#It feels wrong of me to say my experience was a full on cult but they're adjacent

[saltyfilmmajor]

Let's just agree that people forgot that Jom Jones managed to convince hundreds of people to kill themselves and they lost sight of how cults operate and move on because at this point its like talking to a wall

Anon I know this is a serious discussion but i can't stop laughing at JOM.

Anyway i won't say that my lived experiences will ever fully replicate something like Jonestown, or indeed Scientology. However, something like trying to leave my own congregation, that did not exert as much control like those other situations, was still extremely difficult. My friends all saw it in real time, and the further I've since moved on outside that context I can really understand what happened to me. So it's strange to me, people think you can just leave a cult. Like a genuine, no one disagrees is a cult. No one is ever too powerful or too rich or too intelligent whatever to not be taken in by a cult. That's not how that works.

Cult leaders use their charisma to abuse people, and being "high" in the hierarchy doesn't save you from that abuse, it makes you a closer target.

People love to use the "You're not immune to Propaganda meme" and then say "I'd simply wouldn't join a cult" that's just not how it works.

[benegesseritofficial]

The effects of face paint on Harrowhark's psyche

I've now cosplayed Gideon Nav 3 times, with my wife along as Harrow every time. Naturally, this has included full face paint for both of us each time and I have some thoughts.

Let me start by asserting that everything Muir writes in TLT about the face paint is accurate. Rubbing off your lips first, smearing into gray where the black and white meet, the way sweat makes it ooze but not run. I can't say if Muir (a known Homestuck) ever cosplayed as a troll, but I'm positive she tested out the practicality of the skull face paint or otherwise has first hand experience with extensive use of grease paint. Also, the way she describes normal people flinching when they see you is spot on.

I've noticed while putting on the make up that once most of my skin is covered, any flesh tones sticking out start to become unsettling. Specifically, the red/pink of the inner mouth and around the eyes jump out upsettingly. Every time I've done skull paint I find myself meticulously trying to patch over these edges of skin, despite knowing that it's inside skin that Shouldn't Have Make Up On It. Once my face is monochrome, I don't want to be able to see a scrap of real human under there. Smiling, or otherwise opening your mouth wide enough to see the pink, looks UNSETTLING. My own skin causes the uncanny valley effect. You see where this is going. In NtN we learn Harrowhark disassociates often enough that Crux isn't surprised or concerned to see "Harrow" insisting she's someone else. Obviously this is due to her schizophrenia, and perhaps trauma besides. But it doesn't account for every aspect of why Harrow's "like that." On her most lucid days Harrow ignores her body to the point of sweating blood and passing out. She goes entire days without eating. She thinks of herself as a skeleton unfortunately covered in flesh. She sleeps in her paint.

All of which is heinous, but that last one has stuck with me. From age 13-18 I barely glanced down while I showered and whatever I saw I basically blocked out. I wore underwear and a bra under my pajamas to sleep every night. I was going through the wrong puberty, "my body was in open rebellion" as I liked to say at the time, and the only way to cope was to bind it down and pretend it wasn't happening. By Gideon's narration in HtN one gets the impression most nuns of the Ninth are putting their paint on after breakfast and taking it off when they get home. It's not even expected the average person wears it every time they leave the house. But Harrow regularly only takes her paint off in order to redo it. I suspect a combination of being the most brainwashed person in her own cult, knowing how she was conceived, and the regular disassociation make it very difficult for Harrow to conceptualize that she actually lives in a body. If she faced that fact head on she'd have to ask why it so often feels someone else is using her body. She'd have to cope with owning this body, being a part of this body, that was bought with the blood of 200 children who should have been her peers and friends. Instead she pretends it's an object on loan from them. And she does it with 10 layers of black petticoats and so much paint she never has to see her own skin.

Which brings me to the final thing I've noticed wearing full face paint. It dehumanizes you to yourself and everyone around you. I couldn't read my own expressions in a mirror. Even people who understood and were delighted with my cosplay were visibly nervous talking to me. You don't look like a person. Studies have shown that faces wearing heavy make up are ranked as harder to read and perceived as less empathetic. It's a particularly insidious trap of patriarchy that many women find self esteem in wearing make up, while that very act makes everyone around them treat them more callously. And, worst of all, if you stop wearing it once you're used to it, your naked face is shocking. You look sick due to your colors being less bold and the normal small flaws of your face appear unbearably ugly. With all this in mind, Harrow has trapped herself in a feedback loop of not being able to witness her own face and becoming more and more disgusted with the flesh and person underneath whenever she has to glance at it.

[sunflowerandstrawberryspice]

CARMEN SANDIEGO? In 2024? It's more likely thank you think! Please excuse the shit quality for some reason I wasn't allowed to upload the normal pdf and I had to upload a fucking screenshot???

So my friend convinced me to watch Carmen Sandiego and since he's watching ALL of Ninjago for me I thought it was the least I could do to watch four season of a show with a pretty decent concept but uh... yeesh, don't get me wrong the show is really fun but lord have mercy does it have problems especially the last two seasons which were just so wildly disappointing to me. It went from a show with an interesting look on morals to pure pro-cop and mostly black and white thinking so quick (that not mentioning the breaking up a found family full of people with abandonment issues) it was honestly just so disappointing so me and the friend who introduced it to me decided to rewrite it! (I will not be animating nor do I plan on doing more than MAYBE a comic or art piece here and there because my chronic pain ridden ass can not handle that much lol)

The main goals are to:

1) Flesh out characters that aren't Carmen and actually give them reactions based on their lived experiences and how they might realistically react instead of what the show needed to move the plot along

2) Having characters other than Carmen be actually relevant to the plot the main one being Chase Devineaux who we're gonna kind of have as a parallel to Carmen (trust me yall) as kind of a "What if Carmen didn't have her friends/family to ground her and fall back on" but for all the Chase fans out there (gods I hope there's some other than me) he will be getting a happy ending but bro is getting put through the RINGER first

3) Have both A.C.M.E (now standing for Administration for Containing and Monitoring Evil) and V.I.L.E be the bad guys. Also just as an extra bit of fun we're making VILE a full blown cult, they were very cult like in the show so we're just gonna make it one. Both are going to be very morally questionable and while it'll take a bit longer for ACME to show it's true colors don't you worry they definitely will ;)

4) We're doing canonical lgbtq+ rep, I know the show teased a lot of relationships and really only gave yall background gays not to say thats bad but we can do better than just a brief shot of a damn taco truck. I mean like come on in a story about a young woman going against the government for the greater good why not put some rep into it ya know!

5) We're making it light sci-fi, not like SUPER high tech but definitely beyond what we've got currently, as shown with Carmen's prosthetic, and don't worry I'm doing my research as a disabled person I know how it feels to be misrepresented or ignored so I want to make sure I'm being realistic

6) PLAYER ISN'T GOING TO BE A CHILD! I don't know if this bothered anybody else but to me it was really weird that this 16 year old's only friends were in their 20s!

Alright I think that's what I'm gonna say for now, I'd love it if yall tuned in for updates if your curious since this is a passion project for me and my friend and we're having a blast writing it!

As always I am still working on stuff for Ninjago cause I could never abandon my one true love, currently there's a Pixal drawing in progress (it's giving me hell T-T) something for Cole and Geo, and something of Sora MAYBE even Euphrasia if I'm feeling up to it.

Having said that I hope yall have a great day/night and PEACE OUT!

