#this goes for hardcore atheists

[redheadedbrunette]

If you say "religion and science are contradictory" I don't trust your opinion on either

[koi-koi-fish]

Youjo Senki college AU part 2

Zettour:

Business professor. Grandpa energy. Well liked and respected by students. Though Tanya is his best and favorite student he's still professional enough to not focus on her and gives all his students equal attention. If anything he gives Tanya less attention because he knows she can handle herself. Enjoys debating Tanya on economics and business practices. Wine connoisseur.

Rudersdorf:

History professor. Best friends with Zettour and they frequently go golfing together smoking cigars and drinking whisky (Zettour prefers wine). Though Tanya is his best student his favorite student is Neumann, however he dislikes that Neumann is a stoner. Former heavyweight boxer and occasionally gives Neumann advice. Super into sports, especially football. Part time coach for his grandson's football team.

Ugar:

Student counselor. In his early thirties, happily married, and has a 3 year old daughter. Is aware of Tanya's circumstances and feels bad for her. Hired Tanya part-time as a babysitter (Tanya is actually good at it). During holidays he invites Tanya over to spend time with his family (Tanya occasionally accepts. She mostly spends time with Visha). This is as far as he goes in giving Tanya special treatment. Like Zettour, he's professional enough that he doesn't neglect the other students.

Lergen AKA Rerugen:

Dean. Is the only one that knows Tanya is a troublemaker but doesn't have the evidence to prove it. Though he doesn't irrationally hate Tanya he believes she's up to no good. Dislikes Shugal and his lack of safety regarding students and his experiments. Believes nothing good will come from Tanya and Shugal working together and that Tanya will become a weapons manufacturer for the US military having Shugal design the weapons.

Shugal:

Engineering professor. may or may not have a time machine. Used to be an atheist but after a near-death experience became a hardcore Christian. Likes to have Tanya test out his contraptions because she's small and light so has the smallest affect on performance. Makes Tanya pray before testing his experiments (which is why Tanya hates him). Is aware that Tanya hates him but doesn't care. Shugal respects that Tanya is pragmatic enough to work with someone she hates (him) to get things done. Shugal convinced Tanya to work for him by giving her a couple hundred thousand dollars (which she put into investments) and promising her that once she founds her own business she can have some of his patent rights and sell his inventions.

[discendia]

Hello 👐🏻! ❤️ (heart) and 🍓 (strawberry) for Rio

Hi!! Thank you for passing by and leaving a question! I hope you have a nice day!

《 Red Emoji OC Asks 》

────── 〔✿〕──────

Rio

❤️ (heart) - Who is the most important person to your character? To what lengths would they go to protect this person?

Takeshi will forever be her most important person, her number one priority before anything and anyone else. She will break vows and take lives for him, she will disregard anybody else existence for the sake of keeping her other half beside her. Should the light he emits disappear from this world, the shadow it projects would soon follow.

🍓 (strawberry) - Does your oc believe in anything? Are they superstitious? Religious? Atheistic? Has anything in their past made them this way?

She believes in luck, in the one she has to pass the exams or avoid certain dangerous situations, and the one she can collect by doing small things, like making katsudon for Takeshi the day before an important match or carrying all the medals of Saints the neighbours from Dino's hometown give her.

She’s not a hardcore religious person, but she always pays a visit to Namimori’s shrine and goes to mass almost every Sunday with Dino. She knows the community is important to him and wants to be part of it.

[deathandthesoul]

For Aidan

🍓 (strawberry)

🐞 (ladybug)

🎸 (electric guitar)

🪓 (axe)

🍓 (strawberry) - Does your oc believe in anything? Are they superstitious? Religious? Atheistic? Has anything in their past made them this way?

The Path of Death and the Soul is the closest thing he has to a belief system. He's actually got the V5 mindset of it, which is less philosophical and metaphysical than in previous editions. Otherwise he'd like to say that he's a hardcore atheist, except he's very intimately aware that the afterlife and ghosts exist and of the properties of the soul when it comes to kindred physiology involving stakes in the heart and diablerie Noddism ain't his thing and he's happy not calling himself Catholic anymore even if he does still go to church sometimes (he has a soft spot for the choir…). He's having a great time no longer being in a stifling environment that pressures him to feel shame for being himself, or one that forces him to accept a Christian mythos as real and true but with a twist, and really loves having a boyfriend whose whole code of ethics revolves around indulgence and corruption. There's never a dull moment with him

🐞 (ladybug) - What does a perfect day look like for your oc? What do they do? Who do they see?

Aside from the obvious sucking and fucking Jesse all night and being a good obedient free use cocksleeve? Uh. He'd enjoy a cozy operation or two in his morgue, make some art or music with his band, mayhaps clean a crime scene for somebody and take a bunch of photos for his collection, plan or carry out a murder, go to a concert or a graveyard, go on the prowl and stalk people around the city, train at the gym, maybe take a drive or have a stakeout with Jesse that ends up with their hands all over each other... The more activities he can spend with Jesse the better, and even better if Lukas doesn't come calling for some asinine bullshit that he should be able to handle himself as Sheriff ("That's below my paygrade!")

🎸 (electric guitar) - What’s your character’s music taste like? Do they have one or two artists they play on repeat or do they have a varied and eclectic collection of music? Do they like mainstream artists or prefer underground musicians? What genres do they enjoy?

