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Language:
English
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Published:
2017-09-22
Updated:
2022-04-07
Words:
171,135
Chapters:
118/?
Comments:
163
Kudos:
156
Bookmarks:
13
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3,797

Are You Satisfied

Summary:

No one becomes a cult leader overnight. Daniel, for all intents and purposes, had been a normal child. He had friends, a family, a community. When his Near Death Experience at twelve leaves his perception of the world in pieces, Daniel is determined to find meaning in it, even if it means he has to abandon everything he knew. From a small town in Georgia to a compound in Oregon, Daniel's life is pieced together to show exactly what went wrong, or perhaps what went horribly right.

Permanent hiatus. Thank you all for reading throughout the years, and I hope this story brought you as much enjoyment as I felt when working on it all those years ago. <3

Chapter 1: Introductory

Notes:

Nov. 22, 2025

Hello! As of writing this, I will be placing this fic on an official, permanent hiatus. I have many reasons, but amongst them is the urge to one day turn this into an original work of fiction under a new pen name. Whether this plan will ever see fruition is entirely up to future me, as current me is busy with other projects. I wanted to make this note so that new readers will be well aware that this story is not going to receive any more updates, and that what you see is what you get. I started this in my senior year of high school, and as you can imagine, my writing, perspectives, and way that I develop characters has shifted a lot over the years, which means even if I were to return to this story right now as it stands, it would be entirely different than what you would come to expect based on prior chapters.

Thank you all so, so much for still clicking on this story to give it a read so many years later. Trust me, it's stuck with me all these years, and I still come back to read every comment when I'm feeling down about my current progress on my other fics on my new ao3 account. Your feedback and kindness has always, and will always, mean the world to me.

Thank you again. If you have any questions about the story, please feel free to drop a comment and I'll answer them when I get a spare moment. Otherwise, enjoy what is here, and take care. <3

Chapter Text

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

— Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"

 

 

 

 

ENTHUSIASTIC CULT LEADER LEAVES ENTIRE COMPOUND DEAD!
SUSPECT STILL AT LARGE


On the morning of June 14th, police officers responding to ongoing reports of “suspicious activity” in the compound of  The International Church of Ascendentalism were alarmed to discover the scene of a recent mass-suicide. Police believe that the cult followers were made to drink poison Kool-Aid much like the Jonestown Massacre. “Enthusiastic” cult leader Daniel J. Hubbard was not present at the scene.
The events of June 14th come after a long string of complaints from inside the compound of corruption, manipulation, brainwashing tactics and harsh emotional and mental punishments (such as public shaming rituals) for any sins against the Church of Ascendentalism, led by the upper hierarchy. Police had obtained a search warrant for the compound a week prior, and when they arrived, they discovered banners proclaiming an “Ascension Party”. “Frankly, we have no idea what happened in there,” Sgt. Reynolds reported to the Sleepy Peak Times. When reporters reached out for further questions, they were turned away.
It was discovered that The International Church of Ascendentalism believed in human sacrifices to a being called Zeemuug and their Ancient Ones as a means of "ascending to a higher form". It is unclear whether or not this mass-suicide was intended as a sacrifice at this time. The Sleepy Peak police could not be reached for further questioning.


Of course, it didn’t all start out this way. There were years before; years spent in sticky summer noons and shivering winter nights, shouldered like the world on his back. There were days filled with worry and days filled with euphoria.
Before Camp Campbell, there was a tiny town in Georgia. Before the compound, there was a house on Redford Drive. And before the cult leader, there were scraped knees, lumbering oak trees and a birthday party in 1999.