[joejhang]

my input into the thea discourse in the aftg fandom

tw: rape, SA, abuse, violence

spoilers ahead !!! full disclosure: these are my opinions and no one is obligated to agree w me but if u don't i'm literally begging u pls explain urself properly in replies or just don't engage. it's rlly not that deep i just can't w mfs who just say shit like "ur wrong" without giving it any real thought and acting mature and explaining their opinion. if ur a hardcore thea hater/lover honestly just do the smart thing and don't even read on. thanks pooks !!!

gotta preface this by saying: i am not a thea hater. she's done a lot of things wrong that i'll go into but i don't have a strong hatred or even dislike for her. that being said i'm fully aware that if there's anything that will get the aftg fandom riled up it's thea muldani or the extra content. one of those.

first off, i'm well aware that thea is very much a victim of the nest, as much as jean or kevin. and also we don't even fully know how deeply thea was entrenched in the shit that went down in the nest, all we know is that she probably didn't abuse kevin or jean the way others did, considering how she interacts w them in tsc. one of the main criticisms i see of thea is how she "handled" the whole situation w riko and kevin and finding out all of riko's abuse. ppl didn't like her "no harm no foul" attitude re: kevin's broken hand. i get this, considering it wasn't rlly "no harm no foul" given the lasting trauma left on kevin from the incident, and also how long he spent recovering. that shit leaves a long-term impact on ppl and riko still remains kevin's abuser, and thea was wrong for considering it to be "no harm no foul" bc there was harm done. that being said, i think ppl need to be aware that the nest was very much a cult, as neil so aptly puts it. and tbh i have had very little experiences w these sort of environments but i do know that the nest's mentality likely had a long-term impact on thea asw. no matter how deep the abuse went w the other ravens, they were all still subject to the deep-rooted competition and fear that everyone experiences in the nest. idk the full extent of it, but it's pretty safe to assume that thea (given how good of a player she is) is pretty deep in all the cult mentality. this isn't an easy thing to just grow out of, and a lot of the brainwashing that went on in the nest probably stuck w thea and contributed to her responses to finding out exactly what happened to jean and kevin in the nest.

one of the things i most dislike abt thea is the whole conversation between her and jean in tsc. i appreciate that she cares about jean and sort of took him under her wing, but i feel like what rlly stuck w me abt it all was the whole "tell me you weren't up to your old tricks again" line. obv this pissed a lot of ppl off in the fandom too, so i'm just gonna say my piece briefly; thea referring to the older ravens repeatedly raping jean on riko's orders as jean's "tricks" is fucked up. she probably didn't know that jean wasn't consenting and she didn't know riko ordered it, but she did know that jean was a child at the time and can't legally give consent, and she did know that it wasn't like he fucked his way up to the top cos he's had his number from the beginning. she was an adult at the time, and should've done more to protect jean. still, it's obvious why she didn't, cos again, she was also a victim of the nest, and was definitely not in the best position to help jean. that being said, her line does imply that it was jean's choice/fault for messing around and the wording is just pretty fucked, so i'm not gonna completely absolve her of any responsibility in this convo just cos she was also a victim.

another thing i see when ppl r responding to thea criticism is referring to the criticism as victim blaming. tbf, a good amount of it probably is, but i think there are still a lot of things to criticise about her, and just dismissing it as "blaming the victim" is a disservice to the ppl trying to make a valid point. stating that the way thea responded to finding out abt riko's abuse towards jean and kevin was wrong and careless isn't victim blaming. victim blaming is, as the term suggests, blaming the victim of a situation for the situation they're in. listen. thea is not a victim of riko's abuse, at least not in the same way jean and kevin are. thea was a victim of the nest, yes, but it's pretty clear that what jean and kevin experienced was out of her hands, and not on the same level (esp jean. idk what rlly went down between kevin and riko before the hand breaking incident). at the end of the day, i think the way thea dealt w the issue of riko and his treatment of kevin and jean was thoughtless, and pretty dismissive. but it also bears remembering that there wasn't much for her to do by the time she found out. riko died shortly afterwards, kevin took his place as the best striker on the court and jean was sent to the trojans to heal and recuperate. her response could've been more...sensitive (i don't think that's the right word but we'll go with it) but still, y'all will complain, but what was she supposed to do? nora already stated that she was angry at riko, but riko died soon after and other than her anger, there was nothing else for thea to do in her response.

lastly, another argument levelled at thea is re her relationship w kevin. i actually am not sure abt their age gap (i think kevin was 15 and thea was 18 when they first met???) but i do know that their relationship didn't start properly until kevin was an adult and a player for the ravens. i really don't see the problem with this, considering three years (as far as i know, it is three years) isn't a HUGE gap in maturity and by the time they were together they were both very much consenting adults. as far as we know, thea didn't make any moves on kevin when he was a minor, and (if i'm correct) kevin being 18 and thea being 21 when they first properly started getting together isn't anything problematic. they're in similar stages of life, in a very close environment that's toxic, yes, but that they're both familiar with, and it's clear that the feelings they have for each other aren't the same as the violent, repressed sexual feelings held by some of the other ravens. they do genuinely care about each other on some emotional level, much as the fandom may want to deny it, and i don't really think there was anything wrong with their relationship re: consent and the age gap.

anyway, that's really all i have to say except that i do think thea is a complicated and honestly pretty realistic character, given the horrific circumstances she experienced in the nest. i think the fandom is well within their rights to criticise her actions but it bears remembering that she is just a human being and is never going to be perfect, and i think the way she acts is very real and true to her personality and circumstances and she makes a lot of mistakes, but that's just the human condition. it's also insane how much hate thea receives when she's honestly pretty on par with most of the other aftg characters on the moral "scale", if that even exists here. it's pretty baffling how much hate thea receives when she doesn't act all that differently to andrew, neil and kevin. it erases a lot of her complexity and does a disservice to her character (which, if you think about it, we don't know all that much about) to just label her as a purely "good" or "bad" character. aftg is not meant to be portraying conventionally "good" people, and i just think all the thea discourse is really interesting to put under a microscope and dissect.

thanks for reading and i will say it again: if u don't agree with me, that's fine, feel free to explain ur opinions and ur side of things. if ur just gonna be bitching and moaning abt how wrong i am or how much u hate/love thea, take it elsewhere. just don't engage. how easy is that??? just keep scrolling.

[jonathan-samuel-smith]

TW bipolar discussion and nonconsensual kissing, mental health discussion

So about Saturn Girl kissing Jon without his ability to consent to it: I get that she isn't actively deciding to mind control the people around her, but she does have a choice in the matter. Her family wanted her to stay home until she could control her mind control powers, but she didn't want to and left. To me that's like if I noticed I was manic (not hypomanic) and didn't go to the mental hospital... Like I can't control my bipolar but I have the choice to stay away from others when it would harm them. That's not even a good comparison though because my judgement isn't clear enough to consistently do that when I'm manic, whereas she is at baseline and is able to think rationally. I wouldn't blame someone with bipolar because they have no choice, but I'm just saying the obvious choice would be to keep yourself away from others even if it's not fun for you. I feel like I can blame her, because she has a choice.

I do sympathize with her, but I really think she's hurting others disproportionately to the distress she feels stuck at home, and that's not okay.

If you look back on the events with the knowledge that she can't turn off her mind control, you see how manipulative she is, especially to Jon, and she does high-control group tactics: love bombing, isolation, guilt tripping, not letting him have rest alone where he would have time to realize he didn't want this.

I don't like the JonDami narrative that Jon was an asshole for leaving Damian in the past or was running away from his problems, because in my view he was dragged into a cult and I can't blame him for that, especially because he was extremely vulnerable at the time. I also don't believe Jon would have left in the first place if he knew up front that he couldn't bring Damian to at least visit him.

Jon had been in a state of fight or flight for around 6 years (not just talking about the volcano because there was also his verbally abusive grandpa and their deadly adventures and being trapped in space, and then him struggling to survive on the streets and trying to find a way home after he escaped) and the first time he really got a chance to cool down was when he was talking with Damian. He really needs a long break, therapy, and medication because what he went through can't be treated with therapy alone as the stress has chemical effects in the brain that need to be adjusted.

The writers don't care about how Jon should be extremely hypervigilant and defensive and anxious. I guess that's just not brave enough for a superhero, nevermind that leaving the house and getting treatment for these things, learning to trust again, and letting people help you is so much braver than punching guys when you have superpowers. It's natural to fight when your fight or flight is activated in a protective manner, but doing the logical thing when every signal in your body is telling you not to is really damn hard. The only coward is DC for giving Jon trauma and not actually writing a traumatized character.

That all being said, Damian clearly doesn't see how Jon is being manipulated, probably because his head is full of self hatred & doubting & repressed desires to ask Jon to stay, and thinks he needs to go against his abandonment trauma by swinging the pendulum too far in the opposite direction in his speech. With his c-ptsd and abandonment issues I can see him becoming bitter towards Jon for going to the future.

That could make for a really complex fanfiction, don't you think? The conflict coming from their unique life experiences and traumas, and them learning to understand each other like they're always doing. This misunderstanding of intentions born not out of something dumb like hearing the wrong thing or being unclear in language, but from their different points of view.

My jondami au where Jon leaves the legion early is calling me lmao "Isaac we have more problems for you to fix~"

That being said I have no exclusivity to these ideas for writing.

