#mob mentality

[odinsblog]

In the darkest chapter of German history, during a time when incited mobs threw stones into the windows of innocent shop owners and women and children were cruelly humiliated in the open; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young pastor, began to speak publicly against the atrocities.

After years of trying to change people’s minds, Bonhoeffer came home one evening and his own father had to tell him that two men were waiting in his room to take him away.

In prison, Bonhoeffer began to reflect on how his country of poets and thinkers had turned into a collective of cowards, crooks and criminals. Eventually he concluded that the root of the problem was not malice, but stupidity.

In his famous letters from prison, Bonhoeffer argued that stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice, because while “one may protest against evil; it can be exposed and prevented by the use of force, against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here. Reasons fall on deaf ears.”

Facts that contradict a stupid person’s prejudgment simply need not be believed and when they are irrefutable, they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this, the stupid person is self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.

For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. If we want to know how to get the better of stupidity, we must seek to understand its nature.

This much is certain, stupidity is in essence not an intellectual defect but a moral one. There are human beings who are remarkably agile intellectually yet stupid, and others who are intellectually dull yet anything but stupid.

The impression one gains is not so much that stupidity is a congenital defect but that, under certain circumstances, people are made stupid or rather, they allow this to happen to them.

People who live in solitude manifest this defect less frequently than individuals in groups. And so it would seem that stupidity is perhaps less a psychological than a sociological problem.

It becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power, be it of a political or religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. Almost as if this is a sociological-psychological law where the power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.

The process at work here is not that particular human capacities, such as intellect, suddenly fail. Instead, it seems that under the overwhelming impact of rising power, humans are deprived of their inner independence and, more or less consciously, give up an autonomous position.

The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us from the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him.

He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and is abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil – incapable of seeing that it is evil.

Only an act of liberation, not instruction, can overcome stupidity. Here we must come to terms with the fact that in most cases a genuine internal liberation becomes possible only when external liberation has preceded it. Until then, we must abandon all attempts to convince the stupid person.

Bonhoeffer died due to his involvement in a plot against Adolf Hitler, at dawn on 9 April 1945 at Flossenbürg concentration camp - just two weeks before soldiers from the United States liberated the camp.

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Theory of Stupidity

#politics #dietrich bonhoeffer #republicans #theory of stupidity #donald trump #dunning kruger effect #pedagogy #stupidity #germany #conspiracy theorists #mob mentality #interesting #ethics

[pratchettquotes]

"What mob?" said Magrat.

"We'll organize one," said Nanny.

"You don't organize a mob, Nanny," said Agnes. "A mob is something that happens spontaneously."

Nanny Ogg's eyes gleamed.

"There's seventy-nine Oggs in these parts," she said. "Spontaneous it is, then."

Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum

#magrat garlick #nanny ogg #agnes nitt #the ogg family #carpe jugulum #discworld #terry pratchett #witches #mob #mob boss #mob mentality #community activist #protest #family dynamics #the og #organized #spontaneous #by definition #spontaneous it is #the seventy-nine Oggs

[dougielombax]

No.

I wouldn’t trust 99% of the general population with firearms.

Especially considering how Neurotypicals act around people like me.

Half the time they usually think that I’m insane and act like I should be sectioned or sterilised. Or worse!

Do you really think I’d want a mob of dumb, panicky, dangerous animals (to quote Men in Black) like them to be carrying guns?! With all their bigotry and othering on top of that?!

No.

I wouldn’t.

Absolutely not!

It’s out of the question.

Any of us (autistic people) even look at them funny, they start panicking and bleating on about how we’re frightening them and how they have a god given right to attack us on sight!

Heck, many of the dumb fuckers don’t even need an excuse! They just do it!

I’d keep them as far away from firearms as possible.

I’d keep the dumb fuckers away from crayons and sharp objects! To say nothing of actual guns.

Stupid animals!

#dougie rambles #personal stuff #vent post #political crap #neurotypicals #neurotypical ableism #autism #actually autistic #being autistic #autistic #guns #firearms #weapons #fucking morons #bigotry #fuck’s sake #human cattle #men in black #ignorance #mob mentality #majoritarianism #ableism #bullshit #neurodivergent #rant #rants #panic #mass hysteria #stupid animals #fucking idiots

[gale-gentlepenguin]

You ever realize how fucked up the internet culture is. Someone posts something that is not common consensus and they get attacked for it. Death threats, doxxing, and so on just over a few mistakes, misunderstandings or badly timed jokes. Doesnt matter if the person apologizes or claims it was a mistake. It doesnt matter to the mob, its is just a relentless barrage that usually results in someone (usually the person on the receiving end) getting hurt.