He likes it hard and fast with a lot of screaming blasting out his eardrums. Lets him live vicariously and pretend he's not totally cold inside-- gives him acting material to work with. He likes being cold and doesn't feel like a person at all and the sheer amount of emotion in the songs he listens to serves as an example and helps him fake humanity better As a musician he listens to a lot of different bands, from mainstream to underground. Talent can be found anywhere and he keeps an open mind. His own bands are pretty underground so he sort of relates to those ones more overall. Small venue or basement shows are his jam He gravitates to goregrind/death metal/grindcore the most. That's what he performs himself. Due to Reasons™️he is also involved in the local punk scene and will listen to that genre often as well. Jesse has his own tastes in metal but Aidan has fun listening to those types with him too

🪓 (axe) - Does your oc have survival skills? Have they ever had to use them? What would they do in an apocalypse? Could they survive?

At the very least Aidan knows how to strip and preserve a corpse so you could get him to be semi-useful while hunting for food, and he can turn the parts into something useable. He's also highly attuned to his surroundings at all times and could utilize his forensics experience to analyze any given area and learn about it But he's a city boy to the core. Don't expect him to know anything about camping in the wilderness for 5 days. He could survive in an apocalypse if he had some help lmao Also yeah he has medical expertise and theoretically could provide medical aid to people. HOWEVER he is a Necronomist and it goes against everything he stands for to prevent death (he has to quicken it), so he wouldn't be very popular or have many allies in an apocalypse scenario

[henryshakesmear]

Soo, since I recently gained a bunch of followers, I thought I'd make a lil introduction for my blog.

My name: Henry or any funny insult you can think of

My pronouns: He/him

My age: Legally 18

Where I'm from: Northern Germany

Languages I know: German and English fluently, some French and some Japanese

This is my main blog and I use it for memes, shitposts, fandom posts, my original art and some social commentary.

My wizardry gimmick blog is @youreawizardhenry

The mandatory terms and conditions for interacting with my blog:

(If you skip them, you're on your own)

If you're under the impression that you may be related to me, get the hell out 💀

I generally don't post sexually explicit content here, but I discuss/portray mature political and social topics. There will be violence, gore and possibly suggestive content in my art. So if you're under 18, be aware of the risks and if you're under 15, please don't delve into the depths of my account. I am, however, not going to try and check the age of everyone in my notes.

If you have a history of mental health issues and content concerning existential dread or suicidal ideation triggers you, this blog is NOT for you.

I don't censor words. This has come up as a problem in the past, so be aware. (No, this doesn't mean I throw slurs around. I only use slurs I can specifically reclaim, and even that rarely.)

I rarely reblog art by other people and I will make sure to point out which specifically is mine. I don't mind if you repost it or use it in good faith, as long as you don't pretend it's yours or use it to spread any kind of hate.

This is a safe space for ALL members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We do NOT remove the T and we do NOT exclude bi or pan or ace or aro people. The same goes for microlabels. Everytime you complain about how many genders there are, we invent five more.

This is also a safe space for people of color, people of any ethnicity, people from any country, neurodivergent people, mentally ill people, disabled people, chronically ill people, therians and furries. (I'm not too educated on some of these topics, but the general rule of thumb is if it doesn't hurt anyone, it's safe here.)

I'm an atheist and I will criticize some aspects of religion or make fun of it lightheartedly, but religious people are also welcome here.

What I will NOT tolerate: Nazis, pedos, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, TERFS, hate directed at any specific kind of queer people, ableism, fatphobia, slutshaming, both religious doctrine AND anti-religious hate, hardcore capitalists because they just annoy me, Tate's boyfriends, proshippers that consider pedophilic or incestuous ships to be okay, rape culture, people who make light of any sort of abuse, any kind of unwarranted harrassment, ragebait and advertisements/self-promotions.

I block fanfiction writers because I don't want to see fanfiction on my dash. It's not personal.

I'm cringe, I'm aware of it, I will continue to be cringe and you cannot stop me.

If you send me an unsolicited dick pic, you'll get one back.

(This section may be subject to changes in the future)

[vanderwoodlings]

Consider this an open invitation to expand on the topic of Georgina and religion 👀

Well, see, it’s less Georgina and religion and more the Sparks family and religion.

(And a note before we begin: to be clear, I’m not talking shit about any of these denominations as a whole, or about conversion as a whole, or Christianity as a whole. I’m talking about the experiences of characters who are clearly having not great times, and so I don’t focus on the good stuff, but Christianity does have lots of very, very good stuff in it. Unfortunately, it’s also got stuff like this.)

So here’s the thing. For Georgina to end up in her special little cult experience, her parents had to send her there. Which, like, I know we only get one scene of them but just personally I honestly would have pegged them for more like. Terrible Episcopalians than terrible Baptists

(My guess on the group Georgina was with’s background comes without having watched those episodes again, but A) focus on dressed down style, B) ‘no alcohol’ rule, and C) the whole thing with the tambourines.)

So. Georgina’s parents. They’d actually sent her to various rehabs pre-series, and other such things, and one of the more unfortunate habits of certain Christian denominations (especially your terrible Baptists) is their habit of hardcore proselytizing. Usually this functions to get their members rejected and to create a more defined in-group that feels a sense of persecution, but sometimes—especially when it happens to people under stress—it works.

I’d guess that this is happens sometime during season one.

