#i literally CANNOT choose between them because i don't have any more than 30€

[heavenknowsffs]

Saying "meals under $5" that have a thousand ingredients that you only use a tiny bit of, to me, is like saying "if you have all of these in your house already it's free"

[vampiresuns]

I never do things like these, but fuck it. I will this year and if authenticity be corny, then I accept it whether I like it or not. so here are 30 things I have learnt in my 30 years to say goodbye to a lousy one.

Until you recognise them, you will relive those patterns that haunt you in your relationships. Not in every relationship, but they will be there. You have to face them, it’s the only way to break the spell.

One thing skincare jargon influencers and capitalism make you forget about sunscreen and sun damage is that your skin is a literal organ. The ageing is inevitable, the skin cancer and other afflictions are not.

Unlearning your self-fulfilling doom prophecies is the hardest thing you will ever do, but nothing else will ever be more rewarding.

Signs from the universe do exist. In the form of discomfort, one too many coincidences or something that can only be explained by your specific spiritual or religious practices. But they exist.

That something is personal to you doesn’t mean the other person meant it to be personal. People often act more out of ignorance and self-centring than will to cause you harm, but there are people who will absolutely volunteer you as collateral damage of their own lives and reactions. This is unfair and not your responsibility to carry.

From where you can, learn and grow. From where you cannot, learn to forgive yourself and let go. If you don’t learn how to exist with yourself, there will be no way of comfortably existing ever, at all.

Where you did not cause harm or are being treated unfairly, you are not responsible for the shame, guilt and responsibilities they put on you.

Learn how to prioritise what’s important to you and what isn’t.

Other people are allowed to have their own priorities, and you can respect them while also recognising they are incompatible with yours. Which is to say, people will offer you things, loves and places in their lives. You do not have to say yes simply because you’re offered. You can choose.

Self-centred thinking or actions aren’t inherently immoral. In fact stop thinking about attitudes as inescapable character flaws. There is a difference between an attitude towards something, a feeling, a characteristic, a choice, and a predisposition to. I know figuring this out can be hard, specially to those of us who are ND, but it's not impossible.

But not because things should not be thought of as moral or immoral all the time like we're in a race against catholic guilt does it mean they cannot cause harm. The point is, it is often not personal, and when you personalise it you forget that you are the grand architect of your own avenues and the captain of your own ship.

Your idea of what love is, feels like, and what kind of love you want in your life will change. Things will die and grow apart because of this. Let them.

Your flaws and vulnerabilities are your own, and no one has the right to exploit them.

If you’re afraid of the deep waters, you’ll never cross any river at all. Do it afraid, do it weird, because while being unprepared is very much a possibility, fear is neither a good advisor nor the golden ration of safety.

Being willing to meet the world with curiosity is more important than anything else in your life ever, if you ever want to exist with one another. Curiosity can coexist with caution.

Sometimes you’re the problem. Sometimes everyone is. Sometimes no one is. How important this will be depends on your priorities (see #10), but if you don't like being the problem take action or grieve it to make your peace with it. Managing your flaws, learning from them, not being sunk by them and even changing them completely or using them as strengths is possible.

The people who are meant to love you won’t think loving you is hard. The people you are meant to love won’t be a fuss for you to do so.

But love is no panacea. Intensity of feeling does not replace communication skills and some basic consideration.

The if you love something set it free, if it comes back then it yours, applies to many things, but mostly I’ve found out it applies to things you forgot you were passionate about in your pursuit for conformity.

It also applies with people, but not in the we think: What no one tells you is that learning how to receive is also a skill, what no one tells you is that if you don't give people the space to choose you, it won't work out. Learning that is also a skill.

You are worth the time it takes to grow, even when you don’t believe it. It is best to have people you can rely on when you need a reminder or someone to hold that strength for you, until you remember yours again.

That no one is responsible for your life, problems and issues but yourself is about autonomy and agency, not about how no one will ever help you. People will, but your life and your thoughts and your wants are your own and your responsibility to learn how to communicate.

And speaking of being responsible for your life, wants, actions and feelings, learning how to be so will bring you a stupid big amount of peace of mind in the end. The complicated or unwelcome feelings will still be there, but they won't be forever.

No disappointment lasts forever. Eventually your priorities change.

Seriously tho. Learning how to be comfortable with your own agency and autonomy is, perhaps, one of the most important things to ever learn and go through.

Whatever you are, procure it is authentic. Being genuine is more important than being liked. Sacrificing who you are for the things you wish you'd have is rarely worth it.

If you think you’re wretched, get some sleep or get out of the house and get moving. If you think the world should be burnt in fire and drowned and salted after it dries for no apparent reason, it’s either hunger of overstimulation.

When you settle for agreements you can’t sustain or compromises that hurt you, you’re telling yourself you don’t matter.

Some people don’t deserve an explanation, your time, a reaction or your consideration. Learning how to identify them is not easy but it will also save you a lot of peace of mind. "Shut the fuck up" doesn’t just apply to talking to cops.

For your life to be a garden you can tend to into the future, some things must die. Let die what must die, it'll eventually pass. If Death, of any kind, is anything, it's being efficient. Bury what must die and let it be transformed into something else.

Everything in this list that is applicable to the behaviour of others, can be applied to the behaviour of the you because for other people you are the Other. And yet, see all the numbers above, because there is a difference between ‘other’ as in someone who is not anyone else, and alienation.

May I never forget these lessons and may I always carry them with me. May you also, if any of them apply to you or help you.

Wishing all of us a better 2024.

[chaoticrobotics]

.. Moon, sun? Is staying up till 4 am Bad?

I've been staying up for a while.. And I dont know how to properly sleep, or get a good comfy position to fall asleep quicker-

Sun: This is for you Moon! *turns light off*

Moon: It sure is! And it CAN be bad, but it can also be completely fine. It depends on when you are actually awake and what your schedule is. If you work the night shift or sleep all day, then staying up all night is completely fine! But based off of the rest of your ask I will assume you are supposed to be asleep at night.

One of the easiest things to do would be to get off any kind of electronic device, especially ones without a blue-screen filter, about an hour or at least half-hour before you plan to go to sleep. I say this is the easiest because it requires the least amount of effort technically, but I know how people do rely on their devices a lot more than they use to.

So if that is not an option, then I would say to try and get some more exercise in your daily routine. Working out even for 30 minutes can help your sleep schedule drastically. It doesn't even have to be very intense work-outs. I know there are people who are disabled or cannot physically work out, so ANY kind of movement can help, even just walking or lifting something a few times. Just don't try to push or strain yourself while exercising. Also try not to exercise right before bed, try to keep it closer to the middle of the day.

