#but i did research what i claim in this post!

[mediacinemtographyartetc]

how can you call anything an essay then use the above as sources to make a very serious accusation- and maybe even possible slander, to affect an author and the people who consume their works- by using youtube/ tik tok and news articles that are opinion based and make profits from rage bait?

Like- are you a troll?

Opinion based sources will be rejected, there are no actual statisics or journels or studies researching the impact influencers have here and you are throwing around opinions as solid fact. Which whatever is youtube- but making SERIOUS accusations of Manipulation, rage-baiting and damaging an authors reputation because what? You couldn't be bothered to pay attention to their video and jumped to the assumption it was rage bait when they and many others expressed you misinterpated?

The author was sharing their experiences in publishing- which is different for everyone. And when you make a solid claim that it's rage-bait you're going to have to quote or show evidence on how you got to that conclusion.

And if this response is 'unwelcome' that comes across as someone who can't take criticism. You can dish it but you can't take it?

"I want to make very clear that this response is unwelcome."

-Moniquill

...You're response to Op is unwelcome?

everything you and the other person said is very opinionated but not a fact you don't like this author just block them. You think they're a liar because their publishing experiences doesn't align with everybody elses?

Not everyone has the same experiences and shouldn't be accused of being a liar or have other authors be shamed to not speak about their experiences.

"She's discouraging writers-" She did no such thing, you interprated it that way it was in no way to discourage-

Xirans post said "Some truths-" Some, some! Not a lot, not this is how ALL publishing happens just SOME which is a tiny part.

Using this as an example;

"#i did like iron widow and i do think the author is being sincere but like. truly. even if she weren't...so what?#like...just say “that's not how i went about tradpub. you've gotta get an agent!!” that would be so much more helpful#and also not shit on the author in question"

So what because one person got upset at their videos means it's a fact that they are a rage baiting author whose jealous? What about their videos that felt rage-bait? Was it about talking about the author who reviewed other poc author books? Being black-listed for political reasons? Am I to take it this person is a the problem and a racist who was probably called out for being a bigot? That's the vibe I'm getting so I must be right and you're response to use this as 'evidence' to back up you're opinion? Does seem a bit racist to me.

So by all accounts I'm right, you're a liar and a racist who burns at the thought of poc authors success.

See how STUPID that sounds? See how feasable that argument is and how it holds no weight?

It's one thing to throw around accusations that could be damaging but as you've demonstrated with the sheer lack of Media literacy and comphrehension these days, more people would jump on any bandwagon and can't think for themselves and take anything as a personal attack- would not CARE or even realise the post here is just air going in no direction and would do anything to hate on anyone.

To DEMAND people think for themselves and be critical, the two above I see no sign example of what they preach.

Some truths about the publishing industry because I certainly got blindsided when going in. Now I'm so broken by this industry I struggle to encourage aspiring writers lmao

[nishayuro]

Dr.Stone Stanley Snyder as a campus crush in High School

A/N: Another Stanley?!?!? My friend cosplayed high school Stan and I got this idea lmaoo. Also, late Valentine's day post

Fem!reader, use of she/her

Genre: Fluff, Crack-ish

Warning: Obsessive girls

Tall, Handsome, Athletic, Cool. The list of why almost every girl in their high school liked Stanley Snyder. He was eye candy, his voice was deep and attractive, he was smart and he was mysterious enough that it kept others on their toes. These were some of the many reasons why he was dubbed “Campus Crush” by the students.

There were men who loathed him, envied him, and insulted him (though not to his face, they know he can pack a punch. Tried and tested.) Stanley didn't care, he wasn't the type to care about these things. His days revolved around guns, helping Xeno, and you.

You, who he's been in love with for years. You, who didn't care about those trivial things about him, you cared more about him as a person. You, who has seen his darkest days and still stayed. You, who he's been dating for about a year and a half now. No wonder his attention was all yours (and Xeno’s, but that's a bit different.)

Stanley never hid that he cared about you, he was obvious, and that angered a lot. To the others, you were just someone random, someone who wasn't special. You weren't any big name like captain of the cheer team, or queen bee and you weren't one of the popular kids. They hated that you had Stanley for yourself, they hated that he was head over heels for you. That should be them in your shoes, It's only right! You were a nobody and they couldn't accept their dashing prince to be claimed by some commoner in their eyes.

Valentine's day came, and like normal teenage girls with a crush, they decided to give stuff to Stanley. Expensive chocolates, random gifts that they think he’d like, and love letters confessing their undying love (or what Xeno likes to call, unyielding obsession.)

His locker was annoyingly filled to the brim with pink and red envelopes, this desk was overflowing with sweets and snacks. Girls were lingering outside his classroom just to get a glimpse of him. He hated the attention if he was being honest, he disliked being followed around, stopped every hour and confessed to or whatever.

Last valentines, he got more than 20 letters asking for him to meet them at the rooftop. A bit cliché, and honestly? not a very private area considering a shit ton of people bring others there too. He didn't read those letters, you and Xeno did, out loud for him too.

You three decided to hang out at Xeno’s place after school after convincing Stanley to not throw away the gifts. He met you with a questioning gaze, to which you replied with “Entertainment. It's gonna be a fun night!” The chocolates were sprawled across the floor, different brands and different flavors, some expensive and some home made. Cookies and cupcakes were set on a plate, Xeno and you were already beginning to eat them.

“So, why’d you want me to not throw away the gifts? I understand the food, but the letters?” Stanley asked, sitting on Xeno’s bed as you and the aspiring scientist were on the floor, surrounded by the letters. “Well, Xee and I were curious about them! We wanna see the type of stuff the girls write to you.” you replied, holding one letter. “Oh? and why? jealous are we, y/n?” Stan teased, a smirk on his painted lips. “Ha! As if, you barely acknowledge them. You’ve chased after me for years! I'm secure enough.” you answered, and that's true. You knew Stanley was the loyal type, he courted you for years before you answered him and made him your boyfriend. And he hasn't done anything that would warrant your jealousy.

“Good. But even you, Xee? this isn't exactly your topic of interest?” Stan answered, looking at his best friend curiously. “I'm currently researching the science of attraction. It's tied heavily to the body’s chemical reaction so I need data on it. What better way than reading through letters of unfiltered confessions by hormonal teenage girls?” Xeno answered swiftly.

“Ohh, ok let's start with this one… ‘Dear Stanley, since the day I first laid my eyes on you, I have fallen deeply in love with you. You are like the stars in the sky, shining heavily. Please give me a chance!’ “ you read out the letter from a sparkly pink envelope.

“Love at first sight, common. That happens when you see something you like, or in this case, someone attractive enough to like, and your body releases the happy hormones like Dopamine and Oxytocin, which gives the giddy and excited feeling.” Xeno explained.

“This one just reads ‘please meet me at the rooftop after class, xoxo’ “ You continued, going through the whole pile. “In total, you have received 54 love letters and 16 notes. 32 of which asked you to meet with them somewhere, mostly the school’s rooftop.” Xeno read out the tally he was keeping count.

“This excites you guys? reading nonsense given to me? At this point y/n, I'm kinda sad you don't feel jealous. You just gonna let them talk about your man like that?” Stan teased again, he was now laying on the bed, his phone on his stomach after scrolling through it while you read the letters.

“Eh, they can say all they want. In the end, you're still mine after all.” you smiled. “Plus, imagine a bunch of girls just waiting for you up at the rooftop only for you to be a no show? bet they are fighting over themselves now?” you chuckled. “If only we knew sooner, we could have installed hidden cameras and microphones there.” Xeno added.