Georgina’s relationship to religion after ‘the bitch is back’ goes a little all over the place—“i haven’t been this bored since I believed in Jesus” comes in between “Jesus and I have redefined our relationship” and “Jesus owes me one.” Probably because she’s doing a lot of redefining—she’s questioning, and she’s not sure how she feels about any of this stuff

And the thing is that Georgina, more than anything, just wants someone she loves to stay. Of course, wanting to burn everything down until she stops being bored is a very close second, but it happens. Still, one of the premises of Christianity—especially the kind you get on a worship retreat full of teenagers—is that Jesus loves the whole of humanity, unconditionally. And I figure that that’s why, despite her trouble with the whole ‘morals’ thing (and, like, all the legitimately fucked up shamed-based overly restrictive shit she probably got fed), Georgina can’t just decide she’s done.

I think that Milo probably grows up attending irregularly—Christmas and Easter with his grandparents, every year, but anything else depends on his mom. He doesn’t have a lot of positive associations with holidays—they’re high stress and he gets yelled at a lot—and spending an hour or two sitting in a pew (or a folding chair, seeing as these are Baptists) listening to some guy talk about salvation… doesn’t really help.

Someone probably asked about him getting baptized once he turned twelve, and didn’t take his uncomfortable shrug well, so he’s probably technically done that in a haze of fire and brimstone fear and adult talking loudly and aggressively obedience.

I think Dan’s somewhere on the line between agnostic and atheist—he’s a pretentious fucker, and if he thought religion mattered much at all to his life experience, we’d have heard about it. Serena isn’t really into the whole organized religion thing but she is a believer in spiritual somethings.

Dan probably kind of awkwardly brings it up when Milo first moves in, and Milo just says no, no, he’s good, and then again in December, and Milo hesitates a little more this time before deciding that he’d rather not. He keeps feeling weird about it for a good long time, though. It is what it is.

[yuna-writes]

The road to happiness

I think after a while, majority of people want to be happy. The question, how do you get to that state? My observation is that I see a lot of young people struggling with self-acceptance. The cause could vary, but the impact is mostly body image issues, poor self-esteem and low self-confidence. Also, the silent epidemic of loneliness. Maybe this issue is confined to my country, as I have a suspicion what could be the cause of it. 

You see, much of the western world is shifting away from traditional ideas and beliefs. More people are becoming non-religious or atheists. As a conservative would believe we follow the rules constructed by society in order to live a happy and fulfilling life. It’s usually very cookie cutter type and prescribed rules that includes traditional gender roles, traditional family dynamic between a man and a woman. Now, that belief system is shifting toward the belief system that your internal sense of the world or your mental state defines reality. And so, more people are expressing other forms of lifestyle straying away from the rules or ‘the social constructs’ that society created. Therefore, you have people having polygamous relationships while expressing their sexual desires and fantasies. The traditional family household between a man, a woman and their children are too homophobic, so people want to reconstruct the rules of a family. Nowadays, the agenda is that your sexual identity defines who you are, and not the rules created by society. Men can be women and women can be men. White people can be black and black people can be white. A minor can be treated like an adult and an adult can be treated like a minor. Monogamy is the same as polygamy. If there are no rules, then there is no such thing as a collective society. We are operating in our own independent ‘realities.’ 

Now, this isn’t to say whether its right or wrong, because I don’t always agree with the rules because they feel restrictive, but they also exist to bring peace and happiness to people’s lives. Society constructed the rules of staying fit and skinny as ‘attractive’, because there are studies to show that being obese leads to health problems. There is research to prove how being of healthy weight improves your health and longevity. There are also studies to demonstrate that a child’s emotional and cognitive health improves when a father and mother is present in their lives. This isn’t to say people who decide to take different lifestyles shouldn’t exist, but I also don’t think people should eradicate the rules completely. It seems like that’s the direction some people on the left want to take this. Since many liberals are non-religious, they think the rules don’t exist, because they don’t believe life has any objective meaning, and so they can fabricate their own rules and become anything that’s detached from society’s rules. I get where that notion and mindset is going, but I think it will lead to very unhappy people in the long run. I think it’s important to follow some of society’s rules, and then also put your own unique personality into it. Social acceptance goes both ways, you accept society’s rules and society can accept you for who you are. 

Most of the time, people think I’m some hardcore religious conservative when they read my posts. But in actuality I’m an atheist who tends to lean toward moderate-liberal. I balance myself out by not swaying too far to the left or right. Sometimes I find the right too restrictive to be open and empathetic to people who are different because they care about maintaining the status quo. I find the left too chaotic because they don’t have any order and structure to fully understand their limit. 

[automatismoateo]

My Dad is planning to marry a hardcore Christian and has told me there is no room for me in his life anymore via /r/atheism