You can also try to keep a schedule once you are able to fall asleep. If you end up falling asleep around 10 pm one night, try to aim to get into bed by 9 pm or so, without using electronics, and try to fall asleep by keeping your mind empty and focusing on breathing or nothing at all.

Oh! Another trick that could help, is to tense up your body a whole lot! This is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation! What you want to do is choose a set of muscles to tense up, such as a thigh or bicep, and tense that muscle up for 5 to 10 seconds while inhaling. Then, when you exhale, release all that tension you built up. Wait 10 to 20 seconds and then repeat that with a different muscle group! Do this for most of your body! Many people with Insomnia have said this kind of practice can help them fall asleep.

And then there are, like I just said, sometimes mental blocks that stop us from sleeping, such as Insomnia or even ADHD. There are some medicines that you can use to help you sleep, such as Melatonin or a prescription sleeping aid from a licensed doctor! These will help if you literally cannot fall asleep because of a mental disorder, just make sure to read all labels and consult a professional if you do go the medical route because there can be plenty of adverse reactions that could potentially happen.

Other than that, I would say to keep your room to your comfort level, keep distractions to a minimum, and try not to eat close to the bedtime you want to have. Use pillows or blankets to help get into sleeping positions, such as a pillow under your stomach area and between your legs if you lay on your side. Everyone's sleeping position is different, and you should try to stick to one method for about 2 to 3 weeks before moving on to another one to see what works because bodies take time to adjust to things.

You can also look up something called Biphasic or Polyphasic sleeping methods! That's where you split your sleep cycle up into segments which can work better for some people than others. There's plenty of sleeping trick you can try! Just give them a shot!

Sun: "And once again you have outdone yourself with sleep facts!"

Moon: Barely, hehe. These are just some tricks, nothing is guaranteed to work unfortunately.

[I answered another question like this that goes more in depth with Biphasic/Polyphasic sleep methods HERE if you are interesed.]

[alchemania]

Barbara, and Bennett: Toxic Positivity (and how they each exude it)

While it's easy to spot negative toxic behavior, toxic positivity can be harder to recognize and pin down. In this blog, I am going to analyze 2 characters in Genshin and explain just how they show traits of toxic positivity. (I originally was going to include Jean, but I already covered her in an earlier blog so it'd just be redundant)

Barbara Page

Barbara is all smiles and sunshine, trying her best to ensure that everyone is happy. However; she does this to an unhealthy degree and often does not prioritize her emotional wellbeing.

#1: Forcing herself to always be happy.

Barbara's story lines state that she "only allows herself to be depressed for 30 seconds" and that after that, she basically puts on a smile; regardless of what she's actually feeling. She often talks about how good everyone is to her, and I honestly believe that Barbara invalidates her own depression because in her eyes; she has a good life and there's no "reason" for her to be sad, plus if she was sad then everyone else would feel down. She hasn't experienced anything traumatic, so how can she have the right to be depressed? But the thing is, she has: her parents divorced when she was young; and Barbara grew up apart from Jean, leading to a lack of a relationship between the two. While the divorce, based on Jean's story lines, did not seem to have a lot of negativity around it (from what I can tell Simon and Frederica actually split on amiable terms, they just fell out of love with each other), it still affected Barbara in a negative way and no doubt she is hurting from it but she's not acknowledging her pain. All trauma is not the same, this is true. But all trauma IS valid; just because someone is hurting less doesn't mean they're NOT hurting and Barbara needs to understand that her pain is valid and give herself time to process it.

#2: Lack of emotional boundaries

If there's anything that Jean and Barbara have in common besides both being healers, it's that they're absolutely terrible at saying no. In Barbara's hangout, she feels guilty for avoiding Albert and wanting to be left alone despite being emotionally exhausted and even wants to apologise, despite doing nothing wrong. Later on when her fans ask for autographs; she agrees, despite being off the clock and trying to take a break: Aether has to step in personally to get people to go away, and not only that; he has to lie through his teeth in order to do so. If you tell the NPCs the truth ("Barbara is currently on leave, please don't disturb her",) they'll reply "Oh she's on leave? Perfect time to ask for an autograph!" They don't care about her feelings; all they care about is what she can do for them and the worst part is that Barbara lets them treat her like this. It's so bad that the Knights have to constantly step in and rescue her because folks can't get it in their heads that off the clock =/= available; and Barbara feels like if she can help other people that she needs to; to the detriment of her own needs. She seems to think it's selfish to put herself first; but looking out for yourself emotionally is anything but. It's okay to say no, it's okay to tell people you're not available. Just because you're free doesn't mean you're up to engage and there's nothing wrong with that. But like Sister Victoria says herself; Barbara is too nice. She gives and gives and gives and expects nothing in return, and people take advantage of that.

#3: Undermining herself through constant praise of others

In her hangout, she tells you that besides singing and healing, she doesn't have anything worthwhile about her, and then goes on about how amazing you are, Jean as well. Barbara doesn't acknowledge her positive traits, and then when she vents to you she apologizes for doing so, since you were supposed to be hanging out and having fun. She puts a lot of her worth in comparison to what other people can DO, and not actual character. Barbara is a lovely person: she's sweet and kind and loving, but because she doesn't see herself as physically strong or powerful, she doesn't think she's worth a lot.

Bennett

My GOD, Bennett is like the EPITOME of toxic positivity.

1. Allows others to mistreat him and take out their feelings on him because he feels it's his fault they're suffering (essentially, a martyr complex)

Bennett's hangout is a prime example of this where when Royce got angry, Bennett simply let him yell until you step in. Due to his almost perpetual bad luck, he feels that he's responsible for the misfortune of the people around him and since he can't physically do anything about it, he attempts to "atone" by letting himself be emotionally assaulted.

He also puts himself in physical danger to keep other people safe (he figures since he's already unlucky, might as well suffer a little more if it means everybody else is okay, right?), and accepts abandonment as the norm since he's a liability. Bennett does not value his wellbeing whatsoever due to constantly being in danger and he seems to be of the mentality "If I'm going to die, at least let me die protecting everybody" and that immensely upsets me that a KID, who's probably no older than 17, is already considering his mortality.

#2: Not allowing himself to process negative emotion

Just like Barbara, Bennett constantly forces himself to always keep a smile on, only in his case it's more to keep himself from getting overwhelmed about his situation. It's heavily implied in his story that Bennett is afraid that he could die any day (and I don't blame him) and so he lives hard and fast because he feels he doesn't have a lot of time. He's cheated death MULTIPLE times (he almost died as a baby, and he almost died prior to receiving his Vision), and Bennett more than likely feels that one day, he's not going to get lucky enough to escape again; and he'll actually die. His life is an entire string of misfortune and unlike Barbara and her parents divorce, Bennett is aware of this trauma: he simply chooses to take it in stride and forces himself to stay upbeat. Which is just as bad as letting negative emotion completely overwhelm him, it's literally just the other ditch.

