WRITING CULTS - Terrible Writing Advice
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
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All praise JP and his holy word of Terrible Writing Advice as he instructs new initiates on how to write cults! Praised be to the divine Love Triangle!
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The best way to write a cult is to take a group of people whos opinions you're not fond of, and distort them into cartoonish crazies.
69 like lol
"What if these people actually where as crazy as I think they are?"
But I thought r/atheism came pre-packaged like that.
Jokes aside, I don't actually hate Atheists; just the ones who go out of their way to start shit at the very slightest mention of religion.
Don't have to they are doing that to themselves in real life.
Just make cis people a cult
“Mystery is an excellent substitute for substance” unironically sounds like something JJ Abrams would say
The mystery box is to JJ as the love triangle is to JP
He won't admit it that openly.
Actually tho, lol
*laughs in a dozen unfired Chekhov's Guns*
I would like this, if not for the fact thatbit already has EXACTLY 600 likes.
"We're not a cult. We just like robes."
This topic reminds me of the time I almost got recruited into a cult. Words to the wise, kids: Don't say "yes" to every person who walks up to you in college just because your parents and teachers tell you that joining clubs will "look good on your resume". Because tasting the suspicious-tasting tea isn't worth it, sometimes.
@u know me this is the first a random unrelated link on a youtube comment has been funny lol
Good thing I don't drink tea
You should join my cult instead. We have Kool-aid instead of tea and have much cooler robes cuz they're a darker shade of black!
I had some really fun times with funny tasting tea from college kids though. Drugs can be a common recruiting tool though so both of our stances can be true. So I guess just remember the age old term “nihil sub sōle novum” aka there’s nothing new under the sun if it seems like a cult it most likely is and it’s better to play it safe.
@@recitationtohear The Cult of the Earth Apple....allied with the Riding Thermals gang? I should have known!
Most of these videos boil down to "just research the blasted thing instead of copying what you saw in other stories" draped in heavy layers of sarcasm.
Plus it's not a TWA video without the love triangle! Gotta feign substance for cheap engagement bait to keep people coming back and feed the integrity black holes known as shareholders.
And yet so many writers, even supposed professional ones, just don't even bother with the most basic bits of research. Dan Brown, Ernest Cline, and E. L. James are some of the most prominent famous examples of that off the top of my head.
@@MusicoftheDamned I'm still remembering how Dan Brown made a description of Seville without not only having ever been to the city, but without even knowing what the Spanish overall development level is. He paints us as a 3rd world country, when we have better quality of life than the US.
@@podemosurss8316 That's sadly just one of his many, many writing research failures, to the point that I despair at how popular his books got and still are. Still, and I say this is an American, such a myopic worldview of other countries is basically par for the course in America sadly, where too many Americans either don't know a foreign country even exists, think it's inferior to America in *every* way (despite America being 1st like in practically nothing good besides military spending), or both.
The "joys" of large swathes of the populace basically being an "American is the greatest country ever with no faults at all!" cult is basically a picture perfect example of why nationalism and patriotism tend to be bad more often not. Pride in your country can be fine, I guess, but such pride requires actually *knowing* about your country, warts and all, as well as knowing about the other countries you're supposedly better than too. Meanwhile, these same people have overall worse healthcare than the rest of the "1st world countries" while thinking otherwise just because they're that willfully ignorant. It's so tiresome.
People tend to skip over this part, not realizing how interesting and engaging the process of research is. I absolutely love reading and learning about different things when I need to add them to the story. Armoured cars and heavy machinery? Amputations, disabilities and mental illnesses? Criminology? Cults? Fascist regimes? Speculative biology? Sign me in, because they are super interesting to research and I'm gonna spend nights after nights swallowing every single page on the internet about them, no kidding.
Fanfics and books would be much better if people did the same.
As an irl cult survivor I really appreciate this video. Pop culture ideas of cults can really influence people and make it more difficult for survivors to get help because real cults don't usually sound like the layman's idea of what a cult is. It's good to be aware of how these kinds of things work. Thanks JP
hope ur doing ok now
Respect to you for getting out. I hope your life has been picking up since then.
I'm glad you got out, and I hope you're doing fine.
While not exactly a cult, I've had to really pull back in communicating with my older brother because he's gone hardcore conspiracy theorist. Attempts to correct him just resulted in him becoming belligerent and aggressive and I decided it just wasn't worth it. Once he wore out trying to get me to move closer to his area for better jobs (which his area does have better jobs, but the pandemic allows me to now work remotely and I don't need to move to other places to find better work), he pretty much stopped talking to me at all. I think he found me way more stalwart than he was expecting, unable to sway me to his side/convert me as well and I'm proud I showed him I wasn't the meek little sister I once was. For my mental health, I have zero desire to ever live near him. As for helping him, I'm going to say he's beyond help from any external source.
What cult was it, if you don't mind me asking? and how did you get out? Always find it facinating. Were you born into it or did you "willingly" join it?
If you don't want to answer some random moron on the internet I understand but I am genuinly just curious.
Without saying what is a cult, some general tactics of cults are:
1) Love bombing - Everyone in this group loves you, you're amazing and welcomed
2) Contact Separation - Create barriers between you and anyone who might think differently from the cult. After all they don't love you and we do
3) Offering a Prize when you join - You can be wealthy/healthy/truly who you were meant to be if you join us
4) Getting you to agree you want the prize - Now that they know what you want, they can focus on that desire
5) Withholding the prize - You're always promised to get what you want if you were just a little more involved
6) Shaming you - If ever you decide the prize isn't worth it or try to express a mindset contrary to the cult the "unconditional love" turns into unending judgment until you return to the right way of thinking
7) Control of autonomy, environment, and information - You can only go to approved locations, be with approved people, watch approved news. Anything that would challenge the group's way of thinking is strictly restricted so only easily debunked attacks are allowed in to reinforce the belief that the cult is right
There's a lot of cults out there that aren't religious and don't have compounds, just sayin'
Sounds like woke ideology. Wokists are cultists after all.
