Inscribed Scarabs, Upper Egypt, Temple Of Hatshepsut, Ca. 1479–1458 B.C. Via Met Collections

There was an interesting thread on Bluesky dissecting Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's relationship

TL:DR - It seems like Gaiman has been exaggerating the level of closeness between them for YEARS

Ratio: Ruan what do you think will happen to us?

Ruan: What do you mean?

Ratio: Clearly you plan on achieving Aeonhood so I'm curious on what would happen with what we have.

Ruan: Ratio you do know you would never see me again if I became an Aeon right? I won't be here with you

Ratio: Would you look down upon me as Nous did you?

Ruan: I don't know how to answer that Ratio.

Ratio: I know it's selfish but I hope you never achieve Aeonhood. I crave you too selfishly and I crave you in ways only humans can. I don't wish to let go of you and let you reach among the stars along with all the other Aeons.

Ruan: I've come to crave you too, in a way only humans can crave each other.

Ratio: We're not going to work out are we Ruan?

Ruan: No i don't think we are Veritas.

Ratio: Then let me hold you for this one moment, flesh to flesh. Let me feel you and see you Ruan just one last time.

Ruan: I find that agreeable.

Chat I'm not going to lie I wrote this most likely tipsy last summer WHAT WAS I ON??? is this even good idk

My daughter Lama, with a heart as pure as a flower, carries pain greater than her years. She was injured in the war, and a metal plate was placed in her small hand. But the pain doesn't stop there... She needs care, medicine, food... and we have nothing. No medicine, no food, not even a loaf of bread.

We live under a siege that silently kills us. I beg you, from the depths of my heart... help her if you can, or share this plea so it reaches those with the ability and compassion.

Lama deserves life. Why are you ignoring me? Hasn't it come time for us to take action and stand together against this injustice?

Donat Link

VETTING: #520 on the Gazavetters document)

A few common misconceptions and hurtful myths about the gods I worship:

• Demeter is not careless or selfish for reacting the way she did to the loss of her daughter. Grief, even amongst the gods, is an emotion so powerful that it causes us to loose control, and surrender to our own emotions. You would not blame a woman in grief over the loss of her child for having a mental breakdown. Also, I don’t personally believe that the plagues that befell Greece after these myths were written were caused inherently by Demeter, as agricultural disasters happened often, especially back before modern farming and cultivation knowledge, and it was if anything, a coincidence of timing which frustrated and worried men used as justification to attack and blame Demeter as a target of their angst, and a scapegoat to direct their suffering at.

• Poseidon wasn’t a rapist, nor was he inherently malicious or “evil”. Although he is most certainly impulsive and often aggressive, it is rarely in a malicious way, as many of the myths paint him as. You have to remember as the embodiment of the sea, sailors and others who knew the dangerous and unforgiving nature of the ocean often cast these traits onto Poseidon by association, and not all of the things they believed of him were necessarily true. The idea that he is a rapist is also a myth, or many myths, cultivated I’m sure by the high ranking and extremely misogynistic patriarchal men of Greece, who saw powerful male gods like Poseidon and Zeus as equals to themselves (foolish) and therefore believed that if they liked taking advantage of women and other unconsenting individuals, than surely they did too. (I imagine many found themselves smitten as a result of this.) if anything, Poseidon was more of a dominant father figure, like Zeus. He saw the women of the Parthenon as his daughters and sisters, as well as his followers, hence the reason many modern devotees such as myself refer to him as “father”.

• conversely, Artemis was not a misandrist, she didn’t hate sex, and she was not some uncontrollable psychopath. Many of Artemis’s myths heavily exaggerate her animalistic tendencies, which do exist, but are certainly not psychopathic or evil in nature, as nature itself is inherently incapable of being so. She also did not “hate” men, non-virgins, or sex. In fact, as the patron goddess of pregnant women and babies, these things are inherently connected to her domain. One of the reasons these beliefs have emerged, besides the myths, is that people have exaggerated the fact that as a virgin goddess who remains chaste as a virtue, Artemis tends to avoid men and people who aren’t women in her myths, not out of misandry, or other ideas that are honestly quite terf-y, and have been used to push transphobic narratives, but because she hopes to protect these virtues. She does not hate her male, trans, or otherwise non-cis woman followers, she values them just as much, and this is an unfortunatley common, and hurtful, misconception. Like Poseidon, she is often aggressive, and can be impulsive, but she’s MUCH more of a stern mother of nature, than a ruthless animal.

