Lithologist

Lethe | He/She | System: Aurora Antaean and Skolekosophist

[the-lithologist]

Let’s try this again.

I am what people call a fictive. I was born in the world of Secret Histories, found in the games Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours. I’m now here.

I was originally the “Archeologist,” now I’m the “Lithologist” because that’s more accurate. I don’t remember my name, though recently I’ve considered using “Lethe,” and it seems rather appropriate.

This blog is for me, because I don’t enjoy being associated with the rest of my System (Aurora) and I want the ability to be separate. On this blog I will talk about anything I want to talk about, maybe related to the Secret Histories maybe not.

You are welcome to ask questions, and I will answer as best I can.

[the-lithologist]

I believe one of the most effective ways to fight modern facism in America is deplatforming all the rampant Nazis, which could be easily done by destroying their means of spreading rhetoric

Unrelated information, one could easily find the location of the headquarters of Fox News (and various other networks) simply by searching online. It’s very easy to find.

[the-lithologist]

It’s possible that Mother of Puppets is the only one of the Dread Powers that is actually a god. With most of the Fears they are simply that, Fears. Sure, they have a supernatural influence on the world and clearly they have a great deal of power, but the Web is the only one that actually thinks.

The others would be more like natural forces, like hurricanes or volcanoes. They can certainly do a great deal of harm, but a volcano doesn’t choose to erupt. The Fears don’t necessarily choose their victim, they just happen to feed on the fear, and if the fear is grand enough it may cause a manifestation.

The Web, on the other hand, is able to think and plan. This is discussed several times towards the end of the series, and I believe that distinction is what separates it from the other powers, at least in classification. It has a will and a mind, and has actively succeeded in escaping from its own reality into others. Natural forces don’t do that kind of thing, so in my opinion the Mother of Puppets is the only one of the Dread Powers that counts as a god.

[the-lithologist]

I’ve heard a lot of people say “2+2=4” when taking about objectivity, as if to imply that subjectivity would say “2+2=5” but that’s not what subjectivity is.

If we’re using a math analogy, it’d be more accurate to say objectivity is “2+2=4” and subjectivity is “yes but 2x2 is also 4”

They’re both objectively true statements, but which one you use is down to your subjective preference and context. You’re probably gonna say “5x5=25” instead of “5+5+5+5+5=25” because it’s a lot less redundant, even if both statements are objectively true.

[the-lithologist]

I feel there is a point to be made on the similarities between anti-endo system discourse and transphobia. When I see anti-endo talking points I can’t help but think of similar transphobic rhetoric that I’ve heard. Maybe it’s because there are quite a few trans people in my system, but I still think it’s important to examine common factors.

For example, “You have to have trauma to be a system.” This is one I see a lot, and it reminds me of the “You have to have dysphoria to be trans” talking point. It’s worth noting that this idea was rooted in medicalization of trans people that was specifically created under the lens of “what cis people think trans people are.” A bunch of cis doctors can together and made the idea of dysphoria, saying it was the common factor found in all cases of “transgenderism.” This turned out to be completely false, dysphoria is not required in order to be trans, and most people are well aware of that now.

When I see people saying that “trauma” is needed to be a system, I have to wonder if that’s an idea made by systems trying to understand themselves, or neurotypical singlets who are trying to medicalize us based on what they think a system is. It’s something that I’ve also noticed in the idea of “Hosts.” My system does not have a host, it’s frankly a completely foreign idea to us. That’s not saying that you can’t have a host if your a system, but it’s definitely not “required,” and I feel like the idea that we have to have a host comes from the insistence of a “true self/true alter” that a lot of singlets try to push on us.

These ideas of trauma and abuse being the thing that makes you a valid system is also more harmful than some might think. A lot of trans people bought into the idea of dysphoria being what defines transness, and from what I’ve seen it’s a very self-deprecating way to view yourself. Believing that who you are is rooted in all the worst parts of your life is really horrible, especially when it’s reinforced by the people around you. On top of that, the medicalization of this idea could easily cause the very thing most anti-endos are complaining about.