#internet culture #gale rants #internet #just kind of fucked up #mob mentality #ive seen this in fandoms

[chickinscratch]

Rendog was blown up by Docm77. Docm77 blew up.

Hm. Joe thought to himself, pulling at the weeds in the HHH garden. Cleo lingered nearby, inspecting their own chat to read the latest death messages for themself. Ren must have been helping Doc with his worldeater. Hopefully the damage wouldn’t be too difficult to repair. Joe was no redstone expert, but he knew how finicky those machines could be-

Docm77 blew up.

Oh. Now that was bizarre. And probably not good - did that mean that there was possibly a rampaging worldeater loose somewhere? Or stray infinite TNT shooting itself across Doc’s perimeter? Perhaps it was best to avoid that area for a little while.

Doc respawned a little ways nearby, his bed likely destroyed in whatever chaos of explosions was rampaging his megabase. He glanced around the spawn plateau, puffed up beyond what Joe had ever seen from him before. Joe couldn’t blame him - a potentially loose worldeater destroying your bed was more than enough to get anyone worried. Why, if Joe was a creeper he’d imagine he’d be pretty puffed-up too just thinking about the whole ordeal.

Ren glided in from GigaPies™, throwing off his elytra as soon as he hit the ground. He immediately hurried towards Doc, hands up placatingly. “Hey, man,'' he began, shakily. “You feelin’ okay now-?” Doc hissed. Doc hissed. It was low and gravely and gruff, like it emanated from some back corner of his throat that hadn’t been used in a long time. He puffed up even more, shaking and stalking slowly towards Ren. Oh. Doc had been the one blowing up. That made slightly more and even less sense.

Rendog was blown up by Docm77. Docm77 blew up.

Well that certainly wasn’t good.

Doc respawned again, looking even more distressed than before. Immediately he was puffed up, stalking in a circle and making a low growl. Joe was suddenly thankful to be a little ways away, out of Doc’s sight and apparent blast radius. But now Ren’s elytra was lying on the ground. And spawn was laggy enough without stray items just floating around! And here Doc was, blowing up and creating new entities everywhere. It simply wouldn’t do. But the elytra was at the other end of spawn. And Doc stood between Joe and it.

Joe cast a glance to Cleo, who met his stare with wide, concerned eyes. Should I go pick up the elytra? Joe tried to communicate through facial features. Somehow he doubted it was effective. What in the world is going on with Doc? Cleo’s expression read. Or maybe it was What is wrong with your face? Joe, however, chose to take it as Joe, you are an idiot and a madman, which is probably equally something Cleo would say. Taking her definitely not purposefully misinterpreted nonverbal communication as approval, Joe dusted the dirt from his jeans and hurried across the plateau. Behind him, Cleo made a strangled noise a bit like she wanted to strangle him, and all her snakes hissed at once in a sound quite unlike Doc’s. Huh! Isn’t nature fascinating?

Sure enough, despite Joe’s attempt to give the creeper a wide berth, his presence caught Doc’s attention. Joe scurried faster, scooping up the elytra just in time to see Ren paddling over to spawn once more. Excellent timing! Though that did not stop the fact that Doc was now hissing again, swaying in place like a very very tall, explosive, centaur-esque cobra about to strike.

Helpfully, yet another party decided to crash in. Zedaph landed, skidding across the stone as he skillfully unequipped his elytra, and then even more skillfully and definitely intentionally slipped into a roll across the ground, making an assortment of only slightly distressed bleats. “Doc!” Zedaph announced, finally righting himself across from the creeper. He stood in what appeared to be a fighting stance, lowering his head into a bow as soon as he caught Doc’s attention. Doc watched this silently, turning to face Zedaph. Slowly, he approached.

Rather than exploding, Doc reared.

Poor Zedaph barely stood a chance. Doc, well over at least twice his size, butted head-first into Zedaph’s own comparatively tiny nubs of horns, sending him rolling across the stone once again. Zedaph seemed only momentarily shaken by this, standing once again to charge back. His momentum didn’t even budge Doc, but had allowed him to at least lock horns this time. Doc considered this, and slowly stood upright, lifting Zedaph with ease from the ground. Somehow, Zedaph maneuvered himself into a half-headstand on top of Doc’s own head, awkwardly struggling to hold onto Doc’s horns like some strange cyborg-creeper-caprine-man unicorn. Back at the HHH garden, behind Joe, Cleo struggled to suppress a fit of giggles at the sight. Joe sympathized, a few chuckles of his own escaping despite his best efforts.