My Dad is planning to marry a hardcore Christian and has told me there is no room for me in his life anymore Let me preface this by saying I live in New Zealand. My dad is a widower (good riddance, my mum was an awful woman) and was set up on a blind date 4 months ago. They hit it off immediately. The woman is extremely religious and now has him attending church every Sunday and other miscellaneous church events. He says they plan to get married around November, and I need to be gone by then. Why do I live with my dad as an adult (33) daughter? I'm disabled and unable to work. I'm at the point where I will likely be transitioning to a wheelchair later this year. I have to take 15 pills every day, 2 patches every week, and drink these awful sachet mixes twice a day. My dad is in denial about it and has been for years, despite my diagnoses, and frequently tells me I just need more of this or that vitamin. It's literally my brain and other various organs not working properly. I cook and clean for him and contribute to groceries. I pay my own bills and contribute to his. He goes away sometimes and I look after the house while he's gone. He told me today the line in the title. He said it was because of his rejuvenated faith and because I'm a staunch atheist. He told me he wasn't comfortable expressing his beliefs around me and therefore I couldn't live with him anymore. He said it's time for me to struggle (as if I don't already lol) and get a job and live somewhere else. Cool, okay, but like - I have this medical certificate from my doctor saying "unfit for work" and I'm on welfare so I can't afford shit. And I'm going to have to find somewhere that's wheelchair friendly. And somewhere safe, because last time I went renting, I was violently sexually assaulted by my flatmates and robbed blind, so there's that fear, too. Dad said not to worry because "We'll come visit you!" Not sure I'd want him to after this tbh. Out of everyone in New Zealand, why did I have to be related to the super religious nutjobs? My Dad's family are all conspiracy theorist anti-vaccine anti-women's rights nutters. My dad isn't as bad as them and I thought he'd calmed right down, but this new girlfriend has brought back that religious fervour in him and now all I'm getting from him is "I'll pray for you" and "it's god's will" and stupid shit like that when he used to say "I hope you feel better". I've lost my dad and I hate it. My sister and her family are super religious, and my agnostic brother lives far away in the UK, so no support from him. Any friends I have also live overseas. This was long and really ranty, sorry. I think I just needed to unload. Thanks guys. Submitted February 07, 2024 at 01:57AM by TheBadKneesBandit (From Reddit https://ift.tt/uoCf8h3)

[nstbtmelb]

You're all in for a treat with [nstbt_podcast_106] from German DJ/producer: Sascha Müller

With a career that spans multiple decades, this multi genre producer has put together a mix showcasing of some of his releases under various aliases, from some of his various labels.

Ranging from hypnotic percussive techno, through to squelchy acid and the sounds of early hardcore. This whole mix is a vibe from start to finish!

His body of work is extensive, and finds creative ways of sharing his music through varying mediums such as vinyl, floppy disk and some more abstract methods.

He's a radio show host, has been nominated for the QUARTZ Electronic Music Awards in 2006 for both their 'dance music' and 'electronic music' categories.

The list goes on and on, and would do little justice to try and summarise it all.

Check out some of his band camp pages below: Proper Cuts: :https://propercuts.bandcamp.com/ Ghost Floppy: https://ghostfloppy.bandcamp.com/merch/

Thank you so much for the killer mix Sascha, and we wish you all the best for the coming year!

Thank you 🍻 ⁣⁣⁣ [track_list] 01] Atheist - The Horns Of Jericho 02] Bitterfeld - Death Is Coming 03] Atheist - If Jesus Was A Raver( 04] wAFFENINDUSTRIE - No Chance For Peace (UNRELEASED) 05] THE D3VI7 - Acid Embargo (Part 1) 06] THE D3VI7 - Acid Embargo (Part 2) 07] Sascha Müller - Rumble In The Jungle 08] Sascha Müller - Cryptocons 09] Sascha Müller - PullOver 10] Sascha Müller - Knight Rider (UNRELEASED) 11] P.B.R. - Death Row_Blunt EP 12] Sascha Müller - Exodus (Original Mix) 13] Sascha Müller - Logical Mind

If you like what you hear, be sure to like and follow his artists pages. A few seconds and a few clicks on your part can help make a difference at the end of the day.

Support the music you love, and help support the artists who create it 🙏🏻

⁣⁣[sascha_mueller_pages] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saschamuller7345/ Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/81131-Sascha-M%C3%BCller

[nstbt_pages] Website: http://www.nosleeptillbedtime.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nosleeptillbedtime/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nstbt_melb/

#hardtechno #schranz #techno #Melbourne #industrialhardcore #acidtechno #industrialtechno #producer #undergroundtechno #technoculture #ilovetechno #technodj #technoparty #darktechno #party #hardcore #technomusic #underground #djlife #electronicmusic #hardtekk #tekk #djing #club #hardtechnomusic #raver #dj

(6head_slug)

[ladylaviniya]

As a Christian I'm gonna be so real with you. There ain't no love like Christian hate....

Christianity participants can be the most fucking toxic and negative and unrealistic people possible.

So I've always known I was bisexual/or just a lesbian. I've always liked looking at women more.

There's a friend or I don't know whether to call her friend anymore but. This woman who is 10years older than me, from Taiwan and I were friends for years when I was 11-14. She had to go back home since her immigration pass was expiring.

To me she was like the big sister I never had.

She returned and we met up and bonded over bubble tea.

We shared what happened in our life over all these years since.

She had a Atheist boyfriend who drinks and goes clubbing. Or rather...she said he doesn't want to accept they're boyfriend and girlfriend. They've been a situationship for 4 years. She told me she had sex with him and that's how she lost her virginity because she was confident god told her he would be her husband...

I voiced my concern due to his lifestyle and the details that she had shared. He sounded like a fuck boi. It did not surprise me when she revealed weeks later that he was sleeping around with other women and 'cheating' on her.

The entire time I remained polite. Non-judgemental.

BUT

The moment I confessed, "Even though I am still a virgin, I still have come to accept my status as a woman who is attracted to other women."

