#reinvolvement

[vigilantejustice]

ebbs and flows. a week ago responded to the group chat for the first time in two entire years + then responded to my friend who was definitely joking about me dropping her off some snacks by doing a sneaky surprise drop + am now feeling very flat + apathetic about everything :(

[greentrickster]

(flops over on the ground breathing heavily) Okay, so that’s- about 57k words of the Red, Blue, and Cyrus Too AU in the space in about the space of a month and a half, I think- I think I’mma take a li’l- a li’l break. A quick snooze. Stick some ideas in my drafts folder and come back to them later. (passes out)

[bryoria]

i always want to send the guinea pig memes to my ex roommate but umm i doubt her guinea pig is still around bc well.

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

anyway thinking about diane rick and morty

[groon]

im never searching green lantern on tumblr again

[coco-loco-nut]

loml part 2

pairing: charles leclerc x reader

summary: it’s time for you to finally have some happiness, even if you’ve sworn off drivers

part one masterlist ttpd masterlist

——————

A year after the break up, you are still living in George’s Monaco apartment. You keep to yourself, sticking to a simple routine and avoiding Formula One when you can. You could’ve gotten your own apartment with the divorce settlement and your job salary, but George insisted that you take care of the apartment for him.

George and Carmen were with you every step of the way, helping you pick up the pieces and bringing you back to as close to normal as you can.

“I’m done with drivers, I will never date one ever again,” you tell George one afternoon. George was almost offended but you added on the second half.

You go out for a run like you do every morning before work, and on your way home you stop in a bakery you’ve been eyeing. After placing your coffee and pasty order, you accidentally bump into someone.

“I am so sorry, I- Charles. Hi,” you look at the equally stunned man.

“Hi, how are you doing,” Charles says gently, sounding concerned. That isn’t what you expected out of your ex’s friend.

“Better, how’s, um, how is he?” you ask a little bitterly, internally cringing at the clear discomfort on Charles’s face. His name is called alongside yours, so he picks it up and sets it on a table, silently inviting you to join him, and you do.

“I don’t know. After the whole Kelly thing, I argued with him and we haven’t really talked since,” Charles admits, you look stunned.

“I’m sorry that happened,” you can’t really hide your bitter expression as the thought of Kelly runs through your mind. Not even a month after you separated, Max was off playing happy family with his new girlfriend. Your divorce wasn’t even legalized yet.

“I’m not. He lost someone incredible just because he wasn’t willing to put in the work for a good and healthy relationship,” Charles looks you in the eyes. You finish your pastry and process his words and his underlying meaning.

“Charles, everything is still so fresh, I don’t know,” you look out at the streets. You couldn’t deny he was attractive, but you didn’t want to reinvolve yourself with Formula One.

“One date, we can take it as slow as you want to. I know it must be hard, but you deserve to be happy,” Charles reaches out and touches your hand gently.

“I have to get to work. You should have my number, Charles,” you softly smile, leaving the cafe. Charles lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Naturally, he asked George for permission first. He knew George was acting as your overprotective brother, and George knew you better than anyone at the moment. Despite you swearing off drivers, George felt that Charles might be what you need.

The first date goes well, and so does the second, and the third. Charles prioritized privacy, and you were grateful. He shows up to your door for the fourth with a bouquet of your favorite flowers, ones that Max always forgot to get. He always gave you chrysanthemums, fitting that he would choose a funeral flower seeing as how he killed the relationship.

“Cheri, are you okay?” Charles asks, seeing you tear up a little.

“Max never did this, and when he did they were always the wrong flowers,” you shake you head slightly, fending off the anger and sadness.

“Well, if he wanted to treat your right, he would. I want to treat you right,” Charles presses a kiss to your head. You invite him in while you find a vase to put the flowers in.

“I want that,” you tell him, his hands find yours.

“Be my girlfriend?” Charles asks, you nod happily.

“There is this restaurant that I’ve been wanting to try, down the street. Maybe I can take my boyfriend there,” you smile, heart racing.

“Lead the way, mon cœur,” Charles tells you. You lock the apartment behind you and take his hand as you lead him down the street to a restaurant that opened a couple months ago. The two of you are so caught up in each other, you don’t notice the table across the restaurant.

Max watches you walk into the restaurant, hand in hand with Charles - the guy who used to be one of his closest friends. You look stunning, and happier than you were the last few months before the separation. Of course Max saw you for divorce meetings, but this is different.

“Max is here,” you quietly tell Charles.

