#illuminati cycle

[shenarilends]

I was an easy target in their eyes. The streets raised me. My parents were never present. I was bullied in and out of school. I had little support therefore very few "witnesses". They tried kidnapping me several times. This didn't start with my industry plant ex he just made matters worse. He was committed to humbling me because I was the key. Why do you think he doesn't wanna let go of this bone?

Sometimes I just know, you know?

[shenarilends]

Please share this anyway you can guys. Pass the message through word of mouth if needed, through message, etc whatever you feel comfortable with. They're attempting to shadow ban and suppress the truth I'm openly expressing.

[bigpicturequestions]

Spiritual Guide To Our Darker Reality (Video)

Since I have published two books this year, I thought I’d make a video trailer for both of them. Here is a video describing my published book, Spiritual Guide To Our Darker Reality,  by Ulla Sarmiento. LINK to the book at Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mwxhte67 LINK to the YouTube Trailer: https://youtu.be/ATQOD6CbxGc Available on Amazon (Kindle/Paperback): https://tinyurl.com/28ahbwkn This IS the…

[horrorlesbians]

it has it all. dysfunctional relationships. prom dresses. leatherface with tits. jumping out windows. a guy who almost only speaks in pretentious quotes. random teenage boys that get killed almost immediately. the threat of rape being scarier than the threat of violence. the Illuminati. matthew mcconaughey with a bionic leg. self harm. the cycle of abuse. death by plane. bridal imagery. no one dies by chainsaw and they don't even eat people. 10/10

[trancylovecraft]

(AOEX) YANDERE PLATONIC! ARTHUR A. ANGEL x APPRENTICE! READER: Headcannons

(REQUEST FROM AO3)

Thank you for ordering!

Come again soon!

⦁ Interesting! Arthur is a character from aoex who doesn't get the attention he deserves so I'm happy you requested him!

⦁ Arthur as a yandere is Protective and Delusional in his own right, Especially more so once he's platonic.

⦁ His protective tendencies definetly stem from how he thinks his "parents" died. He wants to protect you from that, Doesn't want to see another person dear to him get killed by a demon.

⦁ His delusion tendencies however stem from the fact he views you as a little angel, In the way those parents would go "Oh such and such could never do any harm, They're a little angel"

⦁ He believes you can do absolutely no wrong in his eyes, You are just the sweetest thing to him. Arthur won't take anyone else's opinion, No one can change his view on you.

⦁ You being his apprentice or student definetly makes it easier to express his delusions and overprotective nature much more easily. After all you're in his care now, You can't do much to argue with what he says.

⦁ I suspect he would probably find you by the exwire school, Probably after the camp incident with Amaimon and Rin's outburst. And just as it does in canon, Arthur had been sent to take care of it of course.

⦁ So as he was holding the rather rabid Rin by the throat and he was insulting Mephisto, You come running out of nowhere and somehow smack him straight in the face.

⦁ Arthur is taken aback, He did not expect it whatsoever. So ignoring Mephisto's cackling you come and start crying out defences for Rin, Saying that he's your friend and isn't dangerous while profusely apologising for hitting him.

⦁ You're quickly dragged away by the surrounding exorcists but that doesn't mean you didn't make an impression on Arthur, No, You made a very vivid impression on him alright.

⦁ Despite the fact that you hit him he couldn't help but notice how apologetic you were and to spite your actions he found it rather admirable yet unguided in your world views.

⦁ But he lets it go for now since the son of Satan requires more priority.

⦁ Skip to like a few months later, This is after the illuminati incident and Arthur is around much more recently.

⦁ So one day he's on his way to Mephisto's office after school hours with important Vatican information. He's just walking the halls and despite being a little annoyed he has to converse with the time clown he keeps a straight face.

⦁ Doesn't mean he isn't distracted though, As soon as he turns a corner you come flying out of nowhere and crash into him. This makes both of you stumble back in surprise as he looks down at you.

⦁ You, Realising who it was that you knocked into start to profusely apologise once more. You say sorry for hitting him a few months ago and for knocking into him now, It's embarrassing to make a fool of yourself in front of the paladin after all.

⦁ Arthur was about to scold you to be more aware of your surroundings before he becomes aware of who you are. He instantly gains an interest in you and forgives you for bumping into him.

⦁ He asks you who you are and you introduce yourselves to one and other. You say you're one of the exwires with the meister of knight and you gush about him being the paladin and whatnot.

⦁ It makes him feel a great amount of pride. He starts to proclaim his own achievements in a not so subtle way and you gush about him more, Making him feel more pride and continuing the cycle.

⦁ Arthur even provides you little tips about your sword work and gives you advice on how to slay demons better. You feel absolutely blessed to be getting this from him, Treating it like the holy grail.

⦁ You tell him you're on your way back to your dorm room but thank him so much for his help and you hope to meet him again one day. You run off back down the hall and he watches you go intently.

⦁ When in his meeting with Mephisto he asks about you. Mephisto only replies with the information you gave him and he asks Arthur if he's particularly interested in you, To which Arthur tells him to mind his own business.

⦁ A few weeks later you're in cram school, Doing a practical lesson. It's only in the middle of your spat with a demon that you see a door open and Arthur come into the room to observe.

⦁ You instantly put on your best show and make sure to put his tips into practice while fighting said demon. Once your done, You climb up and Arthur approaches you, Praising you on your sword work.

⦁ You can't help but feel like this is a godsend as you thank him. Even more so once he brings up the opportunity of becoming his student due to how impressed he is by you and your skill.

⦁ While this is true, It's also not the main reason. Arthur has been keeping up with you since your meeting with him, Getting requested reports from Yukio and using his role as Paladin to learn more about you through more.. Unmoral means.

⦁ You having no idea of this instantly accepts with the enthusiasm of a little kid on their birthday. You think that the gods have blessed you and that your work has finally paid off.

⦁ After you accept his proposal his obsession begins to skyrocket, Especially once you tell him how thankful you are. His protective and delusional tendencies begin to grow at a more rapid pace.

⦁ This starts the domestic stage.

⦁ As his student your on the clock constantly. While Arthur knows your a very capable person he wants to make sure you can defend yourself if anything happens to you while he's away.

⦁ Which is unlikely, Arthur makes sure you're following him around or vice versa at all times. It's apart of his protective tendencies, His nightmares are filled with visions of your torture and death and he wants to make sure they never become a reality.

⦁ Even to Arc knight meetings, Arthur brings you along and he makes sure there's another chair sat beside him at all times. No one can question him on this and the information your hearing, You're an angel in his eyes and wont tell a single soul.

⦁ Arthur always brings you lunches since your always with him and don't have time for anything other than cram school. It's usually something healthy and nutritious, Most of the time cultural dishes from what country he came from with a little desert with it.

⦁ You barely have any time that you don't sleep at your dorm anymore. You either sleep in a sleeping bag or if you're travelling he insists on carrying you while you sleep.

⦁ You keep telling yourself you don't mind however, You're getting invaluable information and shouldn't let sleep get in the way of your education. Though you do admit you are getting a little tired of it.

⦁ When you're out on missions, Arthur doesn't let you fight yourself as he often takes care of the demon before you can saying that you're just not trained enough yet. He doesn't even let you exorcise a hobgoblin or even a coal tar.

⦁ If anyone tries to speak to you, Arthur instantly gets jealous. It doesn't matter whether it's your family or your friends he just doesn't like you talking to anyone else other than him.

⦁ ESPECIALLY if it is a romantic relationship, Arthur will instantly dissuade you from them saying that they don't seem very good for you. They're taking your time away from him and Arthur doesn't like that

⦁ His delusional tendencies kick up again and Arthur instantly deems them a demon instead of a human, Believing this wholeheartedly. He will kill your partner or your friends in family but most generously makes it so they go missing, Only to soothe your emotions.

