#source: cryptotheism

[incorrectringsofpower]

Elendil, about his adult children: Ain't my circus but I would know my monkeys anywhere.

[percabethconvos]

Percy to Annabeth: Stop memorizing my attack patterns. That's fucked up. Who let you do that?

[hopeisour4letteredword]

like lmaooo

[bobcat-pie]

it strikes me that when an ancient mythological sorcerer has magic powers derived from herbs and potions, it's kinda like that era's equivalent of, like, a mad scientist.

ancient laypeople were assuming that, since a sufficiently advanced potionmaker could turn pregnant mare's urine into an elixer of boob-growth, that an even more advanced potionmaker could probably make a draught that turns a king into a bear or something!

kinda like how, since a sufficiently advanced robotics engineer can build an autonomous death roomba, the average modern layperson wagers that someday some genius is going to build an actual supersoldier mechsuit.

our idea of witches derives from ancient lex luthors.

[crookedbranchbooks]

Amber Skies by @cryptotheism

June 12, 2025

Full cloth case binding with paper overlay and design in heat transfer vinyl.

I followed Amber Skies when it was being updated weekly, and read the latter half of it live. Even though I hadn't reread it in since, so much of the worldbuilding and the imagery stuck with me. So when I started thinking about internet-published texts to bind, Amber Skies was one of the first things to come to mind. Almost all of the styling of this book stems from me finding the black and white geometric patterned paper in paper source. It defined the "black and white with yellow accents" color scheme, and inspired the maze motif in the title page and chapter headers. The "maze" is meant to evoke the complex, confusing, and often deadly shafts and halls of Teleth Thadeyn, and the front page design is roughly the shape I imagined the megacity to be (although I would not be shocked to learn that I'm off base there, Heaven being at the top of a spire is a fun visual but not structurally sound). The yellow accents on the cover are all in a handwritten/hand-drawn style, meant to contrast against the stark black and white lines, representative of all of the people (and creatures) that have passed through Teleth Thadeyn and made their home their long after the death of the architects. The symbol on the back is the shaft-diver sign for danger, as described by Kali: "an inverted triangle with a cross through it."

Materials: covers - 2 mm grey board spine stiffener - paperboard covering material - white linen bookcloth overlay - screenprinted mulberry paper with geometric design vinyl - siser easyweed yellow vinyl

endpapers - yellow fine paper with gold printing endbands - faux double core french endband, with cotton embroidery floss edge painting - yellow and orange acryllic paint textblock paper - Church bookbinding paper, 20lb, cream, 8.5x11

Typeset: Designed in Scribus. The body font is Libertinus Serif, headings are in SaaSeriesDDOT. Maze images from Adobe Stock.

Cover Design: Designed in Photopea. Font is Permanent Marker.

dimensions: 5.5"x8.5"

[jesterbells]

Tumblr New Word Dictionary

I love new words. So here's a list of recently created words and idioms I have learned through tumblr (not all of these terms were invented on tumblr but that's where I learned them--the citations specify whether the term was coined by a specific post, or cite a source for where I first heard the term even if that is not necessarily where the term originated):

blorbo: a fictional character you're a fan of. Coined by thelustiestargonianmaid.

"I'm so hungry I could get banned from facebook": coined by babyslime in response to a Wil Wheaton post

GORIMM: Gross Older Relation I Must Marry. Source: bethanydelleman

hlep: when a disabled person asks for a specific kind of help and "they do something that is not what you ask for but is what they think you should have asked for ... Sure, it looks like help; it kind of sounds like help too; and if it was adjusted just a little bit, it could be help. But it's not help. It's hlep." Source: giantkillerjack's therapist.

horse fantasy: something that is theoretically possible unicorn fantasy: something that is definitely (or almost definitely) impossible. Source: bemusedlybespectacled.

zomancy: soup divination. Source: cryptotheism.

UFOs: unfinished objects--"something that is unfinished but in hibernation," as distinct from WIPs. Source: knitting community and bylambd.

autoenshittification: turning cars into digital extraction machines to steal your data and money through digital infrastructure and microchips, and the endless repair nightmare of digital car systems and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Source: mostlysignssomeportents

nude: "when your clothes are off." naked: "when you're clothes are off when you're up to something." nakey: "when you are an animal and your collar has been removed." Source.

sideways fan: following a fandom second-hand. Source: capricorn-0mnikorn.

spoken Garamond: "the over-emphasized voice people use to read poems." Source: Frances Klein's friend.

nongry/nungry: when you're starving but also don't want to eat any of the food in your kitchen. Coined by tathrin.

scrumbling: scrolling on tumblr. Coined by the mum of anti-terf-posts.

window shipping: "any shipping done without actually watching/reading the work in question." Coined by lurker-no-more.