Back to the present, he was still facing the same dilemma. Knowing what would happen today, you gave Stanley a big tote bag to put all the gifts in, which will be consumed by you and Xeno later today.

“Hey Stan~” a feminine voice spoke, he didn't bother looking at the direction, he knew who it was and what they wanted. He just laid his head on his arms and closed his eyes. “Stan? Stanleyyy!” the voice continued, now poking him. It was getting irritating, he looked up and glared at the person, making them flinch, but regained their posture immediately. “Hey~ I was wondering if you wanna go with me to this new dessert place downtown today” the girl asked, twirling her hair. “Nah, not interested.” Stan spoke, “Why? don't like sweets? that's fine, we can find somewhere else!” she exclaimed, hopeful. “No, I mean I ain't interested in going anywhere with you, or anyone else for that matter.” He answered sharply, leaving the girl confused.

“But why? It's Valentine's day!” she argued, “Yea exactly, which is why i’ll be spending it with my partner and not some random girl who won't stop bothering me.” Stan answered, annoyed at this point. “P-partner?” the girl was shocked. “Yea, partner. Y/N. You are either dense or just deny that fact. We aren't exactly a secret or private.” Stan replied. “Her?! Why her? you can do so much bett-” Stanley didn't even let her finish what she was saying when he signaled her to stop.

“Say one bad thing about them and you're done for. Scram.” Stan ordered, his voice sharp, leaving no room for discussion. The girl went back to her seat, almost in tears. The whole room witnessed it, how could they not? It was Stanley Snyder rejecting someone and revealing he has a partner. (To which Xeno replied with “Humans do love ignoring facts when it's not beneficial to them” when Stanley recalled this encounter later that day.)

News of this spread like wildfire. The girls who hated you back then because you were taking Stanley’s attention were for sure plotting your downfall now that Stanley himself confirmed your relationship. The glares sent your way were harsher than usual. But you didn't care, you kind of liked their anger.

Until you were cornered in the bathroom, typical American scenario. “Stay away from Snyder.” one of the girls said, you recognised her to be the school’s proclaimed queen bee or whatever, you didn't care. “oh? stay away from MY boyfriend?” you emphasized. “You bitch! you stole him from me!” She screamed at you, attempting to slap you, you caught her wrist in time. “Oh honey, he doesn't even know your name.” you answered, twisting her arm.

Her minions tried to hold you down, but you held them off of you (Stanley taught you self defense, you didn't realize you'd be using it on desperate popular girls trying to steal your lover.) “Why don't you leave me alone, and I don't tell Stan about this encounter and make him ignore y’all more than he already does, how does that sound, hmm?” you asked, holding the queen bee’s face in your hands. “Oh well, you don't get to choose. I'm not some soft, easily threatened person. Xeno is my best friend, I've been through more threatening things in my life.” you added, before walking out the door.

Later that day, you told Stan and Xeno about the encounter in the comfort room as you and Xeno opened letters. Stan was furious, they crossed the line. Xeno was already plotting revenge. You reassured them both that you handled it and will handle it in the future.

Stan decided to post something on his social media, which he rarely does. It was a photo of you two. With the caption, “Forever♥️ Hurt them and you're dead to me.”

Stan might have lots of eyes on him, but that means nothing to the man whose loyalty knows no bounds. His eyes are only on you. He knew he was yours since that day you shot that nerf bullet directly at his forehead when you were 10 years old.

Bonus scene:

“Due to us not being ready last year, I decided to be ready this year! I set up cameras and microphones on the rooftop. Though, I think the number of people who will still want to ‘meet you at the rooftop’ has lessened since the news of you two officially being together has spread.” Xeno announced, opening his laptop to open the camera feed.

To his surprise, there are still at least 20 girls up there. All glaring at each other and questioning why they're there. Everyone answered the same name, “Stanley Snyder”

“Babe, you should post a story about us right now. Pretend we're on a date or something. Watch their moods fall.” You said, an evil smile on your face.

“Well, c’mere then.” Stan beckoned you next to him on the bed, you crawled your way to his arms and wrapped yours around him. Stan took the photo as Xeno set up the TV to make it look like a movie date, which Stan took a photo of as well. “I’ll put ‘movie date with the loml’ with a cheesy song.” Stan said as you laughed. “Anddd, posted.” Stan announced, you three looking back at Xeno’s laptop and waiting for the girls’ reaction.

“Stanley posted?!” One of them said, opening the story. “Movie date with the love of my life…” one other read out. “We've stood up again!” another exclaimed, almost crying. “Stood up my ass, I didn't ask any of you to go there.” Stan muttered, with you and Xeno laughing. “Oh Stanley Snyder, you are a cruel cruel man.” You joked, giving your man a kiss.

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[eretzyisrael]

by Peter Baum

Several months ago, I wrote an article in Blitz debunking the Palestinian narrative relating to their claims of being indigenous to the geography that is Israel, biblical Judea and Samaria. These named areas are all according to international law within Israel’s sovereignty. The League of Nations Mandate 1922 endorsed by the United Nations Charter 1945, Article 80, and the international legally binding principles of Acquired Rights, Estoppel and Uti Possidetis Juris confirm, ratify and endorse Israel’s territory inclusive of these areas.

In that previous article I cited the numerous historical invasions – Persian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman, Crusader and Saracen and discovered no Palestinian opposition to that colonization to reclaim their indigenous lands.  Of course, the paradox has to be explained to the pro Palestinians, the Dreyfus mob as I now refer to them.

Despite repeated requests via my articles, social media confrontation, debates, in halls on radio and TV, not one of the Dreyfus mob could enlighten us on historical Palestinian efforts nor name any indigenous Palestinian leaders who fought militarily or politically against any foreign invasion.  Needless to say, the Dreyfus mob could not identify any Palestinian flag nor emblem nor currency the indigenous Palestinians used during their habitation of the geography. There must be some burial sites then surely? None. Okay, okay I ask, what about any historical constructions, either destroyed or still standing built by persons who identified themselves as Palestinian. Of course not.

So, did anyone see these people, this race, tribe, nation or culture who have created fact from mythology. According to my research they must have been invisible as no itinerant scribe ever documented their existence.

It is worth reposting selected paragraphs from my previous post to establish the simple facts that numerous travelers to the geography who diarized their journeys, travels and experiences all seemed to have missed the indigenous habitants we call now the Palestinians.

Abbot Richard of Saint – Vanne, 970 -1046 in his 11th century Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, made no reference to the Palestinians. Jews, Muslims yes, but no collective known as Palestinian.

The 13th century Arab biographer, Yakut wrote:

“Mecca is holy to Muslims and Jerusalem is holy to Jews”. Never in his writings referring to the Palestinians.

Ibn Khaldun, Arab historian and philosopher who died in 1406, wrote in 1377:

“Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, extended over 1400 years and it was the Jews who implanted the culture and customs of the permanent settlement”. Again, not one note alluding to the Palestinians.

Siebald Rieter, 1426 – 1488 penned a series of essays including Maps to Jerusalem (1426 – 1428) describing his journeys throughout the area and naturally no reference to the Palestinians.

Similarly, Bernard Von Breydenbach, 1440 – 1497 in his Pilgrimage, A Travel Report (Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam) and Sir Richard Guylforde 1450 – 1506 Pilgrimage, during their extensive travels and detailed diaries also seemed to have missed the Palestinian population.

Maybe Felix Fabri, died 1502 in his Pilgrim and Preacher, Peter Fassbender 1450 – 1518 in his Pilgrim Libraries or Martin Kabatnik, died 1503, From Jerusalem to Cairo discovered the Palestinian people. Absolutely not.