[quadrantadvisor]

DP X Dirk Gently

Prompt: Bleeding out in an alleyway

Words: 1,318

On AO3

-

“Do you think this is part of a case?” Dirk shouted.

“What?” Todd shouted back, pushing his legs to just move, keep moving. The sounds of the fucking lasers being shot at them continued, as well as the angry voices of the men in the white suits. The two of them turned a corner, and Todd’s lungs burned as he pushed himself just a little more.

“I said, do you thi— whoa!” Todd cut Dirk off by grabbing his jacket and manhandling him through what looked like the back door of a restaurant, miraculously propped open by a brick. Todd kicked the brick out of the way, making the door click shut.

“I heard what you said,” Todd hissed, trying to keep himself quiet. “First off, why are you asking me? I’m not the holistic detective. Second off, you are the holistic detective! When has anything that ever happened to you not been part of a case?”

Dirk opened his mouth, then seemed to think for a moment. “What exactly are we counting as a case? Because some of my life experiences could be a bit debatable—”

“Hey, you can’t just come in here,” said a man in an apron, entering the room with a full garbage bag in hand. He looked pretty angry, all things considered.

“Sorry, sir,” Todd told him. “We’re leaving, but uh, can we head out a different exit? We would really appreciate it, there were some people chasing us. We’re really not trying to cause trouble-”

“Todd!,” Dirk whispered, hushed and urgent, “They’re right outside.”

“I get it,” the cook was saying, “but you can’t just barge in wherever—”

“—lost track of the subject—” Todd caught from just past the door. Dirk pressed his ear against the crack, listening.

“It’s a safety issue, I don’t know who you are—”

“—failed to tag the suspicious individuals at the scene—”

“Not to mention the health risk, there’s food stored back here—”

“—evidence of overshadowing—”

“Right!” Todd said, once again bodily grabbing his friend. “We’ll get out of your hair, won’t happen again, but we need to go right now.” Todd looked at Dirk, shaking him just a bit in emphasis.

“Yes, we’ll just be on our way,” Dirk agreed. “Sorry about my friend here,” he told the cook, tone conspiratorial. “He can be a bit dense. I’ll keep him out of trouble.” He patted Todd on the shoulder.

“Make sure you do,” the cook agreed. “There’s an employee entrance down the hall this way, I’ll let you out there.

-

“So,” Dirk said, kicking a rock down the street, “another cult, do you think?”

“I dunno,” Todd replied. “Could be, but their outfits looked more like uniforms to me.”

“You’re right, another cult would be a bit dull,” Dirk mused. “But then, shadowy government organizations have been a dime a dozen, haven’t they?”

“You do remember where you left the car, right?” Todd asked.

Dirk scoffed. “Of course I do!”

“Because it feels a little bit like we’re wandering aimlessly.”

“You’re going to feel silly in a moment, because it’s just down this way.”

“You’re sure.”

“Either that, or a clue!”

Todd sighed. Dirk turned into an alley. Todd was following him, but stopped when he stepped in a puddle. A puddle of something bright green, with a trail of it leading right where Dirk was going.

“Uh, Dirk, I don’t think that’s it,” Todd called.

“That’s where you’re wrong!” Dirk called back, tone oddly strangled.

Todd had a minor panic and sped around the corner, nearly crashing into Dirk.

It turned out that Dirk was wrong. They’d found the car and a clue.

If anything with that much blood could be considered a clue.

Tucked up between the car and the alley wall was a body, someone dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with dark hair. Their front was completely soaked in red. Todd swore, did a quick sweep of their surroundings for anything dangerous, then jogged to the figure’s side. Dirk got distracted by the green footprints Todd left.

“No pulse,” Todd said, heart dropping. “And he’s cold.” Of course he was, no one could survive losing that much blood. Closer up, Todd could see that he was just a kid.

Dirk’s head popped up from where he was examining the trails over the asphalt, bright unnatural green that transitioned into red. “So it is a case!”

“Can you have some sensitivity Dirk, what this is is a corpse,” Todd said.

“mmmmmmuh…?” the corpse said.

“AH!” Dirk and Todd both screamed.

Dirk recovered fastest, walking up to nudge Todd where he’d jumped up and away from the body. “A really interesting case!” he enthused. “Now, take off your shirt.”

“What?”

“Our new friend needs immediate first aid, and I don’t want to ruin mine,” Dirk said, pouting a bit as he displayed the Mexican Funeral shirt that Todd had gifted him.

“Fine,” Todd complied, stripping off his layers. “I’m still just freaking out that I never found his pulse,” he added, muffled by a shirt over his face.

“Hi there!” Dirk said to the boy, kneeling down to eye level. “My name’s Dirk, and I’m a detective. This is my friendsistent, Todd. We’re here to help, alright?”

The boy’s eyes cracked open, and one of his hands twitched. A wheeze came through slightly parted lips, before he slumped back down again.

“Here,” Todd said, holding out his shirt.

“What, me?” Dirk asked. “I don’t know any first aid.”

Todd huffed. “Whatever, just-”

“-signature’s getting close,” said a voice from the end of the alley, and Todd shut up quick so he could hear the tromp of polished dress shoes.

“Grab him, get in the car, get in the car, now,” Todd ordered under his breath, and Dirk rushed to comply, forgetting that he was smearing blood all over his precious, precious shirt. He laid out the boy in the back seat, realizing belatedly that there wasn’t any room left for him, and Todd was already starting to peel away. He scrunched down into the foot well, using his body as a brace to keep the kid from rolling. While he was at it, he balled up Todd’s sacrificed shirt and placed it under the kid’s head as a pillow.

The car rocked with an impact, and Dirk looked up to see that the hood was smoking slightly from whatever sort of gun those guys in white were packing. “Oh shit oh shit oh shit,” Todd was chanting as he floored the pedal, picking up as much speed as he could in the limited space and headed straight towards a real human being who was shooting at him.

The man dodged the car at the last second, firing a few more shots into their bumper, but fortunately missing the tire. Dirk craned up to look out the back, catching a glimpse of him speaking into a communicator on his wrist before he was out of sight.

“Why are they after us?” Todd cried out. “What on Earth did we do​?”

“More importantly, we have a boy now—who may in fact be dying, kind of up in the air at this point,” Dirk pointed out.

“We should’ve just left him there, called the cops, something. Now he’s all mixed up in this mess with us.”

“Todd,” Dirk admonished, “he’s already involved.”

“Oh, and you know that, do you?” Todd snarked.

“That is how it works, yes,” Dirk replied, tone a little distant as he looked over their new charge.

“Right,” Todd sighed. “Well, I don’t know how some half dead teenager is possibly connected to those shady dudes in suits, but we’ll figure it out.”

“Of course we will!” Dirk replied.

“’Cause we’re great at it.”

“Oh, undoubtedly,” Dirk confirmed.

“After we buy a first aid kit.”

“Good idea.”

“And call Farah.”

“That too.”

[khaire-traveler]

I know many who believe the gods walk amongst us doing human things, experiencing human stuff and gadgets and even human romances. In that regard, what are your thoughts on modern day demi-gods?

Khaire! Now THIS is a question right here!

Let's start this off with a statement of sorts, since this is likely to be a sensitive topic for some and isn't often discussed within the wider community. Throughout my practice, I've been told by various people that they're demi-gods (or full gods). I've even been told that I am a demi-god - a statement I find no truth in. Having experience with these individuals, I can confidently say that not all of them have malicious intent. Some definitely do, don't get me wrong, but many of them aren't intentionally trying to cause harm. Some people believe these things due to factors outside of their control, while others simply believe it to believe it. I'm not going to sit here and say that someone's practice is wrong for believing such things about themselves or others, but in my own practice, they aren't true, and such beliefs can cause real harm. I have directly experienced it several times myself.

Someone must acknowledge the harm these beliefs can cause before openly sharing them. I consistently hear some of these people tell me how they feel ostracized when expressing these beliefs, but they often don't realize the actual harm it can cause and has caused (not an excuse to ostracize someone, though). There are good reasons these sorts of beliefs have a stigma around them, be it cult behaviors, manipulation, or abuse - all potential consequences of these beliefs. People will always be off-put by them, and those who hold these beliefs must understand that it has nothing to do with them personally and everything to do with what these beliefs have often led to for people in the past.