“Endos are taking away resources from real systems!” Where have I heard that before? Ah, that’s right, “trans women are taking away resources from real women!” Unsurprisingly, this idea is completely false and rooted in hatred. The inclusion of endogenic systems, and the inclusion of all non-traumagenic systems, actually seems to do the opposite. When things like plurality are normalized, they become more understood. When more people are aware of what plurality is, it removes the stigmas around it and all the harmful ideas attached to it, because it’s more common. This is what people mean when they say “the future is plural;” they aren’t saying that we should traumatize more people until everyone is plural, they mean that plurality could be more accepted and understood if we stopped policing what makes someone plural.

On the other hand, if we keep reinforcing that idea that trauma is what makes you a system, a very clear problem emerges. Where exactly do we draw that line, and how long will it take until it moves? Right now the line is “trauma,” what kind of trauma? Abuse? What kind of abuse? How long until people start saying “Neglect doesn’t count as trauma, you need to have been hit for it to be valid!”? Speaking from experience, the line will not stop at endo systems, because these idea of validity and who “deserves” help are rooted in exclusion and hatred. Anti-endo communities aren’t about helping systems, they aren’t about giving support and understanding to plurals, it’s about hatred. Exclusion. It’s about pointing out at someone and saying “you’re a bad person for being this way.”

This exclusion does nothing for the plural community, in fact, it’s more harmful than anything else. This medicalization and policing of plurality will inevitably harm all systems. Already there has been exclusion and harassment of traumagenic systems, simply because they support their fellow plurals. These ideas have appeared so many times before, in all marginalized communities and it’s important to recognize the similarities here. This is purity culture, and it needs to be stopped or it will eventually hurt every system, regardless whether they’re a “real system” or not.

[the-lithologist]

There’s a video by Philisophy Tube that speaks in part about the medicalization of trans people and the damage it’s cause to the trans community in Britain, as trans people are forced to jump through hoops to prove that they “deserve” treatment. I heavily recommend watching it if you are interested in exploring the full consequences of this policing, or if you are a fan of video essays in general.

The Crisis in the British Healthcare System - Philosophy Tube

It’s obviously not an exactly 1 to 1 match, but it’s still easy to get an idea of what can happen if this kind of exclusion keeps going.

[the-lithologist]

I feel there is a point to be made on the similarities between anti-endo system discourse and transphobia. When I see anti-endo talking points I can’t help but think of similar transphobic rhetoric that I’ve heard. Maybe it’s because there are quite a few trans people in my system, but I still think it’s important to examine common factors.

For example, “You have to have trauma to be a system.” This is one I see a lot, and it reminds me of the “You have to have dysphoria to be trans” talking point. It’s worth noting that this idea was rooted in medicalization of trans people that was specifically created under the lens of “what cis people think trans people are.” A bunch of cis doctors came together and made the idea of dysphoria, saying it was the common factor found in all cases of “transgenderism.” This turned out to be completely false, dysphoria is not required in order to be trans, and most people are well aware of that now.

When I see people saying that “trauma” is needed to be a system, I have to wonder if that’s an idea made by systems trying to understand themselves, or neurotypical singlets who are trying to medicalize us based on what they think a system is. It’s something that I’ve also noticed in the idea of “Hosts.” My system does not have a host, it’s frankly a completely foreign idea to us. That’s not saying that you can’t have a host if your a system, but it’s definitely not “required,” and I feel like the idea that we have to have a host comes from the insistence of a “true self/true alter” that a lot of singlets try to push on us.

These ideas of trauma and abuse being the thing that makes you a valid system is also more harmful than some might think. A lot of trans people bought into the idea of dysphoria being what defines transness, and from what I’ve seen it’s a very self-deprecating way to view yourself. Believing that who you are is rooted in all the worst parts of your life is really horrible, especially when it’s reinforced by the people around you. On top of that, the medicalization of this idea could easily cause the very thing most anti-endos are complaining about.

“Endos are taking away resources from real systems!” Where have I heard that before? Ah, that’s right, “trans women are taking away resources from real women!” Unsurprisingly, this idea is completely false and rooted in hatred. The inclusion of endogenic systems, and the inclusion of all non-traumagenic systems, actually seems to do the opposite. When things like plurality are normalized, they become more understood. When more people are aware of what plurality is, it removes the stigmas around it and all the harmful ideas attached to it, because it’s more common. This is what people mean when they say “the future is plural;” they aren’t saying that we should traumatize more people until everyone is plural, they mean that plurality could be more accepted and understood if we stopped policing what makes someone plural.