⦁ At this point you're basically his younger sibling, That's how he see's it as anyways and also where his delusional tendencies kick up again. Often times he refers to you as his younger sibling.

⦁ Lewin often makes fun of this. Arthur, While he knows Lewin doesn't have any bad intention instantly gets defensive of you and his relationship, Telling Lewin to leave you alone.

⦁ You're happy you're close to your master and such but it is getting really taxing on both your health and your studies. So one day you go up to him and say that you need to focus more on your education and cannot go on any further missions.

⦁ Arthur is stunned and instantly argues back, Thinking that someone has manipulated you into taking time off. You say no and tell him that he's just a bit too overbearing.

⦁ Arthur says that he knows what's best for you since he's your older brother, You are fucking confused to high hell and tell him he's just your mentor and teacher. Arthur however, Being the delusional twink that he is, Doesn't accept this in the slightest.

⦁ You can tell once he jabs a finger into the side of your neck, Hitting a pressure point and instantly knocking you unconscious. Arthur picks you up and carries you away, Making sure that no one sees the deed happen.

⦁ You wake up in penthouse apartment that he's bought just for this occasion. So much so that the place is decked out in warding and natural top of the line security to make sure you don't get out.

⦁ While you are an angel in his eyes, He believes that it's best to keep you indoors for now due to your fragile mental state and whatever demonic spell your mind is under.

⦁ You now have his last name, Making your blood relation "official"

⦁ Delulu

⦁ The Uzai's won't be getting involved, They still need Arthur and won't be losing him over a simple exwire. Mephisto won't either, This is fucking hilarious and he will be watching with a grin.

⦁ Your family or friends? Maybe Rin and co with the power of friendship but your family will be smited.

⦁ Good luck with him. Man's cray cray.

[ask-carmenpondiego]

Here Be Spoilers: The TL;DR Version

Skip this post if you dont wanna know. But you’ll still find out anyway.

Carmen and VILE go on more heists, Carmen wearing a brown wig to conceal the changes she went through.

Aciano and Blendin finally meet as brothers but not before accidentally sharing a cute gay romantic exchange as strangers. Whoops! Well now they know and it takes a while for it not to be awkward between them, so they’re chill now. Ty, Blendin’s boyfriend, being open and understanding, never lets Blendin live it down, even after its revealed that Blendin IS the magician’s assistant!! The boys and Daring end up finding an Enby pickpocket and befriending them, they join VILE but they get along better with the kids than anything so Carmen decides to adopt the pickpocket, an Owlin named Puck. Child count is now 4.

Carmen and Kiros go on a heist in the 1700’s Caribbean but got shipwrecked, damaging their C5 Doorway devices and not having a way home. So an hour heist turned into a couple months island vacation on a deserted island where natives mistake Kiros to be a God. Theres more tea to spill. Because they were only supposed to be gone an hour, Carmen did not bring any of her medication with her. The exact medication that suppresses heat cycles to a more manageable experience and acts as her birth control as well. And not to forget, Kiros has an ability that amplifies and absorbs pheromones. Time goes by and they finally get saved by some quick thinking and a few dozen messages tucked into bottles, and gave everyone quite the surprise when they returned home, and Carmen carrying TWINS. Updated child count to 6.

At least six months after the Twins’ birth, which were two girls, Desiree and Mira, everything seemed to be back to normal. M had taken more than a simple liking to Lekir’s friend Kalai as to which they were actively courting. Lekir, Kiros and Wally were helping Carmen care for the twins. Wally getting more and more distant though. Carmen confronts him and he tries to make it up to her by giving her a wonderful wedding anniversary full of romance and passion.

That last part really becomes a sour note because during their passionate love making, Wally starts crying after their climax and slips a nerve blocker emp sticker to her back, a little higher than he meant to, not only disabling her cybernetics but paralyzing her to where she could only move her eyes and breathe. She couldnt even speak or ask why. He hadn’t even pulled out yet and his hands clutched around her throat. He begged himself not to do it but he also begged for her forgiveness because he couldnt stop. He squeezed, crushing her esophagus, trachea and finally her neck snaps. His words to her was that soon the RAINE will wash it all away. She literally goes brain dead gone for a good while as he makes his escape, with the twins. So little innocent Wally just committed murder and kidnapping in one swoop. All because he was blackmailed. Sure, he was cured from the disease but not the muscle control..

And the Blackmailers? They are called RAINE, led by a stallion named Gunnar Maelstrom. Yes, that one from the two other Carmen Sandiego cartoons of 2019 and 1990. In fact, this Maelstrom knows it too because he enlisted those Maelstroms’ help in planning Carmen’s downfall since before the museum fire as well as boosting productivity and success of RAINE for their own profit. RAINE is a shadow government Syndicate that practically makes the world run, from economics to politics to even school boards and town hall meetings. They are like the illuminati meets Masons only with the charisma of celebrities and influencers but the audacity of fascists and Nazis. They let the public think they are in control of their lives but we all know how the public can be swayed and bought. Immigration issues and turbulent border control fuel the paranoia of the “Unnaturals”, or ones who are unconventional hybrids or even beings who supposedly live past their means by way of magical or artificial enhancements, prosthetics must only provide the ability as a normal limb would, other disabled beings were shunned and separated, shipped to “healing facilities” where they mysteriously disappear, creatures that are hybrids are sent away to other camps and programs advertised to assist and help but thats never the case. Each one is experimented upon to find more ways to eliminate further advances of the individuals and their kin. Wolf in sheep’s clothing. These are the same people who forced Waldo’s hands to break his wife’s neck on their anniversary and kidnap newborn twins for two reasons: elimination of a constant problem and the gaining of long sought after DNA of escaped SCP-682, in the hopes of finding a way to finally terminate Kiros as a favor to the SCP Foundation, who was also in RAINE’s pocket.

Back to Carmen, whose body was starting to get cold, was discovered by M who tried to revive her via CPR. Luckily, he discovered that Carmen had a gift from Daring implanted into her chest, a coin with a phoenix on it, and if the holder dies suddenly, it will ignite and revive and heal the body to the point before the mortal wound occurred. She soon was lit up like a bonfire, destroying her sheets, but otherwise had a sore throat and a long lasting bruise around her neck, this is also where the circle shape under her collar bone appears. So she finally awakens and she was PISSED.

Carmen LIFTED her no kill ban. She was out for blood, and she wanted Wally’s. She ordered everyone to get as much info on RAINE as they could find, searching for Wally and going on the offensive with utterly destroying multiple facilities, freeing as many people as possible from the harmful experimental imprisonment and elimination. RAINE soon learned about this and changed its facilities to reflect more innocent facilities such as children’s hospitals and pet shelters, painting Carmen and VILE as terrorists rather than just thieves.

One of the last missions the team went on to destroy a facility, M and Lekir followed a lead where they could have found Waldo. M was caught off guard as he was stuck with a needle and injected with special serums that stripped him of his powers, leaving him trapped in a glass enclosure as a mere mortal. And he was forced to watch as RAINE fatally strikes down Lekir, no wounds, no damage, just no more life left and drops dead. M still blames himself for her death.

Now, with both lovers gone, Carmen has gone on the warpath but is advised by Lekir’s other friend from Cador. She strikes a deal where Celica helps infiltrate and eliminates the seats in power and swaps them out with her own people, striving for better change and trustworthy governments and all. They finally have a showdown with the Maelstroms but VILE is triumphant once and for final with the element of surprise, Carmen taking Maelstrom’s seat of power for herself, effectively stealing the entire world. She starts making the world a better place, even finding her twin daughters in a pocket world where they have aged and raised to hunt and hate Carmen and VILE. They soon learn the truth and join VILE reluctantly at first.