friend John / a Friend John answer: "when someone asks a relatively reasonable question in context and the enquiree 1) speaks at length without answering the question, and 2) implies the enquirer has injured the enquiree by even asking such a thing how could you." Coined by sileana.

bitism: a new school of media criticism which asks the simple question: is the work committed to the bit? Coined by linecoveredinjellyfish

snors d'oeuvre: having a little nap on the sofa before taking onseself to bed for main sleep. Coined by SJKSalisbury (can't find the tumblr repost now).

socratic terror: "what every athenian felt when they went down to the agora in the 5th century and saw an old man with a beard approaching them." Coined by lesbianshepard.

introvirtuous: "when you're introverted but have taken on numerous leadership and outgoing roles in your life." "I'm here to help. But I'd rather not be." "Someone around here has to get things done. and unfortunately it's going to be me." Coined by soundslikerhetorical.

grundlous: "of or pertaining to grundle." Coined by IMLIZY.

concretes: specific aspects of a character that persist across interpretations. The essential, structural essence that makes a character recognizable as the same person. Rarely physical traits; subjective. Coined by Ladylark and kayanem.

skeletonin: "the happiness chemical released when you see a ghoul or perhaps a ghost." Coined by gwentrification.

broflakes: "the weak, fragile 'alpha' males who are so easily threatened by strong women." Source: rickladd (can't find the tumblr reblog atm).

the planet of hats: "the thing where a people only have one thing going for them, like 'everyone wears a silly hat.'" Source: Star Trek fandom & TV tropes, learned via homonculus-argument.

feelings yakuza: "those who turn their personal discomfort into a social evil and try to erase the target completely." Source: Japanese fandom via マロミチャン.

Ship of Thesaurus / Rogetism: "When a student copies an essay online instead of writing it and then painstakingly changes every word to a synonym until the text no longer makes any sense." Coined by trek-tracks and Chris Sadler respectively.

Flemming's law / vibe dysphoria: "the most toxic person you've ever met over-relates to woodland creatures on social media." Coined by Chris Flemming and canadianwheatpirates.

fight with a gorilla: "any secret or invisible struggle." Coined by punksandcannonballers.

squimbus from my polls: the poll version of blorbo except for obscure fan favorite characters. Coined by yardsards.

pebbling: "the act of sending your friends & family little videos and tweets and memes you find online, like how penguins bring back pebbles to their little penguin loved ones." Source: NurseKelsey (can't find the tumblr reblog atm).

serpentineabouts: roundabouts that aren't round. Coined by paulgadzikowski.

luft: air equivalent of wet. Coined by questbedhead.

getting the good bologna: "when you experience something of better quality and then you’re doomed to no longer be satisfied." Coined by the family of kelssiel.

hypofixation: "the kind of things that you've autisticly decided you Do Not Care About." Antonym of hyperfixation. Coined by animate-mush.

[il3x]

beloveds!! I really need to sit down and make my own Aisha design, I just yoinked one from the wiki for this.

Source: @cryptotheism.

[cryptotheism]

hi, do you know/could you tell where the image from this post is from? thank you so much in advance!

https://www.tumblr.com/cryptotheism/777382413133381632?source=share

Its from the liber null

[incorrectringsofpower]

Míriel: why don't you go "lay siege" to some bitches? Míriel: I screamed this from the castle walls and I think I heard one of the enemy footmen start crying. It was kinda sad. Kemen: I DIDN'T!!!! I STOOD TALL AND MARCHED WITH MY COMMANDER BRAVELY!!!!!!!!!!!! Míriel: We literally saw you weep at the thought of a comely maiden

[terrania]

made some isat memes lol. spoiler-y ones and bibliography under the cut. remember kids bad bitches cite their sources

bibliography (in order of appearance)

https://www.tumblr.com/universalthaumaturge/746494441446064128/ecto-plasm-charmsandpandas-after-hanging-out

https://www.tumblr.com/cicadawings/745754959740567552/its-actually-really-embarrassing-how-youre

https://www.tumblr.com/xpaperheartso/745753733532663808/kill-me-four-times-at-least-kiss-me-first

https://www.tumblr.com/cocksley-and-catapult/746435910346883072/issue-967-socker-30-march-2024

https://www.tumblr.com/correlatedcontents/676756003948249088/the-night-is-cool-and-balmy-your-security-gnomes

https://www.tumblr.com/infectiouspiss/745311437708312577/you-have-to-stay-alive-youre-going-to-be-such-a

https://www.tumblr.com/xxacidnekoxx/746486304137740288

i lost the link for the one after that sorry it wont happen again

https://www.tumblr.com/cryptotheism/746491017853812737

shit it happened again. last time, super promise

[th3-triangl3-ag3ncy]

https://www.tumblr.com/cryptotheism/775404910329118720/ever-notice-how-symbols-sometimes-have-information?source=share

Yes

[teawitch]

https://www.tumblr.com/cryptotheism/735120733380952064/actually-augustine-says-that-demons-are?source=share

About the catholic views! I thought it was interesting

Yeah, that's a High Magic vs Low Magic debate, which eventually becomes black magic vs white magic. Black magic being a term that is racially, socially and economically charged.