Her first response was, "Oh...so...how are you avoiding that? What precautions are you taking as a Christian to not fall into that sinful lifestyle? Are you praying to God to heal yourself of that sickness?"

I was so shocked, I really couldn't say anything. I had to sit in silent trying to accept that she actually said that to me. It hurt. It really hurt.

It shook me to my core.

I thought stupidly that my Christian friend would be far more sympathetic and understanding. That she would maybe pat my arm and maybe just say "Oh, well, I hope you are careful and remember god is always our main love at least."

I felt humiliated and digusted. Because I didn't feel sick...when I link of wlw I don't think of lesbian hardcore male gaze porn. I think of best friends and Victorian era aesthetics with women in long dresses cuddling each other

[grubbyduck]

I was raised hardcore agnostic.

‘Suppose in everything, believe nothing.’ (My family?)

‘Belief is the death of intelligence’ (Robert Anton Wilson)

‘Minds open with wonder, not closed with belief’ (can’t remember, just drummed into me)

My point being, I always find it strange to see the general conception of agnosticism as an indecision, rather than a pretty intense practice of refraining from/unlearning belief (including believing in nothing). It’s not ‘I don’t know if God exists’, it’s ‘I am choosing the potential power of any and all theories about God over the comfort of settling on one’.

And agnosticism isn’t just about God— hardcores try to be agnostic about everything. If you’re really going for it, it’s not a cop-out at all (although some people def use it as such) — it’s extremely tiring and often quite frightening.

I really like the general philosophy because it creates a very open and varied experience of the world, and when taken to its logical conclusion, pushes an ethic of listening and giving people the benefit of the doubt, and of changing your mind & accepting that the beliefs that have formed unconsciously within you are not necessarily right or true.

Example: skepticism. The skeptic goes around, being skeptical of everything, narrowing their life and sense of trust until they reach the last thing to turn their skepticism to: skepticism itself. To be a true skeptic, you have to escape the bounds of the belief system that it laid out for you in the first place. Kind of like Nanny McPhee.

So in my practice, I do not abstain from opinion or ethic stances. For me, people’s rights and safety isn’t a matter of belief — it is a matter of understanding how my own rights keep me safe, and understanding that those who do not have those same rights are at an unfair disadvantage, and I am not okay with that.

And by the way, I am by no means anti religion or anti the practice of faith and belief — part of my practice is genuine wonder and curiosity and appreciation towards those guided by faith and their belief systems. In my own refusal to believe, I have found more connection with those who do (since I also refuse Atheism). The world cannot (and should not) be entirely agnostic— because agnosticism is meaningless without a diversity of world views and belief systems to attempt to hold in view and appreciate simultaneously. This means that agnostics cherish the existence of you all — because we couldn’t exist without you.

Ooo I could go on and on about how agnosticism has helped me to forge strong opinions!!

Take abortion.

It is very obvious to me that abortion should be legal, easy to access and entirely free for any pregnant person who wants it.

But aren’t I stepping on the ‘rights’ or ‘invalidating’ Christian belief? Shouldn’t I abstain from this conversation, whimpering as we agnostics tend to do?

Fuck no! Because while we accept that there are belief systems (and a whole bunch of other factors) that might make someone not choose to have an abortion, it is UNACCEPTABLE for those people to take away the choice, the diversity of outcomes and expressions of self, from other belief systems. I ‘suppose’ I am Christian, and try to access the feeling of not wanting an abortion even in the most extreme of circumstances. I ‘suppose’ I am someone who wants an abortion because it is not the right time for a baby. I conclude that abortion should be accessible, and that there should be systems of child support etc for those who have children in adverse conditions.

I really dislike the disdain a lot of atheists have for faithful people. There is a sense of dismissal, of ‘asking for’ negative outcomes if you are a person of faith. Agnosticism supposes in atheism, but no more than anything else. In fact I have found that atheists tend to be the people who get the most angered by agnosticism. Their minds can be extraordinarily closed! And I must admit I find them fairly boring conversation most of the time.

Not sure how to end this. But

i think agnostic is often a copout tbhhhh like not always but often when you probe this with someone it'll become clear that they do actually live in a certain way in relation to their belief or disbelief in divine entities but they just don't feel discursively confident taking a hardline position on it in an argument so they id as agnostic. similar to how like basically everyone operates under the assumption that human free will exists but far fewer people will defend that position verbally.

[smreine]