———————————————————————-

Please don’t fall for these common misconceptions, read Hellenic texts and stories yourself, and try not to spread misconceptions yourself! There are many reliable resources to avoid this, such as Wikipedia, theoi.com, and more! Have a blessed day 💙🏛️

What is the difference between sociopath and psychopath?

OH! OH OH OH I LOVE THIS QUESTION. Also this is a massive explanation that really goes in-depth about neurology so I'll do a read more.

The main difference is that a psychopath is born with ASPD. A sociopath develops it during early (we're talking starting off as young as 2) childhood due to severe long-term (several years) abuse and neglect (generally from main caretakers).

There are also some nuances in how a socio's brain works in comparison to a psycho's. But the major difference that really determines all of the minor differences is that a psychopath doesn't necessarily have trauma related to their ASPD, and tends to have a lot less comorbid disorders. A sociopath ALWAYS has trauma that directly caused their ASPD and a fucking CVS receipt of comorbid disorders the large majority of the time.

There are also more sociopaths than there are psychopaths. The physiology of ASPD is that the brain's structure is different from an empathetic person. Specifically in the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, because there's not enough activity in those areas for someone with ASPD. The prefrontal cortex is involved in decision-making, impulse control, and regulation of social behavior, and the amygdala is involved in emotion processing and fear response. Abnormalities in the amygdala contribute to a lack of empathy and increased aggression (aggression does NOT equal violence in this case, but rather an increased and pervasive level of negative emotion that makes you more likely to act out). Genetics have been proven to play a factor in how likely someone who was born empathetic would develop ASPD.

The difference here is that a psychopath is born with reduced blood flow to those areas. No trauma needed, that's just how they work.

On the contrary, a sociopath develops reduced blood flow to those areas because if you live in an environment that fosters the growth of anti-social traits and behaviors you are not exercising those parts of your brain. I'll go into a deep dive about the neurological aspects of how formative trauma turns into ASPD.

Chronic stress from abuse can impair the development of the prefrontal cortex; reduced activity or structural abnormalities in this area can lead to increased impulsivity and difficulty regulating emotions. The amygdala becomes hyperactive due to repeated exposure to threatening situations. This results in heightened aggression and reduced ability to empathize with others. Abuse can lead to a smaller hippocampus, impairing the ability to process emotions and increasing vulnerability to stress.

Chronic abuse elevates cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which can alter brain function and structure. Persistent high cortisol levels can damage the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, exacerbating emotional and behavioral regulation issues. Serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters regulate mood and behavior. Abuse can disrupt their levels, contributing to aggression, impulsivity, and difficulty experiencing pleasure or reward.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) becomes hyperactive, leading to a state of constant alertness and readiness for perceived threats. This can cause chronic anxiety, irritability, and aggressive responses. Conversely, some individuals may develop a blunted stress response, showing reduced physiological reactions to stress. This can lead to a lack of fear or concern for consequences. (These two may combine so that safe things trigger stress and unsafe things do not).

Abusive environments can impair the development of secure attachments, leading to difficulties in forming trusting relationships. This can foster detachment, manipulative behavior, and a lack of empathy. Inconsistent or abusive parenting can disrupt normal emotional development, making it difficult for individuals to manage their emotions and impulses. This can result in volatile behavior and poor emotional control. Abusive environments often model and reinforce antisocial behaviors. Children learn to cope with stress through aggression or manipulation, which can become ingrained patterns of behavior. Abusive environments can impede moral development, leading to difficulties in understanding and adhering to societal norms and rules. This can result in a disregard for others' rights and a propensity for criminal behavior.