Good advice. These behaviors are worth watching out for regardless of what you think is or is not a cult.
I'd argue that an inability to, or great difficulty to, truly leave would be another one. if they don't have the power to make you stay or return, then they don't really have power over you. and that's what most cults are all about.
@@casualspartan4532 I mean, that's ultimately the point of the isolation from both non-cult personal relationships and outside information/freedom to travel. Very few cults start off by locking you in prison; they control your money and time so you can't physically leave, give you information that makes it seem like leaving is a terrible idea, and distance you emotionally from your other relationships so you can't reach out to anyone or get a reality check.
@@cam4636 You forgot they also play HARD to that logical fallacy where the more you've already invested time/money/yourself into it the harder you'll cling to it despite proof to the contrary because you don't want to have wasted the resource you spent on them, too, on top of the control.
THE SUNK COST FALLACY that was the thing I was looking for. They use that along with the control aspects to have power over you.
I actually really like the idea of a cult whose paradise is exclusive to those who die in righteous combat but- because of the way the world is set up- there isn't a way for them to do that without being evil and having someone else righteously come for them.
Modern day Valhalla seekers?
ah yes The Good Place
Ah neopagans
@@sidecharacter7165 Modern day Crusaders?
WITNESS ME!!!
"remember that people are either evil or victims, never both"
honestly this is such a good message that you could probably write an entire story with this as the central theme
edit: yes i know the point of TWA and i know how this applies to this quote, my point is the exploration of how people can be *evil* and victims at the same time. as in people who do irredeemable things, but they are still victims of other tragedies
Reminds me of DREDD. There was a netrunner who was forced to work for Mama who is a crime lord.
Well I mean that's a thing that should be in most stories, maybe even all. Does not need to be core point, but just reminder that rarely things are black or white. Tho sometimes adding someone who is pure evil into a story where it's usually not the case may be good idea too idk
@@mrszmatan2727 Like most writing advice, it really depends on the kind of story you're trying to tell.
@@boobah5643 Agreed. I think pure evil would be perfectly okay if, for example, it was just a lighthearted adventure story that you're supposed to just sit back and enjoy rather than think super deeply about it.
I like both, sometimes I like black and white, good and evil, can't beat the classics.
Other times I like some greyness.
You neglected to mention that strategically killing the cult leader would run the risk of turning him into a matyr
This was a wise omission- nobody wants to think about moral dilemmas or consequences in the middle of a perfectly good power fantasy
I never got why that is supposed to matter, when they can inspire more people while alive. Historically, killing leaders has generally done less damage than keeping them alive. I still would chose keeping them alive if possible, but my personal ethics wouldn’t convince the hard people on the scene or with judicial authority.
Think of both French Emperors named Napoleon and Adolph Hitler. They were repeatedly captured and convicted of trying to forcibly overthrow the proper authorities, and were released after short stints in prison. Their imprisonment only made the leaders and their supporters much more determined and bloodthirsty.
@@ConnanTheCivilized certainly, in the case of political leaders
But then there's religious examples like Christ, and, uh
*Checks notes*
How does any of this relate to the love triangle anyway?
@@ConnanTheCivilized Huh, never thought about that.
@@byronsenior6499 Red herring logic, though.
Persecution is only effective until the leader dies, but if he dies "for the cause", you've got a source of ETERNAL persecution to milk.
Let's be real: do you think Christianity would be as widely popular as it is if Jesus hadn't died on the cross, but in old age in his 70s surrounded by loving friends and the people whose lives he changed, or even if he died alone in his 70s, ostracised and a pariah and persecuted by old testament-only orthodoxy until it was too risky to even mention his radical ideas for the time?
Cults will often have new members form relationships (romantic or otherwise) with an existing member to secure their loyalty. After the new member is sufficiently indoctrinated, the relationship will often be severed and the leader will fill that role, acting as a loving caregiver for the emotionally distraught recruit.
It's all psychological manipulation and taking advantage of people in emotionally vulnerable situations.
100%. I'd go as far as to say most all cults are sex cults of some description due to this trend. The cults themselves can even be a vehicle for the leaders to predate- often encouraging things like 'free love' and getting their members to give their in some cases young children to be abused by them.
So many books and movies write the ‘good’ side doing this without ever realizing this makes them the bigger, more terrifying threat. It’s truly terrifying how easy it is to unknowingly support tyrannical organizations through your writing. cough Harry Potter
This has just given me an idea for an orphaned character who finds a friend, and that friend's family is part of a cult. After a while the cult leader distances them little by little, and then starts to emotionally manipulate and abuse the recently orphaned character into a mindset that will secure their loyalty and make them feel like a terrible person and experience guilt for even considering that the cult is bad. They grow up believing this, only for them to meet a person later in life that helps them cut ties with the cult. The cult will come up later in the story and test the character's strength.
@@sapphirewings8638This seems a little too real. Iirc orphans, runaways and generally people with little in the way of family connections are some of the most likely to end up in a cult.
@@ConnanTheCivilizedbro please tell me when tf that happened in Harry Potter
Also please tell me the part where Harry Potter promoted cults
The love triangle has a perfect symbol for their cult attached to their name already :)
That is the video we all want. Solely dedicated to writing love triangles.
the triforce?
You see, it's super symbolic. The triangle forms the capital greek letter delta, commonly used to denote change. A gradual change in the nature of love from unconditional to conditional, from inviting to controlling.
I think part of the reason why the abusive nature of a cult is not included in a lot of fiction is because what the cult is praying to and sacrificing for actually exists within the work of fiction. If there really was a pagan god of wealth and the sacrifices I offered were bringing me that wealth, I wouldn't need to convince people to give me their money. If my cult members were also reaping the rewards of those sacrifices, then they would not need to be gaslit and isolated to stay with the cult.