With that out of the way, I'll give my actual opinion on this lol. The short and sweet answer is no, I don't believe in modern demi-gods. Maybe people can be born with a piece of divinity in them from a divine parent, but in my opinion, I don't think it happens from a god having sex with a human. If it is something that happens, it's likely more complex than that.

Just as mythology explained natural phenomena in ways that made sense to people, I feel it explained divinity similarly at times. The only form of reproduction we really knew at the time was two creatures coming together to make another. If gods ever were to reproduce with mortals, there's probably some secret third thing added into the mix to actually make that happen.

But in all honesty, I don't think that will happen, and I don't believe it actually ever has. There are demi-gods in the myths, yes, but even within the community, there is an often shared sentiment not to take myths literally. "Don't take Zeus transforming into a swam and having sex with a woman literally" "Don't take Hera coming after Zeus' kids literally" "Don't take Hermes turning a woman into a statue literally". I've seen many angry and exhausted answered asks, shared posts, and comments about how this or that person is a fool for taking the myth literally, yet there are things we take literally inherently as worshippers. "Apollo is a god of oracles" "Artemis is a goddess of hunting" "Hermes has a caduceus" - these are all things taken from myth (and historical practices that are based on myth). So, when does the line get crossed for what should and shouldn't be literal? Where does the line blur completely? These are questions we need to answer, either as a community or as individuals, before we can truly address the topic of modern demi-gods in a palatable way.

The way that I've interpreted things, though, is that there aren't any modern demi-gods. Maybe there weren't even ancient ones. I think myths are stories, often with a moral related to the way the world works, a lesson to be learned, or a depiction of a god's characteristics. Heracles very well could've been a demi-god before becoming a god in real life, but that opens up a slew of other questions, such as "How is a demi-god made?" and "What defines someone as a demi-god?" To clarify, this doesn't mean I don't believe in the demi-gods who have become gods - hell, I believe in mortals who were said to have been deified - but I'm just not sure that gods and mortals can reproduce because at the end of the day, what even is a god? Does we even know the answer to that question? Gods are some kind of spiritual beings, sure, but what exactly does the entail? Do they even have the ability to reproduce at all? Can we even relate such terms as "reproduction" to a god in general? There's actually a lot of information we don't have to be able to answer questions such as "Do demi-gods exist now? Have they ever existed?"

Throughout ancient history, we see many leaders and notable people described as demi-gods. Were they really? I suppose I can't truthfully say, but historians believe it was for political gain (which was the case in ancient Rome) or in order to emphasize how good someone was at a particular thing ("this guy was such a great thief because he was a son of Hermes"). I choose to agree with historians here: maybe "demi-god" was more of a descriptor used for how talented someone was or to make people more inclined to follow their lead. I don't think "demi-god" is a state being so much as it is a description or title.

Also, forgot to mention this, but I wouldn't be surprised if gods do walk amongst us at times. I know I've had experiences where I've been like, "Wow, the timing of that person being there EXACTLY when I needed them was really weird". Unrelated to the whole essay I just wrote you lol, but I feel it's important that I clarify that I do still believe things like that. I think gods can manifest in a multitude of ways and even in endless forms. We can happen upon them at any time. Maybe the stranger who smiled at you on a hard day was Aphrodite in disguise or maybe the man who gave you directions was Hermes helping you out. I feel that gods sometimes speak through people as well, often unintentionally on the person's part. This is, of course, a whole topic in and of itself, so I won't get further into it.

Ok, this is all I can actively think of right now lol. I hope it was comprehensive and isn't a pain to read. I know I kind of jumped around with my explanations and opinions, but hopefully that doesn't detract from what I've said. Thank you for asking, Austin; I really appreciate it. Take care! :) <3

[creature-wizard]

Hi, literally just found your blog. I learned about LOA last year and, as someone already practicing a form of spirituality, took some of the good tip of the iceberg stuff and (mostly) forgot about it for about a year. I got back into it recently to revisit everything and see if there's anything that works for me that I can/want to add to my practice, so I decided to actually interact with the community for the first time. I did for about a week or two. After a few posts/comments I saw and engaged with, I thought, "Boy, this is starting to sound like a cult." As someone into spirituality who still has their head screwed on, I try to see the balance in things. Sometimes, I fuck up and I'm wrong about something. They don't feel the same way. I have seen an abundance of victim blaming, reality denial, and delusion. They basically all sit in this metaphorical circle and collectively gaslight each other. "Sure, you can bring family back from the dead, it's just that we have limiting beliefs around death, so it might not work. Sure, you can have this house tomorrow. Actually, if this didn't work- check your limiting beliefs (it's all your fault if this doesn't work. We're limitless). You can absolutely get access to the person who doesn't want to sleep with you. They want you, duh, it's done. Of course you can change this man's sexuality and have him want to be with you. He's your SP. Free will? Oh, don't worry about it. No one can manifest YOU without your consent (except when they do) because that's not YOUR reality." But also, "I mean, I can't give you proof, cause I'd witness it in my reality, but maybe you wouldn't in yours." Convenient. No matter what, they're right because they say so. I disagree? I don't get it, I should read NG's stuff to understand better. Hear me out, some of this can absolutely be helping people on a spiritual and psychological level, but in moderation. Something needs to be said about the toxic positivity, blind following, and comple gaslighting and delusion happening in this community. The way they respond to criticism feels so sinister to me. It's weird. I feel like it's easy for a lot of people who are desperate as a result of their circumstances or have trauma/poor self seem to get stuck there. It kind of reminds me of the whole "You were awful in a past life, so now this happened to you. There's no good or bad, just how you perceive it" in response to someone talking about their trauma. I believe in reincarnation, but this is an unhinged thing to say. LOA folks do the same, only you "manifested" it. Disagreeing with them and trying to have a discussion is just you going around in circles. It was a ridiculous experience.

Yup, it's victim-blaming and wild irrationality all the way down, and all for what? Belonging to a social circle full of the most toxic assholes you could possibly hope to meet on this site?

(Also it's not technically delusion, since that's an actual symptom of certain mental disorders. It's just regular cult irrationality.)

[scoobydoodean]

(4.10)

Was looking at this little bit for my #heaven is a cult tag, but noticed while I was here, that Dean immediately mentions pain and guilt and immediately thought of Dean's speech to Cas in 4.22, but with Dean now on Anna's side, saying these negative feelings are worth it.

From 4.22:

CASTIEL What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam. DEAN You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise

Back in 4.10, Dean is in a particularly troubled spot. His trauma from hell is really catching up to him. It's at the end of this episode that Dean says:

DEAN How I feel... This... inside me... I wish I couldn't feel anything, Sammy. I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing.

He's wishing he was like an angel—wishing he didn't have to deal with all the pain and guilt he feels. Wishing he could be the cold marble statue Anna described. But sometime between 4.10 and 4.22, Dean realizes that he doesn't want to be that at all. He realizes Anna is right. Removing ones pain and guilt isn't worth everything else you give up with it.

Crucially, what Anna is describing here—as I've said before—is brainwashing. Angels have their emotions controlled and buried under threat of punishment if they dare feel too much or disobey. Angels are perfectly capable of experiencing the full emotional range. Anna didn't fall because being an angel is physically incompatable with the full rage of emotion humans experience—she fell because heaven's iron grip around the throats of all angels is incompatible with the full range of human and angel emotion.

One of the reasons what Dean says to Cas in 4.22 is so effective in convincing Cas to follow his convictions is that Dean's experience is central to Cas's doubts. The first time Cas considered disobedience—his demotion in 4.16—was a a result of him not wanting to make Dean torture again, knowing how it would harm Dean emotionally to do that. So hearing Dean vehemently reject Cas's desire to shield him negative emotions through false paradise is important in of itself.

Crucially though, Dean's words invoke the angelic experience. Dean's words invoke Anna's fall—Anna who seems to have been an important force in Cas's life. She's who he turns to in 4.16 when he first starts to really consider disobedience. In 4.10, she mocks his stilted, reserved, empty apology, telling him he's never really let himself feel, while pulling Dean into a kiss. She told Cas in 4.16 that "it gets worse"—feeling does. But Anna still thinks it's worth it.