Kabatnik wrote, “The heathens (non-Jews) oppose the Jews at their pleasure, in spite of all the tribulations and the agonies they suffer at the hands of the heathen, the Jews refuse to leave the Holy Land that has been promised to them”. The heathens were the itinerant Bedouins.

Let’s now refer to John Mandeville in his Travels published between 1357 and 1371; Paul Walther Guglingen, in his Jerusalem Travels, 1482/3, describes in detail the inhabitants of the area and Arnold Van Hoff ‘s 1471 – 1505 journals , Pilgrimage , surprise surprise – not one reference to a people, race, tribe or culture identifying as Palestinian.

Father Michael Naud, a Jesuit Priest, in his works The Jerusalem Connection, 1674 penned:

“The Jews of Jerusalem were resigned to paying a heavy price to the Turk for their divine right to stay there”.

Just for good measure the following diarists also managed to ignore, forget or missed the Palestinian people during their travels.

Sir George Adam Smith, died 1790, Jerusalem; Edward Robinson, died 1863, Biblical Researches; Alphonse de Lamartine, died 1869, From Marseilles to Jerusalem; and Sir George Gawler, died 1869, Syria and its New Prospects.

The above are just some examples of historical, documented works, diaries and journals of respected travelers to the geography known since time immemorial as Israel and during colonial invasions temporarily called Palestine. None of these written documents alludes to a human collective we know today as Palestinians who claim with the support of many that they are the indigenous people to the geography.

Indeed, no traveler noted the language of the Palestinian nor what any mythical Palestinian called themselves in their mother tongue and in conclusion this requires explanation and elaboration.

The evidence is that Arab militant, political organizations dedicated to the elimination of the Jewish State of Israel were created in the 1960’s through the 1980’s. Their charters are written in Arabic. However, there is no sound for the letter P in Arabic so what therefore did the old, (nonexistent?) Palestinians or do the newly formed Palestinians call themselves in their mother tongue? The letter P in Arabic is pronounced with either a B or F sound, thus they would be calling themselves Balestinians or Felastinians. Well once again history is lacking any such people although the word Felastinian does exist in Arabic and the definition only mocks the Palestinian claims to being indigenous to the geography. You see, Felastinian is the pronunciation for Philistine – an extinct race of people originating from the Greek Islands. The more recent definition of Philistine is uncouth, uncultured heathens. Which definition do you think today’s Palestinians would prefer?

Like silicone breast implants the Palestinians were invented in the 1960’s.

[wonder-worker]

J.L. Laynesmith taking the 'Buckingham Did It™' route for the murder of the Princes in the Tower AND the rumors of Edward IV's bastardy ... I have to laugh

[elliedarkleseed]

I’m not sure what the heck to think. I know that racism is a real thing, but I’m not sure how people that call themselves starseeds or consider themselves starseeds can be considered racist or spiritual eugenics. I need to do some more research. Reblogging to REMEMBER to check the hyperlinks and do some more research as well. Wouldn’t it be called mutual admiration and not religious appropriation?? Or carrying the same or similar beliefs even though you weren’t born into that religion or spirituality? I wouldn’t claim ANY of the bullshit my father and his forefathers spewed! Gag out. I think religion as a whole in general is a trip. I believe in free thinkers and I think if people want to call themselves starseeds~ so be it? The last time I wrote a post like this on something similar YEARS ago~ there weren’t other hyperlinks to look at and I couldn’t find anything on spiritual eugenics. Or starseeds being racist or ableist. I’m glad that someone took time to start the research. I appreciate it. I have an open mind and am not closed off to thinking that the WORD Starseed is not a kosher or okay thing to say. - I just don’t know what else to call it and I don’t care for lightworker. Maybe Shadowworker? I don’t know. I just know I am a free thinker and I’ll figure my own bullshit out. Thanks for the links.

I do very MUCH appreciate them. I still feel like a Starseed though. A Starseed that is trying to work through systemic racism. I know racism is an actual thing. I didn’t raise either of my now adult children to be racisit even though my family growing up showed some micro aggressions in certain ways. Not all of them, but a lot of the older generations did some shit that rubbed me the wrong way. I think it rubbed me the wrong way~ cuz I can’t get down with shit like that. In my heart I know racism and all that are NOT okay. I have read books and watched movies and tried to get the systemic shit dialed down. I do not consider myself racist……. But we all actually are conditioned from a very early age that whatever we are we are somehow better than others. I don’t think that. I think we are all special in our own ways. I know I have a LOT more work to do. Each day is a new day. I’m on earth to learn. I do not consider myself a human though. I just do not. I don’t think I ever will. Yesterday I realized I’m glad to be here and I will try and ground more often and be less of an alien. I can not relate to 99 percent of humanity. (Ghost World) and racism is a part of why I can’t relate. It’s a huge part. I am going to look for my other blog about this. When I explained myself in another post years ago~ it got deleted. It’s ONLY visible on my main tumblr from years since passed.

I’m also a UU and we are allowed in our religion to read other religious texts and take what resonates with our core beliefs. Cuz UUs are free thinkers and live by a set of 7 principles. None of which have a backbone in racism. They are even open to the idea of gender fluid people being descent. Who’d have thunk it? I’m still a Starseed till I find another word that I resonate with. If ever. I’ll do my research. Thanks ~ Ellie

Friendly reminder that:

The concept of starseeds promotes ableism by minimizing or denying ADHD and autism.

The ancient astronaut hypothesis promotes spiritual colonialism and destruction of other cultures by twisting other people's mythologies and sacred texts to fit their narratives.

The reptilian alien mythology is based on conspiracy theories historically used to justify oppressing and murdering real people. Loosh/blood/adrenochrome harvesting is just repackaged blood libel.

New Age mythology is chock full of repackaged right wing conspiracy theories, the same kind pushed by QAnon.

It's also full of repackaged racist pseudoscience about genetic superiority/inferiority and the function of evolution.

Ascension to 5D was supposed to have happened back in 2012, and the prediction failed.

New Agers are recycling their predictions over and over to catch new waves of people who don't know the movement's history.

Belief in Atlantis is strongly motivated by white supremacy.

For more info, see:

Looks like it's time to talk about starseeds and the New Age movement again.

How the mythology of starseeds, indigo children, crystal children, rainbow children, etc. harms kids

New Age YouTube channel caught recycling claims of imminent "first contact" for three years

Is the spiritual person a conspiracy theorist? A list of red flags

What is spiritual eugenics?

New Age beliefs that derive from racist pseudoscience

[irithnova]

I wish I wasn't shown this because it's even more fucking annoying than her first response

Meeru is absolutely backtracking and no I don't believe she's trying to be self critical for a second.

I quite literally explained to Meeru in my first response to her that Panda's behaviour is genuinely abusive and dangerous (for example, causing someone to relapse in their eating disorder). I even provided Meeru with a WHOLE LIST of the things Panda did which includes blatant racism, suicide baiting, victim blaming, and inappropriate behavior infront of and towards minors.

I then went on a provided Meeru with FOUR screenshots of Panda's behavior, one of the screenshots showing her saying that she wants Manchurians to be genocided. I then pointed out that Meeru's interest in Siberians and Northern Asians is purely orientalist because she has built her blog off of the back of Northern Asian and Siberian cultures, but when being told that her friend Panda is racist against Northern Asians and was even provided a screenshot as evidence for this, she STILL went on to call it "boring cancel culture".