While that is a good point, I think both could be employed. Sure, wealth and prosperity is super cool, but most people have reservations about achieving that through violent/deadly means. It's not like there's a huge pool of psychopaths just ready to go at all times in every town. Sometimes you've gotta convince normal people that either A) killing in general is fine because you're part of the chosen few and thus are above regular morality, B) the people you're sacrificing are evil/posessed and needed to be killed anyway, or C) that killing them is a good thing actually and that they're lucky they're going to be rewarded in the afterlife for their sacrifice. Maybe all of the above if you really wanna hammer home the manipulation by switching up the story a bunch.
Anything to get people on board with the intricate and dangerous rituals that the cult leader needs them to perform
Or who knows, maybe their just a niche religion in-story.
@@mariustan9275 But that niche religion has a bone to pick with someone in the story, hence the protagonists going on a quest to fight them. Perhaps it could even be out right called out as a crusade.
@@Barakon Perhaps. Maybe the empire/country they are in doesn't liek another religion and sends the protagonists to take them out, only for the protagonists to realize they are essentially purging a religious minority.
And the story is about accpeting that some people have differnet beliefs and cultures and that everybody should be able to live as a human being.
"'Scuse me, are y'all with the cult?"
"We're not a cult. We're an organization that promotes love and-"
"Yeah, this is it."
Damn
“We pwomote fweedumb”
@@rumblebird9888 I smell heresy. Brother, get the flamer. The Heavy Flamer.
The colonists before killing native Americans 😃.
Also Ig every holiday is a cult, no celebration of love !>:(
@@edgystuffretarkidnormcring330 what are you trying to say?
As someone who likes researching cults, I appreciate the digs at Scientology.
I would recommend Scientology and the Aftermath on Netflix, Growing up Scienctology TH-cam channel and while I haven't read it yet I've heard that the book Going Clear goes in depth for on Scientology. Mother's Basement did two videos on Happy Science, a Japanese cult. I've mostly focused on those two science I started, I also read Jehovah's Witnesses Answered by David A Reed and devolves, from a former JW turned actual Christian, how JW corrupted the gospel for the cult. You should look up Steven's Hassan's BITE model for the general tactics used by cults. I thinking about doing a deep dive into Mormonism next so I'd be able to give soon resources to that cult too soon.
@Ray Merlin Bohemian Grove if you don't mind some politics mixed in.
@@a.p907 If you want to address the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be sure to define the word "cult" well and describe in what ways it applies to that church without applying to others. There are a surprising number of misrepresentations of the Church of Jesus Christ in the media, but when you see it for yourself, it becomes clear that "cult" is not an appropriate term for describing the religion. If you have particular concerns, I'd be happy to address them, because I am very familiar with the religion.
@@00Fisher00 thank you for your comment. I meant no disrespect towards anyone currently a Mormon; I was simply saying I would be studying and learning more about it. I like to compare cults and other religions to Christianity to see where they reject/try to copy the Bible. If you like to discuss further i would be happy to provide a means to talk without blowing up TWA's comment section.
@Ray Merlin Owen Morgan (telltale) is a channel here on youtub from an ex-jehovah's witness, it's pretty interesting
There are two types of writing cults.
Fictional cults and fanatical fandoms.
*like fanfiction cults with millions of positive bot reviews and likes?*
Honestly you can a lot of information of cult by looking at fandom, given how apeshit some fans can be
💛💛💛
Don't you dare insult [insert character here]!
True that
West of loathing parodied all of this, with one of my favorite quest items being an "order for 140 black hooded cowls" that actually helps you track them down. It's hilarious.
West of loathing fan out in the wild, I never thought I would see the day!
Perfect my generic evil cult now will be even more evil and generic. But I do need another red herring cult on the side.
The red herring cult which serves the evil cult, or is some sort of rival to the generic evil cult?
@@pendragon0905 I think it would be the generic evil cult that is similar in vision to the bigger and badder, even more generic evil cult, but is actually nowhere even close to finishing their vision of bringing forth their generic evil Dark Lord while the stronger generic evil cult is close to summoning their generic evil Dark Lord
No the red herring cult would have depth and designed features to show how its not generic evil, but incompetent writing.
The red herring cult is a bunch of people with robes and creepy pseudonyms, but partway through you realize they're just cosplayers.
They serve the Red Herring, obviously. Why else be a Red Herring cult?
"And cultists are never children, unless they're being sacrificed..." HAH! Tell that to past me during a CoC adventure when we're searching a house of a fire cult and I found a cute little girl hiding in a closet that I thought was just a scared little girl--right up until she pulled out a water pistol (awwwww) and sprayed me with kerosene then lit me on fire.
Ad kids are püerect to let people have their guards down, and gamilies pretty much are in cults too. Ok i took that from the adventists, but children used to let peopl have their guard dow, is in eallife a tactic. No reason to not have it in fiction.
Wow, unexpected, terrifying, and actually a pretty decent attack. Did your character live?
Oh good gracious we got a little TF2 Pyro over here
@@laststand6420 yes, but only because I'm a paranoid player when it comes to CoC. The moment we got an inkling the fire department was actually filled with potential fire worshiping cult members, my character immediately went to a uniform store and bought up fireman equipment. Everyone in the party thought I was nuts. GM was a wee bit annoyed.
Did the content creator forget about the Hitler Youth? Or the many terrorist cells that recruit or draft children?
I met a cult recruiter once. He invited me to dinner and I said yes out of curiosity. He canceled our plans after I asked if the cult had a dress code.
This is making me realize that Starlight's cult in My Little Pony is legitimately better written than a lot of cults from media aimed at an older audience with more freedom over the content of their stories
"You can't have a nightmare, if you never dream" 🎶
I just realized that that was a cult. And a well written one too.