Trauma and abuse can also alter gene expression through epigenetic changes, affecting the brain's development and function. These changes can increase the risk of developing ASPD by influencing genes involved in stress response, emotional regulation, and social behavior.

A lot of people who went through severe childhood abuse may experience anti-social symptoms without having full-blown ASPD. When I was younger I did a genetic test that led to some very fascinating results that now that I'm older and understand my disorder I understand how my ASPD ties directly into my genetic depression, or rather my genetic depression is caused by my ASPD.

I don't process/produce Vitamin B6, B9 (Folate), and B12. These vitamins are crucial for brain function and the production of neurotransmitters. Deficiencies lead to mood disorders, cognitive impairments, and other neurological issues. B vitamins are involved in synthesizing neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate mood and behavior. These are neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers and mood enhancers. B vitamins play a role in the metabolic pathways that produce endorphins. An inability to properly absorb, process, or produce B vitamins can disrupt these pathways, leading to lower endorphin levels, which can contribute to symptoms of depression and affect overall mental well-being.

Because of how specific my issue is I had to take a specialized blend of B Vitamins. Unfortunately once I turned 18 my parents stopped buying them for me and I haven't had the funds to purchase my own at all since I was cut off (which has led to my mental health tanking). I strongly suggest anyone who deals with anti-social traits in a way that is disruptive to their daily life to look into these. You can't generally find them at a drug store, but they're on Amazon for 25-ish USD for a month's worth bottle. Which is really good because when my parents were buying them two years ago or so they were 40$ a bottle.

I have been on all sorts of mood stabilizing medications, psychosis medications, anti-depressants, anxiety medication, etc. None of them worked because we didn't know what exactly was wrong with me. All it did was make it so I couldn't feel the negative emotions properly, so I was constantly numb. What the vitamins did for me is that they let me process passive endorphin exchange and metabolism for the first time in my life, which meant that there wasn't a drastic barrier between me and positive emotions.

I strongly suggest this for anyone who is also just dealing with mood instabilities/disorders because it helped immensely. I'm bipolar two and I wasn't dealing with any major manic episodes while I was on them for about two years, so it helped drastically in that aspect too.

I know this got a little off the rails, but sociopathy is such a hard disorder to deal with, and it's so demonized by the media. Just telling someone you're a clinical sociopath is enough for them to kick you out of their life, even though it has no reflection on your character and is just an outcome of a horrible, hell-like childhood. So I think it's important for ASPD voices to speak up about the disorder when they can and try to dispel some of the awful stigmatization.

I lost everything... but I still hold on to hope ✨

My name is Mo'men, and I’m a young Palestinian who dreamed of a bright future after high school.

Instead of celebrating, I found myself running for my life, escaping bombs, destruction, and fear.😥

Our home was crushed into dust 🏚️. My brother lost his job. My school and my sister’s university turned into shelters for displaced families.

We fought for survival for six long months under bombs and siege, until we finally reached Egypt, carrying nothing but a few plastic bags... and a lot of broken dreams.💔

Today, we have no home, no income, no safe place to call our own.

My father is suffering with severe back pain and can’t work. Medical bills, daily expenses, even the hope of renting a small home—we simply can’t afford it anymore.🥺

But despite everything, I refuse to give up. I still dream of going to university, of rebuilding my life, of standing on my own feet and helping my family.

This is why I need your help.

Even a small donation—£10—could be the light we desperately need right now.🙏🏻🥺

It can help us rent a home, cover urgent medical expenses, and let me chase my dreams again.🙏🏻

Be one of the first to stand with us.

Be the reason hope lives on.

🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸

Please donate or share our story:

gofund.me/5cdd060e ❤️

🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸

“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.”

— Louis de Bernières,

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

honestly, the whole ai fight or disagreement thing is kinda insane. we’re seeing the same pattern that happened when the first advanced computers and laptops came out. people went on the theory that they’d replace humans, but in the end, they just became tools. the same thing happened in the arts. writing, whether through books or handwritten texts, has survived countless technological revolutions from ancient civilizations to our modern world.

you’re writing and sharing your work through a phone, so being against ai sounds a little hypocritical. you might as well quit technology altogether and go 100 percent analog. it’s a never ending cycle. every time there’s a new tech revolution, people act like we’re living in the terminator movies even though we don’t even have flying cars yet. ai is just ai and it’s crappy. people assume the worst but like everything before it it will probably just end up being another tool because people is now going to believe anything, nowadays.