In the first response I also said how MULTIPLE people tried to talk to Panda privately, and she did not listen. Her behaviour is not only dangerous but we have found out that Panda has been trying to control the narrative about what happened to people throughout the fandom and telling them absolute lies about what happened, concealing the extent of her abuse and bad behaviour and outright orchestrating a hate campaign against @/miyuecakes by not only spreading lies about her with 0 evidence throughout the fandom, but by sending her posse to harass her on tumblr.

How did Meeru respond upon being given a list of the things Panda did with four screenshots of ACTUAL evidence?

"Don't blame me for not reading all 80 pages!"

"My family is struggling!"

"I care about Siberians!"

"Why did this come out around Christmas!"

She's now backtracking saying that I can't blame her for not reading all 80 pages when

1) No one fucking forced her to release that post before reading the whole document and it's quite stupid of her to release that post despite apparently not reading it

2) Even if she didn't read the whole document? I provided her with screenshots of Panda's behavior and a list of the things she's done to hurt people.

Despite this, Meeru STILL called it purely cancel culture and dismissed the evidence I gave her!

Stop backtracking!

This post is backtracking central. Oh. So NOW you agree that Panda's behavior was harmful even though I literally told you what she did and gave you evidence in my response to you?

"Why are things being handled in public" bestie I don't think I need to keep explaining to you that multiple people have tried to talk to Panda about her dangerous behavior privately but she didn't listen. She shows 0 desire to change and IMMEDIATELY went to make other friends to lie to about the whole ordeal after she left. This post is a WARNING to people to avoid her.

When I said you were orientalist , I said it was because you were given literal evidence of Panda being racist to Northern Asians , yet you decided to carry on with the narrative that this is cancel culture and that we're overreacting. I didn't say jackshit about Putin girly. If you treat racism against Northern Asians like it's just a newspaper article for you to reblog rather than an actual material reality, and dismiss racism against a Northern Asian just because your friend did it, your so called interest in their cultures means nothing!

Meeru is now blaming ME for why she couldn't read the whole document because she was too busy "defending herself" against my "insults"😂 You lie almost as often Panda does. Again, no one forced you to post that post before finishing the whole document! Don't speak on shit you don't know about !

I have the right to insult someone who stands by an abuser and shits on the victims for speaking out! Thanks !

[monsterfactoryfanfic]

if I've learned anything from grad school it's to check your sources, and this has proven invaluable in the dozens of instances when I've had an MBA-type try to tell me something about finances or leadership. Case in point:

Firefox serves me clickbaity articles through Pocket, which is fine because I like Firefox. But sometimes an article makes me curious. I'm pretty anal about my finances, and I wondered if this article was, as I suspected, total horseshit, or could potentially benefit me and help me get my spending under control. So let's check the article in question.

It mostly seems like common sense. "...track expenses and income for at least a month before setting a budget...How much money do I have or earn? How much do I want to save?" Basic shit like that. But then I get to this section:

This sounds fucking made up to me. And thankfully, they've provided a source to their claim that "research has repeatedly shown" that writing things down changes behavior. First mistake. What research is this?

Forbes, naturally, my #1 source for absolute dogshit fart-sniffing financial schlock. Forbes is the type of website that guy from high school who constantly posts on linkedin trawls daily for little articles like this that make him feel better about refusing to pay for a decent package for his employees' healthcare (I'm from the United States, a barbaric, conflict-ridden country in the throes of civil unrest, so obsessed with violence that its warlords prioritize weapons over universal medical coverage. I digress). Forbes constantly posts shit like this, and I constantly spend my time at leadership seminars debunking poor consultants who get paid to read these claims credulously. Look at this highlighted text. Does it make sense to you that simply writing your financial goals down would result in a 10x increase in your income? Because if it does, let me make you an offer on this sick ass bridge.

Thankfully, Forbes also makes the mistake of citing their sources. Let's check to see where this hyperlink goes:

SidSavara. I've never heard of this site, but the About section tells me that Sid is "a technology leader who empowers teams to grow into their best selves. He is a life-long learner enjoys developing software, leading teams in delivering mission critical projects, playing guitar and watching football and basketball."

That doesn't mean anything. What are his LinkedIn credentials? With the caveat that anyone can lie on Linkedin, Mr. Savara appears to be a Software Engineer. Which is fine! I'm glad software engineers exist! But Sid's got nothing in his professional history which suggests he knows shit about finance. So I'm already pretty skeptical of his website, which is increasingly looking like a personal fart-huffing blog.

The article itself repeats the credulous claim made in the Forbes story earlier, but this time, provides no link for the 3% story. Mr. Savara is smarter than his colleages at Forbes, it's much wiser to just make shit up.

HOWEVER. I am not the first person to have followed this rabbit hole. Because at the very top of this article, there is a disclaimer.

Uh oh!

Sid's been called out before, and in the follow up to this article, he reveals the truth.

You can guess where this is going.

So to go back to the VERY beginning of this post, both Pocket/Good Housekeeping and Forbes failed to do even the most basic of research, taking the wild claim that writing down your budget may increase your income by 10x on good faith and the word of a(n admittedly honest about his shortcomings) software engineer.

Why did I spend 30 minutes to make a tumblr post about this? Mostly to show off how smart I am, but also to remind folks of just how flimsy any claim on the internet can be. Click those links, follow those sources, and when the sources stop linking, ask why.

[basil-eats-rocks]

Hello! I'm not actually just talking about current policy, I'm talking in general about the state of contemporary American politics. I'm currently in college studying to get my degree in order to GET a higher paying job. What makes that harder is that I am physically disabled and also being treated for several chronic illnesses while working two jobs. I'm willing to bet that I work a lot harder than you, because I have to. I always have. You don't have to agree with me, not even a little! But at least do a liiiittle more research before claiming I'm jobless lmao. And maybe saying that a 21 year old has "wasted their life" is a bit dramatic and silly.

My post is about the cost of living being too high, not whining about Republicans. Every president of this century, regardless of what side of the aisle they stand with, has supported corporate lobbying. That is fascism. That's what that actually means. I'm criticizing the current administration because they're expediting the exploitation of working class Americans, something Dems did a lot more slowly.

MAGA is fascinating because I'm watching this Battered Woman Syndrome develop in its supporters. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a similar faction of people blindly supporting Democrats. But with you guys....it's not even frustrating. It's just sad.

You follow a person who is so blatantly in favor of all these terrible things, and you believe them when they tell you that the history books warning you were falsified, despite real world experiences by hundreds of people who are still alive. You believe them when they tell you that we're sub-human, despite living in communities alongside us. You are told which news sources are trustworthy and which ones aren't and that we control the weather and the banks and Hollywood and medicine. You are told that we are indoctrinating your children by teaching them about the good and bad things our country has done. You are told that all these groups of people are out to get you because certain politicians want to become a savior for you so they can stay in power and enact institutions that wipe out anything they deem threatening to their way of life. You are told to not believe your own eyes and ears, that every bit of evidence that cracks at your worldview's foundation is doctored or a conspiracy. You are told to only ask questions that act as a "gotcha moment" instead of learning about it for your own intellectual growth. You are, like so many political dickriders, so tied into a group of like-minded people that it's frightening to consider leaving that, which is exactly what you say about anyone who disagrees with you, and you're afraid of shattering that already fragile belief.

How do you believe anything at all?

do you actually realize how fucking dystopian it is that I'm donating plasma every week just to afford breakfast?

Or have we all become so desensitized to current displays of fascism that we've adopted the VERY naïve belief that "if there aren't bodies in the street then we're not in danger?"

