say--hey tim? hey. can you go back a step?

and tim's just. obviously this is a hypothetical everyone considers about kon. look at him he's . you know. besides, tim's just talking as his best friend who wants the best for him! ugh stop trying to read into it cassie, that's not the POINT--

[archietism]

happy i would have started hormones today if they didn't get fucking banned in my state day to me :) im gonna go cry

[marcythevampirequeen]

bonnie & marceline in fionna and cake "the star"

[yashley]

laura & ashley & imogen & fearne in c3e80 or:

[hyakunana]

✨💕 The winner of the DGP is———! 💕✨

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[woodchoc-magnum]

idk. i'm annoyed.

i realise i am a fandom old at this point

and i have seen some shit in this fandom; witnessed the discourse.

and i don't post meta or spec or much of that stuff; i usually put all my ideas into fics.

but guys seriously. seriously.

eddie's current arc is not about buck.

buck and eddie are not currently dating.

buck is eddie's best friend and vice versa.

eddie is not cheating on buck.

eddie is lying to buck by omission, yes, but that is not a friendship ending offence.

eddie is on the very cusp of cheating right now. he went on a date with another woman, yes. he has not kissed her or slept with her. we are at a tipping point. we do not know what is going to happen next.

he only went on a date with another woman because she reminded him of shannon, who he is not over, who he has spent seasons trying to replace.

the point of this show is that none of the characters are perfect - and especially not buck and eddie. they all make mistakes. they have all made mistakes and will continue to do so because in real life, people don't always make the right decisions 100% of the time.

this black-and-white, morally righteous way of thinking, like eddie is suddenly evil now because he's on the cusp of cheating; that it's going to end his friendship, that buck is going to be angry at him for lying - do you have friends in real life? like, i am genuinely asking.

because if my best friend suddenly started cheating on her husband, i wouldn't be mad at her - i would be worried. am i alone in this? like i would be genuinely concerned and trying to help figure out what's going on.

all the shit i'm seeing in the fandom today, all of the spec posts and commentary about the episode and what might potentially happen, just feels like, once again, an attempt to paint eddie as the villain in the story to prop up buck. let's make eddie so terrible that buck has to have custody of christopher, right?

clearly none of you understand how a will works. it's for after you're dead. not for when you're alive.

but the main issue is this - now that buck has tommy, the people who tolerated eddie can stop pretending to like him. there's another option for buck now, so you guys don't need eddie anymore. right? am i fucking right??

i love drama as much as the next person, but in what world would buck turn on eddie because of this? in what world would the 118 shun him? he is their friend! they love him! they care about him! they are a family!

my god, nobody shunned hen when she cheated on karen. nobody shuns bobby and he indirectly killed 140 people!

eddie is a good person who makes mistakes, just like every single other character on the show.

that is the fucking point.

and the way ryan was talking in the interviews - isolation could mean any number of things. we know eddie has a tendency to isolate himself when he's feeling stressed out - does anyone remember season 3? season 5? buck literally broke down his door!

i'm just fucking tired of this bullshit.

eddie's not a bad guy because of this. he has done shitty things, yes. they all have. that's the fucking point of the show, and if you can't understand that or appreciate adult story-telling, then fuck off and watch riverdale.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

It's gonna be my BIRTHDAY soon and I really need to rustle up some CASH so if u feel like this blog has made your life MEASURABLY WORSE (or just weirder) over the past year, perchance consider tipping your town fool? THANK YOU (kofi / paypal)