I just finished The J. Golden Kimball Stories by Eric Eliason, and I enjoyed it. A good 3rd of the book was an introduction about J. Golden and how folklore functions as a study and within Mormon culture. There is also a percentage breakdown of swearing (74% contain swearing, 51% contain hell, 36% contain damn, 3% contain SOB, and 4% contain "stronger language").
Here's one explanation as to how these stories function in Mormon society, and some of my favorite stories from the book (1 of which is just a general humorous story).
day 1710
I haven't seen him on my feed at all this year, i missed him
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Excited to hear Chris Pratt as Dorcelessness
I hope everyone who believes that the LDS Church's rules are too strict and that our religion asks too much of us looks back at, like, any other religion. Every member who complains about the requirements being too hard should try to live according to the laws of Islam for like, a week.
"Ohhh but garments cover so much skin and they're so uncomfortable" you've never been hate-crimed for wearing a hijab. You can show your arms; plenty of other people can't.
"The Word of Wisdom is too strict" your diet coke addiction says otherwise. Imagine your current diet but you can't eat pork or gelatin or eat from animals slaughtered in a haram way. Imagine not being able to go out to eat because the food is prepared on a skillet that made bacon that morning. You can eat meat and pork and cheese together, unlike our Jewish friends who practice kosher. There are so many other religions that can't drink alcohol, we're not special.
"Fast Sunday is so harddd" try Ramadan on for size. Fast Sunday is 2 meals once a month, if that. You've never watched your friends sleepily trudge through 40 days of fasting all day.
"Reading your scriptures and praying every day?? That's obsessive" well we can do it anywhere. We don't have to stop our schedules 3 times a day to run to a plain room and face Mecca and pray. We can read our scriptures on a phone in the bathroom.
Like, I'm not saying that the Church is easy. There are a lot of requirements; the Lord makes things difficult for us because it shows Him we care when we put effort into following His commandments. But claiming that we're radical and cultish because of the things we require is so ignorant and dismissive of other religions. We've got it pretty good, all things considered.
My headcanon is that Tad Strange is locally known as the least strange person in Gravity Falls because he's autistic as hell and being normal is his special interest. Not in a "feels like he has to mask perfectly" way, it's just his passion and everyone admires and respects his commitment to the bit.
When he was in high school he'd go up to his friends and go "Hello. If you aren't busy, would you mind practicing friendly small talk with me?" and now everyone's like "That Tad Strange can strike up an amiable conversation about the weather in the grocery store checkout line like he was born to do it."
He feels genuine delight at his closet full of short-sleeve button-up white shirts for the summer and long-sleeve button-up white shirts for the winter.
If he's trying out a new kind of food he asks his coworkers and neighbors "What's the most popular brand?" and they all understand he's deliberately looking for the most normal option and are happy to support his goal.
He hosts bread tasting parties. Condiments discouraged until you've tasted the unadorned bread first. Bread's a very normal food. He gets very excited about the different varieties.
He's just enchanted by the aesthetic of being hella typical. He's living his best life.
It's not enough for this many bodies
hello everyone today im here to pitch to you an idea which could revolutionize the deltarune fanon industry: these 4 become friends
Give a man a horse he’ll eat for a day teach a man to horse and make him drinks water