Carmen then gets word that Waldo was found in Times Square. After a brief chase and rainy rooftop scuffle resulting in a skyscraper drop to the pavement below, both surviving, Wally still on the wet pavement and Carmen pointing her gun directly to his face, she almost pulls the trigger. A crowd has formed.

M comes out and touches her horn, making her pull the trigger, just missing his head, and her body falls to the ground unconscious. The scene past M walks in on. Past M thought Carmen died then. As does the rest of the world. After she wakes up back at VILE from being unconscious, she watches the news and decides its best leave this as it is, but continues heists on other worlds, going as far as having a public funeral for herself, closing the book on the BackStory.

After some time, the kids grown and both kids and Agents went off to have families of their own, heists slow down and VILE itself falls into obscurity over the years. Carmen herself goes off and disappears off grid without warning. By then, her name is spoken in whispers, much like superstitions among the new crime lords rising into power. Older generations remember the myth of the Red Rogue, and her war against those who did wrong. As if her ghost were to come and turn their reign asunder if they even breathed wrong. The younger generations were more brazen. A new wave of crime has resurfaced, taking city districts as their own, even the reformed ACME Agency couldnt keep them in check this time. The Faculty, lead by a Lee Jordan, former apprentice of Maelstrom, dares to attempt to rekindle his own version of RAINE.

He isnt the only youngster looking to rekindle old practices. A young vixen who has ghost related powers, attempts to bring the old team back together with the help of her parents: M and Kalai. Only thing, a lot of time has passed and the old team can only mentor now, she will need to find a new team to take on the Faculty. But first, she needs to find the Red Rogue’s ghost herself within the cyberpunk concrete jungle she was last rumored to be spotted.

Only the vixen finds.. that Red Rogue’s ghost isnt a ghost at all. Carmen is alive and well. And she upgraded her look to be near all cybernetic and has a new animal companion and watchdog, a white cerberus yokai hybrid named Xerxes.

And now we have been brought to the current storyline. Enjoy your stay.

[m-s-justice]

thinking about the Richtofens again and their relation to the narrative.

Like you cannot deny that Ultimis Richtofen was the protagonist of early zombies. Protagonist, not hero. Important distinction. How BO1 was him literally all about him stealing narrative dominance from Samantha, who was arguably one of the most important and sympathetic character, not to mention incredibly relevant as she was the main antagonisy. Then BO2 came along and his power was contested, which was obviously the next step in the evolution of the story. Give a character power, and then have that power be tested. There we have the interesting route of Richtofen failing that test.

Of course, we know that's most likely because of Victis' reception at the time and the success of the Blundell maps, but in story is definitely represents a shift in narrative power, the person driving the plot. I think that is represented best by Monty's handling of the "Original" Maxis when he arrives in the house with Samantha, being that he wiped him from existence. Maxis was apparently strong enough to depose of Richtofen while he was in the MPD (the closest thing to god-like status we had see so far), swap out his soul (something Richtofen needed an entire meteorite and vril device to do), and ascend to Agartha. For Maxis to be erased like that means whoever did it was way more powerful than anything we've seen before. It was indicative of a shift in the narrative, both in terms of scale and character. No more Nazi experiments or Illuminati conspiracies, we're going magical multi-dimensional, boys!

But afterwards Ultimis never really got that dominance back. Going forward he was certainly a powerful personality and retained relevance (like communicating to Stulinger and serving as a parallel to Pernell), but he never got the narrative into a stranglehold like he had before.

Then we're introduced to primis. While Primis Ed never really "seized power", but he definitely drove the plot. He single-handedly kept that cycle perpetuated. He had all sorts of plots, even needing a tie-in comic to explain, which is insane. Primis Ed got his own side story. Boss bitch move. So basically complete dominance of the narrative is transferred to him, with Samantha not even contesting him, Monty being too passive, and the Shadowman busying himself by rooming with the rest of Ultimis in the Ball. But Primis has the unfortunate luck of having his story be a doomed one. No matter what he does, he will always end (and begin) the same way. And he cannot break free from that, because it's him that's causing it. It isn't until he gives up his role as leader that things get moving again. It's all very tragic and no doubt extremely frustrating for him.

And it's such a fascinating thing to pick up and look at. These guys are both such forces of nature, they make things happen, and they even succeed to varying degrees, but they will ultimately fail every time. They will try and try and try and try but never get what they want. They want to be important and powerful and respected and relevant. And for a while, their own drive and determination allows for that, but then that drives flips. It backfires on them in some way, always their own fault (Ultimis teleporting Maxis and Samantha fails to not only kill them but allows them to orchestrate his downfall, Primis knowingly locking himself and his team in a time loop that can only be broken by his own death.)

[havendance]

Because @zahri-melitor’s idea looked like a fun way to procrastinate starting my new52 read, I decided to give it a spin. My randomly generated date was January 22nd, 1990, which yielded the following list of comics:

And thoughts:

Hellblazer #27 -- I somehow managed to land on a standalone issue of hellblazer that was in between parts of a multi-part story, that is also one of the two issues of Hellblazer written by Neil Gaiman! It's very atmospheric and very Vertigo. John Constantine goes to a party and meets a lesbian who tries to get him to be her sperm donor. Also there's a ghost killing people because it longs for connection.

Superman #41 -- This is the start of a multi-issue superman title crossover arc so there's quite a few moving pieces. Lobo and this other guy want to kill superman. Lobo is also very drunk the whole time, something appears to be up with Clark as he refuses to see Jimmy and also is cold at Lana's Birthday party, and finally Jimmy's looking for the truth behind his dad's death which involves Cadmus. It was interesting seeing all the different moving pieces, but I could do without drunk!Lobo.

The New Titans #64 -- The conclusion of an arc that involves Deathstroke and also some sort of alien animal plague virus. Kory's got some nice moments. Also this is the issue before the one where Tim shows up asking Dick to train him so he's got a cameo appearance at the end :)

The Ring of Nibelung #3 -- This one was interesting. Appearently DC did a whole comic adaptation of Wagner's ring cycle. This issue follows events of Seigfried as the titular character forges his blade, slays the dragon, and wakes Brynhild. It was a pretty comic and neat to read since my only exposure to the ring cycle previously was a concert of some of the music played orchestrally.

Time Masters #2 -- The only one I'd read previously. I read issue 1 of Time Masters for a Helena cameo and it left me with enough momentum to read issue 2 as well. Anyway Rip Hunter and co is like 'we need to use time travel to defeat the illuminati' which was fine, but the most interesting part of this issue to me was when Superman makes a cameo appearance:

Superman: Dr. Hunter, I appreciate your concern and what you're telling me is an incredible story. If what you say is true, this may be too big a job, even for me. Perhaps it would be more logical to take it to the J.L.I... It's more in their league. Rip Hunter: Superman wait! Rip Hunter (thinking): Wow. He's a little colder than I thought. Rip Hunter (aloud): Great. Thanks a lot. Editor's note: to see why Superman is so aloof, check out Superman this month and next! --Bob

When I first read this, I definitely just assumed Superman didn't believe him, but having actually read the issue of Superman now, I can see that there is something going on.

[novemberhelpsrpc]

illuminati hotties' free i.h.: this is not the one you've been waiting for starters

starters from illuminati hotties' album free i.h.: this is not the one you've been waiting for (2020) + ppl plzr (2019)

"If only I was as good as everyone stayin' so calm."

"You were so calm."

"I can't remember the last three months."

"You know we're known for being too loud."

"I'm always letting everyone down."

"I'm not professional."

"I'm kidding myself that I'm still alive."

"Could you cool your heels for one more cycle?"