I've been obsessed with cults ever since Mystic Messenger and My Little Pony
Gotta love well written cult stories
Oh yeah, part of what makes that two-parter so weirdly SCARY for a kids' show is how on the _nose_ it is. She uses some RL cult techniques, such as the not letting you sleep and constantly piping on propaganda. That sh*t is scary because unfortunately, it WORKS. Those episodes are SO dark.
"You can't have a nightmare if you never dream!"
That is legitimately the most horrifying thing I've ever heard...
Nothing shall stop us from making us whole again, Isaac...except a love triangle!
*what about an anti-triangle?...sort of a plot related matter antimatter reaction?*
but what about... *a Love Dodecahedron?*
All praise the holy love triangle of our great elder gods!
For fucks sake, who at EA thought it was a good idea to put a love triangle into Dead Space 3. Not even a good one at that as the other guy was a complete asshole who derided you the entire time and then tried to kill you but the woman still yells at you for killing him in self-defense.
*Every horror writer in the 2010’s*: WRITE THAT DOWN, WRITE THAT DOWN!
I was gonna say some names... but I might trigger some people....
@@user-qn8xf4ct8d let the trigger happen, I want to know it
Remember that attacking and/or prosecuting the leader(s) and members of an ideological group NEVER resembles persecution (nor has it ever actually crossed into that territory), so direct blows to the organization is always the best route to victory. I'm sure that those who have been indoctrinated past the point of reason will come to their senses when the establishment they have lost all faith in has literally come after them.
Is this /j or /srs I actually can't tell 💀
@@doublinx2 It was sarcasm. Perhaps I should work on my delivery. I don't know how J.P. does it!
@@annalisasauter7935 It’s always hard to interpret an intended message. Perhaps people should actually think for themselves? No, that would be bad! 😉
@@ConnanTheCivilized Gotcha. 😉
@@annalisasauter7935 it's harder in general to convey sarcasm with only written words, as sarcasm relies heavily on tone of voice
This reminds me of the Eragon books, there was an evil cult that mutilated themselves as an act of worship towards their gods, which were two people-eating monsters
Their leader was so mutilated, he was just a torso and a head
I never understood how they managed to recruit people
Eragon is ass, I couldn't even get past the first chapter. It's all annoying big fancy names that are hard to memorise, in big towns with fancy big names that are hard to memorise.
The people-eating monsters were really cool at least. I think that this mix between bird and insect where the flying adult carries the bipedal larva around is super creative.
@@literallygrass1328 There's a map at the beginning of the book. Or just don't bother memorizing anything, it's not that complicated.
You’re saying you can’t handle books made by a teenager because they’re too complicated….
@@Dw00010 the book isn't complicated, there's just like 50 long ass names dumped on you in the first chapter.
I was literally just thinking about writing a cult. Thank you for the amazing writing advice :)
*starting
Just don't turn them into a "Planet of Hats" and you'll be fine.
Don't forget to add love triangle
Is it a cult that likes the bots comments? Cause that would be pretty relevant and explain why anyone would like the spam bot comments. Funny enough heavens gate did a lot of early programming for websites back in the day to fund their creep show. Some cults like the Manson family got lucky and had their relatively minor law breaking covered by the feds for some totally not mk ultra related reasons but other cults actually had to earn their money through semi-legit means. There’s also the yellow turban rebellion that can give you inspiration on the type of environment a cult can bloom in. There was also a cult that released a nerve agent in a subway that was mostly made of well educated upper class people that can show that class and social status of any level can be a cults target, Anyway good luck and I hope it works out for you. Really looking into how and what makes a cult a cult can be super depressing. Also look into longer lasting cults that survive past their founder and what happens if you can find any.
On a totally unrelated note: check out L. Ron Hubbards the founder of scientology’s early science fiction work. The fact my phone auto corrects the spelling so well is absolutely not creepy or concerning like any of their other selective auto corrections :D
Oh yeah, and i can also recommend you check out TheraminTrees, he does a lot of videos about psychology, religion, and how they intersect, especially in the context of religious indoctrination.
“Mystery is an excellent substitute for substance.”
That quote has a lot of explanatory power.
My first thought when considering humanizing cults:
[Player kills Cult Member 1]
Cult Member 2: KEITH! NOOOO!!!
cult member 3: oh my god! dad!
what's weird is one of the best written cults ive ever seen is the mythic dawn from oblivion. their ideologies make internal sense and the little bits of exposition you get throughout the game flesh them out way better than any standard cult. especially the second to last mission.
Again recruiting seems tough
"Hey do you want to ruin your perfect empire in favor of a demon infested one? Sign up here to help kill the emperor and bing in thr chaos and death!" Lol
I made something like the Mythic Dawn crossed with HYDRA. They’re trying to awaken Chaos because they believe the world will be reborn from its destruction. There are several high-ranking members of the government involved, voluntarily or through blackmail, who fund and support their efforts.
@@dragonfireink139 Never underestimate the power of charismatic spin. Something like, “Don’t you want to be part of a greater destiny? To shape the very future of the world? Join us, and you will go down in the annals of history forever.”
The touch I really like there were sleeper agents. They attack player on sight after a point in Main Quest but before that moment they're just normal NPCs you can talk with. Most of them are uninteresting but there's that angsty free-thinker one in Skingrad and that altmer lady in Bravil who "Works as a cook and is fine now but she's still recovering from bad company she was tangled in". It seems like she was in a gang and then joined a cult.
Well, they are more of a religion or society considering their beliefs are mostly true.
This video showed me I'm going in the right direction with my demon cult! (They serve a demon, but only because they think they have no choice, and each character is treated with sympathy even as they serve as antagonists.) Thanks JP!
Sounds great!
So, the big church excommunicate them and they start their own faith?