“Don’t worry about him, he won’t cause a scene,” Charles reassures you, knowing his old friend. You are grateful for the man sitting across from you.

“What did I do to deserve you?” you ask, causing Charles’s hear to soar. can’t believe he is finally happy.

Charles is by your side during the rough days, especially the day that should’ve been your wedding anniversary with Max. You couldn’t help but to be upset, and healing takes time. Charles didn’t push you to do anything, he just kept you company and followed your lead.

When you were together for six months, you felt comfortable enough to reintroduce yourself to Charles’s friends and family. It helps that the two of you adopted a dog.

“These are my sons, Ollie and Oscar,” Charles tells you as you stand in the kitchen, watching over the dinner you had been working on. He would’ve invited Liam, but that would be awkward for everyone.

“It’s lovely to meet you, I’m Y/n. I suspect you know Leo from social media. Would either of you like wine, or anything from the fridge? Please, help yourself,” you stop yourself from fussing. Charles recognizes it as your hormones kicking in, making you fuss over them.

“Thank you, need any help?” Ollie asks as Oscar plays with Leo.

“Thank you, but you are a guest. I couldn’t let you. Now, I think Charles has a really expensive bottle that will pair well with this meal, let me grab it and pour a couple glasses,” you wink.

“Only the best for you and the kids, Cheri,” Charles yells from the dining room where he is setting the table. Ollie takes the glass you poured for him, he wouldn’t mind you being his grid mom.

“Charles, come help me bring food in while the boys sit down,” you tell him, giving Oscar and Ollie a little glare when the move to help you.

“Of course, mon cœur,” Charles smiles, carrying the heavier plates in while you grab the wine bottle and the two empty glasses for you and Charles.

The two boys try to make sure they don’t come off as interrogating you, but you don’t mind. They are avoiding the elephant in the room, and both you and Charles know it.

“You can ask, I don’t mind,” you say gently, knowing it’s eating Oscar alive. He’s like you and George if you two had an idgaf attitude.

“Is it true that you and Max, um,” Oscar pauses looking for the words.

“Yeah, he’s my ex-husband. He did me a favor though, without him I wouldn’t be with Charlie,” you look adoringly at your boyfriend.

“Ask George and Carmen, they will give you the best version of the story,” Charles laughs and so do you.

“This is really good, I might need you to cook after races for me,” Ollie changes to topic, groaning a little at how full he is.

“She’s our mom, of course it’s good,” Oscar replies, you can’t fight the grin on your face.

“Of course I will. I can send some frozen meals for you to heat up along to the with Charles,” you tell them.

“Or you could come to the races and keep me company,” Ollie says, looking at you hopefully. You are one hundred percent adopting him. Charles looks at you a little panicked, you never really talked about being in the paddock as his girlfriend. Of course, he has publicly talked about how he has a girlfriend who he adores, but no one knows it’s you, except for a few people.

Max never told anyone about your relationship, despite him seeing your date and reporters asking him about you. It would be an asshole thing to do after he moved on so quick, and you deserved better than what he had done to you already.

“I’d love to, but don’t regret it when you are being mothered,” you point your fork at them.

“Wait, why only Ferrari,” Oscar pouts.

“I can visit you too, I’ll even bring cookies,” you tell Oscar. He pumps his fist in celebration.

Charles is happy to hear you are okay going to races again. You have to be a little stealthy about it at the start. You go the first couple times as George’s guest, and slowly increase how long you are with Charles each time.

Things change when you miss your period. You and Charles have always been very careful, but there have been a couple time that you forgot a condom.

“What does it say, mon cœur?” Charles sits beside you in bed, rubbing soft circles on your shoulder. You take a shakey breath and turn the stick over, ready to be shown another negative.

“Positive, I’m pregnant. I thought I couldn’t have kids,” you feel Charles brush tears from your cheeks.

“We will be the best parents, I’m so happy,”he reassures you, and you can see how happy he is. From then on you go as Charles’s partner, Ollie is happy to have you with him in the garage, and even accompanies you to visit Oscar. Ollie claimed it was to protect you and the baby against Max, but that doesn’t work when Max is talking to Lando at the same time you visit Oscar.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Max asks a little hesitatily.

“I’m really well, how are you?” you ask, pushing down the bitter parts of you. You truly are very happy now.

“I’m okay. Do you think we could talk at some point this weekend? I think it’s been long enough and you deserve closure for yourself,” Max scratches the back of his head.

“Message me on Instagram. We can find a time,” you agree, needing to get a couple things off your chest. That time is the next morning in an open room in Red Bull hospitality.

