#the people's temple

[epitome-of-an-openbook]

If you don't think that you would fall for a cult, if you dont think that people on the forefront of social justice movements, people doing the opposite work of MAGA, can fall for cult rhetoric - I want you to look up Jim Jones and the People's Temple and then I want you to look up which people and what movements he was appealing to (here's a hint -> "In a period in which most mainline churches were white supremacist, Peoples Temple’s leadership was able to capitalize on blacks’ yearning for inclusion and cultural validation. In an era in which many Bay Area black churches were accused of bourgeois conservatism, People Temple touted the radical progressive rhetoric of black liberation struggle." source linked below)

Now, even if you don't recognize the names Jim Jones or The People's Temple, you have almost definitely heard the phrase "drank the kool-aid" which is a phrase born out of the tragedy of what happened to the members of The People's Temple.

Cult rhetoric is meant to capitalize on feelings of loneliness, abandonment, loss, and longing - and once you are in they use strategies like the BITE model (Behavior Control, Information Control, Thought Control, Emotional Control) to make it EXTREMELY difficult for you to leave.

So yeah, not only do we need to be willing to help people who are exiting cults (MAGA included) but we also need to recognize that it easily could have been us, our friends, and our allies. In times like this where a lot of us are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and (most importantly) isolated we are extremely vulnerable to cult rhetoric as well.

And if you still struggle to help people who leave MAGA I urge you to remember that forgiveness is not the same thing as kindness or empathy. You can treat someone with kindness, understand that what they have been through is horrible and still not forgive them for what they did to you. You can point people towards resources that will help them escape the cult mentality and not forgive them for what they did to you. But choosing to make things difficult for those leaving a cult does the work of the cult leaders for them by proving to those who try to leave that they really won't be accepted anywhere else, just like they were told.

This is an interesting thing. Looks like testimonies of people who left the MAGA movement- how they got into it and why.

Leaving a cult is really hard, so I really respect the people who are speaking from this place.

[do-you-know-this-dw-story]

the people's temple (short story: 1998)

[cats-obsessions]

If Durge Could Recruit Gortash Headcanons:

Once agreeing to ally with Gortash, Durge can convince him to join the party, but only if they agree to kill Raphael. If Karlach is in the party, this may be done in exchange for Gortash to fix her heart if Durge can pass the persuasion roll on Karlach.

• Upon joining the party, Gortash shows up in a more practical armor set, still gold and black but not as decorated as his robe. There’s scrapes and dents on parts of it, clearly having been worn before. Durge can ask him about it in conversation and discover he has chosen to wear the same armor as he did when they robbed Mephistopheles Vault. He never repaired it and can tell a story for each scratch.

• He does a lot to try to jog Durge’s memories, and it works a some degree. We hear little stories around the city, some more suggestive than others.

• Old habits never die. He’s constantly touching Durge, always walks next to them, has a lot of strong opinions but will only concede to Durge.

• Durge persuasion rolls on Gortash are DC10 and under. Anyone else it’s DC30.

• He absolutely compliments Durge a little too much. And he’s always the first at Durge’s side after the fighting ends. Grumbles if he has to rez anyone else but dotes on Durge.

• Gets along well enough with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Laezel. Respects Minthara and Gale, sees them both as potential allies if they know their places. Absolute bitch to Wyll. Actively the number one Ravengard hater.

• If Durge can convince Karlach to stick around, she will only be in the same party as Gortash once or twice. She’ll confront Durge about it after and either has to be kept separate or leaves the party.

• If taken to Astarion and Shadowhearts’ personal quests, he’ll be surprisingly respectful, and will tell them they’d make good Banites, particularly if Shadowheart resists Shar. (Kinda think he would tell Astarion not to Ascend but for his own advantage of not having to deal with an Ascended Vampire and not wanting the hells to gain power from 7,000 souls)

• Random gifts pop up in Durge’s inventory. He says nothing about them. One is definitely the hand of an enemy.

• When in the House of Hope, Gortash will only allow Durge to enter the prison with him until the warden is dead. He’ll tell them everything, but won’t let the others see it.

• Killing Raphael is very emotional. He’s proud, happy, relieved, but being there shakes him up. Durge can hug him in private when they talk about it.

• If Durge chooses to save Hope, she tries to hug ‘little Enver, all grown up’ before they leave. He does not like it, but part of him is happy to see her free.

• Durgetash romance can initiate after Raphael is dead. Sceleritas is so fuckin' pissed. Like, he kinda ships it, but he CANNOT handle Durge getting labotomized again for this Banite fool.

• He has random little personal quests and pop-up events like his formal coronation celebration ball, taking Durge to a fancy dinner, dealing with fans, and assassinating a rude journalist who called him not-so-young-and-handsome.

• If taken to Lady Jannath's estate, she flirts with him. Durge has an option to stab her for this- just once. Just a little. She'll be fine! Gortash approves. He apologizes to her, but he's absolutely into it.

• His two allied pathways at the end are to remain fully evil and control the brain/Faerun with Durge or absolutely still be, ya know, Gortash but destroy the brain and become archduke without the tadpoles' help as he’s now viewed as the city’s hero. This is his least evil option and requires a Durge romance or at least a Durge that will remain by his side regardless and saving Hope as pivotal moments.