I think another great example of a fictional cult is Suguru Geto's group from "Jujutsu Kaisen", as their ideals lie in a philosophy that the world should belong to Jujutsu Sorcerers and them alone, and wish to kill everyone who isn't one with Geto recruiting various cursed spirits and sorcerers.
It might be more interesting if the cult doesnt realize they're worshipping a demon in the first place.
They think they're worshipping a noble god thats actually using them.
@@Elonyx.studios And have one of revelation being the freeze-frame bonus in the vision "the lord is lying, we were bamboozled!"
"It's perfectly okay to dehumanize the cultists--after all, it's not as if that's what the cults themselves do or anything!" Oh. OOOHHHHH. Oh wow. If I hadn't been subscribed for years you would've just gotten a subscriber. I live in a place with a lot of IRL cultists and this...this hits HARD. I know SO many people who need to see this, even if it is "just" satire. Thank you, JP. Thank you for saying what needs to be said sometimes.
I wished so hard JP would
make a Video all about Chris Chibnal and/or Hollywood
really 'praising' them.
*Noble:* "Curses, hero! How did you find out that I was the one controlling the cult from behind the scenes?!?"
*Hero:* "I beat a cultist until he told me. Turns out, being crazy doesn't make you immune to pain."
*Noble:* "Mooooom, the hero is cheating again!"
*Hero:* "AM NOT!"
*Noble:* "ARE TOO!"
*Mom:* _Sigh_
Apart from when being crazy *does* make you immune to pain
@@zandbergx9747 That's not so much a "crazy" thing as a "sky-piercingly high" thing. Any idea how much lead you have to put into a rampaging meth-head before they get the memo?
@@zandbergx9747 time and motivation > crazy. Cultist aren’t all foaming at the mouth zealots either.
I like the implications that the mom also has power over the hero...which makes me think that the Hero and evil Noble are siblings
@@zandbergx9747 or enjoy the pain
Hero: *beats up cult member* "tell me who . . .ARE YOU FUCKING AROUSED RIGHT NOW"
cult member: "ohhh, harder daddy!"
Most cults will try to do everything in their power to try and appear as "totally not a cult".
So you know. If you're trying to write a cult, don't make them so obviously, publicly evil.
Sometimes real life cults are as simple as wanting more Rolexes and Ferraris
And getting laid. A LOT.
Oh yes, the hustle cult(ure).
No, a cult is built around individual persons having power over other persons. Hustle culture is a mindset, a mentality. While I am sure that there are “motivational speakers” or “training camps” that use the culture as a guise to shape cults, the mentality itself is not a cult.
Easy checklist, does a group demand money or time from you while pushing it as a morally correct thing to do? If not, it’s probably not a cult. If so, remember that the both the neighborhood grandma and a cult will do this, so proceed cautiously.
and then you get one billion dollars in damages. You can't boycott cults, kids.
@@CameronSMoore i believe they're saying that real life cults mostly exist to get the leaders wealthy rather than having anything to do with hustle culture. like osho (the ragneeshes leader) who had 99 rolls royces (and wanted 365 of them so he could have a new one to take out each day of the year) due to cult-accumulated wealth and gifts.
"There are never children in the cult!"
Me writing my horror novel: 😏
"Living" children :p
Which is a trifle weird, because back in the 1970s and 1980s there were very famous horror movies and novels about demonic children. Also, Stephen King's "Children of the Corn"!
Oh, no....... I don't like that emoji (in this context)................
And some don't have women or men. How do they reproduce?
Creepy children are the best of fictional cult.
I've been thinking about starting a cult. Thanks man!
*AYO WHAT THE FUUUUU-*
Can we join?
is it like money making cult or like baby sacrificing/eating one?
I wanna join
@@mrszmatan2727 why not both?
JP doesn't get enough credit for his ad segments. They are freaking incredible. DL's character development from bad to good-adjacent is one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
Another thing that is missed a lot is that a lot of gangs operate like cults.
I mean societies are cults(or conspiracies if you prefer that term). What makes a Canadian, and what makes a Canada?
@@sidecharacter7165 No cults have that uthoriterian putting the cult as personality intead one .
And you cant judge that just with online intraction, a online thats a persona , not that so xy are a cult needs more than being annoyed by a a person.
But like authoritrian groups are kinda cults.
@@marocat4749 All societies are authoritarian by definition bro. You have to imprison or slaughter all who dissent from the status quo or it will be overthrown. There was good reason the Pledge of Allegiance was mandated in schools, even if it went against the ideas of freedom in the US. “One nation under god(should have gone gods), indivisible(we are all together), with liberty and justice for all.(We are the good guys)
@@marocat4749 Aren't lots of authoritarian groups built around individuals sort of "cults of personality?"
A fictional example being the brotherhood of nod. Built around the figurehead Kane.
@@JakeBaldwin1 Yep, becaus its a way to control peopl and kp uncritical support, and keep that uncritical. with regular gradually stronger brainwashing and propaganda, and taught selfbrainwashing.
Oh there is the isolating rom family and friends too im many cases
"mystery is an excellent substitute for substance", that was genius
For bonus points, give a sympathetic or perspective role to a character before revealing their cult associations. Maybe to use this as a chance to show the cult's inner workings, or to leave that character trying to serve two masters between their cult loyalties and their new friends?
Can also allow a relatively benign fringe religion to add extra flavour to the world and its people, especially showing how those beliefs colour their thoughts in strange ways. Like Xoti from Pillars of Eternity 2, a country girl and death priestess whose mission in life is harvesting the souls of the dead for the reincarnation they deserve.
The Owl House has a pretty accurate representation of a cult.
Absolutely the most fun I've had in a D&D game that was cult related was having the party Warlock realize the cultist's they were tracking were dedicated to their patron. Which made it rather awkward when they simply offered up their lives to 'The Bound One' freely when the party busted down the front gate, outright letting attacks from the Warlock hit them while fighting defensively against the rest of the party. Absolutely the most fun I've had with internal party awkwardness in a game.