I think I made it thru the moon's void-of-course without any business problems, so that's good. I have never known too much about astrology, but I'm interested in anything that humans have found useful for so long. Something like astrology goes back to ~200 bce, so there is something there that appeals to the human mind and seems to apply to a human life. I used to discount a lot of things identified as pseudoscience offhand, but realizing what a modern patriarchal project "science" is has made me feel open to new ideas with full humility. Beyond the skepticism, I want to be open to possibilities in the universe. I think being a hardcore science-minded atheist (which is much of the nerd culture i come from) misses out on the real magic of the emergent properties of complex human cognition. My kneejerk skeptic impression of contemporary Western astrology (which is I assume what I am looking at, mostly) is that it frames ups and downs in life as a normal thing, and urges humans to treat their lives as cyclical, seasonal, which many Americans really need. We're always on, working hard, burning out. Astrology suggests when it's time to do business, or not do business, times for harvest, times for fishing, times for family, times for inner work. Basing it on movement of orbiting planets creates natural-feeling intervals and encourages balance. We're an advanced social species and things we imagine can be "real" in regards to bodily impact. There are often observable chemical reactions to satisfy science. But I don't think we can observe everything possible? I've been thinking about dark matter a lot ever since my 12yo taught me about it (lol) and how we can theorize about it because it would explain the way planetary orbits work. We know something's going on there. It might be dark matter, which is said to be unable to interact with regular matter. For the duration of humanity, humans have had magic, and oracles, and we see *something* going on, even if we only theorize about the cause. Even if the charm of astrology and tarot and oracles and the like is simply that it urges the young to come seeking advice from the old, the experienced, to share life knowledge that is sorta broadly true rather than specifically prophetic--that's really useful and cool! So far, I've found it to be really fun to follow my curiosity about these thoughts! I'm not even seeking answers. I wouldn't expect to find any. I've always been fascinated by oracles and I do read tarot. Even at my most sciencey and rational, I read tarot. I found it useful as a time of introspection. Can my shuffling hands be subtly altered by, say, the position of the Moon relative to Venus to tell me something about myself? When I whisper to the bones before sending them rolling, is something changing their movement, or changing me? Or is it all just a good way to remind myself that everything acts and rests in seasons, and I should too?

[euphoniouspandemonium]

i forgot to add this into my previous ask lol but do u have anything abt cynthia/victorine to share? 👀👀👀 i’m very interested in them

Yes! 👀

• I'm pretty sure they have a friends to lovers arc

• I'm not sure how they meet?, but they do, and when it happens Victorine is very much being manipulated and abandoned by everyone except for Phel to the point of self-loathing and not feeling much like she's allowed to be herself (not helped by the time period), and when Cynthia notices she goes “I will now protect you and make you feel comfortable in your own skin and you can't stop me <3”

• I'm pretty sure Victorine writes to Cynthia at some point:

“You dug a hole into my heart,

and grew from it,

and I cannot help but cherish you.”

• I can imagine Phel watching these two idiot kids get together and smiling and giving Victorine relationship advice-

• I love these two so much that I kinda forgot Tragedy's Bones is a mystery but okay

• aside from all the sappy things about self-love these two are fucking feral. Victorine doesn't go a day in her life without thinking about bones, dresses in Phel's clothes at one point, and is a hardcore atheist. Cynthia has probably punched a grown man in the face, stolen whiskey from her parents' cupboard, and revenge-pranked everyone who deserved it.

[2jam4u]

I remember a time when someone asked you why you had so many followers. You said you weren't exactly sure why. Maybe it was your looks, personality, etc. For me, I follow you because of your mind. I am intrigued by the way you think. I find you fascinating. Please forgive me for bringing up religion but you recently posted that you transitioned from a "sister Christian" to atheist. 1st question is what is a sister Christian? Is that a holier rank of Christianity (I'm unfamiliar sorry for my ignorance lol) 2nd what made you go to the opposite spectrum? Was it the lack of acceptance from Christians towards the LBGTQIA & minority communities? 3rd You mentioned that being an atheist felt blasphemous. Does this mean that you still in some way feel Gods existence? I'm just curious. 4th what would be your response to George should she decide to believe in a different faith (I think I know this answer) and lastly is everyone in your family also atheist?

woof ok lemme put this in a read more because it'll be long.

I don't mind talking about religion at all! Ask me anything I'm down to talk :) Sister Christian is just a term me and a lot of my ex-fundamentalist friends use haha it just means like y'know a super saved, love the church, buy into the god sanctioned misogyny, live for the gender role kinda stuff.

I think I got out for two reasons, one the racism in the church I was a part of just always made me feel like an outsider. I never fully felt accepted and it made the foundation of my faith feel kinda inauthentic if that makes sense. And second when I was raped in university my whole world changed. I became really reckless with drinking and partying. I felt dirty and disgusting. I convinced myself that I intentionally had sex outside of marriage and was the most disgusting sinner so why not just go whole hog. I started dating a non-christian and having sex and just... living a secular life. I tried to keep one foot in my faith but it wasn't sustainable. I was living with my christian friends at the time and they were so horrified by my behaviour it was super awkward and a slow exit out of that life.

As for the blasphemy thing lmao I dunno when you're raised in the church you have this built in alarm that goes off when you do something even sin-adjacent. Kinda like catholic guilt. When you're taught from a young age that you're worthless and only have purpose through Christ and anything that you do that isn't glorifying him is literally condemning you to an eternal life of burning and torture... it's hard to just turn that off even once you don't believe in it anymore. I've been conditioned to not blaspheme, to not take the lord's name in vain (i literally only just started swearing by saying jesus christ or goddamn last year lmao and it was HARD). Even now sometimes when I'm scared I pray a little bit. I don't believe at all but it's hard to cut out that natural reaction.

If George ever wants to have any sort of faith I'll encourage her. I think the only way I'd influence it is to talk to her about my experiences and be upfront about how you're kinda fear based brainwashed into doing and believing a lot of things. I want to be honest with her without keeping her from things that bring her joy. It'll be a lot of interesting conversations if she goes that direction.

And about my family, it's kinda complicated. My mother and her sister married cousins. Those two marriages produced 2 kids each and we were all very close. My parents were atheists, but my aunt and uncle were hardcore super christians. We spent almost all our free time with them, attended church and went to church camps several times a year (youth groups, youth camps and family camps). So we were half raised in it, half not. The rest of our family is mostly non-believers. Some older black family members are Christian but definitely not as hardcore as my aunt and uncle. It's a weird divide but yeah.