From his bizarre perspective, Zedaph cheered amicably, unhooking his horns from Doc’s and tumbling back to the ground. Doc, seeming much calmer, settled into a seated loaf beside him and rumbled lowly. Joe decided to take that as a sign that it was safe to approach now.

“Howdy,” He greeted the collected Hermits. “What in the world is goin’ on?”

Ren rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’m not sure. I went to go talk to Doc at his perimeter and the guy just totally combusted.”

“I have a theory.” Zedaph said, reclining against Doc’s second torso. “You see, when I woke up this morning I noticed I was feeling more… sheepish, if you will. In the sheep way, mind you. It was the most bizarre thing. I just had this urge to climb into my animal pen to join my flock, maybe start shoveling grass into my mouth. I almost did - it was very tempting, and the grass looked very good. But! I did not. Though the feeling is still quite present -  part of my brain is unusually unnerved by Ren’s wolfy presence at the moment.”

“I’m more of a dog, really.”

“Wolf, dog, whatever. When I saw the death messages that Doc had exploded I suspected he may be having a similar experience,” Zedaph waggled a hoof. “And I believe I may be correct, given our combustible compadre’s bizarre behavior.” Zedaph gave a firm pat-pat to Doc’s back, like one might a car. Doc simply stared at him and continued rumbling, also somewhat like a car.

Ren hummed. “That’s strange though - I haven’t noticed anything off myself. I’m usually pretty attuned to when the were-brain is kickin’ in.”

“Cleo?” Joe asked. “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?”

“I did feel more tempted than usual this morning to turn Joe into stone. Still kind of am. But then again, that’s a relatively normal feeling for me, so not sure.”

“The three of us are on the more humanoid end of the server’s scale of mobs and hybrids,” Zedaph mused. “Presuming Doc’s condition is as I suspect, I would have thought myself and Ren to be more impacted by this than we are; perhaps it’s affecting mobs more intensely?”

“Should we go check on more of the others, then?” Cleo jerked a thumb towards the bases across the river. “We’ve kind of got more creatures than usual this season.”

Zedaph nodded. “We should make a list in order of concern, I think. If this is disproportionately impacting mobs, I’m a bit concerned for Jevin, given… well, he’s a slime.” The others made various noises of agreement.

“If our mob compatriots are behaving particularly more mobbish at the moment, should we be concerned at all about despawning?” Joe inquired. “Should we nametag Doc before we go?”

“He’s already named.” Cleo said.

Zedaph stood, placing a boat in his wake and rocking it gently against Doc, who eyed it for a moment before shuffling over to lay inside. Zedaph then grabbed a pumpkin from the garden, fiddling with it in his inventory before producing it once again. He held it aloft like one of his trophies, now transformed into one of Jevin’s easter eggs and decorated in Doc’s likeness. He handed it to Doc, who took it gingerly and cradled it close, rumbling louder.

“Alright, Doc,” Zedaph stood back, “You stay here for now, okay? We’ll be back as soon as we figure out what’s going on, and hopefully assure that Jevin is not currently a pile of goo.”

“Or at least, a less bipedal pile of goo than normal.” Cleo added.

“Yes, that. Stay safe, okay Doc?”

Doc rumbled once again, seeming satisfied with his egg and his boat, and the collected Hermits headed off across the river.

#mcyt #hermitcraft #joe hills #zombiecleo #zedaph #hermitcraft ensemble #docm77 #rendog #< tagging ensemble before doc and ren to hopefully keep this out of their main tags since it's after 6 tags #theyre there but just to be safe #fanfic #chicken scratch #Mob Mentality #< the official name for this saga now! #part one of a series! aka an excuse for me to write hermits being More Bizarre Than Usual #cause its quite fun to write about mob behaviors might impact hybrid players #i see an excuse for worldbuilding and i take it #also i seem to be incapable of Not Writing From Joe's POV. whoops. #no idea for a proper name for this series so suggestions are welcome

[cyber-phobia]

No pressure tags @redrobin-detective @lollitree @figurativepieceoftrash

#wip #poll shenanigans #punchline fic #bc gentry decided to be EVIL and TAG ME!! #mob mentality #komainu fic

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

These NPCs are literal fucking morons. They don't have any values or ethics or beliefs of their own, only what they glean through osmosis from the mob mentality. Like the BLM riots of 2020, they just want to be seen to have the "correct" moral alignment.

Five minutes ago, these were the "punch a Nazi" people. "I was just following everyone else" is how the original Nazis rose.

The jihadis and terrorists love that these useful idiots are running interference for them, though.