[medicinemane]

One issue I have is there's a whole lot of things where it's like "I'm actually nearly on your side, I'm very sympathetic to this, I just need one or two issues addressed and then I'd be with you on this... you just have to kinda... walk me through how this thing that feels like a kinda big problem isn't a problem"

And pretty much always it's just kinda like "oh, well it's not a problem, so don't worry about it"

...mhh... yeah... but I need some actual proof. I want to trust you, but I need something that actually deals with it, not to just basically be told to have faith... I have no faith, I'm a faithless person

And it's such a shame cause... instead of being able to work along side people I tend to hover off to the side trying to support it in my own small ineffective ways cause... I just have serious issues no one's ever bothered to address

Just sucks, you know?

[relicsongmel]

POV: you're Dena and your favorite teacher is trying to cover up the fact she's fucking your mom

[luimnigh]

I really didn't expect to see you entertain "he was framed, it's all a setup!!!" conspiracies. Thinking what he did wasn't wrong is one thing, but be serious, are you a fucking idiot?

I have reblogged posts that are reminding people of the concept of "innocent until proven guilty".

That's not a conspiracy theory, that's a part of a functioning justice system.

One of those posts does make mention of police corruption and how police in the past have chosen to frame people for high-profile cases. That's not a conspiracy, that's recorded history.

And it is relevant because Luigi Mangione is claiming that police planted evidence on him:

So maybe calm down and do some research before sending angry messages.

[fiercynn]

on ao3's current fundraiser

apparently it’s time for ao3’s biannual donation drive, which means it’s time for me to remind you all, that regardless of how much you love ao3, you shouldn’t donate to them because they HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY AND NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

we’ve known for years that ao3 – or, more specifically, the organization for transformative works (@transformativeworks on tumblr), or otw, who runs ao3 and other fandom projects – has a lot of money in their “reserves” that they had no plans for. but in 2023, @manogirl and i did some research on this, and now, after looking at their more recent financial statements, i’ve determined that at the beginning of 2024, they had almost $2.8 MILLION US DOLLARS IN SURPLUS.

our full post last year goes over the principles of how we determined this, even though the numbers are for 2023, but the key points still stand (with the updated numbers):

when we say “surplus”, we are not including money that they estimate they need to spend in 2024 for their regular expenses. just the extra that they have no plan for

yes, nonprofits do need to keep some money in reserves for emergencies; typically, nonprofits registered in the u.s. tend to keep enough to cover between six months and two years of their regular operating expenses (meaning, the rough amount they need each month to keep their services going). $2.8 million USD is enough to keep otw running for almost FIVE YEARS WITHOUT NEW DONATIONS

they always overshoot their fundraisers: as i’m posting this, they’ve already raised $104,751.62 USD from their current donation drive, which is over double what they’ve asked for! on day two of the fundraiser!!

no, we are not trying to claim they are embezzling this money or that it is a scam. we believe they are just super incompetent with their money. case in point: that surplus that they have? only earned them $146 USD in interest in 2022, because only about $10,000 USD of their money invested in an interest-bearing account. that’s the interest they earn off of MILLIONS. at the very least they should be using this extra money to generate new revenue – which would also help with their long-term financial security – but they can’t even do that

no, they do not need this money to use if they are sued. you can read more about this in the full post, but essentially, they get most of their legal services donated, and they have not, themselves, said this money is for that purpose

i'm not going to go through my process for determining the updated 2024 numbers because i want to get this post out quickly, and otw actually had not updated the sources i needed to get these numbers until the last couple days (seriously, i've been checking), but you can easily recreate the process that @manogirl and i outlined last year with these documents:

otw’s 2022 audited financial statement, to determine how much money they had at the end of 2022

otw’s 2024 budget spreadsheet, to determine their net income in 2023 and how much they transferred to and from reserves at the beginning of 2024

otw’s 2022 form 990 (also available on propublica), which is a tax document, and shows how much interest they earned in 2022 (search “interest” and you’ll find it in several places)  

also, otw has not been accountable to answering questions about their surplus. typically, they hold a public meeting with their finance committee every year in september or october so people can ask questions directly to their treasurer and other committee members; as you can imagine, after doing this deep dive last summer, i was looking forward to getting some answers at that meeting!

but they cancelled that meeting in 2023, and instead asked people to write to the finance committee through their contact us form online. fun fact: i wrote a one-line message to the finance committee on may 11, 2023 through that form, when @manogirl and i were doing this research, asking them for clarification on how much they have in their reserves. i have still not received a response.

so yeah. please spend your money on people who actually need it, like on mutual aid requests! anyone who wants to share their mutual aid requests, please do so in the replies and i’ll share them out – i didn’t want to link directly to individual requests without permission in case this leads to anyone getting harassed, but i would love to share your requests. to start with, here's operation olive branch and their ongoing spreadsheet sharing palestinian folks who need money to escape genocide.

oh, and if you want to write to otw and tell them why you are not donating, i'm not sure it’ll get any results, but it can’t hurt lol. here's their contact us form – just don’t expect a response! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[oldsunshineysoulwitch]

Me to myself: surely this doesn't actually happen?

Me scrolls down to the very next post on my dash: oh...

People of color: "White people need to stop being entitled colonialists and appropriating these things of our ancestors that belong to us."

Some white person, every time, without fail: "Yeah ok I'm gonna need to see some cited sources from you though."

[buckiverse]

hiiii, im callista, the one who actually made the CAWK ANALYSIS DIAGRAM, and im begging you to talk about xav and raf too so i can add them to our very important research <3

☆ warnings: mdni, a cock analysis for rafayel (including lemurian form) and xavier

☆ a/n: when i saw your post on twitter I was so shocked >< (in a let me pick up a mf pen and paper type of way) but, when I started cooking this one I did in fact realize I am a monster fucker when it involves rafayel (and sylus too who am I kidding fr), so I am looking forward to the updated research hehehe

sylus, caleb, and zayne ver.

R6.76GGPV - #dc9ca2

Rafayel’s physique is striking. He’s tall, with a lean, wiry frame that speaks to his grace and agility. Don’t be fooled by his size—this man is one with the water. His strength is deceptive, fluid, and undeniable. And, let’s be real: he’s lean, he’s sculpted, and damn, he looks incredible. His stamina is off the charts—of course, he’s a God of the sea. Hello?

Now, let’s get to the real topic at hand: his cock. It’s not the biggest—6.76 (17.1704 cm) inches, rounded to the nearest decimal—but Rafayel is a grower, okay. And what he has is a masterpiece. Gorgeous. I mean gorgeous. The kind of cock that makes you want to worship him, offering yourself up at his altar. There’s a bit of girth to it, too, and trust me, it’s a blessing in itself.

The head? Perfectly shaped, a stunning, pretty pink—honestly, it could be my new favorite lipstick shade. As for his pubic hair? None. Nada. Rafayel is smooth, clean, and pristine. (or he has designs because, yes the fuck he would) But here’s the thing: he doesn’t care what you do with yours. Whatever you’re working with, it’ll drive him wild.

Oh, and the veins. He doesn’t have many, but each one is perfectly placed like his cock was crafted by the gods themselves (maybe because he is one). No more than three, all connecting at various places on his shaft, and if you trace your fingers on it—even if it's a feather-light touch, his cock will jump. It’s almost too pretty—like a work of art you can’t stop staring at.