"What a time!"

"Let's be honest."

"I could barely keep my sight line straight."

"Everyone likes being around me."

"Everyone likes being around you more."

"It's exhausting, ain't it?"

"If you're fine then I'm fine too."

"I got nothing to lose"

"If I'm fine you must be too."

"You got nothing to lose."

"Oh my god, are you a cop?"

"I've never seen you take it easy before."

"Will your buddies even like me?"

"I'm still scared you hardly care."

"How can I prove I'm a keeper?"

[wittson]

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[theoriginalmarke]

CONSPIRACY THEORY THURSDAY

Somewhere on Mars, in a lava tube long blocked by a landslide, is a wall of cave paintings and a floor with the ashes of a ancient campfire.

At the end of time everything is gobbled up by one single black hole, which condenses until it erupts into a new Big Bang. So we're stuck in a cycle of expanding and contracting over and over, each time repeating exactly what we've always done. You've read this sentence billions of times already and you'll read it billions of times more.

If you play I Am the Walrus backwards you can hear John Lennon saying "Beyonce is one of the illuminati."

Time travel is possible, but it takes as long to travel to the past as time passes in the present. For example, if you traveled back to 1964 it would take you 60 years.

Now if you'll excuse me, my brain hurts.

I love you baby. And that's not a theory, that's a fact. MWAH!

Y'all have a great day.

[theseventhoffrostfall]

Funniest thing to me about the Fallout redditors sperging out is that even if it was more overtly "anti capitalist," that was never the good parts of the game. Given that the game was inspired by A Canticle for Leibowitz and the cold war at large (of which I am suspecting the lack of familiarity among zoomers to actually understand a constant threat of civilizational ending war might be a big reason they don't get that aspect and look for something they can resonate with instead), you'd have to be pants shittingly retarded to not get that it is about the cycles of birth life and death humankind endures.

First two games are almost exclusively future-focused in that the games are always about what is to come, with past technology sure. Three due to being in DC is a bit worse but understandable. And even FONV really isn't as whatever as Reddit thinks, in fact it is a lot more about various factions struggling at a nexus for who will lead the west into the next age of rebuilding.

All the nuka cola 50s jingoism started out like quaint window dressing but got so overblown, the vaults went from cool side-stories to the Main Thing the way Star Wars has now become about the Jedi, and the enclave went from America's Illuminati/shadow government into whatever the fuck they are now. It's such a normie safe "i want to feel like I have the correct political opinions" line of thought by trying to spin any piece of media into reinforcing your theoretical politics which you don't actually follow (maybe why they lash out defensively, without consuming "correct" media, they wouldn't actually be activists, just slovenly consoomers)

I think a large chunk of is just that last bi. These people think of themselves as heroic future-shaping activists and not randos, and like 99% of other virtue-based groups, they do a cognitive shortcut so what they're already doing is morally correct. Playing video games, watching TV, and arguing on the internet therefore become activism. They justify this with "This game I like had someone do something bad for money once, therefore it's anticapitalist praxis literature" and so forth.

[theartismi]

وَلَنْ تَرْضٰى عَنْكَ الْيَهُوْدُ وَلَا النَّصٰرٰى حَتّٰى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ

Dan orang-orang Yahudi dan Nasrani tidak akan rela kepadamu (Muhammad) sebelum engkau mengikuti agama mereka.

RAND Corp adalah Pusat Penelitian dan Kajian Strategis tentang Islam di Timur Tengah atas biaya Smith Richardson Foundation, berpusat di Santa Monica-California dan Arington-Virginia, Amerika Serikat (AS). Sebelumnya ia perusahaan bidang kedirgantaraan dan persenjataan Douglas Aircraft Company di Santa Monica-California, namun entah kenapa beralih menjadi think tank (dapur pemikiran) dimana dana operasional berasal dari proyek-proyek penelitian pesanan militer.

Garis besar dokumen Rand berisi kebijakan AS dan sekutu di Dunia Islam. Inti hajatannya adalah mempeta-kekuatan (MAPPING), sekaligus memecah-belah dan merencanakan konflik internal di kalangan umat Islam melalui berbagai (kemasan) pola, program bantuan, termasuk berkedok capacity building dan lainnya.

Sedang dokumen lain senada, terbit Desember tahun 2004 dibuat oleh Dewan Intelijen Nasional Amerika Serikat (National Inteligent Council) atau NIC bertajuk Mapping The Global Future. Tugas NIC ialah meramal masa depan dunia.

Tajuk NIC di atas pernah dimuat USA Today, 13 Februari 2005 — juga dikutip oleh Kompas edisi 16 Februari 2005.

Inti laporan NIC tentang perkiraan situasi tahun 2020-an. Rinciannya ialah sebagai berikut: (1) Dovod World: Kebangkitan ekonomi Asia, dengan China dan India bakal menjadi pemain penting ekonomi dan politik dunia; (2) Pax Americana: Dunia tetap dipimpin dan dikontrol oleh AS; (3) A New Chaliphate: Bangkitnya kembali Khilafah Islamiyah, yakni Pemerintahan Global Islam yang bakal mampu melawan dan menjadi tantangan nilai-nilai Barat; dan (4) Cycle of Fear: Muncul lingkaran ketakutan (phobia). Yaitu ancaman terorisme dihadapi dengan cara kekerasan dan akan terjadi kekacauan di dunia — kekerasan akan dibalas kekerasan.

Jujur harus diakui, ke-empat perkiraan NIC kini riil mendekati kebenaran terutama jika publik mengikuti “opini global” bentukan media mainstream yang dikuasai oleh Barat.

Isi dokumen NIC di atas menyertakan pandangan 15 Badan Intelijen dari kelompok Negara Barat. Tahun 2008 dokumen ini direvisi kembali tentang perkiraan atas peran AS pada tata politik global. Judulnya tetap Mapping The Global Future, cuma diubah sedikit terutama hegemoni AS era 2015-an diramalkan bakal turun meski kendali politik masih dalam cengkeraman.

Tahun 2007, Rand menerbitkan lagi dokumen Building Moderate Muslim Networks, yang juga didanai oleh Smith Foundation. Dokumen terakhir ini memuat langkah-langkah membangun Jaringan Muslim Moderat pro-Barat di seluruh dunia. Baik Rand maupun Smith Foundation, keduanya adalah lembaga berafiliasi Zionisme Internasional dimana para personelnya merupakan bagian dari Freemasonry-Illuminati, sekte Yahudi berkitab Talmud.

Gerakan tersebut memakai sebutan “Komunitas Internasional” mengganti istilah Zionisme Internasional. Maksudnya selain menyamar, atau untuk mengaburkan, juga dalam rangka memanipulasi kelompok negara non Barat dan non Muslim lain. Pada gilirannya, kedua dokumen tadi diadopsi oleh Pentagon dan Departemen Luar Negeri sebagai basis kebijakan Pemerintah AS di berbagai belahan dunia.