One night at Bicolline, me and some friends were chatting on the main road under a street when a crowd of hooded figures circled us and started chanting "we are not a cult, we are not a cult..."
Funniest thing all week, we all had fun with that one 😆
I heard once, 'if it requires everything (as in your home, income, faith, time, ALL OF IT), and most of that goes to the boss, it's probably a cult'
That works, but also applies to anything (taxes, employers, clubs, friends , relatives) if you let them. Ultimately we (grown adults, taking advantage of minors is different) only have ourselves to blame for depending on some person or cause at too much expense to our own health. It’s all about balance and personal decisions.
Example of balanced interest: Enjoying content and reading fanfiction while enjoying other things.
Example of cult like but non-violent behavior: Donating most of your income to any cause whatsoever, sacrificing your education and shunning “unworthy” family.
Examples of criminal obsession: Stalking celebrities when they clearly want a moment to themselves, or literally attacking people who write about your celebrity/friend whatever.
These are all things Star Wars fans have done: all the way up to religious bombings. A fan has more to blame for their behavior than anyone exploiting them. If a TH-camr claimed Kathleen Kennedy was to blame for a bad SW movie, it’s still up to the fan not to use it as an excuse to attack women in general, despite the fascist atmosphere.
@@ConnanTheCivilized That's fair, I think. However, if we're really talking a cult, there are generally people in charge, and they make it very _very_ hard for you to leave. you're a pawn more than a planner. (Really this video does it justice).
The best way to write a cult is to have the cult leader be a lamb that recruits other animals by doing Animal Crossing-style tasks for them
Haaaaah. I see what you did there!
that sounds funny and interesting xD
So the cult of capitalism? lol
Can you buy that game on PC or just switch and Ps5?
@@malenaavalos7829 Yes. And also on XBOX stuff and PS4
Now I'm ready to reléase my incredible book, full of dead memes, cómic relieve, info dump that is half of the book (and of course, most of them is uselesss and just filler), with a mentor how dies after chapter 2 (between the sea of info dump) and a villain as empty as a cardboard. Sadly, I decided to no make a love triangle. I know that this gonna break you, but why be happy to just have 3 people in love when I can make that everyone (also the villain) can fell in love with my alter ego, I mean, main character?
😉😉🤣🤣🤣
Did you remember to commit word crimes?
@ Noise!
Get it? I’m sooo funney! Please validate me! - a commenter
@@ConnanTheCivilized What?
it's really interesting how expansive the TWA expanded universe got. really feeling the Shonen Power Escalation and Rising Momentum in this one.
Whoever made twitter is an expert on this topic
Jack Dorsey? Idk, seems a little bit of a stretch to me. Seems closer to your standard lazy, microdosing tech bro
@@genzo454 damn your floor must be very nice cause that joke went straight over your head
@@FrostyFrosto yes.
No they are an expert at creating drama thou.
4chan
A key factor in writing a fictional cult (whether the literal, religious kind, or a more secularized version) is that, in fiction, many of the outlandish promises that cult leaders make can actually manifest in reality. Or, at least, they have a greater likelihood of being potentially real, even if it would be hilarious to reveal the local evil cult is just a pyramid scheme and the leader takes the money and runs as the heroes close in on them.
But if you venerate a dark god who promises endless wealth and eternal life in exchange for the blood of the innocent, well, there's a decent chance the god can actually deliver on that promise. The power of a forbidden god can smite your enemies, purge incurable illnesses, bring forth crops from barren soil, and teach you how to fold your laundry without ever leaving a wrinkle. And that adds a wrinkle to all the people who pledge themselves to the god, because there are potential tangible rewards for their loyalty and sacrifice.
Ooh, I've always been obsessed with cults ever since I saw The Quilt Club from Courage the Cowardly Dog; this is gonna be great! 🤩
“Wacos out fine” I feel terrible for laughing at that.
Wouldn't be a cult video without mentioning the Catholic church or Waco, and I'm glad JP acknowledged that cults can bd born of religion
@@Torakosama as a Catholic I'm interested in how some cults can really go nuts about God.
Like the Waco guy thought he was the messiah, freaky.
@@kingofcards9516- A lot of religious people visit Jerusalem and go over the edge. There's a fellow who thinks he's King David, and I'm sure he gets photographed a lot.
@@julietfischer5056 lol.
@@kingofcards9516 yea he was nutty but the feds still did everything they could do wrong then posed on ashes, the feds still refuse to accept this and praise those fed agents that ended all those innocent children.
"Mystery is an excellent substitute for substance". That quote should be on a panel in every writing class ever
The hoods do come in bulk, gives the new acolytes to decorate as they come in. They work in and own costume production factories use the rectangular off cuts to make the robes for the cult. The face company gets to have a "cloaks for kids" campaign for the holidays.
The Cult works in mysterious ways... Like forcing you to pause and read every piece of dialogue.
"We aren't a cult, we're just a fun bunch of people having a good time"
Oh my Herman…
Good old Religitology
Now here I was hoping this episode was about some mysterious cult of writers, but this is also good.
Same here.
We are always open to new members at the Brotherhood of the Blank Page.
@@sanfransiscon How can I join?
My sister and her gal pals are scary and love being sadistic writers...
I loved that joke with the “magitology” well done J.P. 🤣👍
Okay I can relate. Writing a charismatic character is so hard when you're a socially awkward introvert XD
One day I aspire to write a novel that follows all his advice so I can make the best worst book ever
This is the reason why I love Midsommar so much. Not only do they have a different look than just "dark brooding hooded figures", but it also shows how they can recruit people to join. Cults always use what someone wants and what they went through to entice them into joining them. And Dani there is also a victim AND did evil things at the end, pushed through trauma and the cult's actions.