☆

Now, let’s talk about Rafayel as the Lemurian. His cock in this form? Thick. Fat. Gloriously imposing. At a solid nine inches (22.86 cm), it’s crowned with a knot at the base that’s thick and impossibly enticing. And his shaft is covered in soft, smooth scales—silky to the touch, like oiled skin or delicate petals. That knot? It’s primal, and when he’s overcome by the need to breed, it’s game over. Once he’s inside, don’t even think about running. You’re his, and he’s not letting you go until he’s filled you with his little sea heirs.

Oh, and just imagine him murmuring in that low, teasing voice: “Isn’t this what you wanted, pretty girl?” And you know his eyes are dark and overcome with need.

The scales don’t stop at his cock, either. They trail up his sides, climbing his torso, adding a texture that’s as sensitive as it is otherworldly. When you run your hands over him, he’s electrified, almost trembling with the intensity of sensation. And his cock? Hyper-sensitive. In this form, he’s consumed by the urge to breed, to claim you completely.

Careful what you wish for—because when Rafayel takes you, there’s no turning back.

X6.5GGPT - #c97677

As we all know, Xavier’s figure is quite shrouded in clothes. But truly—his figure is imposing. He’s tall, surprisingly muscular, it’s easy to forget this man is a trained (experienced) hunter. Of course he’s in good shape—it’s impossible for him not to be. He needs to be agile and perceptive—just like how he fucks by the way (like a jack rabbit).

So, his cock. Well, it's pretty—too pretty. A solid six and a half inches (16.51 cm), and yes, he’s a grower. Like I said, his clothes hide everything. And it’s thick, too thick for his own good—Xavier has a habit of reveling in your reaction to it—everytime. When he pulls his pants down and he watches your eyes grow big, your pupils dilate, he can see the wheels turning in your head. 

The head is like a mushroom and is so pretty pink, it has a beautiful red tint to it. So thick and it stretches you out everytime, and the tears pooling in your eyes get him going, he might say something like “You’re everything—do you know that? Everything.” Oh gosh and he keeps the hair low and trimmed or he’s bald—a perk of aging slowly is that everything grows slowly too.

And did i mention—he can make it glow. The craziest thing about him is that he's a come machine. He has this innate ability to pump endless amounts of come into you—he needs too. He has too much stamina and can go forever.

He’s literally fucking insatiable, once he has a taste of you. 

☆

R6.76GGPV: rafayel-6.76inch-girthy-grower-pink-veiny

X6.5GGPT: xavier-6.5inch-grithy-grower-pink-trimed

[cannibal-walleye]

First Meeting

"You guys shoulda seen it!" Impulse proclaimed loudly, tail swinging wildly with excitement. "I mean, Tango was great, but the lead singer—" The demon whistled.

"That good, huh?" Gem asked with a look that promised teasing should Impulse say much more.

He didn't heed the warning. "Yes, that good! I wish you guys had come; it actually blew me away. Like, the drums and piano blended perfectly, and so many of the songs made me want to start dancing right then and there," he gushed, pausing only for a moment to take a sip from his water bottle.

Scott, meanwhile, waved his phone at him, the screen displaying a pink heart that was on fire. "This is the same Heart Foundation you saw, right?"

"You found their insta already!" the demon beamed, reaching to grab it before the blizz snatched the phone away, blizz rods whirling happily.

"A'course I did, I am a professional. We need to do as much research as we can on your new crush before he can have our approval," Scott teased, scrolling through photos and posts.

"It's not a crush," he pouted, though he didn't bother with defending the claim against Gem's snort.

The warden peeked over Scott's shoulder, watching the photos fly past. "You said he's an angel, right?" she asked, glancing back at Impulse. She picked up her cocktail, taking a sip while the demon replied.

"Yeah, an angel. He's got these massive white wings, plus little pink ones on the sides of his head—though, I don't know if that was the lighting or dye or natural. Either way, they matched his suit perfectly, I didn't know it was possible for someone to look so good in hot pink! And- and! He's absolutely jacked, his arms were like the barrel of a cannon—and his hair also had hot pink streaks in it, and-"

"Like this?" Scott cut him off before he could ramble more, showing a photo of the angel, his arm slung around Tango as both of them laughed at the camera. He wasn't wearing the pink suit, just a tank top and sweats, but damn, if he didn't look just as hot, scars and muscles on full display.

Impulse's tail curled happily, a purr rumbling in his chest. "Yes, that's him! What does it say? Is his name on there, any other info about their next performance—though, I could just ask Tango when I see him-"

"You don't even know his name?" Gem interrupted, incredulous.

"I was distracted, okay?" he tried to defend, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. "I was taking a video for Tango while he was introducing everyone, and his voice was just so smooth, I couldn't really focus on the actual words. It's not my fault!"

They just giggled at him, Gem's elbow coming up to prod Scott, who looked up from the phone. Surprise flashed across his face, but it quickly turned to a teasing grin to match Gem's.

"You were distracted, hmm? Too busy eyeing up the hot angel to pay any attention?" the blizz asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

"I think so," the warden agreed before Impulse could defend himself. "Enamored with a complete stranger, our little Impy's all grown up~" she teased, eyes narrowing as though daring him to disagree.

He rolled his eyes, taking another long drink from his water; playing earlier had really left him drained, but not quite drained enough to sit out Tango's performance, despite Gem and Scott abandoning him to go get drinks. Impulse sighed happily, the image of the angel silhouetted by the backlighting still fresh in his mind, not to mention the memory of his voice. He'd need to ask the blaze hybrid later how they had met.

"So what if I am?" he argued, hands coming up to rub away the growing flush on his face. "I mean, he's friends with Tango, so he's gotta at least be a chill dude, plus he was so funny during the show, he interacted with the audience perfectly—honestly, Gem, you should be taking notes."

Her mouth fell open in amused shock, while Scott's smirk only deepened. They shared a glance, one that Impulse recognized well enough by now to know that they were categorically not going to drop this any time soon. Not that he cared; he was happy to keep rambling about what an amazing performance the niche band had put on; Impulse could recognize good music when he heard it.

"I don't know, I think you might be a tad biased," the blizz said, the frosty sparkle in his eyes refusing to disappear given Impulse's enthusiasm.

Gem nodded. "Definitely. You just think he's hot, you want to find a quiet spot where you two can kiss and-"

"Gem!" Impulse interrupted, flush deepening at the implications. "I don't even know if he likes guys," he retorted, wilting a little at the thought. Not that it mattered; he didn't know the guy, it's not like he'd somehow end up in a situation where hooking up was even possible.

"I dunno..." Scott drawled, eyes shifting to glance over the demon's shoulder. He grinned again at Impulse's embarrassment. "I feel like he'd be open to that sort of thing."

"And how would you know?" he snapped back, suddenly very self-conscious, as though the two of them were in on a joke that he didn't get. They did love to tease him, and it wasn't often that Impulse got a crush—not that this was a crush!

Gem just snorted while Scott waved the phone. "Instagram," he answered shortly, still smirking.

"But you didn't even answer the question!" the warden accused, taking another drink.

"What question?"

"Would you kiss him if you could?"

"Gem-" he tried to argue, hiding his blush with a hand again.

"Just answer! You never tell us about your love life, it's only fair," she insisted, giving him an intense and expecting look, one that warned against any arguing.

"I don't know him," the demon sputtered. "I guess I would, but I'd want to get to know him first, maybe take him out to dinner..." he trailed off, eyebrows furrowed at the thought. It really wasn't all that unrealistic that Impulse could meet the angel, since Tango could introduce them. But the odds of the guy actually being interested in anything?

"I was going to offer to buy you a drink, but I think it might have to be the other way around," came a deep voice from behind him.