Berikut ialah inti resume dari Agenda dan Strategi Pecah Belah yang termuat pada kedua dokumen tersebut, antara lain:

Pertama, Komunitas Internasional menilai bahwa Dunia Islam berada dalam frustasi dan kemarahan, akibat periode keterbelakangan yang lama dan ketidak-berdayaan komparatif serta kegagalan mencari solusi dalam menghadapi kebudayaan global kontemporer;

Kedua, Komunitas Internasional menilai bahwa upaya umat Islam untuk kembali kepada kemurnian ajaran adalah suatu ancaman bagi peradaban dunia modern dan bisa mengantarkan kepada Clash of Civilization (Benturan Peradaban);

Ketiga, Komunitas Internasional menginginkan Dunia Islam yang ramah terhadap demokrasi dan modernitas serta mematuhi aturan-aturan internasional untuk menciptakan perdamaian global;

Keempat, Komunitas Internasional perlu melakukan pemetaan kekuatan dan pemilahan kelompok Islam untuk mengetahui siapa kawan dan lawan, serta pengaturan strategi dengan pengolahan sumber daya yang ada di Dunia Islam;

Kelima, Komunitas Internasional mesti mempertimbangkan dengan sangat hati-hati terhadap elemen, kecenderungan, dan kekuatan-kekuatan mana di tubuh Islam yang ingin diperkuat; apa sasaran dan nilai-nilai persekutuan potensial yang berbeda; siapa akan dijadikan anak didik; konsekuensi logis seperti apa yang akan terlihat ketika memperluas agenda masing-masing; dan termasuk resiko mengancam, atau mencemari kelompok, atau orang-orang yang sedang dibantu oleh AS dan sekutunya;

Keenam, Komunitas Internasional membagi Umat Islam ke dalam Empat Kelompok, yaitu:

(1) Fundamentalis: kelompok masyarakat Islam yang menolak nilai-nilai demokrasi dan kebudayaan Barat Kontemporer, serta menginginkan formalisasi penerapan Syariat Islam;

(2) Tradisionalis: kelompok masyarakat Islam Konservatif yang mencurigai modernitas, inovasi dan perubahan. Mereka berpegang kepada substansi ajaran Islam tanpa peduli kepada formalisasinya;

(3) Modernis: kelompok masyarakat Islam Modern yang ingin reformasi Islam agar sesuai dengan tuntutan zaman, sehingga bisa menjadi bagian dari modernitas;

(4) Sekularis: kelompok masyarakat Islam Sekuler yang ingin menjadikan Islam sebagai urusan privasi dan dipisah sama sekali dari urusan negara.

Ketujuh, Komunitas Internasional menetapkan strategi terhadap tiap-tiap kelompok, sebagai berikut:

1) Mengkonfrontir dan menentang kaum fundamentalis dengan tata cara sebagai berikut: (a) menentang tafsir mereka atas Islam dan menunjukkan ketidak-akuratannya; (b) mengungkap keterkaitan mereka dengan kelompok-kelompok dan aktivitas-aktivitas illegal; (c) mengumumkan konsekuensi dari tindak kekerasan yang mereka lakukan; (d) menunjukkan ketidak-mampuan mereka untuk memerintah; (e) memperlihatkan ketidak-berdayaan mereka mendapatkan perkembangan positif atas negara mereka dan komunitas mereka; (f) mengamanatkan pesan-pesan tersebut kepada kaum muda, masyarakat tradisionalis yang alim, kepada minoritas kaum muslimin di Barat, dan kepada wanita; (g) mencegah menunjukkan rasa hormat dan pujian akan perbuatan kekerasan kaum fundamentalis, ekstrimis dan teroris; (h) kucilkan mereka sebagai pengganggu dan pengecut, bukan sebagai pahlawan; (i) mendorong para wartawan untuk memeriksa isu-isu korupsi, kemunafikan, dan tak bermoralnya lingkaran kaum fundamentalis dan kaum teroris; (j) mendorong perpecahan antara kaum fundamentalis.

2) Beberapa aksi Barat memojokkan kaum fundamentalis adalah dengan menyimpangankan tafsir Al-Qur’an, contoh: mengharaman poligami pada satu sisi, namun menghalalkan perkawinan sejenis di sisi lain; mengulang-ulang tayangan aksi-aksi umat Islam yang mengandung kekerasan di televisi, sedang kegiatan konstruktif tidak ditayangkan; kemudian “mengeroyok” dan menyerang argumen narasumber dari kaum fundamentalis dengan format dialog 3 lawan 1 dan lainnya; lalu mempidana para aktivis Islam dengan tuduhan teroris atau pelaku kekerasan dan lain-lain.

3) Mendorong kaum tradisionalis untuk melawan fundamentalis, dengan cara: (a) dalam Islam tradisional ortodoks banyak elemen demokrasi yang bisa digunakan counter menghadapi Islam fundamentalis yang represif lagi otoriter; (b) menerbitkan kritik-kritik kaum tradisionalis atas kekerasan dan ekstrimisme yang dilakukan kaum fundamentalis; (c) memperlebar perbedaan antara kaum tradisionalis dan fundamentalis; (d) mencegah aliansi kaum tradisionalis dan fundamentalis; (e) mendorong kerja sama agar kaum tradisionalis lebih dekat dengan kaum modernis; (f) jika memungkinkan, kaum tradisionalis dididik untuk mempersiapkan diri agar mampu berdebat dengan kaum fundamentalis, karena kaum fundamentalis secara retorika sering lebih superior, sementara kaum tradisionalis melakukan praktek politik “Islam pinggiran” yang kabur; (g) di wilayah seperti di Asia Tengah, perlu dididik dan dilatih tentang Islam ortodoks agar mampu mempertahankan pandangan mereka; (h) melakukan diskriminasi antara sektor-sektor tradisionalisme berbeda; (i) memperuncing khilafiyah yaitu perbedaan antar madzhab dalam Islam, seperti Sunni – Syiah, Hanafi – Hambali, Wahabi – Sufi, dll; (j) mendorong kaum tradisionalis agar tertarik pada modernisme, inovasi dan perubahan; (k) mendorong mereka untuk membuat isu opini-opini agama dan mempopulerkan hal itu untuk memperlemah otoritas penguasa yang terinspirasi oleh paham fundamentalis; (l) Mendorong popularitas dan penerimaan atas sufisme;

4) Mendukung sepenuhnya kaum modernis, dengan jalan: (a) menerbitkan dan mengedarkan karya-karya mereka dengan biaya yang disubsidi; (b) mendorong mereka untuk menulis bagi audiens massa dan bagi kaum muda; (c) memperkenalkan pandangan-pandangan mereka dalam kurikulum pendidikan Islam; (d) memberikan mereka suatu platform publik; (e) menyediakan bagi mereka opini dan penilaian pada pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang fundamental dari interpretasi agama bagi audiensi massa dalam persaingan mereka dengan kaum fundamentalis dan tradisionalis, yang memiliki Web Sites, dengan menerbitkan dan menyebarkan pandangan-pandangan mereka dari rumah-rumah, sekolahan, lembaga-lembaga dan sarana lainnya; (f) memposisikan sekularisme dan modernisme sebagai sebuah pilihan “counter culture” kaum muda Islam yang tidak puas; (g) memfasilitasi dan mendorong kesadaran akan sejarah pra-Islam dan non-Islam dan budayanya, di media dan di kurikulum dari negara-negara yang relevan; (h) membantu dalam membangun organisasi-organisasi sipil independen, untuk mempromosikan kebudayaan sipil (civic culture) dan memberikan ruang bagi rakyat biasa untuk mendidik diri sendiri mengenai proses politik dan mengutarakan pandangan-pandangan mereka.

Beberapa bukti tindakan program ini misalnya mengubah kurikulum pendidikan di pesantren-pesantren dengan biaya dari Barat, kemudian menghembuskan dogma “Time is Money – dengan pengeluaran sekecil-kecilnya menghasilkan pendapatan sebesar-besarnya”.

5) Tempo doeloe, pernah dalam mata pelajaran PMP dtampilkan gambar rumah ibadah masing-masing agama dengan tulisan dibawahnya: “semua agama sama”.

Mendirikan berbagai LSM yang bergerak dibidang kajian filsafat Islam, menyebar artikel dan tulisan produk LSM yang dibiayai Amerika. Intinya menyimpulkan bahwa semua agama adalah hasil karya manusia dan merupakan peradaban manusia. Tujuannya tak lain guna menggoyah keyakinan beragama, termasuk mendanai beberapa web site di dunia maya dan lainnya.