Bennett also seems very sad about the fact that his team abandoned him but he doesn't let himself process that either (if you respond angrily to the revelation that his teammates left he'll jump to defend them and insist "they had their reasons"- and that may be true, but that doesn't invalidate the trauma and sadness of being left behind because of something you literally cannot control). Similar to Diluc, Bennett is sort of an Atlas of his own right, but instead of carrying all of Mondstat on his shoulders he's shouldering his emotional wellbeing: he refuses to vent to anyone and bottles everything up because he doesn't want to be a burden; but in doing so he's only hurting himself in the long run.

(Thank God for Razor though it seems like he might be hanging around for the long haul and that makes me immensely happy. I could cry. Please don't let anything bad happen to him and Bennett they deserve friendship)

I'm going to go off the beaten path a bit here but, to all you guys reading this; please remember that:

1. Your trauma is valid, regardless of how "lesser" you think it might be.

2. You are not obligated to give yourself emotionally to other people if you are not up to it. You cannot give what you do not have, and if you're not 100% emotionally wise, you really shouldn't be taking on any more negative energy. It's not selfish to take care of yourself. If people can't respect that then they're not worth your time. Set emotional boundaries and don't budge for anyone. The people who are meant to stay will honor your boundaries.

3. It's okay to be sad! And it's okay to be sad and have no idea why. It doesn't matter if you have a 'good life,' depression doesn't care who you are or where you are on your walk of life and sometimes it hits like a truck. Your sadness is valid and don't be afraid to take the time you need to acknowledge and process your negative emotions.

Please take care of yourselves, friends; and be safe.

Have a good day. 💗

[moonstruck-writing]

Hi hi !!!! How have you been? I'm curious about 15, 20, 21, 30, 36, 38 from the ask game 👀❤❤

Hi Mo!!💕 I've had better times, just wishing for the weekend at this point 🤣 I hope you're doing well💖 thanks for the ask!!

15. What's your favourite plotless fic you have written?

Mmm maybe Ginnojo's New Bonds or Yves' Red and Golden. Both fics mainly just explore some first times for the pairings, and that's about it. There's context to it, but nothing else really happens. Ginnojo's was my first nsft fic actually, and the first ever fic I posted on this account. Sometimes I re-read it and I wonder if it was beginner's luck🤣

20. Do you work on a single project or many at the same time? How does that work for you?

...I work on too many at the same time. In practice, I probably shuffle between 3 or 4, until I finish one of them, or I just give up for the moment 🤣 and it... doesn't work super well for me. At first, it did give me the freedom to write while inspired, but for the last two months... It's actually making me procrastinate. Also, I've noticed if I push myself to work on something, more ideas will come up so that I can solve some of the problems and just write, but if I have too many options (wip) to choose from... i just don't choose any 😩

21. Can you accurately predict how long your fics are going to be? If you can, what's your secret?

I actually can but it's only because no matter what, even the shortest idea ends up being 1k 🙄 so I can more or less have an inkling of whether something will be in a 1.5k to 2k range, or longer than that. It's not a secret but rather I've learnt from seeing how my ideas developed into those word counts. All I can say is, you probably can tell whether your idea is just one scenario centered around one incident, or if it needs a build up, and how much of that (roughly) it needs.

30. Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn't.

Mmm... I actually have a few abandoned fics. One that frustrated me was a Luka Clemence drabble. Short story: I cannot do drabbles. I need some sort of "plot" even if all the action revolves around one scene. And it just... It didn't convince me. It was about Luka finding a four leaf clover and making a bookmark with it for Alice - I got the idea from the Spring Bouquet Challenge. But when I tried to write it, it just didn't work for me. I couldn't get any ideas for what they'd talk about, or any context, really. Maybe if I knew how to just write drabbles, I would've done it. But I literally cannot just write the one scene. I need something else, like a connection to plot, a purpose for the fic to happen 🤣

36. How do you come up with fic titles? What's the one you're most proud of?

With a lot of mental effort 🤣🤣 most of the time, and I repeat, MOST of the time, I only come up with them when I'm going to post the fic online. And then I'm like, "oh, no. I had forgotten I need a title for this!" 🙄🙄 So I try to find a few words that summarise the plot in a beautiful way. I'm really proud of "Imperfect Parfaits and Other Oxymorons" but I have to admit at that time I had been binging an author's fics and I had noticed their titles were always amazing, and I tried to learn from that. So now I have probably forgotten how to do it lol.

Very very few times, the title actually comes to me while fleshing out the story in my mind. An example is "Sweet Wounds". It just came to me and I was all like: YES. FINALLY. I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE TITLE LATER ON. 🤣🤣

38. "This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it fics?

It depends? Mmm maybe this never happened? I tend to prefer that, yes. Seems more of an AU to me, than just canon divergence. And I love AUs. I cannot really think of any fix-it fics I've read recently. And so far, I've only had "this never happened" fic ideas (which are still wip🙈)

Also anyone reading this, feel free to drop fix-it fic recommendations!🙈 I'd like to explore that subgenre.

Ask game here.

[maxwell-grant]

I hope you don't mind me dropping asks on you every day? Anyways, a general question on modern-day attempts at using existing Pulp Heroes; do you think there is value in setting such tales in the modern day, rather than being period pieces? And if one does do so, do you think the best approach is to go full setting update, or to somehow translate the characters into the modern day, or to go the Legacy route?

I eagerly look forward to answering all kinds of questions, so don’t hesitate to send any my way!. Any feedback or excuse I get to go off on a subject is extremely appreciated. 

Okay so on to your question: 

...Man, that really seems like the billion dollar question when it comes to the pulp heroes, isn’t it? The one at least that every conversation regarding adapting these characters, giving them reboots or new stories, seems to inevitably get stuck on: Should these characters be left as is, or modernized? Is there any point to trying to modernize them when often, at least in the public view, the only thing that separates them from being diet superheroes is their time period? Can these characters even survive as anything other than historical footnotes if they don’t move past the trappings of time holding them back? I’ve been very firmly on both sides of the question at different points and I think every answer inevitably brings up solutions and problems of it’s own. 

For the moment, I’m going to start by saying that it’s something of a case by case basis. For example, The Scarlet Pimpernel is a timeless archetype, but one who’s specific characterization and history is so tied up to it’s time period that it’s far better to just reimagine the Pimpernel into a different character set in a different time, than to try and remove the Blakeneys from their time period, likewise with characters who cross into historical fantasy like Conan or western characters, where they have such strongly defined settings and playgrounds that you’d be losing much by removing them from it. 