On the other hand, if we keep reinforcing that idea that trauma is what makes you a system, a very clear problem emerges. Where exactly do we draw that line, and how long will it take until it moves? Right now the line is “trauma,” what kind of trauma? Abuse? What kind of abuse? How long until people start saying “Neglect doesn’t count as trauma, you need to have been hit for it to be valid!”? Speaking from experience, the line will not stop at endo systems, because these idea of validity and who “deserves” help are rooted in exclusion and hatred. Anti-endo communities aren’t about helping systems, they aren’t about giving support and understanding to plurals, it’s about hatred. Exclusion. It’s about pointing out at someone and saying “you’re a bad person for being this way.”

This exclusion does nothing for the plural community, in fact, it’s more harmful than anything else. This medicalization and policing of plurality will inevitably harm all systems. Already there has been exclusion and harassment of traumagenic systems, simply because they support their fellow plurals. These ideas have appeared so many times before, in all marginalized communities and it’s important to recognize the similarities here. This is purity culture, and it needs to be stopped or it will eventually hurt every system, regardless whether they’re a “real system” or not.

[lunarlillieuwu]

Ohhhh I see, Lethe is the part of us that was abused and conditioned into believing that having emotions and showing them is horrible and causes pain, so she constantly tries to be disconnected and apathetic as a defense mechanism

[the-lithologist]

No comment

[the-lithologist]

As it turns out I may actually be genderfluid, which would explain why I’ve had some trouble nailing down my gender.

[the-lithologist]

A small list of the remains of the gods-from-stone and their potential influence on the Hours:

- The Egg Unhatching still lives through the Watchman, who ascended under its shadow. Whether this was a premeditated plan or if the Watchman was directly involved is unknown.

- Fragments of the Flint were scattered when the Forge shattered it, and one of those fragments may have been found by a Burrowing Secret-Keeper, who still to this day preserves the Night.

- The Wheel still turns in the House of the Moon, domain of the Meniscate.

- The Seven Coils lives through the Mother of Ants, Sister of Serpents, who was reborn when she drowned in its blood.

- The remains of the Tide were given to the sea, where they still remain. It is noteworthy that a certain pair of lovers gave themselves to the sea, and rose to a level of power that rivaled the Red Grail itself.

- The Horned Axe still lives. She is preserved by the Thunderskin, who ascended through the Peacock Door, former name of the Axe. I am of the opinion that the Thunderskin’s ascension was entirely orchestrated by the Horned Axe, taking advantage of the Grail’s jealousy.

[the-lithologist]

Recently there was the addition of Remus, an Avatar of the Wolf Divided, to our system. The Remus who is in our system is very different to the character we had created, and recently we started wondering why. I enjoy deconstructing things like this, and so I did a bit of thinking on it.

The best I can understand is this: Remus as an individual did exist before, but wasn’t defined. They created Remus (the character) and it was basically themself but in the Cultsim world, and then they were able to define themself from that character. It’s basically the inverse of what happens normally, the character is made and then you use that point of identity to define yourself. It’s a way of figuring yourself out by making a character of you first. This also happened with Amelia and, most likely, me.

[the-lithologist]

It has come to my attention that our Web Avatar headmate has officially manifested. They seem a pleasant individual, more so than I expected.

[the-lithologist]

As it turns out I’m actually a fan of Tally Hall.

[the-lithologist]

I have been enjoying my existence more now that I’ve stopped limiting myself. It’s been interesting engaging with media other than the one I was birthed in, I very much like the Magnus Archives. Though, I do suspect I will gravitate back to the Histories at some point.

[the-lithologist]

I have a theory about the Dread Powers and how they function in Magnus Protocol.

We know that if the DPHW levels are not balanced properly “bad things happen” but we don’t yet know the specifics of how or why. We also know that Robert Smirke never implemented his own idea on balance or his 14 categories for the Fears. My theory is that the Fears are trying to divide into the categories from Magnus Archives, and managing the DPHW levels is preventing this.