6) Mendukung secara selektif kaum sekularis, dengan cara: (a) mendorong pengakuan fundamentalisme sebagai musuh bersama; (b) mematahkan aliansi dengan kekuatan-kekuatan anti Amerika berdasarkan hal-hal seperti nasionalisme dan ideologi kiri; (c) mendorong ide bahwa dalam Islam, agama dan negara dapat dipisahkan dan hal ini tidak membahayakan keimanan tetapi malah akan memperkuat.

7) Untuk menjalankan Building Moderate Muslim Networks, AS dan sekutu menyediakan dana bagi individu dan lembaga-lembaga seperti LSM, pusat kajian di beberapa universitas Islam maupun universitas umum lain, serta membangun jaringan antar komponen untuk memenuhi tujuan-tujuan AS. Contoh keberhasilan membangun jaringan ini ketika mensponsori Kongres Kebebasan Budaya (Conggress of Cultural Freedom), dimana pertemuan ini berhasil membangun komitmen antar elemen membentuk jaringan anti komunis.

Hal serupa juga dilakukan dalam rangka membangun jaringan anti Islam. Kemudian membangun kredibilitas semu aktivis-aktivis liberal pro-Barat, demi tercapai tujuan utama memusuhi Islam secara total. Bahkan apabila perlu, sikap tidak setuju atas kebijakan AS sesekali diperlihatkan para aktivisnya seolah-olah independen, padahal hanya tampil pura-pura saja.

AS dan sekutu sadar, bahwa ia tengah terlibat dalam suatu peperangan total baik fisik (dengan senjata) maupun ide. Ia ingin memenangkan perang dengan cara: “ketika ideologi kaum ekstrimis tercemar di mata penduduk tempat asal ideologi itu dan di mata pendukung pasifnya”.

Ini jelas tujuan dalam rangka menjauhkan Islam dari umatnya. Muaranya adalah membuat orang Islam supaya tak berperilaku lazimnya seorang muslim.

Pembangunan jaringan muslim moderat ini dilakukan melalui tiga level, yaitu: (a) menyokong jaringan-jaringan yang telah ada; (b) identifikasi jaringan dan gencar mempromosi kemunculan serta pertumbuhannya; (c) memberikan kontribusi untuk membangun situasi dan kondisi bagi berkembangnya sikap toleran dan faham pluralisme.

Sebagai pelaksana proyek, Departemen Luar Negeri AS dan USAID telah memiliki mandat dan menunjuk kontraktor pelaksana penyalurkan dana dan berhubungan dengan berbagai LSM, dan para individu di negeri-negeri muslim yaitu National Endowment for Democracy (NED), The International Republican Institute (IRI) The National Democratic Institute (NDI), The Asia Foundation (TAF), dan The Center for Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID).

Pada fase pertama, membentuk jaringan muslim moderat difokuskan pada organisasi bawah tanah, dan kemudian setelah melalui penilaian AS selaku donatur, ia bisa ditingkatkan menjadi jaringan terbuka.

Adapun kelompok-kelompok yang dijadikan sasaran perekrutan dan anak didik adalah : (a) akademisi dan intelektual muslim liberal dan sekuler; (b) cendikiawan muda muslim yang moderat; (c) kalangan aktivis komunitas; (d) koalisi dan kelompok perempuan yang mengkampanye kesetaraan gender; (e) penulis dan jurnalis moderat.

Para pejabat Kedutaan Amerika di negeri-negeri muslim harus memastikan bahwa kelompok ini terlibat, dan sesering mungkin melakukan kunjungan ke Paman Sam. Adapun prioritas pembangunan jaringan untuk muslim moderat ini diletakkan pada sektor: (a) Pendidikan Demokrasi. Yaitu dengan mencari pembenaran nash dan sumber-sumber Islam terhadap demokrasi dan segala sistemnya; (b) dukungan oleh media massa melakukan liberalisasi pemikiran, kesetaraan gender dan lainnya — yang merupakan “medan tempur” dalam perang pemikiran melawan Islam; (c) Advokasi Kebijakan. Hal ini untuk mencegah agenda politik kelompok Islam.

AS dan sekutu sadar bahwa ide-ide radikal berasal dari Timur Tengah dan perlu dilakukan “arus balik” yaitu menyebarkan ide dan pemikiran dari para intelektual moderat dan modernis yang telah berhasil dicuci otak dan setuju westernisasi yang bukan berasal dari Timur Tengah, seperti Indonesia dan lainnya. Tulisan dan pemikiran moderat dari kalangan di luar Timur Tengah harus segera diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Arab, kemudian disebarkan di kawasan Timur Tengah.

Agaknya inilah jawaban, kenapa Indonesia seringkali dijadikan pertemuan para cendikiawan dan intelektual muslim dari berbagai negara yang disponsori AS dan negara Barat lain. Banyak produk baik tulisan maupun film diproduksi “Intelektual Islam Indonesia”, kemudian disebarkan dan diterjemahkan dalam bahasa Arab. Semua bantuan dana dan dukungan politik ini tujuannya guna memecah-belah umat Islam.

Seperti berkembang banyak LSM memproduk materi-materi dakwah atau fatwa namun isinya justru “menjerumuskan” Islam, termasuk munculnya banyak tokoh liberal sebagai opinion maker di tengah masyarakat, merupakan isyarat bahwa konspirasi menghancur Islam itu ada, nyata dan berada (existance). Yang paling memprihatinkan, justru jurus pecah belah dilakukan menggunakan tangan-tangan (internal) kaum muslim itu sendiri di negara tempat mereka lahir, tumbuh dan dibesarkan, sedang mereka “tak menyadari” telah menjadi pengkhianat bagi bangsa, negara dan agamanya!

[weirdesplinder]

CICLO DELL'ECUMENE di Ursula K. LeGuin

Il Ciclo dell'Ecumene o Ciclo hainita (Hainish Cycle)di Ursula K. Le Guin è composto da un insieme di romanzi e racconti ambientati in un medesimo universo immaginario futuro.

In questo scenario, la specie umana si è diffusa in decine di pianeti e tenta di organizzarsi in una società su scala galattica.

L'origine di tutta l'umanità non è la Terra, ma il pianeta Hain (chiamato anche Il Primo Pianeta, il Vecchio Mondo o Davenant, che dista circa 140 anni luce dalla Terra) dal quale in epoche remote è partita l'esplorazione spaziale e la colonizzazione di molti pianeti, compresa la Terra. In seguito queste colonie, forse a causa dell'assenza di adeguate tecnologie di comunicazione, non solo hanno perso i contatti, ma anche la conoscenza della reciproca esistenza. Centinaia di millenni più tardi, l'Ecumene rappresenta il tentativo di ricostituire l'unità della civilizzazione umana nella galassia, dopo che un primo tenttaivo di unione denominato Lega di Tutti i Mondi era fallito anche a causa di un invasione aliena.

I rapporti tra i pianeti sono mantenuti grazie ad una tecnologia, l'ansible, che consente la comunicazione istantanea anche a distanza di molti anni luce. Mentre i viaggi interstellari avvengono solo a velocità non superiore alla velocità della luce (NAFAL, Nearly As Fast As Light), con l'inevitabile conseguenza della dilatazione del tempo per i viaggiatori, mentre navi robotizzate possono raggiungere una velocità superluminale.

Gli hainiti, avevano conoscenze genetiche che hanno usato per alteare geneticamente se stessi e anche gli abitanti delle colonie che avevano fondato, perciò ogni pianeta ha in realtà una popolazione con caratteristiche molto diverse dalle altre, nonostante le loro origini comuni, anche grazie all'evoluzione naturale che si è aggiunta alle modifiche genetiche.