But on the other hand, you have characters like The Phantom, or The Avenger, who very clearly could exist at just about any point in time and don’t have any specific complications holding them to the 30s (in fact The Phantom was arguably designed for this, being he kickstarted the whole legacy superhero concept). A lot of the times, people seem to think or insist that certain pulp characters cannot be separated from their time periods, even when they were well on their way to doing so before some unfortunate cancellation. The Shadow, for example. Gibson had no problems updating the character’s adventures to the 60s for the Belmont series, and if The Shadow had maintained the kind of continuous publication that Batman and Superman had, I have no doubt whatsoever that nobody would even peg him as a character that belongs to the 30s and the 30s only, even if a lot of important aspects of his character are tied up in 30s America and The Great War and whatnot. 

To try and streamline this response into something more general, I’m going to state that, yes, I do think it’s a case by case basis where some characters don’t work as well outside their time periods, and others should have left them ages ago, but in general? I think most of the pulp heroes would stand to benefit much more from being set, not just in modern times, but outside of time. Or at least, outside of a specific time period being something that defines and entraps them. Pretty much none of these characters, outside of historical fantasy examples like Conan or characters whose genres are locked into specific past time periods like cowboys, were intended to be period pieces, and yet that’s what they became, because time has been extremely cruel to the pulp heroes in many ways. 

To bring up superheroes briefly, while I maintain that I think the real secret to making pulp heroes work and achieve success again is to distance them from superheroes, or at least the popular blockbuster superheroes, as much as possible, the superheroes have been around running the show for a while now and experimenting a lot as an inescapable facet of pop culture that's worked out monstrously well so far,nso clearly there’s a lot to learn there. The superheroes by and large belong in shared universes held tight by copyright where the weight of accumulating timelines inevitably forces them to either undergo reboots every couple of years, or endure constant quiet retcons snipping away at continuity so the cohesive “Superhero Universes” can function. But there’s no such thing as some big “Pulp Hero Universe” existing anywhere near the same capacity, there’s works gesturing to the idea like the Wold Newton Universe and LOEG and Dynamite’s shared author works largely scrapped together from separate sources all drifting apart, and most of these characters have largely fallen through the cracks of copyright law and into outright non-existence, or are halfway there. Very few modern instances of "cinematic universes" outside of the MCU work, so what we do instead is go the opposite route, closer to DC's "throw anything at the wall to see what sticks" approach.

What I’m getting to is, I could flip through the pages of Jess Nevins’s Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes, pick about 3 or 5 random characters, put them in a story regardless of whatever time period they used to be a part of, and make something out of it, without anyone stopping to question “Hey, hold up, why is Joel Saber not on Victorian England? Why are Uirassu and Tom Shark in a loving relationship when they don’t even belong in the same decade? Why did you turn Allan Crystal into a talking sparrow? You are betraying the source material, these characters don’t work outside of it”. Because nobody has any idea who those guys are, they might as well be just original names I made up (I didn't, btw), and nobody has any reason to care, they will only care if they read good, engaging stories with strong characterizations that give them a reason to be invested. And if achieving that requires ditching adherence to the source material (which doesn’t even exist anymore for at least a third of these characters), I cannot see that as a bad thing. 

He's nowhere near the ballpark of pulp heroes but I'm going to bring up King Arthur as an example because he’s been on my mind today. 

All of these, and countless others, are King Arthur. I’m no expert in Arthuriana, but from what I’ve gathered, I’d make a pretty good guess that one of the main reasons why King Arthur has been able to endure so strongly, and have so many variations that we have an entire area of study dedicated just to untangling those messes we call Arthuriana, has less to do with his historical or mythological importance (you hardly see that many stories about Cú Chulainn), but because the lore and imagery and events surrounding King Arthur have so utterly transcended the source material that people still dispute what the source material even was, or if he was a real person, or if he was created by the Welsh and stolen by Brits, and etc, and because he's completely free for any writers and artists to mold and use to anything they see fit.

King Arthur is not so much a character as much as he’s a sandbox that literally anyone can play in and reshape as they see fit, with no shortage of existing events and characters and magical items that you can treat as either essential staples, or guidelines and suggestions at best. I have three separate ideas for King Arthur as a big shark man in a greaser outfit who yields an oversized hair comb with fishhooks attached as Excalibur, one where he’s a monstrous dragon who sleeps in the ruin of his former kingdom guarding the only remaining memory of Guinevere left, and one where he’s a disembodied consciousness inside a giant mechanical bear. I could pick any of these and make a story out of them, or insert these into a story, any time I want, and nobody could stop me.

Point is, I think a lot, even most, of the pulp heroes would benefit from having some kind of “no-holds-barred, just do anything you want out of whatever you find interesting about the original” approach, a lot more so than the superheroes already do, because if there’s a single group of characters nowadays that best embodies an “anything goes” approach, a group that is almost entirely in public domain nowadays save for it’s biggest icons and therefore is already available for people to take and spin any way they want, it’s the pulp heroes. These characters have been in stasis for so long, or all but faded into nothingbbut mere footnotes in encyclopedia or records in libraries not even available online, and sometimes not even that. Most of their fanbases have largely died off and they are nowhere near close to gaining new ones, and our changing media tastes call for contrasts as much as it calls for profit. No sensible person would invest in most of these properties as they stand now, which is precisely what ultimately gives them the freedom to be anything at the conceptual stage. The only thing that really, really holds them back is time, which, again, has really not been kind to them. So why adhere to it? Screw time and whatever power it’s long held over these characters, let’s get weird with it. 

So if I have to choose between “full setting update, translating the characters to modern day, or the Legacy route”, all three of which are perfectly viable depending on the character, I think the best option, generally speaking, is full setting update, if only because the setting should never be the main priority in the first place. The setting, like everything else, is there to serve the story and the author’s needs and wants, and I’m of the opinion that the setting should always primarily exist in service of the characters, as my writing and my favorite writings are all character centered above all else.

I think putting the pulp heroes in radically different time periods and settings could even yield interesting results. Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal stars a caveman Conan/Tarzan type protagonist interacting with dinosaurs, Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta is a Shadow-esque character set loose in a dystopian future, Grendel is the Fantomas of 1980s New York, and so on. The precedent is there and I think it can be taken much further.

Really I think a lot of the problems and arguments that have arisen over the years in regards to adapting the pulp heroes often result of people overthinking things, lord knows I do enough of that all the time. I really think it’s just something that only seems impossible because it hasn’t really been done yet. Of course, in regards to The Shadow I obviously have a whole different text as to whether I’d want him to be adapted or not, but in general, my ultimate response to what you asked is just do whatever you think is gonna make the story better and the characters more interesting. A.K.A, do whatever you want. 