Guaranteed that the ringleaders are the true believers, the Islamic supremacists eager to destroy Israel and exterminate the Jews, as Hamas themselves have declared. Some other proportion will be agitators who just want to engage in violence and destruction and are there for when it happens. The rest are just mindless drones who think they're going to be the stars of a cultural moment.

#antisemitism #hamas supporters #hamas #pro hamas #terrorism supporters #israel #pro palestine #palestine #pro terrorism #literal fucking morons #student protest #NYU #NYU protest #NPC #useful idiots #islam #jihad #jihadis #islamic terrorism #mob mentality #terrorist scarf #religion is a mental illness

[elmokingkong]

Recently there's a... Situation? Debacle? Of a Youtuber called Kwite where another person called Orion says that Kwite did a bunch of terrible things to him. When it first pop up in my Twitter feed, I thought to myself "Dang! That is terrible. Why would somebody do something like this? Kwite seemed like a good person.", liked a few posts about the situation, then moved on with my day. My opinion of Kwite has changed, and the world is just a little bit worse.

Now Kwite has posted a video telling his side of the situation, and it was obvious watching it that Orion lied about what Kwite did. Looking at the Kwite tag now shows people realizing they made a mistake, them knowing that Kwite would never do this, and this is why people should be neutral in these kinds of situations. The first bit was just my situation, but that last bit got me thinking. I always thought I wouldn't be in the mob mentality, but this just proved me wrong.

I've seen posts about chronically online people and how social media can change our mentality, but this is the first time I REALLY think about it. I've, never really fact checked any online, because somebody is already saying things about it. Why bother when the facts are already laid out in a simple way? Laziness at its finest. This self reflection of mine has made me realize that I need to install some habits, like getting both sides, staying neutral at first, and fact check things. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to live up to this list, but I'll try my hardest.

Uhh, stay safe out there? And use some brain cells?

#thoughts #social media #mob mentality #neutrality #personal thoughts #kwite #kwite situation #kwite allegations #twitter

[negativeoffice]

Fear, Loathing, and Comics, at the Basement Sale (2012)

Dir. Julie Sokolow

Watching Ed, Jim, and Tom together here, diving in the dollar bins and talking comics, is so bittersweet.

Ed's impact on me will last through my days. What he and Jim built created a community of kind, like-minded people where, whatever our differences, our love of comics was shared.

Cartoonist Kayfabe had a culture of creation.

The mob/activists/cancel culture, whatever you want to call it, this sickness in our society. It is a culture of destruction.

They snuff out the bright lights.

They diminish all of us.

Ed, you have left a huge positive impression on so many people, and that is something that will live on in those of us you inspired forever.

#ed piskor #jim rugg #Tom scioli #julie sokolow #Pittsburgh comics gang #cartoonist kayfabe #the new dimension comics #comics #Youtube #cancel culture #mob mentality #rip eddie p #comic books

[watdraws]

Patreon 899

Gwen delighted to read the latest chapter of Mob Mentality! :B You can read it here too! https://sharkrags.itch.io/mob-mentality http://www.patreon.com/watsup/

Posted using PostyBirb

#female #werewolf #wolf #Gwen #Sharkrags #Mob Mentality

[rchetypal]

"Anybody in his sound senses must know that the mob is just mob. It is inferior, consisting of inferior types of the human species." — C.G. Jung

#carl jung #psychology #jung #unconscious #mob #inferior being #mass mentality #mob mentality

[pratchettquotes]

[...] Vimes stepped out into the evening air.

There were people hanging around out there, in little groups of three or four, talking among themselves and occasionally turning to look at the Watch House.

Vimes sat down on the steps and took a sip of his cocoa.

He might as well have dropped his breeches. The groups opened up, became an audience. No man drinking a nonalcoholic drink had ever been the center of so much attention.

He'd been right. A closed door is an incitement to bravery. A man drinking from a mug, under a light, and apparently enjoying the cool night air, is an incitement to pause.

Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

#samuel vimes #sam vimes #night watch #discworld #terry pratchett #mob #mob mentality #police #law enforcement #people #group think #psychology #deescalation #bravery #an incitement to pause #the glorious 25th of may

[bodhrancomedy]

TikTok is hell. So is tumblr but at least I can swear here.

#deaf #tiktok #video #queer #mob mentality #internet harassment

[worstmdzstakes]

One of the worst takes: that Wei Wuxian was in any way wrong for nightless city, or that Wen Remnants and Wei Wuxian died because he was too arrogant to ask for help

These are definitely both stupid takes!

💩Fanon bullshit💩 - WWX was in the wrong at Nightless City:

Can people in the fandom not grasp when someone is being treated unfairly?!

