#gloriavale

[spurgie-cousin]

I've talked about the Christian cult community Gloriavale from New Zealand a few times on here, particularly the 2015 three part docuseries that's on Amazon (there are 2 other docs by a NZ director and news network that I'm dying to watch but they're not available here 😭). i found out today that Pearl and Paul Valor from the documentary got out!!!

Not only did they get out but they're suing the elders with some other ex-members over a *ton* of rights violations. the last straw for the Valors was that Paul developed a seizure disorder that no one took seriously for like, 6 months. I'm watching a little of Pearl's testimony and she says that even accused him of faking his seizures.

So that's lead me down a whole new rabbit hole of this trial, but I know a few people here have watched the doc so I wanted to share that! They were the first couple married in the series and I remember their courting process was so awkward lol and the last I'd heard they'd had quite a few kids so I'd lost hope. but it makes me so happy to hear that their whole family is out and I hope they take the elders for all they're worth.

[quiverlockedandloaded]

I can’t believe that there are grown adults out there who are threatened by the influence talking animals might have on their children and not speaking in tongues.

[myriad--starlings]

surprise Gloriavale documentary. oh no. oh no. I'm not normal. I'm NOT normal. there's so much in here. I'm only one episode in.

[mucking-faori]

Asshole at the Gloriavale trial compared their cult to a marae. A MARAE. Get the FUCK out of here. Not only are they all crackers, and have probably been on a marae once at most, they're also completely wrong. I don't think a few men doing speeches at a marae are comparable to the rampant sexism in all facets of life at Gloriavale, the oppression of women, the sexual abuse and men with multiple wives. Hope their commune burns to the ground.

[mr-kiwi-the-wizard]

wow a local christian commune has suffered a major lawsuit.

Apparently they weren't paying the female workers born in the commune for their work. they were given the option of unpaid labor or to leave their home.

[cultvault]

Got my newest #cult book through the door. Thank you @ankerichterscale for sending me a copy of your recent publication “Cult Trip”. I am so looking forward to our chat! #cult #cults #cultleader #centrepoint #gloriavale #cultpodcast #cultbook https://www.instagram.com/p/CqVG6JxIG5K/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dordey]

gloriavale keeping puritan names alive. spelling & all. diligent stedfast

[minorfamilysupremacy]

Wanna weigh in on the pond x mile drama?

I know you probably don't won't to even think about boc or pond more than you have to but I literally love reading your rants and opinions.

every time i get an ask i have to guess before i open it as to whether this is a bible stan coming to take a swing at me for being a SWERF or if i just have to reset the Days Since Last Stupid Fucking Bullshit counter to 0

pond, my good bitch, you're in your 30s at least. you want to hobnob with celebrities and thai politicians, and you use your IG as a teen girl's confessional, except a teen girl might have the sense god gave a rock to activate her privacy settings. the divorce between you and mile was already pathetic enough -- what, did mile get bored of his kept boy and move on to greener pastures and leave you to swoop in to rescue poor pitiful apo, or was a friendship entirely based on being obnoxiously out-of-touch rich assholes only able to make transactional connections no longer sustainable due to the fact that neither of you would know a genuine emotion if it hit you in the face? -- but god only fucking knows what the hell he's talking about in this post in terms of mending friendships. him and mile? mile and apo? some strangers he's never met in his life but feels the usual need to speak authoritatively about because he's the smartest man in thailand and thus an expert on all matters? (pause for my more hateful anons to point out i, too, am doing exactly that, although i would promptly counter that i am some dipshit on the internet and not someone larping as mr hotshot CEO bringing thai culture to the unwashed masses of the world.)

dude is both exhausting and fucking embarrassing as hell. pond, from the bottom of my random-dipshit-on-the-internet heart, log off and stop fucking posting.

[hurremsultanns]

GLORIAVALE HUMAN TRAFFICKING ALLEGATIONS???

[highlights-of-the-lowlife]

since shitting on iilluminaughtii is back on the menu i watched one of her videos a year ago because i heard she was good.

it was on gloriavale and went as such:

garbled mess of all maori pronunciation but also pronounced greymouth as greymyth?

i do so much research

like so much research you guys

i am an expert on cults (citation needed)

*the most base level info on how a cult works legit listicle website shit*

but guys i do sooooooo much research give me money

[spurgie-cousin]

Hey! Not a question, but regarding the three part doco on Gloriavale, it's available on TVNZ. I'm not sure if TVNZ works outside of NZ, but if it doesn't, let me know, and I'd be happy to screen record and send it to you via Google drive or something 💕

oh wow I really appreciate that! We can get the 2015 3 part doc over here, but not the newest one "Escaping Utopia", which I think is what just came out on TVNZ recently. if you have easy access to it I'd love to watch it, but if it's too time consuming or risky bc of copyright stuff (i have no idea what the NZ laws are regarding that) no worries at all 😊

[thetavolution]

Modern Day AU

I spent a moment to think what everyone would be up to in a modern day AU.

Astarion: He was pre-law when he got caught up with Cazador. It's less a vampire spawn situation and a more straightforward abuse situation. I think in the AU he was also much younger when Cazador found him. Once he breaks free of Cazador, he might go back into law. He'd end up in therapy and he'd probably have to take a step back to re-evaluate what he wants in life.