[distant-rose]

Ah, don't worry, I won't be offended. I mean, exams, horrible. Oh, and calling me Santa is fine! Glad you're on board with the fic. In my mind, there's still a blank page, so tell me a bit about your preferences! Do you like canon better or an AU? Crack, couple or family fluff or smut? Any specific tropes/characters (as mere side characters anyway, obviously, this is gonna be fully CS) you don't want to see at all? ~CSSS

I’m assuming because you’re messaging me at 10:30, that you’re also in Europe, Santa. Either that or you have one of those jobs that requires you to be up at unholy hours, in which case I apologize. I’m going to warn you right now that this is going to be a giant wall of text. In fact, I’m going to have to cut this bitch because it’s going to clog the dashes of the poor bastards who follow me.

So, my thoughts, hopes, dreams and preferences are under the cut.

As for my preferences (and thank you for actually asking), I don’t mind canon or AU, whichever is easiest for you. When it comes to AUs, however, I’m one of those rare people who is a “eh” on Lt. Duckling with only a few exceptions to that rule. I prefer AUs where the author really knows the subject material really well and I’m kinda just submerge myself in their world. I’m a huge fan of sports and this fandom has been absolutely amazing with their sports au fics. I’m going to with my gut and guess that you’re more likely European, possibly even from the UK? (if so, hello from London *waves*) So hockey and baseball are probably not your fancy but if you’re comfortable with sport, I do love rugby and football (soccer) and if you’re comfortable doing a take on that, you’re welcome to. Just note my team preferences on the side bar. (I love Man Utd but hate Mourinho, he has zero control of that locker room)

I’m good with crack, couple, family or smut really. I prefer feels probably because I’m not sure people get my sense of humor. I guess the only to describe it is Monty Python meets Scrubs meets Animal House. I like taking the piss out of things and being irreverent. So, that’s kind of crack I’m into. As for them as a couple or as a family, I’ve got preferences admittedly. I’m not a huge fan of codependency or Emma being an absolute to bitch to Killian, which is something I’ve see frequently in fics unfortunately. I’m going to be a bit controversial when I say this but I do think we, as a fandom, tend to demean or sideline Emma in favor of making Killian perfect or whatever. Like I love him, but he’s flawed and can be a real bastard at times. In regard to the codependency thing, I prefer my Captain Swan as entities who are self-maintaining and could be successful on their own but have a mutual love and respect for each other. I firmly believe that they’re their own people and Killian is capable of being Killian without Emma and Emma is capable of being Emma without Killian. They don’t need each other, but they love each other and support each and make each other better, not functional.

If there’s anything I can ask for and I don’t mean to offend anyone but I prefer depictions of Emma Swan as more strong and bad ass than vulnerable. She’s not a damsel. She’s a goddamn superhero. She isn’t Lois Lane. She’s Wonder Woman or, better yet, she’s Rogue. If you know comics, I’m more in the camp of Emma and Killian being most similar to Rogue and Gambit or like reverse Batman and Catwoman. Emotionally scarred tough bad asses and the morally ambiguous bastards who love them. But yeah, I prefer my Emma Swan as being a bad ass bitch rather than needing to be saved. I cannot stress that enough. I love Emma Swan goddamn it.

As for Killian, I prefer actual Killian. Like I prefer the smirky, sassy, snarky bastard who puts his heart into everything, is willing to play dirty, often doesn’t think but is an opportunist dick and has habit of trying to do everything on his own asshole that is Captain Killian “Hook” Jones. So, yeah, Killian. Sometimes I feel like I see more Deckhand Hook or Colin in fandom’s depictions of him and it kinda strikes me as wrong. So, yeah, I prefer my Killian saucy, bold and morally ambiguous and less awkward shy Deckhand and Colin-esque.

Sorry I went off on a tangent there, but like I have a lot of preferences and literally no one has actually asked me this question, so I’m going to make the most of it. Like this isn’t me mad, it’s actually me excited.

As for tropes and characters, I’m a long time fan of friends-to-lovers, or even best-friends-to-lovers, probably because I’ve actually seen that shit happen. Firmly believe the best relationships are fostered in friendship so yeah, friends-to-lovers is definitely my kinda of trope. I also love banter. I’m a sarcastic asshole so I love it and will eat that shit up with a spoon. I’m also more into subtle gestures of love and affection rather than grand gestures. It’s the little things that often matter more. So, public declarations are a huge no for me. 

As for characters, I’ve never cared for Neal. I think he’s pretty shit, though not the worst person in the world. Just very self-absorbed and doesn’t ever realize just much he fucked Emma over and the show kinda just glossed it over but giving someone a criminal record, especially in the United States, is one of the worst things you can do but I won’t get into that. I don’t think he’s an abusive murderous asshole but I do think he’s a prick incapable of looking beyond his own wants and desires and never truly comprehends the way his actions effect others, which in some circumstances is even worse. In other words, would prefer not to see him but I acknowledge he’s integral part of Emma’s narrative, so don’t be that kind to him but don’t make him Satan?

The other usual CS villain - Milah. I have no beef with her. I actually don’t understand the beef with her, especially from Hook fans aside from them being insecure about whether Killian would do if he had to choose between them. That’s very much a nonissue for me. As far as I’m concerned, they ran away together, they were in love and now she’s dead. She might have done a horrible thing by her husband and son but she never did anything wrong to Killian, in fact she died for him. That’s my official stance. Anti-Milah depictions aren’t the end all be all to me and in fact a lot of friends and writers have do a lot of anti-Milah stuff in their writing and it hasn’t been a deal breaker for me but I just prefer not to see it.

I’m also not that big of a fan of Rumple, I’m very take it or leave it with him. I’m actually more in the Red Beauty camp in regard to Belle’s partners but I also don’t mind her with Will either. As for characters I would love to see, I would love to see Elsa because aside from Regina (and I even put Regina loosely in this category), she’s kinda Emma’s only canonical friend. I mean even Ruby is more Snow’s friend than Emma’s. So yeah, #GiveEmmaFriends2KForever. I also have a lot of BROTPs for Killian, namely with David, Belle, Jasmine, Ariel and Tiana. (Killian Jones has a Princess Squad, you cannot take this from me.) I don’t think we see enough Killian and Jasmine BROTP, so if you can manage it, I would love to see it. #GiveKillianFriends2KForever

So yeah, sorry for this huge wall of text but I have a lot of thoughts and a lot of opinions. And I’m sorry you got stuck with me for a giftee because I’m particular and have a lot of preferences but I promise as long as just don’t blatantly disregard my base preferences and I don’t know write Killian Jones as a Red Sox player or make Emma a love sick damsel while Killian can do no wrong, I promise I will love whatever you make. But you’re already taking a step in the right direction because you actually asked. So, thank you.

[surveystodestressme]

6.