The sects stated that the matter would be settled for the time being if WQ and WQ gave themselves up and they would leave WWX and the remaining Wens remnants alone.

How would anyone feel to find out they had sacrificed their lives for nothing? That the cultivation world was still planning an attack on the burial mounds, intent on murdering every single innocent person that lived there.

What happened at Nightless City was straight up defence. Granted, WWX was out of his mind with trauma, but overall, it was the congregation of sects that made a move first.

As WWX concluded himself:

“Oh?” Wei Wuxian helped the one who’d spoken dissect his statement. “So if he wants to kill me, he needn’t have any misgivings about dealing a lethal blow. If I die, that’s just my bad luck. But if I defend myself, I must have reservations about who I hurt—even about whether I should touch a single strand of anyone’s hair in the first place. In short, you can ambush me, but I can’t fight back. Is that right?”

7S vol 4

It seems that some people in the fandom are more like the idiots of the cultivation world who blindly followed without question.

MXTX wished her readers to be like LWJ in virtue and WWX in character - not the mob who could not see what was truly right or wrong.

💩Fanon bullshit💩 - WWX won't ask for help:

There was never anything truly arrogant about WWX. He put a bravado on to stop people attacking him and finding out he no longer possessed a golden core, that he had a weakness which could be exploited. It was all to stop people looking too closely at the fact he had no spiritual powers and was weaker than before.

Throughout the novel WWX has no qualms with asking for help - just look at him when he was trying to save the ungrateful Su She from the waterborne abyss. He asked for help. The only issue is, people don't usually give him it. He's used to fighting things out on his own, relying on himself and his own skills. Then LWJ comes along and he helps without even being asked.

Just who could WWX ask for help when he was protecting the Wen remnants at the burial mounds?!

He rather unfortunately concluded LWJ disapproved of him and his methods - yet, unbeknownst to him, LWJ helped him as much as he could, defending him and the Wens during meetings and when the fierce corpses broke out alongside WN after they met in Yiling.

His own sect leader threw him to the proverbial dogs and declared him the enemy of the cultivation world! Hardly helpful! WWX knew JC wouldn't help, even though he owed the Wen remnants a life debt and was honour bound to repay such a thing. Why the hell would WWX ask JC for help when he already knew the answer. He knew JC was too full of resentment and hatred to even lift a finger and JC only proved it the minute he arrived at the burial mounds and sneered at the old and weak before trying to kill a defenceless WN who he personally owed so much to. Even an idiot could see that he wasn't going to help - so what does that make the people saying otherwise? Hmm...

#mdzs #mdzs novel #mdzs canon #wei wuxian #mo dao zu shi #mob mentality #wwx is not afraid of asking for help #shit the fandom says

[chickinscratch]

The second hermit affected was, shockingly, not Jevin.

The small group arrived below the large slimy pig, at the home of the not-as-large slimy slime, and cautiously knocked. Within a few moments, Jevin arrived at the door, eyeing the four that stood before him.

“Hey guys,” he greeted. “What’s up?”

“Oh good, you’re not more of a pile of goo than usual.” Cleo noted.

“...Was that a concern that we were having?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

Zedaph recounted the situation thus-far, pausing for Jevin to react appropriately with a variety of “hmms,” “mhms,” and “That explains the death messages”s. “-So that leaves the question, why aren’t you more, erm, slimy than usual?”

Jevin shrugged. “Mimicking other mobs is pretty standard slime behavior. I guess if I am affected by whatever this is, I already act enough like any other slime that it doesn’t matter? Though if any of you get too close I will probably absorb you for nutrients, and that won’t be too pleasant.”

“Noted. Keep us posted if you notice yourself becoming concerningly more viscous or anything of the like. We should probably go check on some more of the others to make sure no one else is exploding or absorbing other Hermits for nutrients.”

“Good luck with that - who were you going to check on next?”

“We were thinking Grian,” Cleo produced the list they had compiled from her inventory. “Then probably Gem, since we already have Doc and Zed accounted for. Have you seen either of them?”

Jevin tapped his chin thoughtfully, which was only moderately successful given his consistency. “I haven’t seen Gem - She’d probably be working on her megabase with Impulse and Pearl. I did see Grian flying around here earlier - I think he was pecking at Scar and pushed him into a hole? But that’s pretty average for them so I dunno if it was related to whatever’s going on. Pretty sure he flew off back towards his rift thing though.”

“We should definitely check there first, then, I think.” Cleo returned the list to their inventory. “In the nicest way possible, I don’t trust Grian messing with weird eldritch whatever on a good day, let alone potentially in some kind of full bird-brain mode.”