So Dean and Cas are talking about false paradise in 4.22 and how it's wrong for Sam and Dean... but they're also talking about what it means to be an angel at the same time, within the strict cult environment heaven has created. Dean, someone Cas knows has been through tremendous guilt and pain—reiterates Anna's words—that allowing yourself to experience the full breadth of the emotional range with all the good and the bad is better than a life without pain and guilt and confusion where you trade in your feelings and your conscience at the door and turn your life over to someone else—swept along by the will of higher powers.

CASTIEL I'm considering disobedience. ANNA Good. CASTIEL No, it isn't. For the first time, I feel... ANNA It gets worse. Choosing your own course of action is confusing, terrifying. [...] CASTIEL Anna. I don't know what to do. Please tell me what to do. ANNA Like the old days? No. I'm sorry. It's time to think for yourself.

(4.16)

[0xeyedaisy]

Tragibox 2 Electric Boogaloo All Polos is here, so here's my reaction, cuz why not :3 Long post ahead (cw for blood and gore cuz it's a bit more detailed this time around, which makes me think that this version will get taken down at least once)

I love this, they literally performed a heart surgery on a wrong person AND failed at it, the most competent hospital ever

This is so funny, I need to know who this beautiful person is, can I get their number

What a 16 y/o could possibly do to deserve this? Be cringe on the internet???? (I mean, considering what they did to Kaski, I guess the cult does just not like cringey kids) Also, Dave keeping this guy as a replacement for his antique clock??? Just get a new one

Hi Sarah 🥰

There he is, our little fucked up guy!!! Looking very slay, love his earrings, also he owns some company/hospital now? Who even let this guy near a hospital, and he has a tumor too? Cool

Who let a person with a shotgun into the hospital??? Dave you need to get it together, man, get better security or something

This one's just funny

Oh? A clone?

He forgor

Got nothing to say abt this guy, he's alright (He does look like Melody 1 (aka Stanlee or Stannley), but I don't think they are supposed to be the same person)

This one's interesting

Unfortunately, uncovering the text doesn't give us much, I'm assuming that they do some kind of expirements on this guy, and he's okay with it? Idk Also (from the orin ayo lore doc)

Cratz!!!! I feel bad for him, the guy is not having a good time, also Box of Four is Lilac's band! He was a fun of hers, aw <:]

Another clone! First one at that! I'm assuming Dave is doing this cuz of his brain tumor, but like, what is his goal exactly? To just clone himself and when the og Dave croaks the clone can live out his legacy? Perhaps he's trying to find a cure for the tumor by experimenting on clones? Is he trying to transplant his memories and conscious into a new body??? Who knows, ALso to me this clone is alive and well, he just got neck problems now, cuz I'm pretty sure it's him in the thumbnail

He just can't get the teeth right

Oh Worm?

Rip to this guy I guess

Hello 👀

Seems like this kid had something to do with why Dave left the cult, wonder what he did/say to convince Dave to quit, and also why does he look like that? Like, did the cult do that to him orrrr....?

And the last one, another clone! You're perfect to me bbgril <3

And that's it folks, this was quite a fun and funny read, can't wait to see what the full mod will sound and look like 👍👍👍

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

Fandom: DC Titans

Title: Acrida

Pairings/Relationships: Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, Graysonfam, Dickkory

Summary:

The Acrida Protocol, a plan created by the Justice League, required its members to provide immediate aid to those superheroes who would call upon it, especially in the case of time travel.

After a mission gone wrong, Dick and Donna find themselves stranded in 2005. They've been trained for this scenario, they know what to do, they just need to find someone who will fix their time-travel devices and help them get home.

But not before they help a young nurse and a special baby escape a demonic cult chasing them and get to the sanctuary of a convent in Ohio.

This note is long so bear with me

Throughout the process of writing this story, I've had (still have) many complicated, conflicted feelings. And with the show coming to an end, I'll be honest with you. This fic... I almost didn't release it. In fact, there were a couple of times when I almost deleted the whole thing - I'm glad I didn't but I was pretty damn close. Because every time in the recent months when I sat down to write it, I heard this intrusive voice in my head saying "Why the fuck do you even bother? This is not Dickkory, no one's gonna give a shit. Don't waste your time." So I'd close the blank page and let it lay dormant for months until that miniscule spark of hope would tell me it's actually worth it to finish it.

There's a saying about fanfiction that you write it for yourself. For the things you love. And that's true - but there's much more to it. You write it so you can reach others who love the same thing you do, whether it'd be one person or a thousand. But when you see how slowly, that one or a thousand dissipates, already one foot out the door with their focus elsewhere, when the weight on your shoulders gets heavier because you create create create without the ability to for once consume because you come to a pretty scary realization that if it wasn't for you creating, there would be no new fan content for this thing to consume - because no one else is creating, the ao3 tag is dry as hell because no one else but you is writing for this thing anymore, no one else seems to care enough to do so. The whole experience was and still is really alienating and it took me some time to process it, took spilling my guts to the closest people I have within this fandom to actually come to terms with it and start letting it go.

So, this one is for me. A self pat on the back. You did good, you gave your heart and soul to it, it's time to go now. It's me quietly leaving the room full of people turned the other way, busy shouting profanities at a show they love so much because they didn't quite get what they wanted. That's fine. Valid. My heart breaks for you, truly and I wish I could do something about it but unfortunately, I can't. And I understand the frustration, I didn't quite get what I wanted either. A month or two ago I would've been shouting profanities and throwing tomatoes as well. But a wise woman and a dear friend once told me: you gotta remember what house you're in. So, I'm taking what I got and take my leave. Leaving this behind in hopes that maybe, if you decide to read it, it will at the very least help you get your mind off the swirl of emotion in your heart, even if just for a moment.

I'm not going to pretend it's some epic, amazing story. It's an idea that got rooted in my brain right after season 1 (so it's been growing there for 4 years), a tiny seed with nothing but a blurry concept and no details. I tried to commit to it, give it a good plot and I can say that what I came up with isn't that bad. But it's not elaborate, it's just one giant excuse for me to give Dick Grayson a chance to get to know his adopted daughter when she was just a tiny baby, to get to hold her and care for her and play with her, and have a myriad of complicated feelings about the whole experience.

Maybe it's my last Titans fic, maybe it isn't. Time will tell. There's still one Titans-related project I am actually, truly excited about, the sequel we promised and I know it will happen because the story is too precious to me, to us, to not see it through. But other than that... you can catch me over at The Last of Us side of AO3 from now on. Here, I guess it's lights out.

Chapters dropping whenever. I'll try to do it weekly, I have 4 chapters done, probably out of 5 or 6, but I'm still writing and at first I planned to not post anything until the story is finished but tbh I need to get it out of my system. Release it for the world to claim it. There was an option to wait until it's done and just drop the whole thing at once but... fuck it. It's out when it's out. I know I must sound defeated to you, and to some degree I am. But I'm also letting go of all these negative emotions by starting to release this story so I can enjoy the series finale with no heavy weight on my heart, shed some tears of joy instead of sadness or frustration as I say goodbye to my favorite fictional family and go celebrate an incredible run of an incredible show with my closest fandom friends. And I do love this story, I actually wrote some things today that I'm really happy about and excited to share, and I hope that you, if you decide to read it, will love it as well.

I'm not tagging anyone, here at least. I'll share it separately with the people I care about and let them decide what to do with it. If you find it, you decide to read it - great, good to see you, take a seat and enjoy the ride. Hit that subscribe button on AO3 if you want to follow or if you really want to be tagged here, let me know so I can start from chapter 2. If not, well, let's just let it get buried, maybe someone will find it someday.

All that's left for me to do is write a little bit more to finish this story and properly catch up on the fics from my friends, which is a slow process, I know, but I'm getting there.

As always, enjoy.

[fantasyinvader]

And, before anyone says anything, my problems with the TLoU2's story are based around 3 key areas:

1) The retcons of the original game in order to facilitate TLoU2. I get that Neil saw things differently, but that wasn't the story told by the first game. Neil is altering not just his own work, but the work and contributions of other members of the original team to justify his view of the story. He wants to make himself out to be the sole mind behind the story, and I feel this is disrespectful especially since Ellie and Joel's stories were supposed to be done after the first game. They even did a live event to say goodbye to them!