“You wanted to talk,” you say as you sit down across from Max. Charles was apprehensive when you told him of your plan, but he trusted you and was supportive of your choice.

“I wanted to apologize for how I treated you at the end, it was unfair to you,” Max tells you, clearly pushing through his pride. “So, I’m sorry. I can’t say it’s easy seeing you happy with someone who isn’t me. Are you happy?” Max asks, needing to know.

“Of course I am. It was really hard to move on. Charlie makes me extremely happy, and he’s given me the greatest gift I could ask for,” you smile, subconsciously putting a hand on your stomach. Max feels his stomach swirl with jealousy. Charles is living the life he should be living, Charles is doing everything he should be doing for you, but he fucked it all up.

“I, uh, wow. Congratulations, I know how much you wanted a kid. I’m happy for you, schatje,” Max says, pushing down his jealousy. It’s his fault he lost you, now he has to live with the consequences and be mature about it. Maybe if he hadn’t gotten with Kelly so soon he would be with you, but it’s too late now.

Max did try. He constantly asked George where you were, or to convince you to talk to him. George was protective though, he saw how hurt you were and knew you needed to heal on your own time. So he did what any overprotective best friend would do, talk reasonably and show Max why he needed to stay away.

“Thanks, Maxie, that means a lot,” Maxie, a dagger through Max’s heart. “I can’t be friends with you right now, but maybe someday. I like this version of you, maybe Kelly was the right one for you after all,” you can see the pain in Max’s somber eyes, the same one you see from the end of your relationship, and the same one that haunts you.

“I really am sorry,” Max’s voice cracks. “You’re the love and loss of my life,” tears well in his eyes as he looks at you.

“You’re the loss of mine as well,” you stand up and move towards him, pulling him into a hug. “You are going to be okay, Max. We weren’t right for each other, but now you can move on,” you say softly. In your heart you can feel the closure you’ve needed. Max felt it too, and when the day came, he would be ready to be a good friend.

Until that day, he is publicly supportive of your family with Charles. Max repairs his relationship with Charles first, then he slowly repairs it with you. When Julianna Herveline Leclerc graced the world, he was one of the first people to send a gift and well wishes. And when you and Charles finally make it to the alter, Max is standing beside Charles, happy to support the two of you.

[brawltogethernow]

QUICK i just gave you a quadrillain dollars and made you head of marvel what spider man comic run plot would you make?

While I have definitely considered what I would do if I were put in charge of Spider-Man tomorrow, it's next to impossible to imagine this scenario as well-funded and free of editorial strings. So much of the main considerations are things like "how would I clean up after/respectfully send off the previous run" and "which changes to the status quo would Disney let me get away with". The endeavor is slightly overburdened with these but would be unrecognizable without them entirely. I like to think they would make it a fun challenge I'm tolerably suited for honestly? The constraints are part of the flavor!

Every run I have some kind of concept of where I'd go from there that then falls out of relevance--if things had been handed to me back when Spencer was teasing rolling back "One More Day", the Black Cat solo was running and crossing her over with Doctor Strange, and Mephisto was deposed, I'd have had Felicia heist the contract representing petermj's deal with the devil from Hell while it reshuffled its infernal paperwork and then lose it on the magical underworld's black market to set off a surreal fetch quest. If you handed the reins to me now I'd have to deal with Norman, I'd want to pull Flash and Harry from dangling story threads and Sha Shan from her recent cameos to reinvolve them in a thematic way, and I'd want to put a lot of focus on unpacking how MJ actually feels about all the storylines that have been happening to her that should given her backstory really be pushing her buttons, and to showcase her and Peter's dynamic in the current status quo--at this point rushing them back together would feel cheap, so the starting goal would be playing them off each other and making the reader desperate for me to hook them back up without delivering.

There are open threads with Betty and Ben too... This kind of thing is what makes superhero comics the unique medium that's captured so much of my attention! I don't have a single perfect storyline I'd like to write, because the story is always in violent flux.

[unseentravler]

Ninjago Avatar AU

Backstory 4

Julian

Julian(born 10 AAG, non bender) was a scientist and inventor in the early days of war. It had not yet reached where he lived, an island off the North Coast of the Earth Kingdom. The village where he lived didn't believe the war would ever touch them. But Julian believed otherwise. When he was in his early teens, he decided to move to the Northern Water to help with the war effort. Not long after he did, the northern water tribe closed its borders.