“I do believe eldritch interference under the influence of avian is illegal in several states.” Joe added.

“Then you should probably all get to dealing with that.” Jevin waved. “Good luck!”

The band of Hermits arrived at the tor that Grian had claimed for his megabase, scouting for any signs of him. Instead, they found Mumbo. “Hello,” Mumbo greeted as the group landed atop one of the giant rocks that formed the landscape.

“Mumbo,” Cleo greeted in return. “Why are you laying on top of a boulder?”

“Grian has decided I’m actually a stick, and also part of his nest.”

“What?”

“I guess I look kind of twiggish?” Mumbo sighed, awkwardly shuffling from the large pile of miscellaneous sticks and branches he was stuck within. “I knew I was spindly and all, but I didn’t think Grian would literally use me as a stick. He was very insistent on it, too.”

“Why is Grian building a nest?” Zedaph eyed the construction eagerly.

“I think he’s trying to hatch his base.”

“What?!” Cleo repeated.

“And also those easter egg things.” Mumbo added. “Those are definitely in this pile somewhere.”

“Why is he trying to hatch his base?” Cleo’s voice pitched. “Isn’t he messing with interdimensional junk this season? Should we be concerned?”

“I think he just thinks the boulder is an egg, honestly.” Mumbo shrugged, which was quite awkward to accomplish from his position betwixt the twigs. “It is kind of egg-shaped. Also he keeps giving boulders heartbeats, which probably doesn’t help. Not that I’m opposed to bases with heartbeats; I’m quite familiar with those.”

“Y’know,” Zedaph mused, “That does explain how he talked about The Entity like it was alive. Maybe he thought that was an egg too.” “It is another decently egg-shaped boulder.” Mumbo agreed.

Joe peered at the pile of sticks composing Grian’s ‘nest’. As Mumbo had described, the easter eggs were indeed nestled inside the Grian-sized entrance. “I would have expected Grian to nest in a tree, given parrots are arboreal. In fact, especially because they usually nest in pre-existing spaces. I wonder why he didn’t just move into Scar’s base or something?”

“I guess he just decided it was easier to build a nest here rather than try to move a boulder.” Mumbo craned his neck to face Joe with limited success.

“That is perfectly logical.”

“So we can safely say Grian also caught whatever bug Doc has, right?” Cleo said.

Ren shrugged. “Honestly, I could see Grian doing this normally.”

“There’s a bug going around?” Mumbo strained to look above shoe-level.

“Cleo, snakes eat eggs, right?” Joe asked.

“There are very much no eggs here, but yes.” Cleo huffed.

“Are you noticing any of those instinct things Zedaph had mentioned?”

“Again, there are no eggs, so no, I am not. In fact, I’m pretty sure those easter eggs are just more rocks painted to look like Grian. I like to consider myself a pretty reliable expert on rocks.”

“Can your expertise determine how egg-like a rock is?” Mumbo asked from the ground.

A few of Cleo’s hair-snakes hissed exasperatedly. “Shape-wise, that’s more of an opinion, though yes, these rocks are approximately egg-shaped. Physically, the most egg-like rock would probably be limestone or something, since it’s calcium carbonate.”

“Is this limestone?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Not a very eggy egg-shaped boulder then.” Mumbo huffed.

“Has Grian been here recently?” Zedaph interjected again.

“He comes and goes from here every few minutes. He’s mostly just been collecting sticks.”

“Out of curiosity, would you say he’s been acting at all any more, perhaps, parrotish?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s built me into a nest.”

“Honestly, that could also just as easily be perfectly normal Grian behavior.” Joe noted.

“I am actively being used as building material!”

“Again, not necessarily out of the ordinary. Maybe he mistook you for a redstone block or torch, given how much redstone you usually consume?”

“Honestly, fair enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if I actually emitted a signal at this point-”

Zedaphs ears perked up. “Can we test that?”

“-But I think there are bigger concerns to focus on right now.”

A shrill squawk interrupted their slightly derailed conversation as a very puffed-up Grian landed on top of his nest. And by extension, Mumbo. “Ow.” Mumbo mumbled. Grian ignored him, flaring his wings and tail feathers at the collected group and hissing. Cleo’s snakes helpfully hissed back.

“Huh, I forgot that parrots hiss.” Zedaph said.

“Leave.”

“Oh, fantastic! You’re still verbal. We were having issues communicating with Doc-”

“LEAVE.” Grian fluttered to atop Mumbo’s head, which prompted a new bout of complaints from the designated-stick-and-now-perch. Grian pecked at him a few times until he quieted.