Ad esempio gli hainiti hanno acquisito la capacità di controllare coscientemente la propria fertilità, altri popoli sono in grado di sognare da svegli, oppure sono ermafroditi ecc.

E l'autrice utilizza i popoli di questi pianeti per raccontarci cosa potrebbe creare l'evoluzione umana spinta da fattori ambientali così diversi e da input culturali così diversi. Questa serie è come un piccolo studio antropologico della natura umana, portato all'estremo in alcuni casi.

La lettura di questo ciclo potrebbe risultare ostica soprattutto perchè l'ordine di pubblicazione dei libri e l'ordine delle storie che narrano non coincide. Ma bisogna dire che praticamente tutti sono leggibilissimi come romanzi autococlusivi poichè ognuno ha una sua trama con un suo inizio, svolgimento e fine, e benchè siano ambientati nello stesso universo non sono strettamente collegati.

Ma vi presento comunque qui sotto l'ordine cronologico in cui andrebbero letti i 7 romanzi della serie:

Pre-ere: Periodo non trattato in alcun romanzo ma solo citato, sono i due milioni di anni, durante i quali gli hainiti hanno esplorato lo spazio, colonizzando decine di pianeti nel Braccio di Orione, tra cui la Terrra, creando una rete di mondi che si è poi dissolta.

Prima Fase: la Lega di Tutti i Mondi quanto l'ansible non esistono ancora, anche se sembrano sul punto di diventare realtà o sono appena nati (Il mondo della foresta).

I reietti dell'altro pianeta (pubblicato anche col titolo Quelli di Anarres) (1974)

Link: https://amzn.to/3TDJ2Zf

Trama: Due pianeti gemelli, Urras e Anarres, illuminati da uno stesso sole ma divisi da una barriera ideologica antica di secoli. Urras è fittamente popolato, tecnologicamente avanzato, ricco, florido, retto da un'economia liberista. Da qui sono partiti nella notte dei tempi i seguaci di Odo che hanno colonizzato l'arido Anarres, fondandovi una comunità anarchico-collettivista che non conosce concetti come proprietà, governo, autorità. In questa società apparentemente perfetta nasce Shevek, genio della fisica alle prese con un'innovativa teoria del tempo, un vero "cittadino del cosmo" che dedicherà la vita ad abbattere il muro che separa da sempre i pianeti gemelli.

2. Il mondo della foresta (1976)

Link: https://amzn.to/3TZQ4sz

Trama: Sul pianeta Athshe, la vita è interamente condizionata dalle enormi, fittissime foreste che ricoprono quasi tutta la superficie. Qui vivono gli Athshiani, il popolo dei sognatori, e qui sono scesi gli uomini a impadronirsi del legname ormai prezioso in questo lontano futuro. Athshe è diventato una colonia della Terra, dove agli indigeni è riservato il lavoro fisico più pesante e dove uomini come il capitano Davidson e l’antropologo Ljubov si scontrano in nome di opposte ideologie. Fino al giorno in cui fra le foreste di Athshe non si leverà un dio, Selver, il sognatore capace di fondere per il suo popolo il mondo del sogno con quello della realtà. E allora gli uomini dovranno guardarsi dai loro schiavi.

Seconda Fase: La lega di Tutti i Mondi esiste già, ma non L'Ecumene, e nel terzo libro di questa fase la Lega è in crisi e risulta frammentata a causa di una razza aliena nemica gli Shing, che vengono da un mondo oltre la Lega

3. Il mondo di Rocannon (1966)

Link: https://amzn.to/3PPS8AT

Trama: In un mondo ai confini della Galassia, tre razze native - gli Odemiar, abitanti delle caverne, gli elfici Fiia e i Liuar, guerrieri divisi in clan vengono improvvisamente aggredite e conquistate da una flotta di astronavi provenienti dalle stelle. Lo scienziato terrestre Rocannon, che si trova in quel mondo, assiste impotente allo sterminio dei suoi amici e alla distruzione della sua astronave. Abbandonato tra popoli alieni, Rocannon guida allora la battaglia per la liberazione, scoprendo che, in breve tempo, la sua figura assume contorni leggendari e che qualcuno lo considera addirittura un dio...

4. Pianeta dell'esilio (1966)

Link: https://amzn.to/4aF4zrs

Trama: Su Werel, terzo pianeta del sistema di Gamma Draconis, le stagioni durano decine d'anni terrestri, e ora l'Autunno sta per finire. L'Inverno sarà una sorpresa per le generazioni più giovani, che non l'hanno mai conosciuto, e una dura prova per tutti. Ma le ostilità del clima non sono le sole contro cui gli abitanti devono combattere: ci sono anche i barbari Gaal e i mostruosi diavoli della neve. La contesa contro la natura avversa e i nemici esterni unisce le due razze umanoidi di Werel: i Nati Lontano, ultimi superstiti della colonia hainita che vivono nella città costiera di Landin, ormai isolati da oltre seicento anni dalla madrepatria, e i nomadi nativi del pianeta. È così che Jakob Agat Alterra, discendente degli "alieni" hainiti, conosce la giovane Rolery, figlia di un capo Clan nativo, e se ne innamora. Ma non sarà facile stabilire un'alleanza fra due razze che sembrano destinate all'eterna incomprensione ...

5. Città delle illusioni (1967)

Link: https://amzn.to/3vExUDl

Trama: Il progresso tecnologico dell'umanità non è andato di pari passo con quello della conoscenza. Questa penuria di saggezza ha reso gli uomini miseri nella loro vulnerabilità, facilmente in balìa di esseri superiori, come gli inquietanti Shing. La Terra appare una sconfinata e arida distesa attraversata da verdi foreste, dove gli umani sopravvivono in gruppi isolati. A infrangere la placida esistenza di una piccola comunità, arriva un forestiero dalla carnagione ambrata e dagli occhi felini e privi di iride, senza ricordi né identità. Un messaggero del nemico? Un mutaforma? Un vagabondo che giunge da molto lontano? Toccherà allo stesso sconosciuto trovare le risposte che lo riguardano, nel corso di un lungo viaggio alla ricerca della memoria perduta, che lo porterà fra popolazioni guerriere, fino alla città mitica di EsToch, a ridosso del futuro.

Terza fase: i pianeti della vecchia Lega di Tutti i Mondi si sono riuniti nell'Ecumene e ora su Hain coesistono piccole società autonome, i pueblos, organizzati secondo forme sociali arcaiche, fortemente ritualizzate, e una rete di città ad alta tecnologia e bassa densità, come Kathhad e Darranda, che ospitano i "templi", i centri di informazione degli "storici", e le Scuole Ecumeniche, in cui vengono istruiti studenti provenienti da molti mondi, per diventare osservatori e inviati diplomatici dell'Ecumene.

6. La mano sinistra del buio (1969)

Link: https://amzn.to/3vzCjaI

Trama: Sul pianeta Inverno, coperto di ghiacci perenni e dominato da una struttura semi-feudale, l'Ecumene ha inviato un emissario, Genly Ai, incaricato di convincere gli indigeni a unirsi alla Lega. Non sarà facile per lui entrare in contatto con gli abitanti di quel mondo alieno, ancora ignoto, che trascorrono i cinque sesti della loro esistenza in uno stato ermafrodito neutro, per poi essere maschi o femmine solo nei giorni del kemmer. Per riuscire nel suo intento, l'Inviato dovrà superare differenze biologiche, culturali, psicologiche, sociali e comprendere articolate organizzazioni politiche, oltre che affrontare condizioni estreme in un attraversamento del grande Nord.