2) I feel that when Neil Druckmann talks about how tribalism is bad, how there's two sides to every story and all that cycle of revenge stuff then talks about how Abby's ending is meant to say that there's hope for her, I feel like he's just undermined his own point. Abby, in my eyes, exemplifies the things the game is speaking out again.

a) She turns on her old allies, the fascist WLF, not out of moral opposition to them attempting to genocide the Scars but because she identified Lev and his sister being like her. She calls Lev, her people, and in the end takes Lev from Seattle to California to try and rejoin the Fireflies, the terrorist organization that raised her.

b) She treats Joel as the bad guy for killing her father, understandable when you take into consideration her age and her being a child soldier. She had to use the power of hatred, reminding herself of what Joel did, to kill him after Joel saved her life, and she pointed a gun at a disarmed Ellie when she learned why Joel killed her father while acting like just because Abby let Ellie live before (after seeing Abby violently murder Joel after torturing him) Ellie should have just let her be. It's a complete lack of self-awareness from, again, an ex-child soldier indoctrinated by her father in believing she's the good guy no matter what she does to win.

c) Abby spares Ellie at Lev's insistence in Seattle, but her survival comes from Ellie coming after her again. If Ellie hadn't followed her to California, Abby would have died tied to a stake after being recaptured by slavers when she tried to escape. Abby was willing to leave the people there to suffer if she and Lev could get out, again tribalism, whereas the slaves were kept right next to where they stored the weapons. Abby could have freed people, but instead it nearly caused her to die and she only lived because Ellie didn't break the cycle.

I've heard the original ending would have featured Ellie killing Abby only for it not to make things better, and if that had been the case I feel it would have worked far better. Game would not have been as hypocritical.

3) I really get pissed at how Lev was used. Lev is trans and escaped from his cult when he wanted to be a warrior rather than an elder's wife. The cult is based on an island, and is compared to the Fireflies a couple of times in the story. Abby takes Lev to join the Fireflies, becoming a child soldier for them at their island base. Lev's story goes full circle, escaping exploitation from one group of fanatics only to be delivered to another for a different type of exploitation, and the game doesn't see anything wrong with this. It's meant to say there's hope… FOR ABBY. Lev's entire story is to benefit Abby's story regardless of the implications, and again I feel this could have been fixed with the original ending.

That's my issues with TLoU2. I can make death of the author readings of the game, I've done that before because I feel there is a good story somewhere in there, but the intended morals snuff it out. The game still plays great and if the rogue-like mode added to the new version was available for my PS4 copy I would still have the thing installed, but the hypocritical story that creates such dissonance between what it shows and what it wants to say, that destroys the experience for me.

[namazunomegami]

https://www.tumblr.com/namazunomegami/743681457401233408/httpswwwtumblrcomnamazunomegami7436597783840?source=share

you flatter me too much. I love this particular way of writing a yandere (of sorts) Geto because there’s so much to explore when it comes to him. It also makes me wonder about the type of yandere Gojo would be, if we’re looking at his personality through how he is portrayed in canon. From most fanfiction depictions of Gojo, people seem to think of him as some fun loving goofy guy who is secretly really sad and to be fair… they’re not exactly wrong. I just think that Gojo can’t be reduced to just that. In my opinion, Gojo is probably quite cold. I don’t know how to explain it, but I’ll try. It’s literally fact that Gojo is the strongest. The honoured one. Whatever you wanna call it. But it’s literally only him. Yes, both him and Geto called themselves “the strongest”, but Geto was clearly outclassed by Gojo in their later years, especially with Geto mentally deteriorating due to all the misery of being in the jujutsu world. Gojo is, in every sense of the word, alone. Untouchable. Raised to be the best of the best. So it’s pretty much canon that Gojo isn’t really showcasing his true or full personality in front of everyone else, and I suppose that’s why people think he just mopes around around depressed about his life, which is a fair assumption. But I think he probably would seem very cold and detached because he is literally different from EVERYONE. Even on a physical level, he’s completely different from everyone. 1. He’s almost fucking perfect. Looks and sounds fucking perfect. 2. He literally sees EVERYTHING. He doesn’t even SEE the same as how everyone else sees. Gege says that Gojo’s sight is like looking through a high definition thermal camera. THATS FUCKING WEIRD.

He doesn’t even need to sleep. It’s said that he’s constantly running Reverse Curse Technique to keep his brain fresh and from frying, so technically, he doesn’t even NEED to sleep.

What I’m trying to say is, Gojo is quite literally different from everyone else in this world. So I’d assume that he doesn’t know or personally understand the typical human or sorcerer experience. We can see this with how he invaded everyone’s personal space. He looks at humans the way humans look at ants. Like things to be examined.

So I think that all of this would make him quite a cold person, because he’s literally not relatable to anyone. The one person he thought was relatable went crazy and started a cult, so….

[I also think he’s aware of how unrelatable he is and how unsettling his very existence is, so he acts all goofy and annoying to appear more palatable and less flawless to people because if he was to act otherwise, how would people act towards him? Scared? Worship him, maybe?

I could also get into how being so different from everyone probably affects how he experiences emotions and how he probably doesn’t experience emotions the exact same way that everyone else does, but this is really long already.]

So I say all of this to say… what type of person would this God like being, the Honoured One, be obsessed over? What type of individual would catch this man’s eye and what exactly made them stand out from everyone else?

I think it would have to be someone who could make him feel something emotionally intense. I think out of everything, what Gojo really wants is to feel SOMETHING. Which is ironic because with his 24/7 infinity on, he can’t really feel anything physically lol. But yeah, I think he’s desperate for stimulation. He eats sweets a lot because they stimulate his brain for example.

Like imagine being able to do and have EVERYTHING. That must be so boring!!! Yeah, I think he wants to feel something.

You mentioned MBTI in your analysis of Geto, which is very interesting. what MBTI type are you? I’m an INTP. Enneagram 5w4. I don’t know any of that means lol. I wonder what MBTI Gojo is and how that might play out into him being obsessed over someone and how he’d treat them.

Basically Gojo reminds me of porcelain or diamond or marble. Flawless. Or… almost flawless.

Don’t get me wrong, Gojo definitely has flaws and isn’t fully perfect, but I think the fandom attempts to make him more of a lover boy than he probably is lol. I don’t have a problem with it because it’s fucking fanon lol, do what you want with whatever character, but I just love exploring different perspectives of characters and I think the fandom (that participates in fanfiction), like most fandoms, has a tendency to reduce characters to one aspect of themselves, and in Gojo’s case, he’s constantly reduced to his short lived and possibly homo erotic friendship with Geto and I’m just trying to look at him from a different angle, I guess.

Like think about it! Gege says Gojo chooses to be single and I think it’s because nobody makes him feel. Feel what? I’m not exactly sure. A rush, probably.

Geto made him feel that because for a while, Geto was the one relatable person to him. Toji made him feel that, because Toji is also relatable to Gojo (in the sense that Toji, like Geto and Gojo, is an outlier. Not meant to be as strong or powerful as he is, but somehow he exists). I mean, Toji KILLED him. I don’t think even Gojo knew he could be killed lol.

TL:DR- Gojo is bored and cold and detached and needs to feel something and I think that if he was a yandere, he would obsess over someone who would make him feel that something.

I will stop yapping here. Actually, I won’t.

I emphasise that Gojo is not perfect, but is ALMOST perfect. He has flaws, but flaws can be disguised as perfections or hidden. I mean, if Gojo was perfect, he wouldn’t be able to be killed by Toji, Riko would be alive, and he wouldn’t be sealed, and he wouldn’t have died (I’m holding out hope that he’ll be back lol), etc. One major flaw is that he’s not omnipotent or omnipresent and it’s showcased many times in the manga. I could talk more but let me ACTUALLY stop yapping here lol.

I’m so sorry.

Holy molly what a delight to wake up seeing such a long ask in my inbox!

I wholeheartedly agree with you on that the fandom tend to reduce Gojo to a silly-goofy guy with a heart of gold and there's nothing wrong with people sandboxing with their faves. He's your blorbo, your squeeky dog toy lmao.

I can recommend @/sukunasun's Gojo fics, I think they characterize him really well!

I must admit that Gojo as a character is almost impossible for me to write. Especially with my writing techniques that's just like... method acting but in fiction lol. I want to give it a try in my gothic au where he's kinda like a minor villain and I plan to showcase certain elements of gothic horror through his character.

And Gojo as a yandere oml... I believe that many jjk characters have the potential to be yandere but Gojo would be literally the worst. He wouldn't just isolate you, he would be capable of to kill anyone important to you, he would endanger you so you'd rely on him. If I remember correctly, @/saintshigaraki once reblogged a long yan!gojo fic in which he literally brought a curse to reader's house so he can save them.