The demon nearly jumped out of his skin.

Right in front of him was the angel, in the flesh, very close up and personal and—fuck, he was even hotter in person, suit torn at the sleeves and unbuttoned at the top, showing off his arms and chest. He was leaning against the bar, a stereotypical smolder painting his features, blue eyes dark as they looked the demon up and down.

Impulse short circuited.

He was stammering something, but he wasn't sure what—a greeting? An apology? How much had the angel heard, did he think Impulse was weird, did he-

"I'm asking if I can buy you a drink," the angel clarified, smirk fading into a more serious expression as he repeated the offer.

"I, uh-" The demon's mouth went dry. "I can't, I have to drive later," he answered weakly, brain still not catching up to the fact that the guy was hitting on him.

"No, you don't," Gem denied cheerily, the smile in her voice clear even though Impulse's back was turned. "We'll get an uber. Go have fun, enjoy yourself~"

He looked back up at the angel, who was now giving him the sweetest, most encouraging smile, and swallowed thickly. He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I- I'd love a drink," he managed, still unbearably flustered, tail curling in on itself.

The man grinned, the wings on his head puffing up happily—that's adorable—as he offered an arm to the demon.

Impulse took it, letting the angel lead him away to order drinks.

"Just be back by hotel checkout at ten tomorrow!" Scott called after them.

---

So that's their first meeting! I also want to write Skizz's first impression of Impulse and his pov of this encounter at some point, and potentially even extend the scene a little further when we see him ;)

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! And if there's any questions about anyone in this au, feel free to drop an ask <3

[twisting-roads]

DEBUNKING COMMON RAIN WORLD MISINTERPRETATIONS

The target audience for this was for people who don't know too much about the game as well, so I'm going to explain things that a normal player might already know.

Rain World is known for how it simply throws you into the world with almost no tutorial, and is often praised for it.

But this lack of explanation if you do not go out of your way to find it has also lead to a lot of misinterpretations from those who did not read all the game’s available information, or misunderstood what they were being told. I used to watch some RW lore videos that would explain and summarize these things, and in the past I believed them.

I’ve since stopped doing that after having some time to actually process what I’ve been reading, and I’m here to say...

YOU ARE ALL WRONG ABOUT RAIN WORLD.

Ok, hyperbole. Not everyone believes these, and art can always be interpreted in different ways by different people, and I won’t stop you from having these beliefs. But also, there’s plenty of ingame content which completely disproves most of these unsubstantiated points from those who do not fully research the game before making videos about it.

Looking at you Tale Foundry…

The purpose of this is to pick apart some of the sadly far too common points I’ve heard many times before from Youtube videos, to Tumblr posts, to people I’ve spoken to on Discord.

Starting with my least favorite…

------

“The 5 karma were seen as sinful”

Obvious westernization of a game based off fucking Buddhism aside, there’s no ingame text directly supporting this claim. There isn’t any that says otherwise, but we have good reason to believe this isn’t the case.

The 5 natural urges, as they’re sometimes called, were NATURAL. They were what bound you to the cycle. They never worsened your life or made you a terrible person should you keep following them, but an aspect of life on the same level as suffering or ecstasy.

Hey, I’ll break down the 5 karma and their meanings to show you that they're not just "sins"

I believe the natural urges have 2 different meanings: an animalistic one, and a more “human” one.

KARMA 1 This obviously represents violence, as you see one guy stabbing the other. I believe it also represents competition and intense emotions, For example: Artificer experiencing intense grief and lashing out in violence as a result. It was not the violence that started it, but her emotions. (Yes, its Downpour. But it’s a good point.)

KARMA 2

They’re having sex. They’re fucking. They’re- ok you get it. Karma 2 represents reproduction. But, I also believe it’s desire. Joyful bodily experiences, and such. The 2 figures seen here are in a much more playful pose than if they were simply doing this only to reproduce. No, they’re having fun.

KAMRA 3 Connection. Bonding with others. Yet also trade and personal belongings. Attachment to things that are not yourself.

KARMA 4 It’s mentioned ingame that this represents gluttony It’s overindulgence, you know. Similarly to karma 2, it can also be searching for fulfillment. I'm not particularly good at telling what the meaning of this could be.

KARMA 5 Self preservation. Self preservation can come in many forms, from an animal running away from a predator or somebody getting defensive after being accused of something or being threatened, this one is rather vague about its meaning.

I do this to show that the 5 urges have very NEUTRAL meanings. It being positive or negative is entire dependant on context. They’re not sinful, get out of here with that Catholic shit!

The 5 karmas have both positive, negative, and neutral contexts which they can fit into.

------

“The ancients hated being alive”

The ancients simply hated the cycle itself and its unknowable properties, as well as being much more aware of things like karma and the urges. Rather, they valued being effortless to disconnect themselves from this cycle.

“This was an eternal dilemma to them - they were burdened by great ambition, yet deeply convinced that striving in itself was an unforgivable vice. They tried very hard to be effortless.” – Bright Green Pearl (DS)

Some practices did of course include things like starving yourself, but as mentioned by Moon, these methods proved to be mostly obsolete. Void Fluid fundamentally changed their culture from what we see. Rather, we do see the ancients enjoying life and valuing it in their own way, which is INCREDIBLY important to some of the games themes, but I’ll get into that later.

"[...]'In this vessel is the living memories of Seventeen Axes, Fifteen Spoked Wheel, of the House of Braids[…] Seventeen Axes, Fifteen Spoked Wheel nobly decided to ascend in the beginning of 1514.008, after graciously donating all (ALL!) earthly possessions to the local Iterator project (Unparalleled Innocence), and left these memories to be cherished by the carnal plane.The assorted memories and qualia include:Watching dust suspended in a ray of sun (Old age). Eating a very tasty meal (Young child). Defeating an opponent in a debate contest, and being applauded by fellow team members (Late childhood/Early adulthood).’...and the list goes on. I'm sorry, little creature, I won't read all of this - the list is six hundred and twenty items long.” – Deep Magenta (SH)

There’s quite a lot to pick apart here, I had to cut down some parts short, but even the cut parts have important details. Just not important enough for me to bring up here.

The Memory Crypts we see ingame are… well where memories are kept. The qualia (personalized experiences) is stored within these mutated fleshy neural organisms referred to as “cabinet beasts”. These of course, contain the “living memories” or qualia of those who have ascended. There are people smarter than me who have already covered these ideas of course, so I won't go TOO indepth.

The ancients greatly valued titles and achievements just as us. They still lived normal lives. As well as this, they valued personal experiences and memories of the carnal realm so much they built an entire citadel to store memories.

As we can see as well, Seventeen Axes has quite a lot of enjoyable memories from throughout their life. Eating nice food and winning a debate contest and getting validation from their peers? That sounds rather… complacent with the 3rd and 4th natural urges, doesn’t it?

I do not believe this screams “I hate being alive!” as much as people have made it out to be, and is honestly ruins part of the game’s messages of compassion and personalized experiences, especially in the game’s ending where Survivor dreams of home.

“You have no name. I once had! I was embalmed, adorned, readied for the journey. So proud. There was jubilation! My name was sung, loud and clear. Did they know? That I didn't quite leave, didn't quite stay? Should I be ashamed? That I linger here, where my memories are kept? Should I be ashamed that I now envy your flesh prison?” - Four Needles under Plentiful Leaves

This is leaning into personal theory territory, but...

I personally believe that the ancients were somewhat terrified of the unpredictability of the cycle and the fact that life would always have more suffering in it.