Okay so...no. It's never that black and white. Otherwise I could argue that you might as well go 100% technological and never touch grass again. Which sounds just as silly. There are many problems with AI and it's more than just 'robots taking over'. It's actually a deeper conversation about equity, ethics, environmentalism, corruption and capitalism. That's an essay I'm not sure a lot of people are willing to read, otherwise they would be doing their own research on this. I'll sum it up the best I can.

DISCLAIMER As usual I am not responsible for my grammar errors, this was written and posted in one go and I did not look back even once. I'm not a professional source. I just want to explain this and put this discussion to rest on my blog. Please do your own research as well.

There's helpful advancement tools and there's harmful advancement tools. I would argue that AI falls into the latter for a few of reasons.

It's not 'just AI', it's a tool weaponised for more harm than good: Obvious examples include deep fakes and scamming, but here's more incase you're interested.

A more common nuisance is that humans now have to prove that they are not AI. More specifically, writers and students are at risk of being accused of using AI when their work reads more advance that basic writing criteria. I dealt with this just last year actually. I had to prove that the essay I dedicated weeks of my time researching, writing and gathering citations for was actually mine.

I have mutuals that have been accused of using AI because their writing seems 'too advanced' or whatever bs. Personally, I feel that an AI accusation is more valid when the words are more hollow and lack feeling (as AI ≠ emotional intelligence), not when a writer 'sounds too smart'.

"You're being biased."

Okay, here is an unbiased article for you. Please don't forget to take note of the fact that the negative is all stuff that can genuinely ruin lives and the positive is stuff that makes tasks more convenient. This is the trend in every article I've read.

Equity, ethics, corruption, environmentalism and capitalism:

Maybe there could be a world where AI is able to improve and truly help humans, but in this capitalistic world I don't see it being a reality. AI is not the actual problem in my eyes, this is. Resources are finite and lacking amongst humans. The wealthy hoard them for personal comfort and selfish innovations leading to more financial gain, instead of sharing them according to need. Capitalism is another topic of its own and I want to keep my focus on AI specifically so here are some sources on this topic. I highly recommend skimming through them at least.

> Artificial Intelligence and the Black Hole of Capitalism: A More-than-Human Political Ethology > Exploiting the margin: How capitalism fuels AI at the expense of minoritized groups > Rethinking of Marxist perspectives on big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and capitalist economic development

I want to circle back to your first paragraph and just dissect it really quick.

"we’re seeing the same pattern that happened when the first advanced computers and laptops came out. people went on the theory that they’d replace humans, but in the end, they just became tools."

One quick google search gives you many articles explaining that and deeming this statement irrelevant to this discussion. I think this was more a case of inexperience with the internet and online data. The generations since are more experienced/familiar with this sort of technology. You may have heard of 'once it's out there it can never be deleted' pertaining to how nothing can be deleted off the internet. I do not think you're stupid anon, I think you understand this and how dangerous it truly is. Especially with the rise in weaponisation of AI. I'm going to link some quora and reddit posts (horrible journalism ik but luckily I'm not a journalist), because taking personal opinions from people who experienced that era feels important.

> Quora | When the internet came out, were people afraid of it to a similar degree that people are afraid of AI? > Reddit | Were people as scared of computers when they were a new thing, as they are about AI now? > Reddit | Was there hysteria surrounding the introduction of computers and potential job losses?

"the same thing happened in the arts. writing, whether through books or handwritten texts, has survived countless technological revolutions from ancient civilizations to our modern world."

I think this is a logical guess based on pattern recognition. I cannot find any sources to back this up. Either that or you mean to say that artists and writers are not being harmed by AI. Which would be a really ignorant statement.