1. What were your biggest plans for 2017 when the year began? With the year over half gone now, how have your plans progressed and/or changed? If you could change one thing that has happened so far this year, what would it be and why?

Honestly i didn't really have a plan. I just wanted to keep doing what i was doing, continue life as i was doing it. Life has been going good for the year and it's going the way i like. I wouldn't change anything that has happened this year.

2. Do you believe dreams come true? Why or why not? What’s the most unusual dream you’ve ever had?

if you mean literal dreams that you have when you're sleeping, then i'm not too sure about that. But if you mean something more along the lines of goals, then absolutely. if you put your mind to anything then you can achieve it.

3. Name your top three musical artists of all time (individuals or bands). Why do you love them so much? What song would you pick from each of them that you feel is their best work?

Well, I'll just pick three that i have really loved in the past. I loved hollywood undead for a long time in grade school and high school. i don't know why, my friend's liked them so i just listened to them whenever i was with my friends and ended up liking them. I also really had a thing for One Direction at one point and i think i liked them because they were cute and foreign lol not because they had any real talent. Twenty one pilots was my most recent favorite band. I thought they were new and mysterious, i fucking loved them.

favorite from hollywood undead would be everywhere i go, from one direction it'd be one of their really old songs that i can't think of right now, and from twenty one pilots it'd be car radio

4. When is the last time you pulled an “all nighter” (where you stay awake the entire night to the next day)? What was the reason you did so, and was it worth it?

It's been so long. I used to do it all the time when i had a lock-in at church. I used to be in a youth group and we'd have a lock-in twice a year and i always stayed up the entire night, it was 30 hours long.

5. What is one life experience most people around you seem to have had that you haven’t (marriage, kids, work-related, etc)? Conversely, what is one life experience you’ve had that most people around you haven’t?

there's so much that i haven't experienced. i haven't gotten married or had kids or even had my own place yet.

6. What do you think is the main difference between confidence and arrogance? What exactly makes someone come across as confident in a way that you find appealing? Conversely, what makes you classify someone as arrogant rather than just confident?

well when someone is arrogant they think they're the shit and they're better than everyone else and they hold themselves on a pedestal. having confidence in yourself is having self love and being happy with how you are as a person.

7. What are your favorite news sites? Which sites do you believe present the news with the least bias, and which are the most biased? Do you believe the comments sections of news sites are a good or bad thing?

i don't really look at news online. I mean, if it comes up and i find it interesting then i will read it.

8. If you could take a two-week vacation right now without having to worry about the details of making it work (money, vacation time, etc all taken care of), where would you go? Who would you bring with you, if anyone, and who would you want to make sure you went without?

I would love to go to ireland. it looks so beautiful from all the pictures i've seen. i would definitely take jack

9. Do you give pets or animals silly nicknames? What’s the funniest or most embarrassing nickname you’ve given an animal?

well, i have had several pets in my days. but yeah, i've given them pretty silly names sometimes.

10. How bad does a book have to be for you to stop reading, or do you always plow through no matter what? What are some examples of books you stopped reading, or forced yourself to keep reading until the end? What made these books so horrible?

if it's super boring within the first chapter or two and i cannot bear it then i'll just stop reading. i've had it happen several times.

11. If you could make a playlist of 20 songs that sound like your childhood, which songs would be on it? Why would you choose those particular songs?

hey ya by ????, yeah by usher, ride with me by nelly, country grammer by nelly, follow me by uncle kracker, and pretty much any theme song from any older nickelodean show or disney show

12. Would you rather improve your ability to remember things or to forget things? What event from your past do you wish you could remember more clearly? What’s one thing you really, really wish you could just forget?

definitely improve my ability to remember things because i feel like i forget everything. there's nothing that i wish i could forget but plenty of things i'm sure would be nice if i remembered them

13. What’s a word or phrase you use all the time that no one else seems to? Where did you learn or pick up this word/phrase?

i usually steal all of my phrases from my friends and family

14. What’s your favorite comic strip or online comic? Why do you enjoy it so much? What comic strip from the past do you wish was still around?

i like the walking dead comics (WAY better than the tv show), the scott pilgrim comics, and the kick ass comics.

15. Have you ever been lost? If so, where were you and what were you doing? Did you panic or stay calm? How did you get yourself to safety, or did someone come to your rescue?

i got lost in the woods a while ago. i was looking for a house in the woods that i had previously seen, lol. i wanted to know why someone was living in the woods. i was calm but the friend that i was with freaked the fuck out and kind of worried me a bit. i called my mother and she tried to find me and it didn't work so she had to call the police and they had to come into the woods to find me. i was 3 miles or so from where i entered the woods lol

16. Have you ever done something really unbelievable, only to have no one around to see it? What was it?

i'm sure i've done something, lol. i'm a pretty unbelievable person but i don't know right now

17. Name something you consider to be completely unforgivable, no matter what the circumstances. Why is it so egregious to you? What should happen to someone who does it?

rape. they should be put away for the rest of their life

18. If you were exiled, what country would you choose as your new home?

ireland!

19. What’s the last time that you were really happy? What were you doing? Who were you with? What made that time so special?

well i mean, i'm really happy right now. i'm watching some youtube videos and obviously doing surveys. i'm by myself and nothing is special about it right now

[automatismoateo]

17 year old british ex-muslim. Here are my reasons for leaving. Potential ex muslims will read for a eureka moment :) via /r/atheism

Submitted June 27, 2017 at 03:57AM by boredashellitsinsane (Via reddit http://ift.tt/2sgpR8V) 17 year old british ex-muslim. Here are my reasons for leaving. Potential ex muslims will read for a eureka moment :)

I’m 17 years old, live in the uk. Born into a muslim family. Thanks to the help of relatives and various others i was able to leave and currently live away from my parents. It’s a crazy world lol

Alright so below is a combination of every possible reason you can think for leaving Islam. Every one of these points combined together to result in my removal from the religion. I hope by this some potentially shaky muslims who read this will wake up, and realise that their doubt is founded upon good reason and that they have every reason to keep looking for the right thing to do. Ex-Muslims are not idiots who know fuck all about their religion. In fact they know so much they begin to hate it. It's often people that start studying the religion seriously having had an open mind prior to doing so that apostate. They realise that shit honestly does not make sense, and regardless of how you look it, continuously explaining stuff away with "god willed it, that's how it is" gets a bit tiring mentally. We are humans. We have reason and we cannot live comfortably knowing that we are hiding things from ourselves in order to remain 'stable'.

Not all of this is my own content. Much was collected from answers around Quora but were written better than I could have so I included them. I did have my own complete stuff written painstakingly by myself. which i posted on Quora. Unfortunately I wasn't anonymous and it went viral and that fucked me over in the real world. Now that I'm away from that shit I thought I'd post again.

why does Allah always threaten us and intimidate us into loving him?