RW’s religion is heavily based off Buddhism. This is well known of course. The Cycle is a variation of Samsara. Now, I’m not Buddhist, and I’ve tried to do my research about some of these topics. Feel free to correct me, I’m simply going off what I know. (Also I'd love to hear what you have to say regarding your thoughts on the game!)

In Buddhism, each new life you could be taken into the body of an animal, or even end up being tortured in hell for a very, very, VERY long time if you made the wrong decisions, which made escaping it as soon as you could seem like a rather reasonable thing to do.

The ancients never fully grasped the scope of the cycle, and the prospects of having your soul wake up in the body of some miserable worm with no memory of your past or any ideas of your future might’ve seemed bleak.

Suffering is inevitable. But that doesn’t mean they hated being alive, like I said before.

------

“Rain World is post-apocalyptic.”

It really isn’t. There was never any apocalypse. The ancients simply left on their own accord, leaving behind their mark on the world that will slowly be buried once again in the ever so present cycle.

“The bones of forgotten civilizations, heaped like so many sticks.” - Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets

The world is thriving, even. The purposed organisms left behind have evolved and taken over and become it’s own ecosystem.

The iterators are dying though. Dying very slowly, but soon they’ll all decay and everything will move on.

It’s all just another manifestation of the cycle.

------

“The creatures in Rain World cannot die”

This is definitely something I hear from people who haven’t played much of the game and only hear about it from outside sources and watch the gameplay.

Yes, it is easy to believe this. As slugcat, when you die, you wake back up again. This is entirely a gameplay thing and not actually related to the lore. Saying this might seem like I'm avoiding the question at hand here, but the rules that apply to you do not seem to apply to other creatures.

Every creature in the game has a 4 integer ID (it can go higher, but not in a standard playthrough).

This makes every creature you see an individual of sorts with its own randomized values or appearance.

As well as this, creatures spawn from specific marked dens. When you kill a creature that spawns from a certain den, the next cycle, that creature’s ID will never appear again. Instead, the den spawn is replaced by a creature of the same species with a different ID, or a new species entirely.

Through gameplay, you see that the respawn rules that apply to you do not apply to other creatures. I’ve heard many points about how these dead creatures are transported to another alternate universe where they are alive, but I really do not want to delve into that theory. You do that yourself.

Excuse my unprofessional language, but this is kind of stupid. Billions and billions of little timeline splits accounting for every single insect and microbe that dies seems far too complex of a solution. Occam's Razor and all that.

With this gameplay element you see, I also want to give LORE explanations as to why this is incredibly stupid.

1) If death had no impact, the 5 natural urges would not matter

If no creatures died, there would be no point in eating (karma 4), competing with other species (karma 1), or any form of self preservation (karma 5). Reproduction (karma 2) has no role and there would be absolutely no reason to do anything any longer. All natural processes would be useless.

2) Light Blue Pearl

The information received from the cycle is most likely from the Light Blue Pearl, found in Outskirts.

“[...]The repeating mantra is important because it symbolizes the cyclical nature of life and death, and the termination verse is a symbol for ascension above and beyond it. I don't know how familiar you are with the nature of life and death, but I imagine like all living creatures you have some intuitive knowledge? Then you know that death isn't the end - birth and death are connected to each other like a ring, or some say a spiral. Some say a spiral that in turn forms a ring. Some ramble in agonizing longevity. But the basis is agreed upon: like sleep like death, you wake up again - whether you want to or not. This is true for all living things, but some actually break the cycle. That doesn't apply to you or me though, you are too entangled in your animal struggles, and for me not breaking that cycle is an integral part of the design. Our mantras keep repeating.”

“Then you know that death isn't the end - birth and death are connected to each other like a ring, or some say a spiral. Some say a spiral that in turn forms a ring.“

This line is very misunderstood. Moon specifically mentions birth and death. She mentions death. She never brings up the notion that nothing truly dies either.

As well as this, Moon says that “some say”, implying that even the ancients weren’t sure what the cycle was either. This is more important to my point regarding how the unfathomable nature of the cycle was why the Ancients were so averse to it from above, though.

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“Sliver of Straw found the solution.”/"There is/isn't solution"

No she didn’t.

.

.

Ok fine I’ll explain.

If you’ve played Rain World you know that the purpose of the iterators is to find the solution to the “Great Problem”, the problem of how to ascend ALL living creatures.

You’ll also know Sliver sent out the Triple Affirmative…

“[...]affirmative that a solution has been found, affirmative that the solution is portable, and affirmative that a technical implementation is possible and generally applicable. She's also one of few that has ever been confirmed as exhaustively incapacitated, or dead. We do not die easily.[…]” - Pale Yellow (SL)

After sending out this affirmative, the iterators became conflicted. They never could figure out if she really ascended and had found the solution, or if it was some sort of catastrophic error.

The answer to the Great Problem is clearly intended to be as obscured as possible. There cannot be an answer one way or the other. The themes of it and the endless tolling of the iterators would not be as impactful if we knew there was or wasn’t a solution.

“[...]Either way, after that these different factions developed, as well as a huge forensic effort to recreate and simulate Sliver of Straw's last moments. Some of the simulations were wrapped in a simulation wrapped in a simulation, in case something dangerous might happen. Nothing much has come from it.[…]“ - Pale Yellow (SL)

Here’s my favorite way of explaining what I mean…

Imagine Schrodinger's Cat, the famous thought experiment. There’s a 50/50 chance that when you open the box, you either find the Solution, or find out there is No Solution.

Except you cannot open the box. And the box is entirely theoretical and nobody’s seen it. It seems impossible, but maybe one day you’ll find that box. That’s what the Great Problem is.

Sliver apparently having found the solution would have completely broken everything. Five Pebbles wouldn’t have ended up hurting himself and Moon had Sliver finding the solution been known with certainty. He was taking a shot in the dark.

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“Ascension is akin to suicide.”

I strongly believe this point harms the role that ascension and the void sea play in Rain World’s narrative. Ascension is meant to be a final destination, a goal you build up to and prepare for when you’ve lived every bit of life you possible could, and can now move on.

Bringing up the Memory Crypt pearl from earlier, Seventeen Axes lived an incredibly fulfilling life from what we see, and ascended happily.

As well as this, Buddhism strongly encourages those who wish to liberate themselves to discover their own path, which is also subtly shown through the gameplay, as there are many many routes you can take to Five Pebbles, Looks To The Moon, and The Depths.

I do also think this is why Five Pebbles failed. He tried to brute force his way to ascension.

Suicide implies that ascension is only meant to be a fruitless escape and that it’s wrong to ascend. I… do not want to go into why suicide is bad. It’s a strong topic and I’m just here to talk about video games. But ascension is a neutral thing that you can choose to do or not do and to wait until you’re ready.

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Conclusion...

I really only have the time to cover these 6 misconceptions, and I believe it should be enough. There have been many others I’ve seen, such as the ancients being malicious or that there weren’t any civilizations before them, but there’s not as much to say about them, and they aren’t as common.

Rain World is a very confusing game. I’m not upset at people who think these things to be true, and I do not believe they’re stupid or don’t have any media literacy. I just wish that the people who did actually cover this game did some more looking into it, and actually discussing it with Rain World fans.

Also I should say, that during this entire discussion I have avoided talking about Downpour- RW’s DLC- as it’s more of a official fanmade project. And so much of what it says may not be entirely in line with Vanilla. Because my life isn’t easy and of course there has to be an incredibly divisive and confusing thing like this that I need to avoid bringing up so that way the conversation isn’t muddled.

Thanks if you managed to make it through all this by the way