• Durge's alliance or resistance of Bhaal would significantly influence this. Resisting Bhaal lowers the DC on any persuasion. Failing the duel with Orin would block any option except controlling the brain with Gortash as he sees it as the only way to protect Durge. Because controlling the absolute would offer them a large enough following to grant them literal ascension to godhood, freeing Durge from Bhaal's control. Plus, you know killing a god would only inflate Gortash's ego more, and that would be his new goal.

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

made me think of this (a foreigner on the street in the evening of zhongyuan festival in singapore)

[shyranno]

Day 6 of drawing Maul until Disney/Lucasfilm hires me to do Maul things

[sinoheritage]

Traditional Zaojing 藻井 ceilings in Chinese palaces and temples, Beijing. 🐉

[pngheavy]

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

I love how the faux-politeness of MDZS' climax takes its themes to its logical conclusion. All throughout, we've seem how sects and cultivators prioritise their reputations, seeking glory and status even when real lives are at danger, keeping up their appearances. We see that in the unwritten rule that major sects won't intervene in problems unless the prey is dangerous; we see it in how Lan Wangji is unique in the way he prioritises helping others over seeking glory; we see that in how the Wen situation plays out, with Wei Wuxian confronting the Jins about a concentration camp while they're focused on having a banquet.

So of course in the Guanyin Temple, even when Jin Guangyao is directly threatening people's lives, the interactions are polite! We're seeing what has always been present – the absolute disconnect between the actions and world of the Jianghu, and the real harm that real people are suffering through (both intentionally and not) as a result.

[ecoharbor]

📍Edinburgh, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[hole34]

it has come to my attention some people don't donate their clothes????

DONATE YOUR FUCKING CLOTHES

it doesn't matter if you give them to a local shelter, a thrift shop, dropbox at a church or next to a dollar store, give them directly to a homeless person or to other family/friends that would fit them, any of these are very accessible options and it SHOCKS me that some people just throw away the clothes they don't fit/want anymore. what the FUCK.

and the thing about donating your old clothes is that it also doesn't matter if you're rich or middle class or poor or even homeless, if you have extra clothes you no can no longer fit or no longer need, you donate them.

i don’t know what you upper-middle class fuckers are up to 😭 there's a whole system we got going on here where you get your new clothes THAT YOU NEED from local thrift shops or dropboxes, wear those clothes as long as you can, and then when you cannot fit them or have excess clothes to get rid of, you donate them for the next round of people that need them. don't tell me poor people are the only ones who know how to do shit responsibly???

and i would like to emphasise childrens clothes are a MUST donate. adults' bodies will change and may not always fit the same clothes, but childrens clothes especially do not last and cannot be wasted. please. fucking. donate. your. child's. outgrown. clothes.

small children's clothes are a very big need for lower class people because unlike being a teen or adult, where you can modify your stuff, there is literally nothing else for small kids to wear. babies and toddlers and elementary kids NEED clothes, and babies and toddler and elementary kids' clothes do not last their lifetime. it is SUCH A SIMPLE SOLUTION.

[not to say everyone should necessarily get kids' clothes from donations - if you're upper class and have the money to buy new kids clothes, that's okay, and honestly probably better with the current state of consumerism because it's the lower class people that need the donations.]

hell the clothing dropbox at my therapy office is my main source of clothes (both getting and giving) and nearly all of it is just large men's pants.

please consider that there are people of all ages and sizes out there that need clothes, i honestly think that should be an obligation for EVERYONE. thank you for listening and please stay sustainable.

[cherrywhite]

Silt Verses protagonists // Returning Home

[cynicalclassicist]

I am getting a sense that the sexual assault that crops up in a lot of these books is just wearying.

Paul Leonard's The People's Temple might just be the second-best Eighth Doctor story of 1998 thus far.

1998 having been 1998, this also means that it's deathly dull, far too long, and never fully capitalises on its central tragedy as well as it might, even as there are some rather lovely bits of language. But at least Sam and the Doctor are well-characterised.

And Sam wasn't even confronted with the threat of sexual assault at any point! That's another win for feminism baby, let's fucking go, hooray for doing the bare minimum!

I guess that's all I can hope for at this point.

[mishacakes]

sometimes i’ll just Put Him In An Outfit For Funsies

[valgeristik]

Ничего не останется от нас, Нам останемся, в лучшем случае, мы

hi. hello. listen to this song

i have so many thoughts about these two. oh my god. maybe i will write it out some day, but for now drawing it out will do

translation will be under the cut! knowing the words does add to the work so i do recommend reading it. or just enjoy the art <3

Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser List

E-sims donation

heres the translation, color coded according to how i broke it up for the art. just in casies

first page:

Love is scarier than war

Love strikes more true than steel

second page:

More true, because of your own volition

third page:

You run towards all the winds

Let there be pain and eternal battle

Not atmospheric, not earthly

fourth page:

But definitely with you

caption:

There will be nothing left of us,

we will be left with, in the best case, ourselves

[wi1dshxpe]

i really enjoy the idea that normal friendships/relationships are so foreign to durge and enver that they would come up with any excuse to see each other. like it takes five meetings to make plans for a small scale heist and half of them are over mimosas. the entire plot of bg3 sprung from durge being like “damn what will please dad and let me hang out with enver”

[sinoheritage]

Shanxi 山西 province’s well kept wooden pavilions which mostly date back to the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The province is known for having by far the largest number of historic buildings among all Chinese provinces, by possessing over 70% of China's surviving buildings built during or predating the Song dynasty. Also notable are the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, which date back over 1500 years.