Every Muslim on this planet has one thing in common, the Holy Quran. Regardless of different sects and books of hadith, everyone believes Quran to be the perfect word of God. So after having concerns with Islam in general, I analyzed the Holy Quran. The following are some of my major objections derived from the Quran that made me leave my faith.

Islamic Heaven

The image of heaven is painted like it's a fantasy of a 6th century arab; Lavish silk clothing, jewelery, young boys circulating wine, full breasted, large beautiful eyed virgins, shades of palm and banana tress, rivers of honey and milk, meat of the fowl etc. That heaven is not for anyone else or for all times. And it's not intended to be a metaphor. (the verses are spread out in the Quran).

Murdering a child and Moses

In an event, a man kills a child in front of Moses. Upon inquiring,Moses is told that the child would have grown up to be a non believer and that would burden his Muslim parents (verse 18:74- verse18-82). Implying it's ok to murder a child because he may not grow up to be a Muslim.

Miracles

The many fables about miracles. Moon splitting in two, fish swallowing a prophet, miracles of Moses and Jesus etc. People who wrote the book didn't believe them to be metaphors. They believe it literally happened. How's that any different from myths found in other religions?

Adam and Eve

The story of Adam and Eve as the initiation of creation on earth. It doesn't relate with evolution, which makes sense. There are many holes in the story. Are we then the product of incest? One couple can't populate the earth. Why would God create his own game set the rules, watch as Satan tells them about the tree and then freaks out afterwards. Unless that too is somehow a metaphor.

6 days of Creation

At one point it states , God says be and it happens. But then He needs 6 days to create the universe. Theists say, the time is different for us. For us it's 6 days, for Him it's a moment. But that's only speculation and an excuse for this inconsistency. (verses : 32:4, 50:38, 7:54, 57:4, 25:59)

Allah controls everything

Allah chooses not to interfere, hence our free will. But Quran has inconsistencies on the matter. At several points it says Allah guides those whom He wills, He controls who becomes a Muslim. If I'm searching for Him and He decides that He doesn't want me as a Muslim, i can't do anything about it. Also He says that family and children are less important than him, which doesn't sit will with me. A religious person can leave his family if God tells them too, can murder his child, can do anything if God tells them to. And how does one know that the voices or dreams they're having are a mere product of their mind and not some universal celestial being sending vague signals?

Expressing loudly is frowned upon

Verse 31:19 indicates that if you speak or laugh loudly you sound like a donkey. This expression, one would expect from a child, not from an All knowing God. He created the donkey to be ridiculed? And to use this analogy, a celestial being can do better.

Christians and Jews

Earlier on Quran says they are both allies, people of the book. When they don't acknowledge the prophet or Islam and keep their faith, Quran curses them. The Jews were cursed first, when their relationship got bitter with Muslims, during the battle of trench. Quran said Christians are nice as they have monks and priests who are truthful. Then they were cursed too. It said not to take either of them as allies and may Allah destroy them. And then Jews are prohibited fat of animals. This sounds more like the intentions of the prophet rather than inconsistent commands of Allah. But you can marry their women to spread Islam, in hopes that they'd convert. (verses : 5:51, 5:82, 9:30, 6:146)

Context based signs

Allah talks about signs in the universe for His existence. But all these signs were observable in the 6th century desert. Ships, seas, childbirth, moon, sky without pillars like a plane, rain, sun, palm trees, pomegranates, grapevines, creation from sperm, rivers,earth laid out,mountains, having sons as wealth, hunting and tents from hides etc. Nothing even outside of the context. Elm and oak trees provide a greater shade than palm trees. They're never mentioned. The evidence of signs is not convincing to a person looking for God in modern times.

Battles

Violent verses during battles aren't really objectionable. Except a few. For example the verse 8:67 says to not have slaves unless you spread massacre across the land. But the tone of the verses is barbaric. Striking necks, fingertips, slaughter etc. The same message could be delivered in a much better way if the said God is humble, kind and hates unnecessary violence

God, punishments and genocide

One can't really judge God on the scale of human morality. But His kill count is much higher. He admits He kills nations in their sleep at night or noon. He's no divine, humble, mature celestial being. He's jealous and vindictive. He creates pigs and monkeys as symbols of insult and mockery, then turns humans into those animals. He says when you're in power, do not show mercy. But then the prophet showed mercy at conquest of Mecca. Maybe that's another inconsistency. Cursing an ancient Arab like Abu Lahab in the divine Book of guidance seems trivial and petty for a God. He says don't attend the funerals of your non Muslim friends. And there's even a verse (22:15) that says if you don't believe in the prophet, try and hang yourself with a rope from the ceiling and see if that changes anything. That's an All wise God’s message. And He says if you're told to kill yourself for God, that is better for you .Verse 59:5 justifies the cutting down of trees in a desert. It's all a game, He creates and destroys. (verse: 32:26, 5:60, 7:4, 66:9, 111:1, 5:33, 4:65)

Rulings

Marrying your adopted son's wife is totally fine. You can never call him your true son. The person you see as your daughter in law can be your wife. This would only induce feelings of hatred between the son and his father. 100 lashes to a couple who consensually has premarital sex. Why? You don't know them, they're not hurting you, no one's being raped. You barge into their lives, lash them in front of an audience, humiliate them and be pleased with yourself of having done a noble deed. If you want to educate people about sex, it's their parents job. It's their families concern. It's not Allah's concern. It's not your job to lash anyone. Cursing gays when it's not a choice and God made them that way.

Slavery

Yes, Islam liberated slaves of the 6th century. They were treated as daughters, sons, sisters, brothers. They were fed and clothed like their masters. They could demand freedom. But God knows better that in the modern world, good treatment of a slave is no excuse to own a human being. Slavery wasn't banned by Allah like wine or pork was. There was a contract that stated this man or woman is your property. Owning a human being is wrong. If God could add a clear verse about not consuming pork, what prevented him to add a clear verse about not owning human beings? Why leave that to vague examples and Muslims doing mental gymnastics trying to somehow make it sound reasonable?

Sexual slavery being allowed in Islam. Now that is absurd. How can that be allowed in Islam, that would be hypocrisy. So u mean premarital sex is totally a "No-No" but having sex with your slaves, even if they if are married is absolutely fine?

Women

Woman were given many rights and they too were liberated in Islam. But then it stopped. It's clear from reading the Quran that it's from a male's perspective in which woman at times are treated as inferiors. She can't divorce in the same way a man can There has to be two female witnesses for one man, so if one female forgets the other can remind her Marrying any four women and amongst your many many concubines, but women don't have the same choices If a woman is raped and can't produce four witnesses. She might even get punished herself. She wouldn't get justice Verse 24:31 says “…. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment…” Meaning, a woman should not move in a way that reveals her body. It restricts you in illogical ways. You play sports, you're sinning. You can't dance, get excited and express it. One can beat women if she cheats (yes I've heard the miswaq example) the woman can't beat a man.