Well, it's time for my own thoughts:

I think Gojo struggles a lot with empathy. If not completely devoid of the skill to recognize other people's perspective. Like... it's literally canon that he ignored Shoko, he made Geto's defection his own personal trauma. And I know that it's gonna be a very bold statement, but I think that he was a shitty best friend when Geto started spiralling after the Star Plasma incident. Idk... if my bestie is showing signs of being mentally unwell, I'd do literally anything to help, nobody can stop me.

Once, just for fun I checked some DSM-V criteria and tbh... Gojo meets diagnostic criteria for several Cluster B personality disorders. Namely Narcissistic Personality Disorder, some for Histrionic Personality Disorder and even Antisocial Personality Disorder.

These disorders kinda encapsulates his character for me: his relationships are superficial, he likes being the center of attention, he struggles with empathy, not afraid to endanger himself or others and his insecurities are hidden beneath a grandiose sense of self-worth.

Just being professional here, but I'm not bringing this up for the sake of bashing his character. Real people, who are diagnosed with these disorders are not inherently bad and they deserve the same love and respect as anyone else!

Okay, back to the MBTI: I'm an INFJ (introverted intuition, extroverted feeling, introverted thinking and extroverted sensing), I didn't take the tests, I just simply analyzed Jung's cognitive functions because they're much more empiric and reliable. But being INFJ kinda explains why I'm drawn to characters who are Ni, Ne or Te, Ti dominant. Geto for example is Ni dominant, just like I am.

Gojo is an ENTP, my fave type tbh. Like... around 2/3 of my fictional crushes have this type, it's concerning lmao.

When I got into the Hellaverse I literally started crushing on not one but THREE ENTPs lmao.

So... Gojo's cognitive functions are extroverted intuition, introverted thinking, extroverted feeling and introverted sensing. Literally the polar opposite of Geto's functions.

While Geto's introverted intuition is a future oriented function, extroverted intuition is present oriented, focusing on ideas and "what if" scenarios instead of patterns.

Ne dominant people are all about ideas, they're dreamers, envisioning many possibilities. If you present an interesting topic or thought to them, they're gonna play with it until they get bored and need something new (Ni on the other hand will find a topic that they like and analyze it from different angles). While Ne is like brainstorming, hopping from one interesting concept to another, Ni is about the execution of these ideas.

Because intuition is their dominant information processing function, think about them like this:

Ni is like a connect the dots game. They see patterns and predict outcomes based on probability. Ne detects patterns in their environment and they predict implications and intentions like search engines do.

Introverted thinking, compared to Geto's extroverted one is much more theoretical, analytic and deductive. Introverted functions are subjective, they need an inner system that are alligned with their values before they even activate. Ti users will grab facts and proofs and put them in boxes in a way that it fits their own bias.

While Te users accept statements and opinions if they have significant proof, Ti is all about "is this logical? give me a minute, let me think about it"

SHITTY EXAMPLE:

2x2=4

Te: yeah, that tracks, it's basic knowledge. Let me think about a conclusion.

Ti: okay, that tracks, but why? I want to see the process. By adding 2 to 2 really makes 4?

An unhealthy Ti overthinks and overcomplicates things while an unhealthy Te oversimplifies.

Extroverted feeling is an objective function and they use empathy in this way too. Not in a "i know what you're feeling" way but more like a "i'll try imagining what you're going through" type of empathy. It's group oriented instead of the individual oriented Fi. And extroverted feelers express their emotions much more easily, they're approachable, they like harmony within a group and would supress their thoughts and values if it would disturb that said harmony. An unhealthy Fe is a people pleaser, a martyr, who'd sacrifice themselves for others while unhealthy Fi is about self-preservation and self-suitability and they're heavily biased.

I forgot to add sensing in my previous answer because I thought that as the least active function it has no importance but the difference is this: extroverted sensors live in the moment, they react quickly to any minor change in their environment because they're highly attuned with it, while introverted sensors are all about past experiences. They learn from their mistakes, they're perceptive, they're capable of remembering minor details about you.

ENTPs have that ongoing stereotype that they have a good sense of humor, they communicate well and you don't want to pick a bone with them because they'll roast the fuck out of you.

As a yandere, I think ENTPs would brainstorm about how they want to get closer to you and later arrange different scenarios to grab your attention. They could be very attuned to your feelings so they wouldn't want to see you hurt. They would try to cheer you up, confuse you with comfort if you're defiant. But if you're fighting back like... in a vicious way, they would argue with you. They'd use their eloquence to make you question yourself, they'd use any opportunity to undermine you because they already figured you out.

I think that's all, you're literally spitting facts what can I add?

[bardchoices]

@lordgortrash sent a sending stone: ‘  you  owe  me  a  dance.  ’

the highest echelon of baldur’s gate gathers in an opulent ballroom, an entire rainbow of colors and array of fabrics flowing and swirling as a band of bards fills the space with music. the attendees supply the merriment — throngs of them laughing and gabbing or spinning in time with the song at hand, having the time of their lives. from the outside, it seems so decadent, so desirable. someone who didn’t know any better would be stewing with jealousy over not receiving an invitation to what would undoubtedly become an event talked about for years to come.

but liana bashar, sharp as a blade, knows better. in a culmination of experience wrought over the last several years and tested in the last few weeks, she notices every little detail that the quiet observer would brush over. the conversations she catches as she moves through pockets in the crowd are almost mechanical in their cadence and repetition. countless praise for the newly anointed archduke, little else to remark on outside of the good he’s done for the city and the modern age he’ll usher baldur’s gate into, with open arms. she expected as much — there’s no way every patriar in the city willingly relinquished the power they held to open that door further for one enver gortash. not without there being one helluva catch, and she was cursed to know too much.

the how was a simple puzzle, one that took her but moments to piece together when she first arrived in the city with the rest of her group. hindsight is a funny thing. she recalls the first poster of lord enver gortash she laid eyes on in wyrm’s crossing, how her head went light and fuzzy, how her stomach lurched and her knees almost buckled under her. how years of honing her craft made it easy to blame on the long walk in from the shadowlands, how she just needed some bread and she’d be right as rain. it bought her the time she needed to figure out how she would tell her fellow adventurers — her friends — her family — that one of the people they needed to contend with as they unraveled this absolute plot was several chapters of her past that never had a full conclusion.

looking past the details — namely, the tadpoles that are keeping the masses inside these walls obedient — it’s almost admirable to see. the past few days have been a tightrope walk down memory lane and of all the schemes he would give her small details and hints on, there was one in particular that he had always circled back to. his time in the hells had given him an awareness of the realms around him and the treasures and tools that were hidden just beyond — knowledge that many would kill for, laying comfortably in his skull, waiting to be capitalized on. she remembered the mention of a crown and little else around it. she’d press for details and he’d chastise her, playfully so, for trying to ruin the surprise. all in due time, my dear — you’ll see it firsthand.

he wasn’t wrong. it just wasn’t what either of them could have imagined at the time.

the song swells to a close as her eyes meet his from across the way and she considers turning around and making her exit. she’s fulfilled her responsibilities for the evening — show up, alone. report to lord gortash’s office post-haste to discuss the progress of culling the cult of bhaal and securing orin’s netherstone. stick around for three songs to say you attended the party of the century. get back to the place you feel safest — surrounded by those who have experienced every twist and turn of this winding journey. yet her feet remain rooted on the spot.

it’s that diabolical mistress, nostalgia. because if she closes her eyes as he approaches, she’d see him as he was so long ago — still handsome, roguishly so, with ambition as high as the ocean was wide. things were simpler back then. no tadpoles. no absolute. no rebelling elder brain. she yearns for it, against her best judgment, against every instinct telling her that she should turn heel now and never look back. their story might not be over, but that chapter has long been concluded. they can’t go back to what they were before. too much is at stake now, and they stand on opposite sides of the chessboard. they both know it.

and yet, they both seek to indulge. just for a moment, a minute, a night — just enough to sate the overwhelming ache in both their hearts that should have died out long ago. he almost looms over her as he reaches her, and her posture remains tall, unwavering, as honeyed brown eyes peer up at him through the embellished pattern of her mask. the next song starts up as he talks of liana owing him and she has half a mind to laugh, loudly, and the gall he possesses. but she doesn’t. she doesn’t jump to accept, either.

there are countless attendees falling over themselves — men, women and everyone in-between — to get a chance to sway with the newly coronated archduke, yet his eyes only seek you. it should entice you — excite you, even — to be the center of attention, to have every eye in this room locked on you, to have every heart full of envy and wanting what you have. so why do you resist?