After growing increasingly frustrated with the northern tribes refusal to get reinvolved in the war, he left the capital and moved to one of the smaller cities.

He lived mostly in isolation until 1 day. As he went into town, he found 2 little boys alone in the snow. He asked around and tried to find their parents but soon discovered they had died that previous winter.

He decided to take the 2 boys in as his sons. He passed away in 87 AAG.

Part 5

[datastate]

hello yttd fans. i really dislike making posts such as these, but i believe many of you do not realize how discourteous you're being and i would like to bring that to your attention for... well, everyone's sakes.

to preface, the your turn to die tags are intended for searching for fan content. this includes:

- fan art, writing, sculptures, knitting, etc. various art forms which feature some level of yttd theming - theories/speculation, commentary, etc. (likely accompanied by screenshots or official artwork) - headcanons, be it drawn or simply compiled in a post - aus/crossovers based upon the main game - edits - so on; just most things that draw from and extrapolate upon yttd, really.

+ ytts tags may have overlap in the yttd tag. this is understandable, as it as an offshoot of the main game.

this does not mean that every single post you make on yttd must be constructive -- i've certainly had times i only wanted to share a cute sketch nankidai made, with little additional commentary. but the difference here is what you choose to maintag, and how often you do so. there are some posts which, frankly, do not need to be maintagged. i'm not telling you to delete them, just not to spam the main tag with them.

many of the current 'daily' yttd blogs in particular have dismissed this. if you intend to post daily, you must realize that you will be interacting with the search tag incessantly. typically, i'd have no issue with this! i love seeing the yttd tag blow up, as it did with the minisodes, ytts, or the chapter updates! it was nice seeing everyone reinvolve themselves, if only briefly.

however, when the tag is overwhelmed by 'daily' blogs which are only ever posting official content that has been out for years -- that is when i take issue. people should not have to avoid the yttd tag simply because it's difficult to comb through for actual art and the like they're searching for; they shouldn't have to block another five blogs to make it useable.

you are overwriting many people's other posts, and with recent tumblr developments, sometimes the search tags have a limited amount of posts they will show - which applies even after you have blocked people. all you will find is a screenshot along the lines of this:

[ID: Screenshot of Tumblr’s recent search tag, reading: “No recent posts tagged with #your turn to die? / You should go ahead and make one." END ID.]

now, i understand that some people might not be sure what to share, in which case i'd ask you to sit on that before you begin posting on a blog that warrants daily interaction! in general, planning out exactly what you intend to post beforehand is probably a good idea: whether it's edits, headcanons, art, so on...! i'm sure there's something of your own you can showcase & add in your individual flair for your blogs! i don't intend to turn you away from the yttd tag entirely, but i know there's more unique you can add on your own instead of simply reposting the yttd game, one frame at a time... (an exaggeration, but i do hope you understand my point.)

- for example, if it's a case of you not being confident in your art, or feeling as if you need prompts to draw. here is some advice!!

{ confidence } - you should still practice! although it may be discouraging not having people reblog your art as often, it's nonetheless a step in the right direction! hell, i've seen some beginner artists who already show tons of potential: despite their insecurities about linework, they'd have amazing colors; or despite their colors feeling flat, they're slowly trying to hammer away at intriguing or symbolic composition. honing this is what's truly important, and i'm sure the right audience will eventually begin to recognize and appreciate the effort you've put into it.

{ prompts } - in this case, it may very well be fitting to make an introduction post asking for requests! but - if that doesn't work out, there's always option b) searching out prompt generators! or, finding lists of prompts somewhere on tumblr. there were many roleplayers who used to use these for writing, but you could still draw out the scenarios!

all in all, it's just important to find your niche! i don't have a good conclusion to this post. just please be mindful of not spamming the tag in this way. there are other ways to contribute/be known without frustrating other fans... thank you if you've read this post in full.

[bensolosbluesaber]

Just checking in! I'm still here, lurking in the background. I have lots of ideas (and an ask box full of requests) that I'm excited to work on! I started a PhD in English Lit, which has been taking up a lot of time, but it is really fun. Between that and teaching full-time, it's been a lot.

I'm finally going to try some ADHD meds after rawdogging life for 20+ years, so I'm hoping that also helps me get back to writing.

Things I've been casually working on for anyone curious:

Trust Part 3 (Well... getting into my old computer where the doc is written but unedited to finish it)

A couple Dramione fics that, if I ever finish, will go to AO3 where I have 3 wips that I should probably officialy mark abandoned because I don't remember the plot anyway

Another Zemo fic that's basically Trust but slightly different... but I'm gonna write it anyway because we need more MCU Zemo fics

A dark and disturbing but highly OOC Nathan Bateman fic (this one's entirely in my head atm)

Hurt/comfort enemies/rivals to lovers with Poe Dameron

Anyway, I hope to get reinvolved in the ff and fandom communities soon!