Outside of the Quran, there are many other problems with the mere idea of God. One look at innocent children dying of horrible diseases, being tortured in pain, may make a logical believer question the idea of a merciful loving God.

Or if one digs deep into history and looks at the religion's role models, they're found to have done some questionable things. They were people of their time. Who did some good and some bad things. Definitely not the perfect examples of character.

And if one does a philosophical analysis of religion. It's about getting rid of your own individuality to serve men in power who claim to talk to God. To obsessively idolize a man, called the perfect human being. If you're born different in this religion, you're labeled a sinner. Organized religion suffocates dreamers and free thinkers. It makes them guilty of their ability to fly and many cut of their wings to fit in. I for one am glad I took the leap of faith away from my indoctrination.

1) According to Quran mountains prevent earthquake or the shaking of the earth. in Sura Al-Anbiyaa (Chapter 21 verse# 31) It says " And We have placed on the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake with them”

If Mountains are there to stop the earth from shaking, then why do we see so many earthquakes in mountainous regions?. For example, Japan is a mountainous zone but it has 1500 earthquakes every year.'Shaking of the earth' and earth quakes mean the same thing right? Mountains are created because of the movement of tectonic plates. They do not stablize the earth or prevent shaking of the earth. This verse is clearly in error

2) The Quran In Sura Al Mulk (Chapter 67) Ayaat # 5 it says

"And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and we have made such (Lamps as) missiles to drive away Satans, ... "

So the stars were created by Allah as missiles to throw at the devils? In order to not let them eavesdrop on the heavenly council?

The first ayaat says stars are lamps that is fine but lamps (stars) are not thrown at devils

3) Why does the Quran say Allah prevents the sky from falling into the earth? The Holy Quran in Sura Al Hajj ( chapter 22 verse# 65) says

Pickthall:He holdeth back the heaven from falling on the earth unless by His leave. Lo! Allah is, for mankind, Full of Pity, Merciful.

As we know the sky is vast. So how can it fall into the earth?This sounds absurd.

4) According to the Quran honey comes from the body of the bee. In Sura an Nahl An Nahl (chapter 16 verse # 69) says

YUSUFALI: Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for men.

A bee makes honey from the collected then chewed up pollen from plants. The bee never actually swallows and or digests the pollen. Honey does not come from the bodyof the bee. The bees chew their nectar through their mouth. After that nectar is dried out in the honeycomb and honey is formed. The verse in Quran is scientifically incorrect.

Homosexual men are to be killed. Homosexual women however, are subject only to lashes.

Wasn’t Quran supposed to be a book that is “The Guidance for All Mankind”? Then why is it written in words so difficult that they are beyond the comprehension of normal people and even majority of the so called scholars. Literally no one understands it properly with everyone having their own interpretation of it’s words.

The Quran assumes a flat earth which has physical places into which the sun sets and rises from. Since the earth is a rotating sphere, the sun does not set in any particular place and you can never travel to "the spot" where the sun sets nor a place where it rises.

Till, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness. - Quran 18:86

Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom. - Quran 18:90

We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in Six Days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us. - Quran 50:38

The earth first formed around 9 billion years after the Big Bang. The Quran, however, repeats the prevailing middle eastern myth that the earth and universe were formed in six days.

This minute fact that the prophet had a desire to marry his adopted son's ex wife and suddenly a verse in the quran states that its a command by allah and its perfectly fine to do so. What it seems to me that Mohammed just made up a verse to suit his own desires

There’s a story in the Kuran about a king called Dhul’Qarnain (he of the two horns) who conquered the world of his time from east to west. a devoted king who feared god, was just, and fought Gog and Magog(another Sci-FI version of old aliens) , but it turns out that this was an ancient myth about Alexander the great, who was a polytheist (not monotheist), tyrant, a mass murder, and who loves men in his bed rather than woman (not being homophobic here but just to prove that Mohamed got his fairy tail completely wrong.

The christian king who wanted to destroy the Kaaba, he brought his elephants, he set off from Yemen, crossed the whole Arabian desert, but was defeated in Mecca by firing birds (from Allah). An elephant who needs at least 200 litres of water daily and a 3 tons of herbs/vegetation to eat could survive a journey of nearly a month in one of the driest deserts on earth. Go figure.

Even if warned, disbelievers will disbelieve. Allah has placed seal on their heart and hearing, and they are closed from accepting Allah’s guidance.

Thoughts - Really, this is the all merciful, all powerful Allah who prevents people from accepting guidance, brands them as disbelievers and then says its okay to kill them? And if Allah places a seal on the heart of disbelievers, then where is the glory in killing them, or preaching to them in an attempt to convert?

Allah mocks them(the hypocrites) and increases their wrong doings.

Thoughts - If Allah can increase the wrong doings, then why can’t he decrease them? Isn’t he all powerful? He increases the fallacies of the disbelievers, places a seal on their heart, prevents them from accepting guidance, and then throws them to hell fire. Sadist much?

Doubters will go to hell.

Thoughts - Wow, what an way to prevent logical questioning! What kind of power does Allah have if he cant even clear doubts.

Echoes the above sentiment. Basically says that no questioning/curiosity is allowed. Questioners are sinners, disbelievers and will be condemned to hell.

Thoughts - Hello, hell.

There is no compulsion in religion.

Thoughts - Finally! A joke in this book. LOL!!!

And we shall cast terror into the heart of disbelievers.

Thoughts - Why? They have been made disbelievers by the will of Allah. Allah increases their fallacies and throws them into hell. And even then,that much of sadism isn’t enough? Right now, I need to read the “No compulsion in religion” line again. I need a good laugh.

6:14 - Muhammad said that he is the first to be commanded among those who submit themselves to Allah as Muslims.

Thoughts - This screams contradiction and cooked up theories. What was all that stuff about Jesus being sent by Allah and that he had declared that he was a Muslim. This verse contradicts directly with - 5:111, 5:112, 3:67.

Mostly from what I observed that muslims don’t tend to question their own religion which contradicts the basic logical reasoning to everything that’s happening around them and just act blindly to everything that has been proved scientifically.

"Also I think if it happened and there is a GOD out there, he will forgive our disbelieving. If he created our mind to think at everything, so it’s nature to think that religions doesn’t make sense. I don’t believe in him because I’m some bad guy, but because I have no clue of his existence."

People need to open their eyes and see the reality of the hate-obsessed cult that is Islam.

Hoped this helped out some you :)