Gale: Of course he's a professor. With magic off the table in this particular AU, he'd probably teach as many subjects as they'd let him. Students would constantly have deja vu seeing him in so many classes. He'd be teaching somewhere like Cambridge or Oxford. The subjects that came to mind were English, History of Art, Linguistics, Philosophy, and for reasons I can't explain, German.

Shadowheart: Her ass would be in a cult. She was kidnapped into some kind of Gloriavale situation as a kid. She'd eventually get a taste of freedom and leave the cult for good, especially if a Tav comes her way. Then she'd write a tell-all book and do a lot of Ted Talks about it. As she got older, she'd become more reclusive. She'd write books from her little countryside house full of animals.

Halsin: Halsin would still be a tree-hugging hippy. He'd have an environmentalism related job, like wind turbine technician, environmental technician, or solar installer. (I imagine he'd want something very hands on.) He'd 100% be part of a nudist colony. He'd still be poly, and he'd be very choosey about who he lets into the polycule.

Lae'zel: She'd go to university where she'd be expanding her world. It would force her to unpack her unhealthy home life is. She was probably raised in a jingoistic family. After discovering the power of friendship and self-discovery, she'd make better choices for herself. She'd still be INCREDIBLY disciplined so I imagine she'd be an athlete. Either she'd do professional rugby or MMA. She might do pro wrestling. She wouldn't join the theatrics on purpose. They'd just tap into her natural persona for her character.

Karlach: She worked for Gortash before he made a name for himself in politics. I'm still trying to work out exactly what would happen to her. I imagine he framed her in this universe and she spent 10 years in prison instead of Avernus. Now she's out and wants revenge... but also would love to get her life back. Possibly she has a chronic illness that, if untreated, could kill her. It's not a 1-to-1 for her heart situation, but close.

Jaheira: She refuses to ever retire from her work. She's been a part of almost every humanitarian world org that'll have her, like The Peace Corps. She now runs her own organization that travels the world for humanitarian efforts. She's a widow and she's still the mother to several adopted children.

Wyll: He was on track to make his father proud. He was going to Oxford to study politics until he realized how much he hated it. His father is the mayor of a major city. I'm hesitant to say London because it feels too obvious. Instead, Wyll drops out to pursue humanitarian work. This is where his path crosses with Jaheira as he joins her organization. His father just doesn't get it and they're at odds over it.

Minthara: Military brat who grew up to join the British Military. In her off time, she's in the BDSM scene.

Orin: She is either running a true crime podcast or being talked about on one. Either that or she's a CEO of a drug company a la The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).

Gortash: This dude is running as a Tory and you know it. He left a huge trail of problematic behavior on his Twitter. He made an anonymous Reddit account to post relationship problems on, but everyone figured out it was him almost immediately.

Barcus: This poor man is so tired. He never found his "dream" and he's been going from job to job for decades. After he starts to stand up for himself, he opens an online store based on all his interests and thrives.

I might do more later, but this is all I could think of for now.

[kiwiana-writes]

Happy sleepover Friday! 🥳 I guess this falls under advice…what are five books you wish everyone would read?

Oooooooh what a THINKER of a question!

In no particular order, and a very small selection of a much longer list...

Bisexual Men Exist by Vaneet Mehta is an absolutely vital read for everyone, and I do mean everyone.

Queer: A Collection of LGBTQ Writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday edited by Frank Wynne is a stunning collection of queer writing. We're here, we've always been here, and this is such a wonderful collation.

Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised by Alice Te Punga Somerville is hands down my favourite poetry collection; it's incredibly thought-provoking as well as being beautiful writing.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston -- I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC and y'all. Y'ALL. Casey has outdone themself for SURE. Tattoo some of the lines from this book on my heart, honestly.

Sins of the Father: The Long Shadow of a Religious Cult by Fleur Beale. A lot of kiwi have read Fleur Beale's YA novel about a religious cult I Am Not Esther and its sequels (which I also recommend!), but this is a non-fiction account of the children of the leader of Gloriavale here in Aotearoa. It's incredibly eye-opening and I've recommended it to a few people whose position on Gloriavale had previously been 'oh well if that's how they want to live, let them'.

[quiverlockedandloaded]

Hi!

I’ve been lurking in fundieblr for a while now, but I’ve only just decided that I should probably start a side blog for my fundie stuff. My main blog is @heiapopo!

I have had a keen interest in religion, along with politics and the overlap between the two. I start postgrad next year, where I might do something that explores those interests.

I also find myself fascinated by trainwrecks. The Rods are probably the fundie family that I find most interesting, with the Duggars, the Andersons, and Gloriavale being a close second.

Thank you for reading, and I have to admit that I don’t know what I should sign off as right now lol.

[saveourskinship]

I love Nona. I love Nona so much.

But

My God

The John chapters are making me laugh and cry and crack ribs and sob.

Parachute and blue light discos and fucking HAMILTON.

Māori TV Pink Panther

Macca's

Kia kaha, kia maia

Wairarapa

And yeah, the government is all 'Yay! Go, you small business, go!' Until your Destiny Church or Gloriavale.

[thefoolsprocession]

Ah yes, 4/20. The date where my neighbours blast music at 8 in the morning and girls will dress up as handmaiden cultists (Gloriavale specifically)