[ratasum]

I'm very sleepy and rolling around in my head the fact that while we know the founding, history, and general structure of most of the cultural "bad guy" groups, we really have painfully little on the Inquest.

I've been digging in the wiki for any information on who founded them or when, and there's really just... nothing.

There's some indication that they were at least inspired by Zinn. The Inquest's page on the wiki indicates Kudu was behind the experimentation on Malomedies, but the page requests verification and any links I've seen people post aren't archived and weren't saved on the wayback machine.

It's increasingly frustrating. Rata Primus is massive in scale and 30-40 years doesn't feel quite long enough to have built it from the ground up. Having them founded around the time of Zinn's exile would make sense, but then how did they get reinvolved with asuran politics? And it's clear the average asuran citizen hates them. There's a ton of ambient dialogue in Rata Sum and Metrica Province from regular npcs about how awful they are, and a good chunk of events and renown hearts in Metrica rotate around ruining the Inquest's day in one way or another.

I've been rolling around the idea that they came together as a faction around the time of the experimentation of the Firstborn, and that those asura were who would form the megakrewe and start recruiting likeminded individuals. There's strong indication most asuran citizens really have no idea (you as an asura commander certainly don't) until it comes out that this even happened.

But the council plays into the Inquest's hands quite often, we know they're canonically corrupt, and so their approval of Vorpp even if the rank and file wouldn't approve doesn't shock me.

My only hangup is time. Rata Primus looks like it's been there a while. Is it an old abandoned Rata that was formed around the time of Rata Sum and then taken over by the Inquest after it was abandoned for some reason, or the residents died out and the survivors left?

Did they manage to build a base that complete in 30 years? How did no one notice?

I'm wracking my brain about it. So how's your morning lmao.

[brainwroms]

Would Techno even become reinvolved in the body swap au? Considering the butcher idea was formed by both Tubbo and Quackity, and Tubbo in exile probably wouldn't know where Techno's cabin was and wouldn't be inclined to go to him for help?

ohmy god. first i need to refresh my foggy memory on if the butcher army was formed before or after beach party (i think it was before? so at this point its been formed?) if before how would c!to react to this while still under the guise of a sick c!tu. and c!tu in exile would probably seek help around main dsmp or lmanberg despite the exile because it seems the most logical to meet the other person involved in the swap.

[mumpsetc]

how do you feel abt taco and mics relationship

Not Toxic Enough. I Wish I Could Like Them More But I've Never Been Able to Invest a Lot of Care Into Taco for No Particular Reason and While I Used to Like Mic a Lot But Her Arc Ended in Such a Whatever Fashion and Its Like Oh OK. Now I'm Not Someone Who Thinks "If a Character Does Something Bad They Need to Be Punished!!!" But Her Arc Just Ends. One Stupid Namedrop Dunk and Then All That Potential is Gone Over Nothing and I'm Angry FAN Used Up Our One Eliminated Character Gets Dragged Back in Card Because I Would've Loved if Taco Tried Desperately to Reinvolve Mic Despite Her Attempts to Get Away.

[group-call]

⚠️ syscourse was a mistake nobody can handle it maturely and we don't know how to feel anymore. this shouldn't fucking be the most important thing in our life right now i regret ever getting reinvolved

[fecto-forgo]

i finished a connecticut yankee in king arthur's court, and iirc you asked me to tell you what happens with agravaine & mordred. they weren't mentioned until near the end but this is basically what happens with them:

agravaine & mordred were affected in a stock crash caused by lancelot. as revenge, they decide to tell king arthur that guinevere has been cheating on him with lancelot. lancelot kills agravaine (among others). arthur tries to have guinevere executed, lancelot intervenes, and a civil war breaks out between arthur & his supporters and lancelot & his supporters. the war was resolved for a short time but sir gawaine restarted it because he was mad about his brothers being killed by lancelot. gawaine got arthur reinvolved in his campaign against lancelot and mordred tried to take the opportunity to become king. arthur & mordred tried to make an agreement that mordred would be arthur's successor, but the meeting ended with them killing each other.

also this civil war results in all of the progress made by the connecticut yankee (hank) being undone, all the main characters either being dead or unhappy, and hank eventually getting back to the 19th century (where he dies too)

ADJSAJDFSADJFJA ITS LITERALLY JUST THE STANDARD LEGEND ENDING BUT CAPITALISTIC.AMAZING.