The Archive says in his final statement that the division of the Fears was directly caused by humanity. It is also after this division that the Fears began to sing, urging those who serve them to perform a ritual that would allow them to enter reality. The Fears do seem to behave much differently in Magnus Protocol, but one thing that I notice is the aimlessness of the Avatars. Ink5oul specifically doesn’t even understand what they are, and no Avatar/External has even made preparations of any sort for a ritual. This is possibly because the Fears do not have the focus they formerly had when they were in Smirke’s categories.

‘DPHW’ and the balancing of their levels could be a way to prevent the Fears from developing further, as the categories are broad enough to encompass most of the Fears. Keeping them balanced and maintained would prevent them from splitting. This would also explain why the ‘Protocol’ was enacted on the Magnus Institute, as they were definitely researching the Fears and if they started to categorize them the OIAR would have reason to neutralize them.

There was also the theory of the Extinction’s birth in Magnus Archives, and it could be possible that the ‘rebirth’ of the 14 Fears would have similarly catastrophic effects.

[the-lithologist]

People seem to enjoy this theory, so I will also point out that this could be the motivation of the Protocol Archivist. Maybe not from the beginning, I suspect its original motivation was revenge as it was interested specifically in the OIAR which was responsible for the destruction of the Institute. Once it made it’s way through the rift, its motivation potentially changed after it learned more about where it was and what happened, so perhaps now it is trying to collect statements of the Fears as a means to fully manifest them once it returns.

[the-lithologist]

I have a theory about the Dread Powers and how they function in Magnus Protocol.

We know that if the DPHW levels are not balanced properly “bad things happen” but we don’t yet know the specifics of how or why. We also know that Robert Smirke never implemented his own idea on balance or his 14 categories for the Fears. My theory is that the Fears are trying to divide into the categories from Magnus Archives, and managing the DPHW levels is preventing this.

The Archive says in his final statement that the division of the Fears was directly caused by humanity. It is also after this division that the Fears began to sing, urging those who serve them to perform a ritual that would allow them to enter reality. The Fears do seem to behave much differently in Magnus Protocol, but one thing that I notice is the aimlessness of the Avatars. Ink5oul specifically doesn’t even understand what they are, and no Avatar/External has even made preparations of any sort for a ritual. This is possibly because the Fears do not have the focus they formerly had when they were in Smirke’s categories.

‘DPHW’ and the balancing of their levels could be a way to prevent the Fears from developing further, as the categories are broad enough to encompass most of the Fears. Keeping them balanced and maintained would prevent them from splitting. This would also explain why the ‘Protocol’ was enacted on the Magnus Institute, as they were definitely researching the Fears and if they started to categorize them the OIAR would have reason to neutralize them.

There was also the theory of the Extinction’s birth in Magnus Archives, and it could be possible that the ‘rebirth’ of the 14 Fears would have similarly catastrophic effects.

[the-lithologist]

can you rank the wisdoms from gayest to straightest

No, I cannot. Since the Wisdoms have no focus on such things, it would be entirely subjective. The most I could do is offer my own opinion, and I have none. I suggest you ask someone else from my system, I’m sure one of them will be happy to answer you.

[the-lithologist]

I recently had a sort of ‘subconscious analysis’ and I’ve been asked to share my findings. I will do so, but I would like to make clear this is at the request of my headmates.

Logically speaking, it makes sense for Mother of Puppets and Mother of Ants to be… romantically involved with each other. The grand scheme of the Puppeteer involves crossing into other realities in order to sustain its own existence, as well as that of the other Fears. With this in mind, it would be wise of the Spider to court one who can grant it such passage.

Now, one might think the Axe another suitable option, though I’d say Mother of Ants is a wiser choice. The Axe may oversee passage, but The Mother of Ants holds the key. Perhaps the Spider may seek a friendship with the Horned Axe, but if it were to pursue one of the Hours romantically, Mother of Ants would be the best choice. I can’t say for certain whether she would reciprocate, though I can assume she would have an interest in joining the Dread Powers in the migration across other worlds.