spell states - by Ava - bookbear express

When I say “spell state” I’m referring to certain emotional states that hold us absolutely in their thrall—you know, under a spell. Falling in love, being in a cult, converting to a religion and making a particular belief the center of your life (AGI, anyone?) are all spell states. You feel yourself going under but it’s usually impossible to stop, and once you’re in you lose the ability to assess it objectively until you’re out. Sometimes it takes literal decades to get out. In fact, a big problem with spell states is that most people are unable to get out of them unless something big happens. Like, your cult leader is arrested by the FBI. Or you suffer a brutal romantic rejection. Or the belief you’ve poured the last 10 years of your life into is proven incontrovertibly wrong. And sometimes even that isn’t enough. Which: scary, right?

When I say “spell state” I’m referring to certain emotional states that hold us absolutely in their thrall—you know, under a spell. Falling in love, being in a cult, converting to a religion and making a particular belief the center of your life (AGI, anyone?) are all spell states. You feel yourself going under but it’s usually impossible to stop, and once you’re in you lose the ability to assess it objectively until you’re out. Sometimes it takes literal decades to get out. In fact, a big problem with spell states is that most people are unable to get out of them unless something big happens.