Hope I explained well enough!

[the-angel-of-filth]

🕸SPIDER-SONA AU: GAY URBAN FANTASY EDITION🕸

So I’ve been sending myself through Special Interest Hell after I rekindled my love for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and remembered that I had a sona that I wanted to redesign! Now I’m laser focused on basically making an entire Universe for her! Might do a big post doing into detail with her and her friends (and enemies... and frienemies too lmao) but for now some basics about my reimagining!

Amari Santos/Spider-Glass: Based on the mirror spider, Amari Santos gets her powers from a spidery angel named Akavishiel that was accidentally bonded to her when they attempted to save her from a demonic attack (not unlike the Symbiotes who basically demons in this AU). Now hosting this angel within her body, she has access to the angel’s magic over spiders and mirrors, hence the name. While as a civilian she struggles with being a timid, closeted catholic high schooler with a ton of Religious Guilt™️, she still tries her best to fight against the many entities that haunt NYC...

Gwen Stacy: A pastel goth girl, Gwen is a long time friend of Amari who also attends the same catholic high school as her. However unlike her best friend Amari who still holds on the religion she was raised on (even when she has many crises in faith), Gwen has long since become disillusioned by Catholicism, especially since her dad forced her to go. Feeling disconnected by her experiences, she became an atheistic satanist (specifically The Satanic Temple variety) who looks at the world with a healthy amount of skepticism. She is also the person who convinces Glass to join a paranormal group she works with called the Cobweb Paranormal Society...

MJ Watson: The passionate lead investigator of the Cobwebs, Mary Jane “MJ” Watson spends her free time running the paranormal group her aunt (Anna Watson) and Amari’s aunt (Maria Santos) founded as teens back in the late 70s. Like Gwen, MJ has known Amari for years and while she goes to a different school from them, she remains close to both as ever. A bubbly enthusiast and hardcore believer, she has big aspirations for trying to help others with dealing with the supernatural and trying to learn more about the phenomena skeptics have yet to explain. She’s one of the first people who find out the identity of Spider-Glass and has bit of a HUGE crush on Amari...

Felicia Hardy/Black Cat: Part cat burglar, part drug dealer, all warlock. Felicia Hardy is a strange individual who Amari has a very complicated relationship with. Getting her powers via a pact with a Cat Sìthe, she uses its power over blessings and curses to aid her in her own affairs, usually either giving herself a boost of good luck or giving anyone who gets in her way bad luck. Despite her tendency of getting into trouble and her shady methods of getting ahead in life, she is far from being truly malicious and she even helps Spider-Glass and the Cobwebs at times...

Harry Osborn: The son of the billionaire Norman Osborn, Harold “Harry” Osborn is another member of the Cobwebs, friend of Gwen and MJ, and acquaintance of Amari. When dealing with the overwhelming pressure from his domineering father to take up the mantle as the future CEO of OsCorp, Harry uses the time he spends investigating with the Cobwebs as a means of escape. Though he tries to remain close to the friends he’s made through the Cobwebs, he hides the truth about the fae nature of his father, which he too has inherited...

[in-dire-need]

OK, I’M SICK- Badflower

OK, I’M SICK was released in 2019 as upcoming band Badflower’s first full-length album. Every single track on the album has gotten its due share of the spotlight as the album climbed the billboard charts. A band that was once the underdog of the rock scene became a renowned name almost overnight. Frontman Josh Katz ties personal experiences into emotional stories to create the perfect blend of heart wrenching and riveting.

Opening track “x ANA x” serves as the perfect introduction to the chaotic world of Badflower. Its extremely powerful, vulgar, and aggravated sound welcomes all the chaos that is to come. Frontman Josh Katz had spoken out about his growing issues on tour before the creation of this album: he would have panic attacks every night on stage and could hardly stand to look at himself when off stage. His anxiety grew to such a high level that he was prescribed Xanax to calm down. “x ANA x” is written as a love letter to the prescription drug, which Katz had now developed a dependency for. He tells ‘Ana’ that even though she saves him from his demons, he can’t breathe with her around. He craves the feeling of being himself again, but he craves her more. He explains the awful life he lives without her, then the instrumentals slow down as an auditory example of the effect Xanax has on a person. He begs her not to let him lose control over himself, so he keeps her around as he destroys himself.

"The Jester” waited almost an entire year after its initial release to bask in its well-earned fame, when a well-deserved music video and an acoustic adaptation were released. Josh expresses that he feels like a source of comedic entertainment for others, as if he is only there as a jester. Everyone is just fucking him over, letting him run in circles for their own amusement. 