I actually work educating people about real-life high control groups and gaslighting, etc. You're surprisingly spot-on and SO funny! Seriously; do you have Lifton, Singer, and Hassan's books on your shelf? Thank you for giving me a much-needed laugh.
Man, having one of the main villans in your add section is impressive that it took you so long to make a video about these.
The generic robes are very important for cultists. That way you know they're only faceless mobs to farm for exp and you don't need to consider the morality of killing them.
This channel has influenced my writing more than I’d like to admit… but I will not contend it has driven me to avoid any hint of a love triangle at ALL COSTS.
This is why i always make at least 2 of the Main Protagonist Trio be related
@@kirbyfazendoummoonwalk9214 Oh so you can make the one not related be in a relationship with both of the others and create some family drama now too...RIGHT?...RIGHT!? lol
To the contrary, I'm going head first into a love triangle and all its trashy goodness 😅
You can, just make it matter in whatever way and build up with not just cupboard characters.
Lik lovetriangle can be really good for a story, when they fit in the story.
@@michaelwells529 I thought he did it to give an incest option
10:25 As a resident of Waco, I was waiting for that joke but I didn't expect it to land THAT well.
The dark lord is quickly becoming a multifaceted and deep character. I love to see this blank slate becoming something genuine due to circumstances. The irony is delicious and he's one of my fav characters now lmao.
"D grade, dated science fiction story" that is one of the best descriptions of the book of Mormon that I have ever seen.
And the Church of Scie...er...Happyology.
I have a protagonist who was born into a cult and escaped, I recommend looking into religious trauma, C-PTSD and PTSD for the psychological part, also remember that it's better to search for people who have first hand experience talking about whatever you're researching rather than *only* reading/listening to professionals, having both is the best :)
I featured a goddess worshiping cult in a creative writing assignment of mine a while ago. It was in a steampunk/gaslight fantasy setting (an alternate reality 1886) with a mercenary protagonist who discovers these her sister was sucked into the cult and attempts to rescue her while hunting down and eventually destroying the cult by killing the prominent members one by one.
On a side note, the only cult I can think of is the Templar Order from Assassin's Creed.
I remember the revanites from star wars
Not really a cult, just crazy historians with stupid names
The fact that an entire bloodline has not thought the name darkspanner was a stupid surname is the most unbelievable part of this space opera about laser sword wizards
The channel illuminaughtii has done videos on a good number of them, if you want to find out about some others. Jonestown is a very popular and sad one.
Edit: Sorry, I'm guessing you were referring to fictional cults. There's one in one of the Far Cry games, if I remember the series correctly. Not played the game myself, but I've seen the leader character before.
Esoteric Order of Dagon in _The Shadow Over Innsmouth_ by H.P. Lovecraft.
Th jedi at least the ones in th movies are kinda a cult. The sith too, but the jedi too.
Th 100 has several cults, te on about bloodreina, who is a main character ho goes to a bad place, and i fun and even undertandable.
If yopu want real motivation, hannah reloaded does good fun, and often sad covering o a surprising an weird and educative variety of cults and how they work, fun, somehow.
@@marocat4749 The Jedi aren't a cult, the sith yes but not the jedi
The second novel in my series was about a cult (The Sky Valley Cult). I've been sweating nervously and darting my eyes this whole video o_0
Haha! I know how that feels.
Can relate a lot, I often write stuff that is a twist of a commen "bad trope" and am never sure, if it is twisted far enough so people will not be upsad by association anyway or well just not like it.
Love triangles, amnesia, rivals to lovers,.....
What is the books name?
@@kylienielsen6975 Teenage Wastelands: The Rise and Fall of the Sky Valley Cult
I really needed this, because, uh, for some misterious reason... my story if full of cults.
Don't ask the sinister men in black robes behind me why.
I want to see all the ad skits in a compilation, I need the TWA expanded universe!
Thank you for acknowledging how cultish MLMs can be. As someone whose parents got roped into one such (well known) shitshow for a decade...I appreciate people coming to the realization
1:40 and it was with this one MS paint graphic of an office building that JP became the target of 50 lawsuits
"They'll just go in guns a blazing like a bunch of cowboys and hope it all wacos out fine" did not expect a Waco siege reference lmao.
I’m so glad we’re finally getting an episode on this!
The only cult I can think of is the Templars from Assassin's Creed
@@unicorntomboy9736 I haven’t seen anything Assassins Creed related but generally speaking I think think most fictional cults are quite terribly written because like the video showed, they tend to ignore the humanity of the cultists. Back in high school I actually knew someone in Scientology. He was very sweet, kind, smart, and funny, but unfortunately he was in a cult. (His parents were the ones who got him into it). He clearly wasn’t getting proper treatment for his ADHD because of Scientology’s hardcore anti psychiatry stance and he ultimately dropped out of school. I hope someday he’ll finally leave but I’m not sure it’s likely to happen.
I've been on a creepy video binge again last week so this topic is perfect
Wake up, babe, new Terrible Writing Advice video just dropped!
In all seriousness though, thank you, your videos helped me a lot when I’m making my own stories.
J.P is a great author and teacher
I am thinking of making a stereotypical cult just for comedic purposes, but slowly gets actually creepy and it has something to do with a innocent 16-year-old loser that joins it (maintaining comedic) so I can put the audience to an uncomfortable position and to decide if he could be redeemed or not. It's really hard, but I am coming with great ideas :D
Given how close we are to November, I was absolutely waiting for the writing cult to be about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the crazy cult of writers. hahaha
November is the start of the holidays. Oh ooohh, I know what you're talking about. Those damn ballot talks...
"Cult"... What a convenient way to write "misrepresentation of group I don't like, full of straw men, for my mouthpiece characters to throw cheap potshots at".