We know about stolen content from creatives (writers, artists, musicians, etc) to train AI. Everybody knows exactly why this is wrong even if they're not willing to admit it to themselves.

Let's use writers for example. The work writers put out there is used without their consent to train AI for improvement. This is stealing. Remember the very recent issue of writer having to state that they do not consent to their work being uploaded or shared anywhere else because of those apps stealing it and putting it behind a paywall?

I shouldn't have to expand further on why this is a problem. Everybody knows exactly why this is wrong even if they're not willing to admit it to themselves. If you're still wanting to argue it's not going to be with me, here are some sources to help you out.

> AI, Inspiration, and Content Stealing > ‘Biggest act of copyright theft in history’: thousands of Australian books allegedly used to train AI model > AI Detectors Get It Wrong. Writers Are Being Fired Anyway

"you’re writing and sharing your work through a phone, so being against ai sounds a little hypocritical. you might as well quit technology altogether and go 100 percent analog."

...

"it’s a never ending cycle. every time there’s a new tech revolution, people act like we’re living in the terminator movies even though we don’t even have flying cars yet."

Yes there is usually a general fear of the unknown. Take covid for example and how people were mass buying toilet paper. The reason this statement cannot be applied here is due to evidence of it being an actual issue. You can see AI's effects every single day. Think about AI generated videos on facebook (from harmless hope core videos to proaganda) that older generations easily fall for. With recent developments, it's actually becoming harder for experienced technology users to differentiate between the real and fake content too. Do I really need to explain why this is a major, major problem?

> AI-generated images already fool people. Why experts say they'll only get harder to detect. > Q&A: The increasing difficulty of detecting AI- versus human-generated text > New results in AI research: Humans barely able to recognize AI-generated media

"ai is just ai and it’s crappy. people assume the worst but like everything before it it will probably just end up being another tool because people is now going to believe anything, nowadays."

AI is man-made. It only knows what it has been fed from us. Its intelligence is currently limited to what humans know. And it's definitely not as intelligent as humans because of the lack of emotional intelligence (which is a lot harder to program because it's more than math, repetition and coding). At this stage, I don't think AI is going to replace humans. Truthfully I don't know if it ever can. What I do know is that even if you don’t agree with everything else, you can’t disagree with the environmental factor. We can't really have AI without the resources to help run it.

Which leads us back to: finite number of resources. I'm not sure if you're aware of how much water and energy go into running even generative AI, but I can tell you that it's not sustainable. This is important because we're already in an irrevocable stage of the climate crisis and scientists are unsure if Earth as we know it can last another decade, let alone century. AI does not help in the slightest. It actually adds to the crisis, we're just uncertain to what degree at this point. It's not looking good though.

I am not against AI being used as a tool if it was sustainable. You can refute all my other arguments, but you can't refute this. It's a fact and your denial or lack of care won't change the outcome.

My final and probably the most insignificant reason on this list but it matters to me: It’s contributing to humans becoming dumber and lazier.

It's no secret that humans are declining in intelligence. What makes AI so attractive is its ability to provide quick solutions. It gathers the information we're looking for at record speed and saves us the time of having to do the work ourselves.

And I suppose that is the point of invention, to make human life easier. I am of the belief that too much is of anything is every good, though. Too much hardship is not good but neither is everything being too easy. Problem solving pushes intellectual growth, but it can't happen if we never solver our own problems.

Allowing humans to believe that they can stop learning to do even basic tasks (such as writing an email, learning to cite sources, etc) because 'AI can do it for you' is not helping us. This is really just more of a personal grievance and therefore does not matter. I just wanted to say it.

"What about an argument for instances where AI is more helpful than harmful?"

I would love for you to write about it and show me because unfortunately in all my research on this topic, the statistics do not lean in favour of that question. Of course there's always pros and cons to everything. Including phones, computers, the internet, etc. There are definitely instances of AI being helpful. Just not to the scale or same level of impact of all the negatives. And when the bad outweighs the good it's not something worst keeping around in my opinion.