“Mumbo,” Joe sidestepped to stand between the nest and other Hermits. “Since Grian has apparently accepted you as part of his nest, perhaps you could help explain the situation to him?”

“I can try my best,” Mumbo grumbled, Grian’s talons tapping at his head each time he made a noise. “But I make no promises.”

“We appreciate any effort you can provide.”

“Grian-” Mumbo winced at another round of pecks. “Grian. Hey, buddy-” he whistled, which Grian rightened and quirked his head at, giving some reprieve to the pecking. “It’s okay. They’re not here to mess with your definitely, totally real eggs that are not rocks. They’re just here to talk to you.”

Grian squinted suspiciously at the collected group, but seemed to at least calm down enough to listen. He ducked inside the nest, settling delicately atop the easter eggs of himself as if it were a throne, and glared out at the group. “Fine. Continue.”

“They mentioned some kind of bug, or something…? What was the bug thing?”

“Ah, yes,” Zedaph clapped. “You see, earlier Ren found Doc behaving strangely, which resulted in both of them exploding a few times. I had also been feeling a bit strangely this morning, and Jevin and Cleo mentioned potential behavioral changes as well, so I propose a theory that whatever cause Doc’s current condition may be impacting some of the other less humanoid members of the server.”

“Well I feel perfectly fine.”

Cleo’s hair-snakes bristled. “Grian. You are using Mumbo as a stick.”

“He is a stick.”

“You’re nesting on top of painted rocks.”

“Eggs.”

“Those are very much rocks.”

“Your snake tricks won’t work on me. I won’t let you eat them.”

“I am literally a geologist, Grian.”

“And these are eggs.”

“Can we go back to Doc?” Cleo sighed. “He was much easier to reason with.”

“I kind of prefer not blowing up. Again.” Ren added.

“I can still blow you up if you want.” Grian offered.

“No thank you.”

“Probably for the best.” Grian preened at his feathers. “Wouldn’t want the nest to get damaged.”

“As the nest, I appreciate that.” Mumbo said.

“Quiet, stick.”

“Grian,” Cleo took a deep breath, “Maybe you could let Mumbo stop being a stick for a little bit?”

Grian gasped. “Mumbo is an integral stick to the nest! The entire thing would be destroyed if he left! I smell your snakey tricks! You can’t fool me!”

“I am not trying to eat your dumb- rrrgh!”

“This is rather uncomfortable, Grian.” Mumbo whined. “I have splinters.”

“Well of course you do. That’s how sticks work.”

“Griaaan-”

“Don’t tell me you’ve sided with them!”

“Listen, Grian, I will accept being classified as a redstone component, but I think I’ve decided being a stick is a bit much for me! It’s a lot of commitment!”

“Well you’ve got to at least wait until they’ve hatched.”

Cleo made a strangled noise. “They’re ROCKS-!”

“Hey!” Grian squawked. “I’m the egg expert here.”

“SNAKES LAY EGGS TOO!”

“Yeah, but snake eggs are all squishy and gross. My eggs are strong and beautiful. It’s no wonder you think they’re stone. I forgive you for your confusion; it’s a very easy mistake to make.”

Cleo shouted indistinctly, though not indecipherably. Joe found it very decipherable. After all, he was very familiar with Cleo’s miscellaneous grumbles of exasperation and frustration. Many of them were often directed towards him. “What if we came to a compromise?’ Joe offered. “I notice the top of this here boulder-”

“Egg.”

“-Egg, yes, is quite barren and cold.”

Grian nodded. “That’s why Mumbo is such an important stick. He helps keep the nest warm.”

“I’m cold.” Mumbo grumbled.

“What if we helped you relocate your eggs somewhere nice and warm, and perhaps more enclosed? They’d be much safer than up here, and Mumbo could take a break for a little bit.”

Grian shuffled thoughtfully. “...And Cleo wouldn’t eat them?”

“I know just the place where Cleo will absolutely never go.”

"I’m gonna need more convincing.”

“Joe, Mumbo, and I can help carry your eggs, so you don’t have to worry about Cleo or Ren eating them.” Zedaph added. “And I’ll even throw in some of my wool.”

“What about the big egg? I can’t move that one.”

“We could shrink it.”

“You can shrink it?” Grian tilted his head curiously.

“You can shrink it?” Cleo repeated.

“I am a scientist and procurer of extravagant devices; Of course I can shrink it- though we will need to remove your nest and the other eggs from it first.”

“Deal. But if you’re tricking me I’ll kill you.”

“No tricks, my feathered friend.” Zedaph placed a solemn hoof-hand to his heart. “I am entirely invested in the safety of your eggs. Now, you, Mumbo, and Joe take your eggs to ground-level while I prepare for The Shrinkening.”

