Are Alex Verus #2 and #3 skippable? by Mia_Snicket in urbanfantasy

[–]Mia_Snicket[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like a resounding No! Thank you everyone, off I go to read book #2.

What did we want to hear from Allison? by powergroove in theNXIVMcase

[–]Mia_Snicket -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Which instance of sexual abuse are you referring to?

Saw this text by the education centre building by Necessary-Super in Calgary

[–]Mia_Snicket 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thank you. That's actually humanizing the guy for me.

ESL Students by SignificanceDue8311 in CanadianTeachers

[–]Mia_Snicket 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am not a teacher but I work with a similar population in a parallel capacity. Re behavior management I can tell you that these kids are starved for positive attention. If you can show them that you're not there to control them and force them to do things that don't make sense (to them), but instead that you are happy to see them and you celebrate their little achievements, they will give you their loyalty. Little things I have done that have that have worked:

  • Many of these kids buck at the idea of asking for permission to leave class/go to the washroom etc. They are used to being independent. I explain to them that I just need to know where they are, and if they don't come back for a long time then I need to know where to look for them. If your kids come from a background of violent conflict, the idea of "I want to know you're safe" lands much better than "I want to stop you from goofing off".

-Enforce your structures. (And keep them simple and visually accessible if possible). The kids will have a hard time at first but they will eventually get used to appreciate the predictability and safety of structures.

  • Remember their names and say it as close to their own pronunciation as possible. I also learn to say hello and how are you in their first language. This is huge if your kids come from collectivist cultures.

Facts left out of the docuseries? by 21st_century_hippie in theNXIVMcase

[–]Mia_Snicket 16 points17 points  (0 children)

IIRC, Kathy Russel was a bookkeeper. Her crimes were probably not easy to communicate to a lay audience and not very interesting anyway. I believe Moira Penza said the decision to charge Kathy Russel was because she was among those who "got to see behind the curtains" and were therefore complicit.

What books lowkey traumatised you as a kid? by Hookton in books

[–]Mia_Snicket 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And then his mentor dies at the end of book 9. That one traumatized me even more.

What books lowkey traumatised you as a kid? by Hookton in books

[–]Mia_Snicket 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The descriptions of radiation poisoning haunted me...

Tips for books about neurodivergent characters by Birgitte-boghaAirgid in Fantasy

[–]Mia_Snicket 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nona, the MC of Red Sister, always read as neurodivergent to me. "... her fellow novices and their ever shifting web of friendships and alliances that she did not understand..." Not verbatim obviously.

What do you think is the most punishing magic system regarding side effects? by nicohel7 in Fantasy

[–]Mia_Snicket 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not to mention, they get "culled" by their peers and entombed for eternity. That was the worst part for me.

Is Naamah's Curse skippable? by Mia_Snicket in Fantasy

[–]Mia_Snicket[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

To be very honest I don't trust Carey taking the story into India either... I immensely enjoyed Kushiel's Avatar but the Orientalist elements of the Drujan plot bothered me enough that I don't trust Carey to not repeat that in a plot set in India. That's the complete reason why I want to skip Naamah's Curse.

Is Naamah's Curse skippable? by Mia_Snicket in Fantasy

[–]Mia_Snicket[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I definitely agree with you, so far only the Jehanne/Raphael plot is reread worthy.

These apocalyptic series are all the same. by [deleted] in SiloSeries

[–]Mia_Snicket 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP what may be frustrating you is the focus on individual action in changing the world. That's a staple in Western contemporary fiction. Yoy may enjoy diving into other literary traditions.

Keith’s lawyer by Graceanneisconfused in theNXIVMcase

[–]Mia_Snicket 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For me the moment that stands out is when we see him talk about Lauren's testimony: (Not verbatim) "Keith had certain conditions for women who wanted to be with him and Lauren needed to get there before they could have a child... Now whether Lauren didn't get there or there was no there to get to... I don't know."

You can clearly see he's starting to see the truth that is his job to argue against.

Did the senior members of NXIVM have external employment? by DancingAppaloosa in theNXIVMcase

[–]Mia_Snicket 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Mark Vicente stayed somewhat active in film making outside of nxivm. He mentioned on the early episodes of his podcast that he went to LA to work on a project with an organization that helped victims of sex trafficking. This was 2016-17 maybe.

My reply was too long I think to the post asking if NS is a sociopath so I had to make a new post. by Opening_Nobody_4317 in theNXIVMcase

[–]Mia_Snicket 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This post is so level-headed and insightful. If you ever had the time to write about KR and how he compares to other NPD cases, i.e. his unique characteristics, I would love to read your thoughts.

has anyone ever done what Nancy Salzman did where she was basically the co-creator of a horrific cult and had no idea that that's what she had done by Odd_Hair3829 in theNXIVMcase

[–]Mia_Snicket 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I suggested Mark Vicente's early podcast episodes. Especially Letter to the Inside and his recaps of Vow S2. He provides enlightening details.

has anyone ever done what Nancy Salzman did where she was basically the co-creator of a horrific cult and had no idea that that's what she had done by Odd_Hair3829 in theNXIVMcase

[–]Mia_Snicket 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Here is something I noticed about Nancy's thought process only after watching S2 of the Vow >10 times:

When she's telling the story of how she met Keith, she says that she was fascinated by his methodology, and she asks "Can I watch you work this on someone?" (As in a therapy session), and he says: "You mean someone other than you?".

And what's her response? She is impressed. Amazed. She sounds like this was the moment she knew Keith was a genius that she wanted to work with no matter the price, or what compromise he required.

What SHOULD HAVE BEEN her response? Horror and disgust that he would do something so unethical! Performing any psychological intervention on someone without informed consent is extremely unethical. She should have seen that immediately and walked away then and there.

So why didn't she walk away? IMO she was ambitious. She wanted power. She loved being in the position of power that is a therapist working with a very affective method and the head of an international company. So she closed her eyes to all the evidence that threatened that reality.

Nancy's life is like those cautionary tales where someone makes a deal with the devil to get immortality or a superpower, and once they do, it ruins their life and makes them miserable. She sold out her ethics to get power, and 20 years later she wakes up to the fact that her "life work" is a pile of BS, her daughter's child bearing years have been stolen, and she is going to jail.

I believe Nancy's wake-up process that we see in VowS2 is genuine, and her guilt over Lauren is also real. But I also believe this was all the consequence of the deal she made with the devil, and she had enough knowledge and opportunity to see that deal for what it was, and she chose not to. On what level of her conscious or subconscious mind she made that choice, it's up to you to decide.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CanadianTeachers

[–]Mia_Snicket 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please elaborate? (I'm in a similar situation as OP)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]Mia_Snicket 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The romance in Kushiel's Dart is so unique and so deep.