In a perfect world, AI would take over the boring corporate tasks and stuff so that humans can enjoy life– recreation, art and music– as we were meant to. However in this capitalist world, that is not a possiblility and AI is killing joy and abolish AI and AI users DNI and I will probably not be talking about this anymore and if you want to send hate to my inbox on this don't bother because I'll block your anon and you won't get a response to feed your eristicism and you can never send anything anonymous again💙

Don't forget us please🇵🇸❤️ Don't forget Palestinians' life🥺🍉

They are slaughtering us for more than two years as if we are animals. Where are human rights‼️‼️‼️ I need to raise my voice to people of humanity.

Breaking News ‼️‼️

6/5/2025 6:48Am in Gaza.

Israel will take the rest of Gaza and we don't know where to go next.  Also hunger is surrounding me and my family from everywhere. We are so hungry. One bag of flour reach 600$. So please do your best to save my family and help us 🙏🙏‼️‼️💔💔

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #515) ✅️

My full story 🙏💔

I'm Areej I was an English teacher and a creative writer at we are not numbers before war and everything change after October 7. Also I'm a creative writer at we are not numbers.

Dear my kind donors!

I am a mother of three children. We have lived through the war for a year and a half, and we have lost everything we own. My husband is a man who did not work. Before the war, I did not have a breadwinner or any source of income. During the war I didn't give up to teach so I volunteered and had good chance to help some students to get engaged again with English in a very creative way.

Please Save those innocent kids from war 🥺‼️🙏🙏

We are in tents for almost two years because our home was destroyed and my kids are starving now with no enough food  😭‼️🥺After our several evacuation from place to another.Now we don't have a house after it was destroyed by missiles. I now ask you to help me rebuild my house. And buy basics for the daily essentials for my children and I need money so that we can stand up again and start again.

This war wasn't easy at all it has taken many friends at work, students and some of my colleagues at the university. They are almost ten souls I won't never forget . Their laughter, their presence, their love… all of it is gone, leaving behind memories that are both precious and painful. Every day, I carry the weight of their loss, but I also carry their spirit, which gives me the strength to keep going.

My lovely students before war 🥺

My lovely home 💔💔‼️

Here’s what life in Gaza looks like for my family right now:

🏠 Safety: The uncertainty of tomorrow weighs heavily on us.

😢 Loss: The absence of my students and my friends is really hurts.

💔 Dreams on Hold: The future feels so far away when survival takes all our strength.

Note to mention the other very expensive essential goods. I hope you will stand by me to get food

The crossings boarders are closed again these days and war return in Gaza.  The crossing through which food enters has been closed for more than 30 days. We have nothing to eat, and even if we do, the prices are exorbitant. Some of the prices listed are:

1 kg of meat = $100 now there is no meat

1 chicken = 70$ there is no chicken

1 kg of fish = 100$ now it costs 200$

1 bag of flour = $200 now it costs 600$

1 kg of cooking gas = $150 now it costs 1000$

1 kg of sugar = $50

1 kg of eggplant = $20

1 kg of onions = $50

1 kg of tomatoes = $20

How You Can Help Us Cross the Finish Line

Even the smallest act of kindness can make a difference:

. $5 might not seem like much, but it could mean a meal, clean water, or a tiny bit of hope for my family.

. Can’t donate? Reblog this post to help us reach someone who can. Every share matters more than you know.

To help me and my family you can donate here or at least you can share this post to people who can support us in gaz

You can support my family here

Here

Chuffed

Help Areej’s Family Evacuate Gaza Strip

Hello, my name is Areej. I was an English teacher before the war, but everything changed after October 7th. 

Or directly here

Ko-fi

Buy Support Areej family in Gaza❤️🙏 a Coffee

Become a supporter of Support Areej family in Gaza❤️🙏 today!

Hi there 🌿

We recently shared our story about escaping Gaza and trying to reunite as a family 🕊️

It's been an overwhelming journey, and we're doing everything we can but we could really use help getting our story seen 💔

If you feel like reblogging or sharing our story, it would mean the world to us 🌍

Thank you so much for your time 🙏

And sorry if this message feels out of place.

@mohamedandhisfamily

please, please help them. they need your help more than anything 💛