7. La salvezza di Aka (2000)

Link: https://amzn.to/43ESFvj

Trama: Sutty, un'osservatrice dell'Ecumene interstellare, �� stata assegnata ad Aka, un mondo dominato da un governo azienda che ha come unico fine la produzione e lo sviluppo economico. A questo scopo la monolitica Corporazione di Aka ha bandito tutti i vecchi costumi, cancellando quasi completamente la lingua scritta e le tradizioni. Per Sutty, specializzata in storia e linguistica, si tratta di un incarico senza sbocchi: come può studiare un mondo dove la popolazione sembra non avere ricordo del proprio passato? Del tutto inaspettatamente, però, Sutty riceve il permesso di lasciare la moderna città dove tutti i suoi movimenti sono strettamente controllati e risalire il fiume per cercare gli ultimi residui della cultura originaria di Aka.

Per quanto riguarda i racconti ambientati nell'universo ecumenico questi sono ancora più separati e a sè stanti che non i romanzi, tanto che l'autrice stessa non li ha mai raccolti in antologie specifiche, ma solo in antologie che contengono anche racconti facenti parte altre serie. Un'antologia che raccoglie anche tre racconti ecumenici che reputo interessanti è Fisherman of the Inland Sea del 1994, purtroppo inedita in italiano. I tre racconti sono The Shobies' Story, Dancing to Ganam e Another Story or A Fisherman of the Inland Sea e raccontano dei primi esperimenti dell'uomo con i viaggi interstellari a velocità maggiore di quella della luce.

Altri due racconti famosi sono The Day Before the Revolution che è un prequel al romanzo I reietti dell'altro pianeta, e Dowry of the Angyar (intitolato anche Semley's Necklace) prequel al romanzo Il mondo di Rocannon, che a volte sono stati inseriti come antefatti proprio in alcune edizioni dei due romanzi, o possono essere recuperati nell'antologia I dodici punti cardinali.

Link: https://amzn.to/4aJXl5q

A mio parere del tutto soggettivo i romanzi più belli della serie sono i tre centrali: Il mondo di Rocannon, Pianeta dell'esilio e Città delle Illusioni, che poi sono anche i primi ad essere stati scritti dall'autrice.Ma è un'opinione puramente soggettiva che si basa sul mio gusto personale in fatto di libri.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy. By Colin Dickey. Viking, 2023.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: pop history, politics, American history

Series: N/A

Summary: The United States was born in paranoia. From the American Revolution (thought by some to be a conspiracy organized by the French) to the Salem witch trials to the Satanic Panic, the Illuminati, and QAnon, one of the most enduring narratives that defines the United States is simply secret groups are conspiring to pervert the will of the people and the rule of law. We’d like to assume these panics exist only at the fringes of society, or are unique features of the internet age. But history tells us, in fact, that they are woven into the fabric of American democracy.

Cultural historian Colin Dickey has built a career studying how our most irrational beliefs reach the mainstream, why, and what they tell us about ourselves. In Under the Eye of Power , Dickey charts the history of America through its paranoias and fears of secret societies, while seeking to explain why so many people—including some of the most powerful people in the country—continue to subscribe to these conspiracy theories. Paradoxically, he finds, belief in the fantastical and conspiratorial can be more soothing than what we fear the the chaos and randomness of history, the rising and falling of fortunes in America, and the messiness of democracy. Only in seeing the cycle of this history, Dickey says, can we break it.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: discussions of violence (including anti-Black violence such as lynchings) and anti-Semitism

Since this book is non-fiction, my review will be structured a little different from normal.

I've loved Cokin Dickey's work since I read Ghostland, so when I learned he was publishing a book on conspiracy theories, I quickly snatched up a copy.

The main thesis of this book is that we should not think of conspiracy theories as "fringe" beliefs; instead, we should think of them as integral parts of American politics, ones that have shaped the history of American democracy from the start. A secondary thesis is that conspiracy theories routinely crop up amidst moments of great social and political change; therefore, we should view them as cyclical.

Dickey goes about supporting this argument with a number of snapshots of various conspiracy theories. Some of these include the belief that the Masons/Illuminati were shaping the outcome of the Revolutionary War, that a secret cabal was trying to enslave whites during the years leading up to the Civil War, that Catholics were trying to overthrow American politics while simultaneously murdering people in the 18th century, and so on. This book also tackles some of the more recent theories, such as David Icke's lizard people theory and QAnon, arguing that they should be seen as part of a pattern of panics, not isolated incidents.

I found Dickey's arguments fairly compelling. Part of the reason might be because his main points are very clear and his narration of history is straight forward: each conspiracy is the product of paranoia, but a paranoia in response to feelings of chaos.

I also liked that Dickey readily admits when evidence is scarce and looks at both left and right wing conspiracies. Ultimately, he makes the case that right wing conspiracies have historically been more dangerous and outlandish, so there is no "both sides" argument being made.

He also does a fairly good job of explaining cognitive dissonance and how each conspiracy theory attempts to resolve internal contradictions. As a result, I was able to get a fairly good grip on why each theory was appealing and why so many people believed them, even if they seemed bogus from the outside.

If I had any criticism, it would be that I think Dickey could have done more to synthesize his main points. As the book stands, it felt like some of his more profound or illuminating insights were buried under the historical narrative, and I personally think some of them could have been explored in more depth.

But even so, this is a good book for those who are interested in a general overview of the history of conspiracy theories in America. While I wouldn't recommend it if you want an in depth look at any one conspiracy theory (such as QAnon), I think you will enjoy it if you're interested in why Americans specifically are so invested in conspiracy theories, and the historians among you will appreciate the attention to historical detail as well.

[flebur]

The letter, or symbol, X, can be traced back to the Babylon Mystery Religions, Freemasonry and the occult. The Illuminati use this symbol to mark significant events. Of course, there is much more to the story but let’s keep it simple.

To begin, X has an interesting significance in our society; pornography is rated X or XXX, people play X-box, watch X-Men & X Files, buy Brand X, swallow Xanax (Rx), celebrate Xmas, sign with an X, get an X-Ray. We even call our children Generation X.

Importantly, X is the sign of the Egyptian sun god, Osiris.🦎☀️🐊 Osiris is simply a later version of King Indara (Sumeria) also known as Thor & Arthur. Osiris was the leading deity in Egyptian worship of the sun. The story of his death is similar to the hero of Freemasonry, Hiram Abif, the “Grand Master and architect of Solomon’s Temple” who was murdered for keeping Masonic secrets. The stories are deliberately convoluted but just know that the X symbol is important to the dark side. Freemasons and others use the letter X as a sign of Lucifer, the solar (sun) God. It’s no coincidence that Twitter is now called X. There is nothing new under the sun god, Osiris.🦎☀️

In the Hebrew alphabet, X is connected with Samekh (S), the symbol of a serpent or dragon (Reptilian) swallowing its own tail. This occult symbol is used heavily by the Illuminati and they love to hide it in things like children’s movies, clothing etc. There’s a reason the Samekh is on the cover of Texe Marrs’ incredible book “CODEX MAGICA”. On a lighter note, Samekh symbolises wisdom and the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Metaphorically shedding our Reptilian skin to live a more spiritual life.

Although you may deny it, the fact that you are on Twitter, sorry, X, means that you are unknowingly worshipping the Illuminati god, Osiris (X). You are worshipping Lucifer! Cross (X) my heart. Twitter turning into X marks a significant event to the Illuminati as we enter a New World Order. Will you still give your power, attention and money (worship) to X? Of course you will because, like me, you’re addicted to the electromagnetic methamphetamine that is now called “X”.

“The Illuminist/Masonic meaning of the X is simply this: It is the sign of Osiris, the great (Egyptian) sun god.”

- Texe Marrs (Dark Majesty)

- Reptile Hybrid