Always impressed, JP.
If you're looking for inspiration for your cult, I suggest researching as many real life cults as you can find. Read/listen to interviews from former cult members.
There's a common theme of average people being brain washed through isolation and manipulation. That's what makes it so tragic. A cult is 99% people who simply wanted to find a sense of belonging and community. The other 1% is the leaders who just want to exert control over others.
This is the one channel where I just can't skip the sponsorship... I'm way too invested in the plot!
as someone who’s writing a cult in a halloween one-shot for D&D, this has been pretty helpful
The cult I made for my story are too busy running about half naked to worry about their hood budget.
Well hopefully they look good to draw in more attractive members and make it look like an exercise group as a cover.
@@sidecharacter7165 Fitness Trainer: “You can do it! For Cuthulu of course! Now sacrifice that bottle of Gatorade. What, even cults need sponsorships?”
"Mystery is an excellent substitute for substance."
Goddamn, just summed up JJ Abrams entire approach to storytelling.
The thing many people aren't fond of discussing is how "cult" is an academically neutral term, one that has such a negative stigma only in relatively modern times.
Many old religions - especially in the Greco-Roman world - were considered cults and were not offended to be called such.
And it's not even an Organized vs Disorganized religion thing, since the Imperial Cult was a state sponsored religious institution in the Roman Empire.
So yeah, feel free to shake up to the narrative by making cults neutral or ambivalently aloofm
Wow this is perfect timing! I'm doing a cult like group in my story (its a little different) and luckily it looks like I'm sort of on the right track lol. There are some stuff that needs fleshing out and overall work but it's coming along. Amazing video!
Also make sure to NEVER mention, especially if doing a cult in the 'real world', how many cults, whether starting off or end up doing so, are deeply steeped in crime. Anywhere from sexual and violent crime (beating members, sexual abuse including of minors, polygamy also again usually with minors, and so on), drug creation/smuggling, gun smuggling, intimidation, bribery, kidnapping, and so on. Or even if it's not a crime, things such as 'Alpha pack' mentality (basically where members are trained to submit to higher ups, sometimes just a specific higher up, in the cult, and then anyone who does not comply is punished severely until they do. Usually ties in with polygamy as well where one man has many wives, doubly so for the leader who will take the daughters of other influential members of the cult as wives or maintain loyalty to the cult by threatening to marry a daughter to someone who the family knows would abuse or otherwise harm her).
I've been involved in a number of cults, both as a leader and a follower.
You have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader.
Love that his cult is the love triangle 😂
Your end sponsor arc is now what I look forward to just as much as the main topic. Why is it so compelling and deep in lore? It's almost like you didn't use ANY terrible writing advice in plotting it, lol.
He does use it, but he’s a master of delivery and endlessly creative. I really envy JP.
Am I the only one who would watch a Compilation of all of the ad reads to just enjoy the story?
JP's videos are so good I have to usually watch them 2 or three times. I love that because of the way you pose the topic it immediately gets me rethinking those aspects of my story while watching the video.
One of the better takes on this whole "weird evil cult" trope recently is Horde Prime's empire from the Netflix She-Ra reboot that was completed a few years ago. For all of the "evil empire" imagery that the Horde was known for in the show, it was merely an offshoot of an even bigger and more evil space empire led by Hordak, an exiled member of Horde Prime's cult who was thrown away for being defective, and up until the final season was doing stereotypical "take over the world" stuff evil empires are infamous for just to prove himself worthy to Horde Prime. As much as the Horde led by Horde Prime might be the classic "evil empire" that conquers worlds and destroys anyone who opposes or disobeys them, in reality, it is more like an evil cult dedicated to worshipping Horde Prime like a god. While it has the standard stereotypical evil cult stuff such as fanatically religious followers, indoctrination and brainwashing, and hatred of anyone who doesn't follow the rules of the cult, it starkly contrasts with stereotypical depictions of evil cults since it uses "good religion" rhetoric like "cast out the shadows", "bring peace and order to the universe" and "Horde Prime's light" rather than being dedicated to some stereotypical evil god of darkness. It really reflects what Horde Prime is as a character: a narcissistic, selfish and abusive asshole with a god complex who wants to take over the entire universe and force it to bend to his will.
Narcissistic is bit of a understatement considering most of his army is literally clones of himself.
ah finally, my favorite villain, cult leader, gets an episode
JP I’ve never been so hooked on ads. Please tell me you’re going to make a compilation of all your end segments when it ends, because im considering binging them all again just for the insane story you’ve built here 😂❤
Ya know this video made me really appreciate the introduction of the cult in full metal alchemist with father cornello
Praise the Omnissiah! Another great video!
I admit I haven't been following it super closely, but the Expanded Universe plotline is incredibly engaging! I can't believe the videos have been monetized!
Please do videos on the following: Fantasy quests, maguffins and writing about college.
This is a video about college life.
My own story I’ve been working on sets the antagonists as a cult that takes on characteristics of millenarian peasant revolts in history. The idea was that they were sick of an ailing monarchy supported by a corrupt priesthood, and developed a philosophy that the gods are all dead and the priesthood and monarchy must be overthrown and that mankind must build his own paradise on Earth apart from any gods or kings. The millenarian aspect of their order drives them to invade neighboring countries, which leads to the conflict of the story. The protagonists themselves are mercenaries from another foreign country that is loyal neither to the cult nor the religion that the cult sprang off from, so they themselves have to decide where their allegiances lie.
can you try to gt a high position in the cult to resourceful try to reducee the dogma slowly and yield it as way to change a frustrating opressive status quo, and maybe assasinate problematic figures insid it?!
that's some very scary hat-makers :)
Isn't that basic marxism ?
I literally just watched “Paradise” on DS9. This is fate.
Why the fuck have I never thought about making a cult named "magicology!?" So simple yet so brilliant!