The next track is an extremely emotional one and if you deal with sensitivity toward subjects involving depression and/or suicide, I suggest you skip past this paragraph. “Ghost” was first released as a single before being added to the set of the album. Badflower’s raw performance on The Late Night Show With James Corden is what attracted so many initial listeners to them. The lyrics depict the narrative of someone who has attempted suicide by self-harm multiple times, but has never succeeded. He thinks about how he is a constant let-down to his friends and a disappointment to his family. He wants to give in and try again, but he is worried that he will fail once more and that his pain will continue. At the same time, he wants someone to save him from this endless loop of self-destruction that he has caught himself in. He finally makes up his mind and attempts to kill himself once more. As the blood leaves his body and his vision goes dark he regrets not telling his family that he loves them and not leaving a letter. He admits that the thought of regretting what he did is so fucked up and, at the very end of the song, his last attempt succeeds in taking his life out of his hands. In another interview, Josh disclosed that the true inspiration behind the gut-wrenching, graphic track was fortunately not from a personal experience. He explained that during tour his mental health had severely deteriorated, as mentioned in “x ANA x,” and he was considering harming himself. Instead, he wrote “Ghost” to keep him from making that mistake for himself. Not only did this intent work for him, but possibly millions of people in the same situation. “Ghost” appears as a gruesome depiction of humanity’s lowest point, but actually serves as a beacon of hope for the many that are unfortunate enough to be living that reality.

Now that that emotional hashing is through, let’s progress through the rest of the album. The next wave of songs depicts individual stories of different people in extremely different situations. “We’re In Love” presents the conflict of a man struggling with his sexual identity as he begins having a sexual relationship with another man. He has never been with a man before and struggles with accepting who he is. “Promise Me” is a sweet-sounding track that expresses putting your all into a relationship just for it to be torn away from you as you and your partner grow older. This song was inspired by Katz’s fear of growing old and losing his loved ones.  At the end of the trifecta, “Daddy” tells the story of a girl who was sexually abused by her alcoholic father from a very young age. The trauma permanently scars her, so when her father is hospitalized at an old age she smothers him to death as payment for all the years he stole from her.

“24″ returns the focus back to Katz’s own personal experiences in a sedated and calmed intermission. He reminisces about when he was younger and had a life ahead of him. He had hopes, dreams, and passion. In the present, he struggles with depression, anxiety, and drug addiction. This calls back to the continuing theme of Katz feeling worthless, as he states that his friends should let him die because he is too afraid to be alive. The next track was featured as a single, on the band’s EP Temper, and on OK, I’M SICK. Whereas “x ANA x” compared a drug to a person, “Heroin” does just the opposite. The song was originally released in 2014, five years before its release on the album. It is tied with “Ghost” for what is the band’s most emotionally raw performance. Josh knows that the girl he is with is wrong for him and is toxic, but he finds himself addicted to her. She treats him horribly, but he constantly finds himself going back to her. He knows that in the long-term he will escape his addiction to her, but cannot find it in himself at the time. It has become somewhat of an anthem for people that have been trapped in toxic or abusive relationships and has inspired many to stand up when found in that situation.

The calm atmosphere created by the last two tracks is destroyed as the hardcore, violent, and extremely offensive song written about people that are so afraid of change that they bring an entire nation down. Though many think that “Die” is directly aimed at Donald J. Trump, Katz has stated that it is not. Many of the lyrics point toward that conclusion, since many of the people that the song is truly aimed at are grouped in with Trump supporters. Keeping with the violent political scene, “Murder Games” solidifies Katz’s vehement stance on veganism and the consumption of meat. “Girlfriend” serves as yet another action-packed, graphic, and vulgar piece of insight into the real world. To put it simply, a man goes onto an online dating service to find love and becomes obsessed with an attractive woman’s profiles to the point where he imagines cutting her open and tasting her blood.

“Wide Eyes” continues the stories of people in horrible situations, telling the story of an altar boy who was sexually abused by the priests in his Church. He hid what happened to him from his loved ones in fear of being named a liar and being alienated from the Church. During the breakdown, he finally gives in and comes out about how the priests treated him. He accepts that he has become the shame of the Church and has been twisted into the bad guy. The album ends in the exact opposite place to where it started. “Cry” is a soft ballad about emotional pain that utilizes the use of metaphors and imagery to describe the action without actually using the word ‘cry’. 

OK, I’M SICK has not only brought the band to an amazing place, but has brought Josh Katz to a better mental state. Thousands of fans worldwide have been affected by the words contained in this masterpiece, and have even been given the will to keep going. That being said, it is very clear that there are two continuing themes throughout the album: Josh’s personal struggles and the struggles of other people in these horrible situations. This album covers an extremely broad scale, ranging from suicide to internet stalking to sexual abuse. This not only raises awareness to these issues that plague the world, but serve as a message to all people personally dealing with them. By telling the stories of these people, Badflower has given real-world survivors a safe space to open up about their struggles and the memories that follow them. This atmosphere is what brings listeners to cherish this band because Badflower is more than just a band and OK, I’M SICK is more than just an album. Badflower is a home. A haven. Somewhere that, despite all the world’s troubles and grievances and sickness, you can feel safe. When most bands tell a story, that’s all it is. A story. By connecting to this vulnerable and powerless side of humanity, OK, I’M SICK crosses the line from story to message. It is a message telling you to keep going and to cherish the good that you have. It is a message telling you that the situation you are in now is under your control and that things will get better. Nothing is permanent, and that is both a good thing and a bad thing. So relax. Go enjoy yourself.

“Okay, I’m sick! Not the kind of sick that lands you in the doctor, Not the kind that makes you weak and then heals you stronger, It's the kind of sick that turns your legs into spaghetti. It’s the kind of sick that makes your blood burn and your bones heavy. The kind of sick that makes an atheist pray for Jesus. The kind of sickness that turns your power into weakness. And I'm sick of being sick for this whole fucking place to witness. And I'm living a sick life that most people call privileged. And they're kinda right, but I’m still sicker than I can cope with.”