I think the reason why Tolkien keeps referring to “the bow of Legolas” and “the voice of Legolas” and “the arrows of Legolas” is that he doesn’t want to write “Legolas’s”
it’s his own damn fault, he named the character. and you can’t even blame the language he got the name from, cause he made that one up too
I don’t usually soap-box, but I’m going to for a hot sec since this has been on my mind:
Cults are getting better branding, prettier leaders, hipper-sounding cosmologies, and wider reaches due to social media. They’re not all deity-focused. Thoughtful, intelligent people can get sucked into them. Just…stay safe out there, guys. Do your research, look at all your options, and trust your gut, not your guru.
I’m glad this is resonating with people.
I do want to emphasize, again, that cults (and toxic groups with cult-like attributes, I’m using this term pretty loosely) don’t usually look like what you’d expect. A lot of toxic and dangerous religious movements are tiny and you won’t find much about them via Google. Cultish non-religious movements are the same way.
Start-ups, multi-level marketing companies, activist groups, fan groups, political groups, and internet gurus who run retreats can all be cult-like and dangerous. Tune your BS detector, ask family, friends, and experts for advice.
Here are some warning signs:
Pressure – pressure to make quick decisions, to give (or pledge) considerable amounts of money, to move in with a group, to abandon family or cut off friends. Elevated Leaders – anyone claiming special insight, special powers, or that they aren’t human. Demanding special treatment (compared to other followers). Misuse of funds or money collecting at the top. physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse. Lack of accountability or oversight. Isolation – encouraging (or requiring) members to cut off family relationships, friendships with those outside of the group, leaving jobs, moving to isolated areas, taking away communication methods. Strong “us-vs-them” mentality. Vilification of ex-members. Love-bombing. Altered states of consciousness – long work hours, sleep deprivation, lack of access to adequate food or water. Otherwise unproblematic activities like meditation/prayer/chanting, but done for hours. Discouraging doubt – discouraging or punishing doubt and critical thinking.
hey guys here’s my review of how much various horror movies fit their titles
scream: there is a respectable amount of screaming. could have been called “guy in a screamy mask with a knife” but they took a risk with the title and I respect that 7/10
the descent: there is a good amount of descending in this movie 8/10
it follows: it does, in fact, follow 9/10
Oculus: dumb. Idk what oculus means and I don’t care. shld have been called “murder mirror” 0/10
the babadook: movie is based around an entity known as the babadook. very good 10/10
creep: I guess the guy is fairly creepy, but I i wish the title was a little more specific. Work the wolf mask in there next time 5/10
the exorcist: there is an exorcist 8/10
the houses that October built: October can’t build houses. It’s a month. Idiots. 2/10 because it does, at least, take place in October
silent hill: I don’t think there are any hills that are more silent than the average hill in this movie 1/10
paranormal activity: there is activity that is fairly paranormal 9/10
the blair witch project: I guess what they’re doing could be counted as a project, and it DOES involve the blair witch, but I’d call it more of a “documentary” than a “project” 7/10
split: there are, to the best of my knowledge, no splits of either the gymnastic or banana variety in this movie 0/10
the midnight meat train: there is a train at midnight, and some meat themes throughout the movie, but the train itself is not filled with meat 6/10
the conjuring: nothing is actually conjured. they’re actually trying to get rid of something, which is like. the opposite of conjuring -100/10
the descent 2: they descend again. 8/10
house of 1000 corpses: there is a house with corpses, but not nearly 1000 of them. should have been called House of Roughly 90 Corpses, Give or Take a Few. .9/10
human centipede: fuck dude it sure is. nice 10/10
get out: too vague. while “get out” is good advice here, it’s also good advice in most other horror movies 4/10
a quiet place: the place is pretty quiet for the first half of the movie. less so for the second half 6/10
truth or dare: movie breaks the rules of truth or dare. better title would be Two Truths and One Mandatory Dare 5/10
ginger snaps: she sure does! and i love the fact that the title evokes a cookie, but i was disappointed by the fact that gingersnaps don’t appear in the movie at all 8/10
13 cameras: i’m pretty sure there are actually 13 cameras and i’m gonna say there are because i don’t feel like going back and counting. 13/10
v/h/s: title doesn’t include the fact that it kills you, but i’ll give it that it is a vhs 7/10
the strangers: again, very vague. but they are strangers 5/10
jennifer’s body: it is about jennifer’s body, but the title gives the impression that it’s sorta just sitting there while in reality it’s being rented out by the worlds coolest demon 7/10
let the right one in: the right one to let in in this case is no one. don’t let anyone in. theyll drink your blood 2/10
they look like people: they actually dont look like anything because the whole movie concept is that they dont exist. stupid and dumb. -1000/10
The Paradox Machine 