There has always been an interest in magic within the Catholic church. We have Popes writing grimoires. The justification being that they were working to contact God through his angels, not to do magic for personal gain. This is Ceremonial Magic / High Magic and yes, does lean heavily on the Kabbalah. The rituals are very complex and performing them often called for gold discs and other items that cost money. So, only men with access to wealth were really able to practice back in the day. And money meant power which meant the church might look the other way.

But if you were the village witch bringing cures or curses to your area, well, you weren't educated enough to be doing high magic so you were doing low magic, which you might use for personal gain. And that gave the devil access to you. You didn't have to curse anyone or actually be seen to be using magic for personal gain. The church's view was that simply by doing magic, you were working with the devil and he would do good things to ensare you.

Over time Low magic becomes black magic and the New Age movement develops a White Light fascination.

The odd fallout being that some days, I can have a better conversation around magic with a few Ceremonial Magicians I know than I can with some of the New Age crowd.

Though the only problem I've had with an unknown spirit intruder in the house involved someone doing Ceremonial Magic.

[roachliquid]

I've already said this at least once before, but it really is striking how much easier it is to understand Lovecraft's writing when you have the proper context. Especially the huge number of concepts that were thinly veiled allusions to Theosophist beliefs or practices (shoutout to @cryptotheism for drawing my attention to that fact!)

In fact, most of the ideas he criticizes in his stories are still in circulation today - not so widely by Theosophists, who are pretty good at minding their own business nowadays, but by the New Age movement that paired those ideas with the attitude of Christian evangelism. Astral projection, the myth of Atlantis, the ascension of humanity toward a higher, better form - all of these notions were made popular in Europe and America by Theosophy, and are subverted if not outright deconstructed in various stories.

This information is more useful than it might seem at first glance, because many Theosophist beliefs have had lasting (if not direct) influence on storytelling in the U.S. and Canada, particularly in the realm of science fiction. Common examples include the myth of Atlantis as a real lost city, the idea of humans being engineered by a benevolent precursor race, and of course, the notion that we are on some cosmic track to becoming better, "purified" beings.

What does that mean for us? Well, for someone who wants to engage with the themes and moods that Lovecraft evoked, without necessarily reproducing his concepts or attitudes, understanding the source material - as well as his own relationship to it - is critical. Because, when it comes right down to it, a lot of Lovecraft's works boil down to an elaborate "nuh-uh!" - the same kind of smug chauvinism as a Christian writer declaring that Dionysus is actually Satan. It's not actually good worldbuilding; it's just being contrary because he disagrees with what someone else said.

And, y'know, I think we can do better than that - especially considering how many of these refutations leaned on racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry to make their point.

Fortunately, the relevant information is easier to come by than you might suppose - many New Age channels, or failing that, backlogs of Ancient Aliens, will be happy to give you the gist. And if you really want to get into the meat and potatoes of Theosophy, that material is freely available as well. The Philosophical Research Society (a Theosophist think tank) even has its own YouTube channel, with plenty of educational videos on their literature and beliefs.

Shit like this is why I love research: it only begets more research.

[thornsent]

i scrolled thru their blog and tbh i believe you but do you have a source for freemediaonline being cryptotheism? theyve always had bad vibes but that's pretty yikes

I had the unfortunate experience of dating a close friend of theirs a couple of years ago, and was personally introduced to them through my then-boyfriend. I didn't speak with them very often, I just designed pins for them one time.

Through that connection, they told me themselves that their personal blog was asundergrowth. I more than likely don't have screenshots of this conversation anymore both because I have since moved blogs and because I have them blocked, so sorry about that.

If you check out that blog now, they link to freemediaonline as their new blog. On this new blog they also talk about how people who have called them out have also reblogged their selfies without knowing. I'm pretty sure this is talking about how they've been called out on their main blog, cryptotheism, but barely anyone knows about this side blog other than their thirst traps occasionally gaining traction.

I don't really want to bother with digging around on their blog bc it is above my paygrade, but they've made jokes like this on their main, too. They just somehow fly under the radar. 🤷

[cryptotheism]

Hello user cryptotheism, do you know any byzantine occult texts or sources that have mentions to the occult at least pls pls pls pls thank you whatever the answer might be

Like what era. Byzantium covers nearly 1000 years. Like what specifically are you looking for. Texts translated in Byzantium? Texts by byzantine authors. About the occult specifically? Alchemical? Folk magic? Religious? Niche religious?

[ms-yellow-tape]

https://www.tumblr.com/cryptotheism/779782741210398720/so-many-americans-seem-to-think-that-there-is-no?source=share

[ MORALITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CHOICE. ]