‘ I’m not inclined to believe you’d be satisfied with just one — and I wouldn’t want to deprive your audience of your attention. ’ she’s nothing if not a smooth talker, words soft as silk and a teasing smile pulling at her lips that doesn’t reach her eyes. no, those carry another emotion entirely. one might expect a sharpness in her gaze. instead, they’d find a sadness that weighs heavy in her bones, sinking her. as she settles in it, that feeling creeps up again — head going light, knees almost buckling. she takes a step back, then another.

‘ forgive me — I need some air. ’

[mopillow]

“Nothing personal but I’m getting tired of the hate some people throw at my baby brother in law”

And yet you’re casually interacting with the biggest tianshan hater of the entire fandom.

Hello Anon, no idea if you have any experience with me or if we have ever talked but I have a feeling that we haven’t interacted enough since you don’t know that I don’t push away anyone and I’m always open to respectful and friendly debate, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I’m completely fine listening to people that think different than me, the world would be absolutely boring if we all had the same ides, to make this clear I want to tell you that I have talked to people in the past who detest He Cheng and i haven’t try to murder them not even once, now I think we need to understand the difference between getting tired and I refuse to talk, hate or interact with them, I don’t even hate my past abusers so kind of a lost cause there but I am indeed getting tired of the blindness that comes when talking about toxicity when both couples are not exactly the epitome of romantic relationships, this is a comic no one should be here taking romantic advice from it, the comic is free, the translation is free thanks to the nicest people on earth, if anything they could say that they lost time reading it but a simple glance of the image and you know this is not your chapter. I tend to talk a lot in metaphor so let me explain this to you with one

Imagine a person who hates 🍌 on a smoothie, they detest that 🍌 , they would rather add 🍒 but they are the ones making the smoothie and still complain that there’s 🍌 on it when it was them who decided to add the 🍌 instead of the 🍒, the first times I thought oh well they didn’t notice the 🍒, the second time I just started laughing because it is funny if you think about it, but now is like they are suffering and complaining because they like to, that’s the reason why they add the 🍌 in the first place, it wasn’t an accident and here I was trying to understand them, they probably get diarrhea with that smoothie and that’s why they hate the 🍌 but they’re the ones creating the problem and bothering other people around them

Is not like I go look for this kind of people, they’re the ones tagging post about TianShan, they’re the ones commenting in obvious TianShan content, some of them even behave like moral👮‍♀️, they even send hateful messages, I don’t see a lot of TianShan fans complaining about ZhanYi content, we can celebrate or ignore if is not our thing or if they behave in an obviously problematic kind of way, because as I said before this is a comic, the comic is about 4 people but for some reason they believe is just about 2, this is not the regular bl comic and yet they want it to have that structure, if they want a polite conversation Im here for it but is not worth my time when they want me to change my mind but refuse to open theirs to my point of view, is not a conversation when is just them trying to get more people to join their cult that is full of hate, I don’t want to be a part of it, I have my own is called Q move the fuck away and let me have He Cheng, wanna join?

This is a welcoming space, I said so before She Li fans, ZhanYi fans, TianShan fans all are welcome but be respectful, you don’t need to love all of them, I don’t like them all as well, let’s be respectful with each other if anyone wants to make a post stating all the wrong a comic book character or couple does go ahead just don’t do it in other people’s personal space because in the real world if you come to my house to look for trouble I can defend myself, I won’t shoot at you because I don’t own a gun but if I did I would use it to get rid of Q, chances are he would kill me so hold your panties Q lovers he is safe, jokes aside this is more about manners, internet manners like don’t send nudes without asking first, have your opinions but don’t go insulting and attacking people only because they don’t think or have the same beliefs

Have a great day Anon hope we can talk about who’s the greatest TianShan hater of the entire fandom

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Ex-Moonie Says Cults Make “1984” a Reality

The following letter of March 1 to the Cult Observer is from Paul Engel, National oordinator of the Former Cultists Support Network (FOCUS).

The world George Orwell depicted in “1984” is not imaginary. It is a present reality. And many people, not only those who have been prisoners of war or subjects of Soviet or Chinese communism, have experienced it. It exists in thousands of contemporary cults. I know, because I myself was a victim of cult mind manipulation.

My manipulator was the “Moonies.” They did not torture me, nor did they employ all-seeing 1984 ‘telescreens.’ Nonetheless, they achieved control over me, more subtle than Big Brother’s control over Winston Smith, and stripped me of the ability to use my critical faculties, to establish emotional ties, and to communicate independently.

Communication control in their isolated camp environment was the key. They ‘loaded the language’ (to use Robert Lifton’s phrase), to develop in me a kind of 1984 ‘Newspeak.’ This was full of new meanings for old words and concepts, and restricted in range. For example, they purged the word ‘free’ of intellectual or political meaning: it signified only a lack of physical attachment; it no longer implied choice, only the ability to do ‘God’s will.’

Similarly, in the Unification Church and 1984, opposites replace one another. In 1984 the Ministry of Truth fabricates history, the Ministry of Peace maintains constant war, and the Ministry of Love is a place of torture. For Rev. Moon’s followers, the chant “Bomb with Love” and the practice of “Heavenly Deception” effectively combine contradictory terms and impulses. And all of this loading of the language contributes to the ability to rewrite history: Orwell’s Winston Smith himself constantly revises records just as cults pervert scriptures, change certain facts, and give new meanings or justifications for failed prophecies.

‘Newspeak’ also diminishes the range of thought. And without an appreciation for concepts like freedom, relativity, and individuality and family, the quality of interpersonal relationships alters. Soon, the individual automatically suppresses or corrects ‘wrong’ thoughts and feelings (‘crimestop’ for the inhabitants of 1984 and ‘fighting Satan’ among the Moonies).

Just in case internal controls don’t work, the group keeps close watch. In 1984, people are constantly scrutinized for such ‘facecrimes’ as inappropriate emotions toward others, or distaste for the ‘Party.’ And the same goes for cults. I had to smile constantly to avoid seeming to show unhappiness or discontent, which would be punished.

Confession is a typical corrective to bad thoughts in totalistic environments, and especially in cults. It diminishes individuality and fosters groups identity. The worse you make your pre-cult life look, the better example of positive change you become. For instance, a person who smoked marijuana only once says he’s a drug addict, and someone who had sexual relations becomes a whore or an abuser of women.  

But confession only temporarily alleviates the painful striving for perfection, and frustration is inevitable because the ideal is unattainable. The resulting guilt leads to self-punishment – in the Unification Church, neglect of sleep and food, cold showers.

The demand for purity in both 1984 and cults leads to an everlasting fight against normal doubts and desires – intellectual, emotional, and sexual. Control of sexuality is designed to prevent truly intimate relations. In 1984, Winston and Julia are intercepted in their affair and made to denounce each other for the love of ‘Big Brother.’ Likewise in the Unification Church, sex is seen exclusively for procreation, and ‘arranged’ marriages, with control of sex within marriage, rob it of anything personal.

Such a high degree of control is gained through what Lifton calls ‘mystical manipulation.’ This makes the cultic experience seem almost miraculous. For example, recruits are told that questions about the Unification Church will be answered at some point during special lectures. Unknown to the questioners, group leaders pass these questions on to lecturers, and the latter then answer these very same questions at a later date in another context. This makes it seem as if the group is omniscient, anticipating all questions and providing ‘all the answers,’ as promised.

The result of the indoctrination is that you get a society of absolutes where both interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships are virtually extinguished, along with those qualities which make us uniquely human: independent thought, intimacy, and communication.

Cult Observer, Vol. 2, No. 2, 1985, p.35

______________________________________

Moonwebs by Josh Freed (the book was made into a movie)

David Frank Taylor: “Social organization of recruitment in the Unification Church” (1978).

Crazy for God: The nightmare of cult life by Christopher Edwards

Barbara Underwood and the Oakland Moonies

Papasan Choi and Boonville’s Japanese origins

Life Among the Moonies [in Oakland] by Deanna Durham

Camp K, aka Maacama Hill, Unification Church recruitment camp