[unwelcome-ozian]

I have an important question. can you have built in "mind sets" that change when you're in certain situations?

For details, I recently managed to (mostly??) get away from a cultic group I was raised in but last week the leader returned and we spent a fair bit of time together. But the oddest thing was was that it felt like my entire way of thinking changed? Everything she said felt true, even when thinking back on it it didn't make much sense. It felt like everything I thought of and did without her guidance was inherently wrong and faulty, like I was a trying to see clear through a kaleidoscope.

It took about a week for it to wear off after she left, but during that mindset it felt so much easier to speak and exist around other people. I knew what was expected of me and I knew how to fulfil that expectations, so there wasn't the anxiety and ???? that comes with social interaction (for me at least). BUT that was only when I was talking to/with her.

Now that it's worn off it all feels gross? Like I can still feel the presence of that mindset in my hear criticizing what I'm doing because I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. I finally got my first ever job but it's online and I'm mostly left alone to do things, and I really wish I could go to school to meet people my age but I can't (pandemic made my schooling all online so no meeting people opportunities there). Without her guidance I feel aimless and without purpose, but being stuck in quarantine with her for years really messed me up.

I don't know how to interact with the outside world and knowing how easily I can fall into a mindset of "YES EVERYTHING YOU SAY IS 1000% TRUE AND CORRECT AND YES, YOU ARE THE ONLY REAL PERSON TO EXIST" and more terrifies me. I feel more real in that state, but how can I be more real if I cannot think without influence??

I don't know if you can help but can you please share any insight you have? thank you so much

It takes time to get out of and recover from a cult mindset. This is the reason going no contact when leaving high control groups is recommended.

The recontact can trigger the trauma bond to the leader and the group sometimes leading someone to return.

After exiting a cult, an individual may experience a period of intense and often conflicting emotions. She or he may feel relief to be out of the group, but also may feel grief over the loss of positive elements in the cult, such as friendships, a sense of belonging or the feeling of personal worth generated by the group’s stated ideals or mission. The emotional upheaval of the period is often characterised by “post-cult trauma syndrome”:

spontaneous crying sense of loss depression & suicidal thoughts fear that not obeying the cult’s wishes will result in God’s wrath or loss of salvation alienation from family, friends sense of isolation, loneliness due to being surrounded by people who have no basis for understanding cult life fear of evil spirits taking over one’s life outside the cult scrupulosity, excessive rigidity about rules of minor importance panic disproportionate to one’s circumstances fear of going insane confusion about right and wrong sexual conflicts unwarranted guilt The period of exiting from a cult is usually a traumatic experience and, like any great change in a person’s life, involves passing through stages of accommodation to the change:

Disbelief/denial: “This can’t be happening. It couldn’t have been that bad.” Anger/hostility: “How could they/I be so wrong?” (hate feelings) Self-pity/depression: “Why me? I can’t do this.” Fear/bargaining: “I don’t know if I can live without my group. Maybe I can still associate with it on a limited basis, if I do what they want.” Reassessment: “Maybe I was wrong about the group being so wonderful.” Accommodation/acceptance: “I can move beyond this experience and choose new directions for my life” or… Reinvolvement: “I think I will rejoin the group.”

Passing through these stages is seldom a smooth progression. It is fairly typical to bounce back and forth between different stages. Not everyone achieves the stage of accommodation / acceptance. Some return to cult life. But for those who do not, the following may be experienced for a period of several months:

flashbacks to cult life simplistic black-white thinking sense of unreality suggestibility, ie. automatic obedience responses to trigger-terms of the cult’s loaded language or to innocent suggestions disassociation (spacing out) feeling “out of it” “Stockholm Syndrome”: knee-jerk impulses to defend the cult when it is criticised, even if the cult hurt the person difficulty concentrating incapacity to make decisions hostility reactions, either toward anyone who criticises the cult or toward the cult itself mental confusion low self-esteem dread of running into a current cult-member by mistake loss of a sense of how to carry out simple tasks dread of being cursed or condemned by the cult hang-overs of habitual cult behaviours like chanting difficulty managing time trouble holding down a job Most of these symptoms subside as the victim mainstreams into everyday routines of normal life. In a small number of cases, the symptoms continue.

Oz

This information is a composite list from the following sources: “Coming Out of Cults”, by Margaret Thaler Singer