“And Ren and I will just… stand a reasonable distance away, I suppose.” Cleo muttered, already launching off. Ren and Zedaph took off following her, leaving Joe to help untangle Mumbo from his stick prison. 

Grian watched the process like a hawk (or, like a parrot?), cradling his eggs and intensely micromanaging the careful dissection of his nest around Mumbo as to preserve as much as possible (rather than allow Mumbo to simply sit upright). Once Mumbo was free, Grian gingerly distributed the “eggs” as though they were the most precious cargo in the world. Upon close inspection, Joe could confirm they were in fact just some painted rocks Jevin had used in the egg hunt. One at least seemed to be potentially made of limestone, so it probably scored closer to being a real egg than any of the rest.

The trio landed in the forest a little ways from the foot of the main tor. Mumbo stretched liberally, making an assortment of cracking noises that made Joe consider some truth to Grian’s observations of Mumbo being a stick. “I was laying there for hours.” Mumbo sighed. “This is so much better.”

“How would you rate your experience on a scale of ‘minorly’ to ‘quite pants?’” Joe asked.

“I can kill this season, you know.”

“Okay, but how would you rate it?” Ren asked, trotting up to join them. Cleo followed closely behind.

“... It was at least decently pants.”

“Hah, you said the thing.” Cleo smirked.

“This is just not my day, is it?”

Zedaph emerged from the trees, hurrying to join the gaggle of Hermits. “Alright, everyone! Who’s ready for The Shrinkening?”

“You’re certain this is entirely safe, right?” Grian drew his eggs closer to his chest.

“Of course. I would never put your absolutely gargantuan egg in any danger. Now, the process will be a bit strange, but you must trust me, alright?”

“Alright…” Grian cradled his eggs with blatant uncertainty.

“Now, you’ll all have to face away, because witnessing The Shrinkening would be very bad for your retinas, but when I count to three the egg will be shrunk! And also, conveniently replaced with an identical boulder of equivalent size and mass, so as to not disrupt the environment.” Cleo stifled a snicker.

“...This sounds like a trick.” Grian squinted at Zedaph.

“No, no, no! You must trust The Shrinkening. Now, everybody turn around.” The collected Hermits obliged.

“One,” Zedaph counted. “Two… THREE!”

They collectively turned back, Grian practically whipping around to face whatever Zedaph had done. Nothing looked different, save for Zedaph holding aloft… a small, ovoid rock, the same colors as the boulder behind him. Cleo doubled over, wheezing quietly in an effort not to cackle aloud. Grian simply inched cautiously towards Zed, reaching out for the “egg.” Zedaph ceremoniously placed it into his awaiting palm. “One shrunken egg, perfectly transportable and safe.”

Grian stared at the “egg.” Joe could practically see avian and player halves of his brain at war, trying to decide if they had been fooled or not. Finally, Grian gave the rock a gentle kiss and nestled it with the rest of the clutch. Cleo wheezed loudly off to the side.

“Alright,” Grian huffed, turning to Joe. “You promised me a better nest spot. Where is it.”

“Of course, right this way.”

#hermitcraft #grian #mumbo jumbo #mumbojumbo #zombiecleo #zedaph #hermitcraft ensemble #would tag Joe since he's the POV but he doesnt talk much in this one #i didnt expect to default to Joe POV so often but here i am i guess #fanfic #chicken scratch #long post // #Mob Mentality #THE SERIES HAS A NAME NOW YAY #VERY dialogue-heavy this one. i tend to do that a lot. #this is already a very self-indulgent fic cause i like worldbuilding exploration #particularly with player-mob/hybrid behaviors cause like. if theyre gonna be hybrids why *not* #but this chapter in particular is probably my favorite so far just out of Excuse To Write Silly Bird People. aka my favorite. #also this group's dialogue habits are very fun for me to write

[huniegloom]

Ya know as an autistic person I’m going to say this. The people who bullied you and treated you like shit they lied their way to the top. All of this is out of malicious envy and projection normal people who are secure in themselves do not feel the need to bully those that did nothing to them. To tell ya the truth they aren’t even that intelligent they are quite the opposite actually. They have no personality outside of this constant need for validation and when they don’t get what they want they get all depressed and leave the social setting. From the little snippets I’ve seen it looks depressing but I don’t feel bad for them I don’t even pity them there’s so many healthier ways to deal with their issues but they all chose to be mean, cruel and just plain vile for no damn reason other cause they can. Believe me they know they are wrong they just don’t care.

#tw bullying #tw ableism #actually autistic #autizzy #mob mentality #social isolation #outcast